Page 21 of The CEO I Hate

Just the thought made me groan. I needed something to lift my spirits, so I decided to head straight to Jake’s apartment. At leasthecould be counted on to be happy for me.

“Didn’t go well?” he said, seeing the look on my face when I walked in.

“Actually,” I said. “The interview went great. Better than great. It was Mom and Dad that sucked. I called them on the way home to tell them the news.”

“Wait,” he said, his tone shifting instantly. “What news? What’re you saying?”

“Umm…” A smile broke out on my face. “I got the job.”

Jake wheeled himself over to me. I bent down so he could wrap me in a hug. “Mia, that’s freaking amazing! Congrats.”

“Thanks.” Relief bloomed inside me. At least one of my family members knew how to actually celebrate good news without turning it into a guilt trip.

Jake pulled away, wearing a scowl that could rival Liam’s. “Why the hell did you call Mom and Dad?”

“I was asking myself that all the way up the elevator,” I muttered.

Jake laughed, making me smile even more. If nothing else, I was glad that complaining about our parents seemed to lift his spirits. His good mood was probably more about the fact that I’d gotten the job, but I didn’t care. Seeing Jake smile or hearing him laugh was always a win in my books.

“We have to celebrate!” he said. “What do you wanna do?”

“Anything. Just don’t mention sushi or I’ll barf.”

“So, you don’t want me to order the fried eel and cream cheese combo you love so much?”

I made a swipe for him, but he rolled away, snickering. Even when no one else had my back, I always knew Jake did, and I was glad he wasn’t too far gone in his funk to be happy for me. I just hoped this current good mood lasted.

7

LIAM

If Tanya didn’t stop clicking her pen in that annoying way, I was going to snap. Pick a rhythm and stick to it, for God’s sake.

Almost as if she’d heard my thoughts hurled across the room, her eyes flicked in my direction and she dropped her pen, eyeing up the papers in front of her instead, a red flush spreading across both cheeks.

Thank God, I thought as the door swung open, only for it to be Paula with another one of those industrial-sized coffees.

“Still no Mia?” she asked.

“Nope,” Jerome said. “The girl is MIA Ha! Get it?”

Silence.

The joke flatlined. The entire room was on edge—and yes, I was well aware part of the tension was because of me, parked at the end of the table with a scowl that probably made some of the baby writers nervous.

Paula shot me ado you really need to be herelook. I arched my brow, silently sayingget used to it. Until I could be sure I wasn’t going tohave another Lyle situation on my hands, they could get on board with having the big boss around for all their pitch sessions.

I pulled my phone out, checking the time again. Part of the tension was because of me but notallof it. The rest was all Mia’s fault, keeping everyone waiting on her very first day. Where the hellwasshe?

“You don’t think something happened to her, do you?” Kait asked, worrying her bottom lip.

“I’m sure she’s fine,” Tanya cut in. “It’s LA. Not the apocalypse. She’s probably just stuck in the hellish traffic or something.”

Or something. Being five minutes late was one thing, maybe even fifteen, but now we were bordering on thirty. And I’d had no word from Carl that she’d called in sick or anything.

This was red-flag territory.

I stood from my chair, buttoning my suit jacket. The room went quiet, every pair of eyes tracking my movements like I’d just been handed a sword and permission to use it.