Page 33 of The Boss on the Brain

I shook my head as I reached for my seat belt, clicking it into place. “Please forget I said that.”

“You can be honest,” he insisted.

“Hey, I’m not the one with the power to kill a hundred dreams with the snap of my fingers.”

He groaned. “Yes, that’s what I do on the nineteenth floor at work. Snap fingers.”

I grinned. Being here with Desmond, jesting like we used to back when we were younger, almost made me forget he had left me. I’d bet he had forgotten too. I ought to be frosty with him, considering how abruptly he’d disappeared from my life. Considering how that breakup had ruined me for months. But now that he was helping me set Mom’s restaurant right and trying to make sure I stayed warm outdoors, I was conflicted. I couldn’t be angry, not with all these reminders of what had made him a great friend in the first place.

“Thanks for the coats. They’re beautiful.”

He accepted that with a small nod.

“And thanks for the ride too,” I said, gesturing to the car.

It would have been a one-hour ride in the subway, which would have meant skipping lunch. And I didn’t want tospend whatever I made on tips on a taxi ride across town. I was saving that stash for Gabriela’s birthday gift.

I looked around the car. The interior was sleek and leather-padded. The car had a fresh, new smell about it, and the polished metal details gleamed.

Desmond grinned. “You’re welcome.” He angled his body toward mine, his seat belt straining as he did so. “But I’m serious about getting you to spill the beans on what other things I’m terrible at.”

“Or else you’ll break my fingers?” I joked.

He nodded gravely. “Yes, my two skills, Ava. Snapping fingers and breaking them. It’s what helped me graduate to the nineteenth floor.”

I grinned. “Let’s see. I would addattending social eventsto that list,” I added, and he raised his eyebrows.

He shook his head decidedly. “Was,” he corrected. “Iwasterrible at it. Not anymore.”

I laughed. “You once toppled the entire bowl of punch at Raylee’s birthday party, remember?”

He chuckled and turned to look out the window just as the car slowed to a stop. “And then I hid in her bathroom for the rest of the party with that kid who was throwing up nonstop.”

I unbuckled my seat belt, but before I could get out, Desmond put a hand on my arm.

“It’s going to be a quick meeting with legal, and I’ll be with you the entire time,” he said just as a warmth spread over my chest.

Hewasstaying back.

“I wanted to check if you’d like to have lunch with me after. You know, just for …”

“Old times’ sake?” I finished, my heart beating so loudly in my chest that I was sure he was going to call me out on it.

He nodded.

“I think lunch sounds wonderful,” I breathed out, and he did that thing where he tried to hide his smile so that he didn’t show how pleased he was.

So, that hasn’t changed.

We got out of the car, and Desmond led me to the legal department.

An older man with an eggshell-shaped head and stern features sat across from us at the heavy oak table and listened to me quietly.

When I was done, he simply said, “I’ll take care of it, but we’ll need to get all the evidence you have. And we need to make sure that Mr. Whitby doesn’t get wind of this before Luxe Hotels’ investigation is complete.”

I nodded. “I can keep this quiet until it’s confirmed.”

I’d have to tell Gabi and the others to keep a lid on it, which shouldn’t be a problem.