Page 11 of My Ex for Christmas

“Fuck, Hadley,” Brooks groans. “I’m not.”

His eyes pierce me, and he looks like he could, in this moment, devour me. I’m not as opposed to the idea as I should be.

No.This is bad.Very bad.

I shake my head. “No, I— I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“Hadley.”

My eyes shoot back to his. “Yeah?”

“Stop freaking out.”

My lips clamp shut as Brooks stands to his full height. Now that he isn’t so close, I feel less flustered. Somewhat.

I offer him a wry smile. “But I’m so good at it.”

He laughs, and the action transforms his face. My heart does a funny little skip, seeing that amusement in his expression. I missed it. I missedhim.

He brushes a strand of hair behind my ear. “You’re very good at it. The best. But right now, I just need you to breathe.”

Breathe. I can do that.

I force myself to inhale, filling my lungs, and then I slowly release. He nods as he watches me, satisfied.

Then the door handle jiggles, and all sense of calm flies out of my body. I jump off the desk, forgetting all about my sore ankle.

“Shit,” I curse as I stumble.

Brooks sets a hand on my waist to steady me just as my boss walks into the room.

After all the times Brooks and I fooled around as teenagers, our first time getting caught had to be now. Life sure has a funny sense of humour.

“Hey. I’ve been looking for you,” Thiago says. “Should’ve known I would find you here.”

I laugh nervously. “Here I am. I was planning to come find you, actually.”Before I stuck my tongue down my ex boyfriend’s throat. “Sheila just handed in her resignation. But I’llfigure it out! I’ve already got plans to put a post up for her replacement, and I’ll?—”

Thiago holds up a hand. “Hadley. Slow down.”

I bite back my words, taking a moment to pause. “Sorry. But I really do have everything under control.”

I hope.

Thiago smiles, and the unworried expression he wears eases my anxious thoughts. “I know you do. I can always count on you.”

I nod. “Of course. Always.”

His eyes flick to Brooks behind me. “Who is this?”

“Oh, him?” I jerk my thumb over my shoulder for unnecessary emphasis. “He’s nobody.”

Lies.

Brooks sidesteps me and holds out his hand. “Brooks Dawson. I work the lounge bar part-time.”

Thiago’s brows raise as he shakes Brooks’s hand. “Thiago Oliveira.”

I can tell he’s still wondering why Brooks is standing in the office with me. There’s no reason for Brooks to be back here.