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MAEVE

Maybe I should’ve picked a different outfit.

The thought belatedly passes through my head as I approach an upscale restaurant in Midtown Manhattan. I chose a simple blue skirt and flowy blouse, since trying to find the right colors to go with my flame-red hair can be tricky, especially with my color-blindness. But now I’m worried that I look too much like I’ve just come from work.

I mean, I have come straight from work. God forbid my demanding bosses let me off at five o’clock like everyone else, although I guess I can’t complain too much. You don’t work as the assistant for one billionaire, never mind three, if you aren’t braced for long hours. But it sometimes feels like Hayden, Ford, and Gabriel derive a special kind of pleasure from piling work on my desk.

Here goes nothing.

Squaring my shoulders, I head inside the restaurant. It’s a little fancier than I would’ve chosen, but Kyle insisted he wanted to take me here. Maybe he’s hoping to make a good impression since it’s our first date, but honestly, I don’t need a man to spoil me to get my attention. I work for three men who could buy every castle in Europe if they felt like it, so wealth doesn’t impress me.

In fact, it puts me on edge. Ever since…

I shake those thoughts away. I’m not here to think about my ex-fiancé. In fact, I’m here specifically to forget about him. I’m here to move on.

Entering the restaurant, I look around. I’ve only seen Kyle in photos before, and I can’t help but worry that maybe he made himself look better. I’ve heard plenty of horror stories about online dating and apps, even though everyone uses them nowadays. I wanted to meet someone naturally, get to know them, feel that spark. But it just hasn’t happened, and maybe it’s naive to wish for that anyway.

Luckily, I spot him, and he does look exactly like his pictures. That’s a relief. Kyle sees me and raises his hand, and I wave, making my way through the tables. I can’t shake the feeling that people are staring at me as I walk past them. Probably wondering why a man like him is on a date with a woman like me: plus-sized and on the shorter side, with fiery red hair that I can never quite tame.

Kyle stands to pull my chair out for me as I sit down.

“Thanks,” I say breathlessly. “Sorry I’m late. Traffic was a nightmare.”

It wasn’t traffic, honestly, it was my bosses, but I don’t want to get into all of that. Work rules my life enough already.

“Hey, no problem.” He chuckles. “It’s worth waiting for a beautiful girl like you.”

The compliment feels practiced, more for show than from the heart, but I smile politely anyway. “That’s very sweet, thank you.”

We’re given our menus and a wine list to peruse. I was so busy all day that I had barely had time for lunch, so I’m contemplating if I should give in and have some of the bread from the basket left for us when my phone buzzes.

A familiar tension coils in my stomach. I should ignore it. I really should ignore it.

My phone buzzes again.

“What do you recommend to start?” Kyle asks the server. “And I’d like to speak with the sommelier, get the best wine recommendations.”

While he’s distracted, I take a quick glance at my phone, even though I already know who’s been texting me. Hayden Russo.

I have him saved in my phone as Grumpy Boss, a private joke that helps me survive working for three demanding billionaires—Hayden and his two best friends. I know it’s unprofessional, but at this point, I think if Hayden saw it he’d probably just get some kind of twisted amusement out of it. He definitely wouldn’t fire me. He can’t afford to.

GRUMPY BOSS: Keller, where are you?

GRUMPY BOSS: Your phone must be dead. Or maybe you’ve been hit by a car.

I roll my eyes and respond to him.

MAEVE: I’m off the clock, so it’s none of your business if I get hit by a car or not.

GRUMPY BOSS: Pretty sure it’s still my business, since I pay for your health insurance.

MAEVE: A lesser assistant would pretend you’re funny, but lucky for you I believe in honesty.

“Thank you,” Kyle says, and I drop my phone into my lap to smile up at him.

“I don’t know all that much about wine,” I admit. “You don’t have to go to any trouble.”