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And Sam couldn’t help it when that smirk grew into a wide grin.

Jess shook her head like she was trying to keep the smile off her own lips. “Don’t,” she muttered in a half-hearted warning tone.

Sam beamed. “Don’t what?”

Jess rolled her eyes, but shifted so her arm brushed against hers. “You know what.”

Sam watched her for another moment, leaning into the warmth. “Can I at least walk you home, then?”

Jess’ eyes flicked up to hers, and Sam instantly detected a hint of familiar heat within them.

“Definitely.”

Chapter two

Sam yawned as she stepped off the elevator, the faint scent of stale coffee and lemon cleaner filling the air as she made her way toward the office.

Luckily, there weren’t any early meetings or calls scheduled that morning. She’d stayed up late catching up with Scarlett, and once she’d finally gone to bed, it was basically pointless. Jess’ shocked face replayed in her mind on an endless loop, making sleep a near impossible task.

She pushed the office door open and stepped through.

Caleb spun his chair in her direction, pushing away from his crowded but meticulously organized desk. “Hey,” he mumbled. “I thought you’d be here like two hours ago. What happened?”

She let out a dry laugh, moving to hang her motorcycle helmet on the hook by the door. “You’re always telling me I shouldn’t work so hard,” she replied. “I took your advice and slept in.”

Caleb wouldn’t buy that lie. He never did. But even though she’d been up hours before sunrise, that didn’t mean she wanted to talk to him about it. And he’d also know that.

“Right,” he muttered, his sharp eyes flicking to the helmet as it swung slightly on the hook. “Haven’t seen that in a while. You rode in today?”

She adjusted her backpack on her shoulder, avoiding his stare.

“Thought you were only riding late at night now, when there’s no one around,” he said softly, his tone holding more concern than judgement.

“Had a weird day yesterday. Just needed the ride to clear my head.”

He nodded, looking away. Caleb cared about her enough to ask, but also knew a boundary when he saw one. And in instances like these, she was endlessly grateful for that particular trait.

“So,” Caleb started, his voice taking on a slight edge of apprehension. “I guess this is as good a time as any to add on to the bad news.”

She glanced up at him wearily. “What is it?”

He loosed a breath, offering the small apologetic smile he always did when he had bad news to share. It reminded her of the first time he’d done it, when the company was just a few months old and they didn’t have enough cash to cover the bills.

“Andrea just emailed her two weeks’ notice.”

Sam groaned, leaning her head back. “Seriously?”

“Yeah,” he drawled. “Sorry.”

The PR manager had resigned the month before, along with another developer. And now with Andrea leaving, that made it three people in just the last month.

“None of them seem too happy about us moving forward with a potential buyout,” he continued. “They don’t want things to change. They like it how it is now.”

Sam pursed her lips as she nodded. They’d kept their entire team remote, with open schedules. And a buyout would change that.She couldn’t blame them for leaving before it happened.

“Besides,” Caleb continued, his tone adding a slight edge, “she said she didn’t feel needed.”

“What do you mean?” Sam asked, her eyes narrowing. “Of course she was needed?”