I read the note three more times, my thumb tracing over his handwriting.
Pretty girl.
His pretty girl.
Grinning like an idiot, I clutch the card to my chest because, honestly, I’m relieved that James’s flowers are gone.
I sink into my desk chair, setting the card down carefully next to my keyboard where I can see it, and just like that, I’m fifteen again.
Butterflies.
Fucking heart flutters that have only ever happened for him.
My phone’s sitting right in front of me, and I can’t focus on anything but this overwhelming need to text him. I want to tell him they’re perfect and that I haven’t stopped replaying that kiss. Or that I’m terrified of how easily he’s slipping back under my skin and how natural it feels to let him.
Instead, I type,The flowers are beautiful.
I stare at it, then quickly hit delete.
You’re ridiculous.
Delete.
I love them. I probably still love you.
Absolutely the fuck not.
DELETE. DELETE. DELETE.
They’re perfect, you crazy asshole. Thank you.
Before the voice in my head can start unpacking what this means or what it doesn’t, I hit send and set the phone face down on my desk.
I pull myself together, smooth my hair back into place, slide on my glasses, and plaster on the professional mask I’ve perfected over the years.
The second the video call connects, James’s face fills the screen. There’s a wrongness to him that makes my skin itch. It’s probably everything Phoenix told me about him—all those warnings I dismissed as jealousy or overprotectiveness. But the wayJames is grinning at me now, with that sickly, smug energy radiating through the screen, sets my teeth on edge.
“Ms. Mitchell… always a pleasure to see your face on a cold morning.”
I give him a polite laugh despite him being an insufferable prick. “Good morning, James. How are you?”
“I’m very well, thank you. I just wanted to let you know that I took your proposal to the board, and overall, the response was very positive.”I can practically taste the “but” before it even leaves his mouth.“What I want and what you’ve created align really well. It’s bold and modern. It’s exactly what I envisioned.” His eyes linger just a second too long before he continues. “That said, there were some concerns it might not uphold our standard of… opulence.”
Opulence, my ass.
“You wanted it to appeal to younger people, right?”My expression must show some of my internal rage because he backtracks immediately.
“And you delivered that,” he adds quickly, trying to soften the blow. “I’m a huge fan, but I was thinking… maybe we could review the color palette together. Adjust a few tones and find a balance between sleek and lavish.”
The door to my office suddenly bursts open without so much as a knock.
No Betty.
No warning.
Justhim.
Phoenix stalks in like he owns the floor beneath my feet, the air in the room shifting the second he locks the door behind him.
