Page 29

But as soon as I reach the conference room, I realize I’ve misjudged my ability to continue working. Because there’s no fucking way.

I’m rubbing my temples, debating if I should even attempt it, when there’s a soft knock on the door.

I know who it is before I’ve even turned around.

His hands held up in surrender, Lucas steps into the room.

“I’m sorry,” he blurts out. “I know this is confusing and awkward, and you probably want to tell me to leave you alone to work, but I needed to say it. I’m sorry. I never meant for any of that to happen.”

Maybe I should push back on him. Tell him that he shouldn’t have kissed me, hyperventilation or not. Because we work together and because I’m…clearly not his type. But the truth is, I also kissed him. I’m just as much to blame as he is. Which isn’t very, because it was a weird moment and a primal, human reaction.

So I just sigh and say, “It’s fine. There’s nothing to apologize for.”

My easy acceptance seems to surprise him. “I— Wait, really?”

I toss down the papers I had picked up. “I mean, we both instigated. I can’t exactly be mad at you if I made the same mistake.”

His brow furrows. “Right…” he says carefully.

“We should probably agree that it shouldn’t happen again, though.” I force a grin. “You know, just in case you were planning to get stuck in an elevator with me again.”

He doesn’t return my smile.

Which makes mine fade awkwardly. Tough crowd. “Okay, so…we good? No apologies needed if we have an understanding that it won’t happen again.”

Sliding his hands into his pockets, Lucas finally nods once, stiffly. “Okay. Deal.”

“Great,” I say on an exhale. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some secrets I need to dig up.”

At that, Lucas’s gaze drops to the papers on the table. And maybe it’s the reminder about my reason for being here, but he nods again and says, “In that case, I’ll leave you to it.”

And then, just as quickly as he entered, he’s gone again.

With a sigh, I grab my backpack and try to forget this entire bizarre night.

For the next week, I work from home almost every day.

I try to tell myself it’s not because I’m avoiding Lucas, but that’s a lie and I know it. I just don’t know how to be around him.

Thankfully, I don’t need to be, since I’ve sorted through all the physical files in the office and can start in on the electronic stuff. Namely, the financial side of the business. As cliché as it is, I need to go through the numbers to make sure they match what they’re reporting—and that no employees are skimming from the top.

So since this work is electronic, I can do it from the comfort of my home.

Which is how I find myself on the couch on a Thursday evening, Milton curled into a ball beside me. We’ve been in this position—or one similar to it—this entire week. My days are only broken by a walk around the block or a walk to the front door for whatever food delivery I might choose that day.

I pull my laptop closer to squint at one of the invoices. But right as the numbers come into focus, I sneeze, and sudden tears blur my vision.

At the sound, Milton wakes from his nap and lifts his head to glare at me.

“Sorry, bud.” I reach for the tissue box on the side table. “I think I might be allergic to this city.”

When my computer pings with an email notification, it apparently pushes Milton to his limit. He stands, stretches, then hops off the couch and saunters regally to the other side of the apartment where he jumps into my—clean—laundry to take his next nap.

Shaking my head at my opinionated cat, I click on the email. Lucas.

My heart rate instantly speeds up. We haven’t talked since the day of the…incident. If his firm checks in with me about work, it’s always Samantha. What could he want now?

Charli,