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I do. And if we’re sticking to being realistic, then you need to know there’s a difference between realism and pessimism.
Fine. I’ll give you that one. But there’s also a difference between realism and optimism.
We’re two sides of the same coin.
I locked my phone and tried to calm down, but V’s kind words did more for me than I wanted to admit. My entire body felt warm, like it was glowing under the compliments he’d just fed me. I’d never met the guy in person, but if he could do this to me through a phone, what could he do if he were in front of me?
“I-is there somewhere I can get some water?”
“In the break room, but don’t be too long,” he replied. “Sally will want to meet you any second.”
I wasted no time following Sebastian’s quick directions to the break room. I asked him to hang behind in case he needed to make an excuse for my temporary absence.
“Okay, Amy,” I said to myself, pacing in front of the sink. “There’s a lot riding on this, so you have to lock it in. No being weird. You need to land this job. This isnotthe time to talk about dicks, romance books, or anything in between. Beprofessional.”
I was about to take a breath when I heard something fall. I yelped and turned, hoping whoever was in here was wearing headphones and laughing at a video on their phone, which they’d just dropped on the table.
But I quickly realized things weremuchworse.
I had done my best not to think of Levi Hensen ever since I’d discovered he’d used me to piss off Calvin. It didn’t always work, especially the nights when I would lie awake and think of him. Still, after college, I doubted I would ever see him again.
Yet, here I was, staring into his blue-green eyes while I gaped like a fish.
Levi had the same Adonis-like face, but now his hair reached past the nape of his neck. It was effortlessly brushed back on his head.
But what was he doing here? He had his own company, right?
That was when it hit me.
Levi.
Leviathan.
Shit.
Levi was taking a break from running a huge company by watching something on his phone, which was now in front of him on the table. He was staring at me as if he wasn’t sure I was real. His eyes were wide, his jaw ticked. I didn’t even blame him. He’d just caught me talking to myself like a weirdo, after all.
“U-uh, wow. Nice company you have here.” I tucked a curl behind my ear. “Really impressive. I bet you’re really good at pretending you didn’t hear things. Like what I just said. A-anyway, I should get going before I make this worse for myself.”
I went to make a run for it and hoped that I hadn’t ruined my chances, but his hand clamped down on my wrist.
“Amy Willard.”
This felt charged in a way I didn’t know how to explain. His eyes were intense like he was trying to gauge my entire life story from one look alone.
Or maybe he was trying to work out how he could use me again.
I might have read a lot of romance novels, but I wasn’t going to get bamboozled by Levi’s pretty face again.
Still, if he were here and this washiscompany, I couldn’t be as mean as I wanted to be.
I laughed awkwardly. “That’s me. Here for a job interview.”
“A job interview,” he repeated.
“Yes. I hear the company has good benefits, probably because of your leadership.”
“You’re being very nice considering how we left things.”