1
ELI
I squeeze my eyes shut and press my fingertips into my temples, groaning at the pulsing tension that now seems to reside there, permanently staking its claim. I’ve hardly looked away from my computer screen all day, so it’s no surprise I have yet another pounding headache.
The merger agreement I’m drafting is hundreds of pages long, filled with conditions, warranties, and clauses. This one has been a major challenge. It’s been one problem after another, and the entire process of negotiations, back-and-forth discussions, endless drafts, reviews, and calls have overwhelmingly consumed my work for months. Specializing in corporate law, specifically mergers, is usually straightforward, but the licensing and intellectual property patents and trademarks involved with this merger have kept me awake at night for months.
I’ve reread and rewritten almost every line of the document, not out of legal necessity but because the rhythm doesn’t feel right.
Eventually when I finally find sleep, my dreams are filled with paragraphs and citations that flash repeatedly behind my eyes, rearranging themselves as if I’m still working, leaving me feeling exhausted. There is no escaping this document or my need for it to be perfect.
“I need a vacation,” I mutter, pressing my fingers harder into my skin and the space between my eyes, which feels tighter than a knot. These two companies are making my life difficult.
“I think everyone should have at least three vacations a year.” A honey-smooth voice full of cheer makes my eyes spring open.
I’m completely taken aback by the vibrant woman with a smile wider than a crescent moon hovering in my doorway, and my brows furrow even further, the pain pounding stronger as I stare silently at the stranger who has stepped into my office looking like her hair’s been attacked by a rainbow.
“I hear Greece, Croatia, Denmark, and Morocco are nice this time of year. Or Japan,” she says, her eyes widening with excitement. “Now Japan. That’s a place I would love to visit. The cherry blossoms are so dreamy; you need to go in springtime for that, though. But you could visit the temples and shrines and explore Nara to see the giant Buddha.” She clutches her chest while I stay motionless and tongue-tied behind my desk, confused about who the woman with the colorful hair is. On a roll, she keeps spewing out words I struggle to keep up with. “You could even climb Mount Fuji or ride the bullet train, oh, or”—she holds her finger in the air like she just had the best idea—“you could participate in a sumo wrestling event.”
“A what?” I bark in surprise. Who the hell is this woman, and what is she doing in my office? She’s fraying my already thin nerves.
With a serious expression, she replies as if it’s the most normal suggestion in the world, “A sumo wrestling event.” She tilts her head side to side, then looks upward as if deep in thought, before shaking her head and scrunching her nose. “Maybe not, actually, forget I said that. You could get an ass in your face, a lot of it too.” She shudders. “That’s completely unnecessary, really. What else do you like to do in your free time?” Her elfin features gaze at me expectantly.
My mouth drops open in bewilderment as my brain glitches, and eventually I ask, “I’m sorry, but who are you?” I look past her petite frame for help, only to discover Tessa, my secretary, has left for the day. It’s more than likely she said goodbye, but I have no recollection; my mind is elsewhere. Lost in mounds of paperwork I can’t seem to navigate my way out of.
The stranger lifts her shoulders to her ears and smiles. “Opps. Sorry. Silly me. I’m Sapphire.”
“Sapphire?” What a fucking epic name.
“Yes.” She extends her hand in front of her, introducing herself. “Sapphire Feelgood.”
That surely can’t be her name; it’s like something out of a Disney movie. Only better.
I accept her handshake, savoring how warm her hand feels in mine, which is cold. I’ve been typing for too long today, and my fingers feel numb.
About to introduce myself, I open my mouth, but she beats me to it. “And you are Elijah Hart. It says so on the plaque on your door.” She thumbs over her shoulder toward the nameplate. “You’re a corporate lawyer, you run Hart Law with your three brothers, Nathan, Max, and Cole. You’re the third born and the best merger and acquisitions lawyer in the state. I did my homework.” Sapphire looks pleased with herself, that smile of hers unfaltering.
She definitely knows a thing or two about me. What she doesn’t realize is that I play chess online most nights to unwind, enjoy bonsai cultivation, and mainly explore art galleries—mostly silent hobbies. I can’t imagine Sapphire doing any of them because her style is loud, and she is, too. There’s no way the word “whisper” ever enters her vocabulary.
But wait. “Sorry, who are you, exactly?” It’s late. Way past the time I usually allow appointments, something I am very strict about, which Tessa knows.
“I’m from Safire & Spark. The staffing event company Hart Law assigned to organize your annual staff conference. I’m the owner and I named the company after my name. Well, it’s not exactly the same, I put thefirein there as a play on my name, you know, to signify how I ignite people’s passion and the spark events. All very clever.” Sapphire looks down at our conjoined hands. “I’ll have that back if it’s okay with you.”
I release my tight grip on her dainty hand, which I didn’t realize I was still holding on to.
Rolling my seat away from my desk, I stand and notice the height difference between us. Compared to Sapphire, I’m more than a foot taller than her. She can be barely five feet tall at most. She’s pocket-sized, a petite powerhouse.
I still have no idea what the hell she’s doing in my office, but I can’t say I’m as mad as I was before. She’s a human sparkplug with a kind of energy that makes even the grayest day feel like the sun is shining.
Shut up, Eli. She’s fucking annoying.
“We’re scheduled to have dinner this evening,” she states, throwing me off balance.
“No, we’re not.” I have an online chess game against dewy56 set for this evening.
“Yes, we are.” Sapphire rummages through her oversized tan suede purse with dozens of silver charms dangling from it, and pulls out her cell phone. “Janice, your human resources manager, had a family emergency, and she didn’t want to cancel dinner plans because we needed to make some decisions this evening. And since your brothers are all busy tonight, except for you, she suggested you could help.” She looks up from her cell phone and turns it around to show me the confirmation email. “Confirmed this afternoon. By Tessa Carter,” she adds.
I glance at the screen, my worst nightmare about to come true. I’m having dinner with a Little Miss. Chatterbox, with whom I will have to make polite conversation with. That’s if I can get a word in edgeways.
