Page 24 of Most Likely to Deny Love (Yearbook #2)
JACK
I leaned back in my chair, allowing myself a rare moment of satisfaction as I surveyed the quarterly projections on my screen.
The numbers were still far from ideal, but for the first time since I’d joined Catalyst Digital, there was a clear upward trajectory.
A week and a half into Mia’s leadership of both divisions, and already the difference was apparent.
Porter had taken the news better than expected, though “better” was relative. He’d puffed up like an agitated rooster, his face cycling through several interesting shades of red before settling into a resigned pallor when I made it clear this wasn’t a suggestion but a done deal.
The team integration had gone surprisingly smoothly. Even Tiffany had been relatively subdued, though that might have had more to do with being separated from Porter and placed directly under Mia’s watchful eye than any genuine change of heart.
And the digitization process... I couldn’t help but smile at how enthusiastically Mia had thrown herself into modernizing the company’s systems. She’d mapped out an aggressive timeline that would have most of our processes paperless within two months, a feat I’d initially thought would take at least six.
When I’d expressed concern about the ambitious schedule, she’d just given me that determined look I was coming to know well, raised one eyebrow, and asked if I trusted her.
I did, of course, so that was that.
My thoughts were interrupted by a light knock on my open door.
Mia stood there, arms laden with an impressive stack of folders.
She moved into my office with that subtle sway of her hips that never failed to make my pulse leap, her eyes bright as she deposited the entire stack onto the low cabinet against the wall with a satisfying thump.
“One down, eleventy hundred to go,” she announced, dusting off her hands with exaggerated pride.
My eyes involuntarily traced the curve of her hips in her charcoal gray pencil skirt before I caught myself and forced my gaze upward. Professional. Keep it professional.
“Making great progress.”
“It helps that everyone on my team is highly motivated to get it done.”
“That’s great news.”
“Yeah.”
She lingered by the cabinet, fingers trailing along the edge of the folders. Something in her posture pulled at me, a slight hesitation that seemed out of character for the confident woman who’d been commandeering conference rooms and reorganizing entire departments all week.
“Everything okay?”
Mia bit her lower lip, “My mother called this morning.” Her tone was carefully neutral. “She wants me to bring you over for dinner. Apparently the barbecue wasn’t enough face time for her to properly interrogate you.”
I nodded, keeping my expression calm despite the immediate tightening in my chest at the memory of her mother’s thinly veiled barbs. “That’s fine. Just tell me when.”
Her eyebrows shot up, eyes widening in surprise. “Really? You’d go?”
“Of course.”
She huffed out a breath, her shoulders visibly relaxing. “Are you sure? It seems like a lot to ask so soon after the barbecue from hell. And it’s not strictly wedding related.”
“I’m not busy,” I said simply. “And it’s what I agreed to. Though I should mention I’ll be away for a few days next week , but I have both weekends free, if that suits her schedule.”
“Oh, you’re going away?”
Was it my imagination, or was that a flash of disappointment I saw in her eyes?
“Yes. I’ll be back on Friday. So either this weekend or next works for me.”
“And you’re honestly sure this is okay?”
“Of course. Don’t stress about it, Mia. That’s the whole point of this arrangement.”
A smile bloomed across her face, transforming her features, making something in my chest clench painfully. The genuine relief in her expression, the glow in her eyes... it was almost too much to bear.
“I’ll let Mom know,” she said softly. “Thank you, Jack.”