Page 72 of Making It Burn

“Fine, productive.”I kept my eyes on my computer screen.“The meetings went well.”

“Just the meetings?”

I looked up sharply.“What?”

“Nothing.You just seem...different.More relaxed or something.”Lisa’s eyes narrowed.“Did something happen in New Orleans?”

“We closed the deal.That’s what happened.”The hairs on the back of my neck stood up.What was she getting at?

“If you say so.”She pushed off the desk.“Come on.Carter hates when people are late.”

I followed her down the hall, my heart pounding for entirely different reasons now.The entire litigation department was already in the conference room, plus a few people from corporate.I scanned the room and found Beau immediately, sitting at the far end of the table.

Our eyes met, and his face lit up with a smile that made my chest tight.

I forced myself to look away and headed for a seat near the door.Professional.Separate.That was the plan.

But as I got closer to where Beau was sitting, I found my feet carrying me toward the empty chair next to him instead.

“Morning,” I said, sitting down.

“Morning.”Beau’s voice was casual, but his leg pressed against mine under the table.“Sleep well?”

“Not particularly.”I’d barely slept at all, actually.And the reason was sitting next to me.

“Me neither.”His foot hooked around my ankle.“Couldn’t stop thinking about this one guy.”

“Beau—”

“Good morning, everyone!”Carter’s voice cut through the chatter, and the room fell silent.He stood at the head of the table, Patsy beside him.“Thank you all for coming.We have some excellent news to share.”

Patsy smiled.“As you all know, Mason and Beau just returned from New Orleans, where they successfully completed negotiations for the MediCorp-PharmaTech merger.I’m pleased to report that all documents have been signed, and the deal is officially closed.”

The room erupted in applause.I felt my face heat up.

“This merger represents one of the largest deals our firm has closed this year,” Carter continued.“And it’s a testament to the quality of work we expect from all our associates.Mason, Beau—would you like to say a few words?”

“We’re good,” I blurted.

“The team at MediCorp made it easy,” Beau added.“They were professional and prepared.It was a pleasure to work with them.”

Under the table, Beau’s foot was creeping up my calf.I shot him a look, but he kept his expression perfectly neutral.

“Well, you both did outstanding work,” Patsy said.“And I have to say, it’s wonderful to see you two getting along so much better than when you started.You’re actually sitting next to each other.”

Beau coughed suddenly, covering his mouth.I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing maniacally.

“Yes, well,” I cleared my throat.“We found a good working rhythm.”

“Clearly.”Carter pulled out his tablet.“Which is why we’re assigning you both to another high-profile case.The Henderson Technologies acquisition.They’re looking to purchase a smaller competitor, and there are some complex IP issues that need sorting out.”

The room buzzed with murmurs.Henderson Technologies was huge—one of the top tech companies in Virginia.

"That's a significant assignment," Paul Cramer said from across the table.He'd been with the firm two years longer than me, consistently pulling in good numbers but never quite landing the marquee cases.His expression was carefully controlled, but I caught the tightness around his jaw."Two major cases in such a short amount of time."

"We've been fortunate," Beau said.

"Fortunate."Paul leaned back in his chair, and his smile didn't reach his eyes."I'm sure it has nothing to do with how well you two collaborate.The way you work together is very...efficient."