Page 29

Finn
She’s my angel. Crazy how a good girl can turn it all around, you know?
Shit.
I meant because of my ex. I wasn’t trying to bring up anything.
Me
Don’t tiptoe. I’m all right. Very happy for you. Steaks when you’re back?
Finn
Yeah, definitely. But on me.
By the time I look up from my phone, Spencer’s seated at her desk. She’s not smiling today. In fact, she looks disheveled. If her lopsided ponytail and lack of makeup wasn’t a tip-off, the fact she’s wearing jeans is. Monday through Wednesday she was dressed to the nines, like business Barbie. Today she’s wearing an oversized, black Rolling Stones T-shirt.
I grab the phone off my desk and head through the double doors. Spencer is glued to her computer screen. Her eyes scan left and right, furiously reading whatever she has pulled up. I have to tap her desk to get her attention.
“Christ,” she gasps as her eyes grow wide as saucers. “I didn’t see you.”
I scan her head to toe. “The last Friday of every month is casual Friday. All other days we have a dress code.”
Her nostrils flare as she inhales slowly. “I’m aware, thank you. I had an emergency this morning.”
“What kind of emergency?”
Lips pressed tightly together, she gives me a disingenuous smile. “You’re awfully chatty this morning. Are you done pretending I don’t exist?”
I grind my teeth together to control my would-be smile. Something about her snark still intrigues me and I hate myself for it. “I’m returning this.” I place the phone on the edge of her desk, then slide it within her grasp. She doesn’t touch it.
“Go ahead. I believe Dawn gave you the gift receipt.”
“I’m returning it to you. I don’t know why you gave this to me.”Yes, I do.But I can’t admit that without owning up to the fact I’m well aware Spencer is the woman I was canoodling in the club last weekend. No way I can admit I still feel robbed of that first kiss.
Spencer shuts her laptop and swivels in her office chair to face me. Her big eyes become snake-like slits, sending a small shiver down my spine. “Really, Nathan? You don’t know why I felt the need to replace your phone?”
“No.” She clearly sees right through my lying. Only thing I can do now is double down. “You can’t buy my affection with gifts, Spencer. It’s inappropriate.”
From snake to owl, her eyes pop wide as she fixes her unblinking stare on me. “Buy your affection? Are you freaking kidding me? I broke your phone in the club. I replaced it. That’s it. My apologies in advance to your ego, but not every woman is staring at you with puppy-dog eyes begging for youraffection.” She flicks her fingers, sending the phone flying across the desk which skids to a stop right by my hand.
“Are you forgetting I’m your boss?”
“Are you though? I’m here to help, and you won’t let me.” She straightens her finger, the tip pointed at the box. “I thought if I righted my wrong, we could start over. I have thirty days to prove myself, and you haven’t given me a chance.”
“What?”
“You haven’t given me anything to do.” She speaks slowly, emphasizing the syllables as if I’m hard of hearing.
“And what exactly could you help me with today? Scoring front-row tickets to a rock concert?”
She shoves her hands under the desk, out of my view. I wonder if they are balled up in frustration. Maybe she’s fantasizing about socking me in the face. “A pipe burst in myupstairs neighbor’s apartment. I woke up to my closet flooded and all my clothes soaked. This is the shirt I slept in and the only dry pair of pants I had. I’ll figure it out by tomorrow.”
“Oh. Okay. That’s fine.”
She shuts her eyelids tightly, her thick top and bottom lashes mashing into one. “Gee, thanks. If there’s nothing else…” She spins back around and reopens her laptop.
Is she dismissing me? What the fuck? “What did you mean by thirty days to prove yourself?”