I can also see Beck talking animatedly with two clients near the conference room. He’s wearing a light blue dress shirt, no jacket, or tie. He laughs at something, runs a hand through his hair, and the woman he’s with smiles so wide it looks painful. I drop my eyes to my shoes.
Forget about him, Maddy. It won’t do you any good.
However, as I peer up, he glances in my direction, and I quickly pretend to be examining a printout.
I force my eyes to look away and get back to work, busying myself with anything I can find to do. Because I willnotbe the girl who only lasts a few months,northe one that fucked one of the bosses and can’t get over it.
As I’m going through my pep talk, the door of the conference room creaks open. I hear the client’s meaningless chatter as they head for the exit, and thenfeelhis presence lingering over my desk.
“Hey, Maddy.” He says it easy, like it’s no different than running into a neighbor in the laundry room. He leans against my desk, crossing his arms, and I can’t help but gawk at his broad shoulders.
Close your mouth, Maddy. You look like an idiot.
“Hey,” I manage.
He pops the tab on a seltzer. “How’s the morning treating you?”
“Fine,” I say, sounding the exact opposite of fine. I do my best to recover, but only sound worse as I mutter, “Everything’s good.” I sneak a glance up at him again and internally cringe at the amusement in his face.
He watches me for a second. “Caleb said you’re settling in okay.”
“I like it here,” I mostly tell the truth. “It’s just… a lot.” I try to smile, but it feels forced.
He leans back a little, tilting his head at me. “That’s what they all say.”
I can’t tell if he’s talking about the job or the night in the hotel, orboth. I can feel my heart rate spike and there’s nothing I can do about it.
He glances down at his seltzer. “If you ever have questions, or, I don’t know, need to sneak out for a smoke break where we don’t actually smoke, just say the word.” He lifts the can. “Or if you want to take a longer lunch sometime. I’m the king of making up reasons to get out of here.”
My mouth goes dry as I hold his gaze, seeing a flicker of something familiar—but notworkBeck familiar. “Thanks,” I choke out. “That’s good to know.”
After a few more beats of awkward silence, Beck nods at me and says, “Hang in there.” He walks away, leaving me feeling just as lost as I did when he showed up at my desk.
I exhale and squeeze my eyes shut for a few seconds.
The only saving grace is a text from Riley that pops up on my screen when I open them.
Riley:Lunch at Bentley’s? 5 minutes away. I’ll order for you.
I quickly respond and accept, send her my order, and then count down the ten minutes I have left. The moment the clock strikes noon, I’m out before any of the bosses can stop me.
I walk the three blocks to the little cafe, and then step inside, greeted by the scent of good food and grease, which I’m pretty sure is the same thing.
Riley’s already at a table by the window, wearing her signature hot pink beanie and a smile. She waves both hands at me when I walk in, as if I’m coming home from war.
“There she is!” she shouts, drawing the attention of everyone within a ten-foot radius. “I got us the window seat. Prime people-watching real estate.”
“I don’t even care if we watch people.” I slide into the seat across from her. I want to hug her but settle for a weird fist bump.
She’s got two iced lattes on the table already. “You look like you need caffeine,” she says, pushing one toward me. “Like you’ve been staring at a screen all morning.” She makes a face. “But I guess that’s the perks of being an artist for me. I get covered in paint, you get… brain rot.”
“Um, okay… Thanks?” I grin, then take a giant gulp and nearly choke. “But actually, I think things are going okay. Day four, and I’m still employed.”
Riley snorts. “Congrats.” She then leans in. “What about the hot hotel hookup boss? Is he still ignoring you?”
“Beck?” I try to say it casually, but Riley totally knows the deal. “We’ve reached a state of mutual denial, I think. He did say that we could take a smoke break, and not smoke?”
“Oh god, does that mean hook up?” She cackles, and before I can respond, she immediately blurts out the next thing. “Okay, so, I have the best news. You ready?”
