Page 25 of Just My Luck

“Has she…” I paused, debating asking her best friend if she’d mentioned what was between us. When Sofia stopped typing and glanced over her shoulder at me in question, I shook my head. “Forget it.”

I turned and left, heading back into my office as I debated what to order for lunch, which distracted me from my debate about whether to call Nova or just corner her when she returned.

I spent the next few hours brooding over my takeout Chinese food while I glanced at numbers that had my eyes watering and my head spinning.

There was a reason Dad had put Rick in charge of the business. He was good at this shit. I, on the other hand, hated it.

“What’s caused that sour look?” Rick asked from my doorway.

“This,” I said, pointing to my computer screen. “How do you deal with this?”

He walked over and glanced over my shoulder and then chuckled. “Delegate, brother.” He slapped my shoulder. “Which is why you are doing it, instead of me.” He winked and leaned against my desk, crossing his arms over his chest.

“What?” I groaned and leaned back, eyeing him.

“What, what?” he asked.

“That look”—I pointed to his face—“tells me something is wrong.”

He took a deep breath. “I just got off a very, let’s say, interesting call.”

“Oh?” I crossed my arms over my chest, mirroring Rick. “With?”

“Christian Sterling. ‘Just call me Kit,’” he mimicked as he tilted his head.

“And?” I practically groaned.

“Apparently, he was very upset that the last two visits from our”—he cleared his throat—“underlings were seriously lacking a certain dark-haired beauty.” He leaned closer. “His words, not mine.”

I rolled my eyes and finally let out the full groan. “Seriously?”

Rick nodded. “He’s the reason you wanted Nova to skip the trips to Sin City?”

“Of course,” I practically barked.

Rick nodded once, then he stood up and slapped me on the shoulder again. “Well, for now, I’ve convinced Kit”—my brother said the word almost like a curse, causing me to smile—“that my team needs to stay put. You have a month,” he warned. “One month’s hiatus. Then Kit expects to see you both back in Vegas to close the deal. Let’s hope,” he added as he walked out. “Oh, hi, Nova,” he said as he stepped out of my office.

My entire body tensed as I turned toward my door and saw her walk into the room.

She was wearing a pair of dark pants that flowed around her legs. The crisp white top clung to her curves, and she had on a chunky necklace that hung directly between… My eyes snapped up when she cleared her throat.

“Hey,” I said, my voice cracking slightly, so I cleared my throat.

“I heard…” Nova reached over and shut the door, then leaned against it. “Everything.”

My eyebrows shot up. Shit.

“And?” I said when she didn’t say anything more.

“I can handle myself, in or outside the presence of Kit.” Her voice was low, but I knew her. There was rage boiling under the calmness.

“I know you can.” Her eyebrows arched. “So does Rick,” I added quickly.

Her eyes moved around my face for a second. Then she nodded and started to reach for the door handle, but I quickly jumped in.

“Hey,” I said, causing her to glance back at me. “Dinner tonight?” I blurted out.

She locked eyes with me. “I can’t. I have a date.”