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“I’ll take a gin and tonic, thanks.”
Jake nods and tucks his notepad into his pocket. “Great choices, ladies. I’ll have these ready for you in a few minutes.”
As Jake heads back to the bar, Melanie leans in with a smirk. “So, back to the elevator. Did Mr. Hot Boss say anything interesting?”
I shrug, trying to downplay just how awkward those twenty minutes had been. “We mostly talked about opera.”
Melanie wrinkles her nose. “Opera?”
“Yeah,” I reply sheepishly. “He was trying to… comfort me.”
My friends exchange puzzled looks, and Willow probes further. “What do you mean?”
“You two know I’m claustrophobic.” I feel my cheeks heat up as I mumble out the truth. “And when we got stuck in that elevator, I sort of freaked out. So Drew...held me. And we talked about opera.”
Melanie and Willow gasp simultaneously, their eyes widening in shock. “He held you?” Willow repeats.
I nod mutely, my fingers twisting anxiously at the hem of my cardigan as I recall the sensation of Drew’s hard muscles pressed against me—a memory that sends an unexpected jolt of pleasure straight to my core. But that’s a detail I keep to myself.
“Yeah, I can see why you haven’t spilled the beans about your secret job to your family yet,” Melanie muses. “Fiona would kill you if she found out you were sleeping with the enemy.”
I roll my eyes. “I’m not sleeping with him.” But my words are drowned out by the sudden vibration of my phone on the table.
As if summoned by our conversation, my phone dings with a new email notification. The screen lights up with two words that make my heart leap into my throat: Drew Donovan.
Instantly, I swipe my thumb across the screen to reveal the message. Then I blink at the email, rereading the words to make sure they’re real.
“Eliza,” it starts, and I can almost hear his deep voice in my head, “in light of Virtual Assistant Appreciation Day, I would like to extend an invitation to lunch. My treat.”
Willow peers over, her eyes dancing with mischief. “Ooh, what’s that smirk for?”
“It’s Drew,” I reply, fidgeting with my straw. “He, um...he invited me out to lunch for Virtual Assistant Appreciation Day.”
Melanie nearly spits out her drink from laughing. “Virtual Assistant Appreciation Day?”
“Is that even a real thing?” Willow giggles.
To be honest, I have no idea if Virtual Assistant Appreciation Day is a real thing. But the fact that Drew thought of it and wants to take me out for lunch makes me feel like it should be a real thing.
Maybe I wasn’t imagining the way he was looking at me in the elevator this morning.
Melanie claps her hands together. “This is getting good! You two are practically going on a date now.”
“It’s not a date,” I insist. “It’s just lunch.”
My heart flutters at the thought. Spending more time with Drew is dangerous, especially after what happened in the elevator. But the opportunity to get to know him better is too tempting to resist.
Willow squeezes my arm, her eyes soft with understanding. “It’s okay if you want to go, Eliza. Just be careful.”
“I know.” I sigh, staring into my glass. “The thing is, I can’t figure out why he’s suddenly so interested in me. We’ve barely spoken since I started working for him, and now he wants to take me out to lunch?”
“Maybe he’s finally realized what he’s been missing.” Melanie winks at me.
My phone buzzes in my purse again, and I pull it out to find a new email from Drew.
“He says the company limo will pick me up from my apartment at noon,” I tell my friends.
“Limo, huh? Looks like Fit Mountain’s most eligible bachelor is pulling out all the stops.” Melanie raises her glass in a toast. “To Eliza’s hot date with destiny!”
