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“I’m a recovering people-pleaser,” she said. “I’d rather not go back to that. I think I could be okay with being disliked if it was for a good reason.”

“Good answer.” He looked over her resume one last time, then handed it back, folded. “What salary are you looking for?”

This was all so surreal. It couldn’t actually be happening, so she named a number that was more than she’d been making at her last job.

Sam Winslow didn’t even flinch.

I should have asked for more.

“Can you start today?”

Alli’s jaw dropped a fraction. Even more surreal. She’d wake up in bed in a few minutes, still unemployed.

“I—today?”

“I’m just beginning to make major changes here at the firm. I’m going to need a good right hand to do that. It’s full benefits, by the way. Medical, dental, vision, plus a generous vacation policy.” He glanced at his watch, then at her again. “If you’d rather wait, I understand. But I could use the help.”

She looked at the closed ambulance, then at the yellow tape, then back at him. “That’s very generous. I didn’t really expect an offer today. You don’t need to think about it?”

Why was she hesitating? She needed a job yesterday.

“Not really. I don’t like dithering about when making a decision, and I trust my gut.”

He looked at her for a long beat, and she realized he was waiting for her to say yes. Or no.

“Okay,” she said. “I can start now.”

Sam’s mouth twitched. Not quite a smile, but the closest he seemed to get.

“Good.” He turned, already moving toward the building entrance. “The police are done with me for now. Come on. I’ll show you where everything is. We have a lot to do.”

Alli followed, binder hugged tight under her arm, her shoes echoing his footsteps on the concrete. At the lobby doors, the receptionist sat in shock behind a wall of glass, eyes red from crying.

He swiped a plastic badge and then tucked it back into his pocket as they entered through the turnstile gates.

“I’ll call HR this morning so we can get you a badge. There will also be paperwork you’ll need to fill out.”

She nodded in acknowledgment and then followed him to the elevator bank. The doors swished open, and they stepped in.

“The police don’t want us touching anything at Leigh’s desk today until they search it. For now, you can work with me in my office. I can have a table brought up. There’s plenty of room, and it will just be temporary.”

“That’s fine.”

The doors whooshed open at the top floor, and he stepped out with her at his heels, following him down a long corridor with dark oak walls and plush carpeting. At the end of the hall, he stopped at a desk that sat outside a set of oak double doors.

“This is where Tracy sits. I think she’s downstairs. Generally, a visitor has to go through Tracy and then Leigh to reach me. You and Tracy can work out who she should let into your office. Leigh had quiet hours and such, so she could get work done. Your assistant has an office on the floor below us. One of your first jobs will be to hire that person. Trust me, you’ll need the help. We have a lot to do.”

She didn’t quite understand.

“I think I’m confused. Won’t that be my office when you hire someone to replace Leigh here?”

“I hired you to replace Leigh. You can pick your own assistant.”

This was…big. Bigger than she’d imagined. She’d thought he’d hired her to fill in for Leigh temporarily until he found someone truly qualified to take over.

“Oh, okay. Got it.”

“Are you rethinking this?” he asked, watching her reaction closely. She had a feeling that he did that a lot, gauging their facial expressions and body language. “Do you think you can’t do it?”