Page 17 of Nothing to This

Steepling his forefingers over his mouth, he covered a smile and gave a single nod.Retreating from the office in reverse, she waited until the door was closed to roll her eyes.

As she turned, thoughts of JD shot out of her mind in lieu of sudden panic.A stampede of suits headed her way with Greg spearheading the pack.Stumbling aside, she caught her breath after fumbling her way to the desk chair.The herd went into the office, the door swung shut, and then there was peace.

She’d never wanted to be anyone’s executive assistant.At least being in proximity to JD meant she’d be able to keep an eye on him and ensure he didn’t blow their cover.

If he was planning to stay in town, they might have to revisit who knew about their children’s parentage.Until she knew for sure, it had to stay a secret.

SIX

It hadn’t taken long to figure out she wouldn’t be good at her new job.At that moment, she was supposed to be taking notes, and she was… when someone spoke to her directly.Keeping track of the technical stuff wasn’t easy, which taught her something new and important: JD was way more intelligent than she’d given him credit for.

In addition to her, three others were present: JD, Greg, and a third guy, Jim, a little older than the formers.Respect, professionalism, the conversation was subdued but purposeful.Their familiar rapport betrayed they had history.Whatever that was or wasn’t, the men seemed in no rush.

Listening to the boys’ club wasn’t the highlight of her week.

When the alarm on her dainty watch beeped, she almost whooped.“Ah,” she said, turning it off and rising from her seat ready to make a beeline out of there.

“Uh, where are you going?”JD asked.

She pivoted to face him while gesturing at the door.“Lunch.It’s five minutes to one.”

“We go to lunch when I call lunch.”

She smiled.“Not me.I go to lunch at twelve fifty-five every day and return at two p.m.”

Though focused on the perplexed and affronted JD, it was impossible to miss the smirks of the other two men at the table darting between them.

“You take over an hour?”

She nodded.“If I need to,” she said.“I do try to be back sooner; sometimes it’s not possible.”

His frown matched his impatience.“It will be possible now you work for me.You’ll eat when I tell you to.”

“And I would be completely fine with that, Overlord, except I have a date.It would be rude not to honor it.”

“A date?”he said, flattening his hands on the table.“You’re kidding.”With a shake of her head, she widened her smile.“You’re walking out on your job to get laid, and you expect us to accept that?Me to accept that?”

The assumption offended her more than it angered her.“Laid?No, Overlord, not laid.”

Greg laughed, though he tried to mask it as a cough.That only inflamed JD’s irritation; he started shuffling papers around the desk.

“Your boyfriend will have to go without his happy ending today.Unless you want to give up your position.”

“If it’s a deal breaker, I’m happy to return to my previous job downstairs.”Please say yes.“They accepted the arrangement.I make up the extra time in the morning or at the end of the day.”

“You have a responsibility to—”

“My children,” she said, silencing him immediately.Her smile grew smug.“Yes, I have two beautiful children who go to daycare in this building.I eat lunch with them every day.Five days a week.They’re expecting me… Would you like to see a picture?They really are adorable.They take after me more than their father, thank goodness.”

After a fake laugh and no response from him, she continued her departure.Dealing with his objections put her behind schedule and she didn’t want the kids getting antsy waiting for her.

Halfway across the executive bullpen, JD caught up to her.“You eat lunch with them every day?”

“Yes,” she said, checking her phone for messages.

“I’ll come with you.”

Shaking her head, she pressed the elevator call button and tucked her phone away.“No way,” she said.“There’s no way to explain that.Besides, we’re meeting someone.”