Page 28 of To the Chase

Clara laughed. “I love you, Beatrice, but not that way. I’m sorry, though. Nellie and I will do better to come visit. She misses Aunt Bea and Benjamin pretty desperately.”

Aunt Bea.That was what Clara’s daughter, Nellie, called me. One day, Shira’s baby, Jonah, would call me that too. And I loved it. Kids weren’t my thing, but I made an exception for them since they belonged to the people I adored most in the world.

“I’m holding you to that,” I warned.

“Now that we’ve settled we all miss each other, tell us what you’ve been up to that’s tired you out,” Shira said.

For a new mother of a six-week-old, Shira was incredibly serene and well rested. Then again, she had Roman and the three other Wells brothers at her beck and call. If it were up to Roman, her feet would never touch the ground, and oh, did I love that for her.

“My work calendar exploded with corporate gigs,” I said. “Turns out, the office manager at Nox Cyber has been recommending me. I checked with a couple contacts, and they said he practically insisted on me, which is pretty cool.”

Paul was getting his own basket of muffins next week, and quite possibly a big forehead kiss. Giving out my name to other office managers had probably been no skin off his back, but to me, it meant the world.

“Reallycool,” Shira agreed.

“Incredible.” Clara tapped her nails on her wrist. “You know, Rossi Motors could use—”

I cut her off. “Nope. We’re not mixing business with friendship.”

Clara, COO of her family’s motorcycle company, had tried to hire me more times than I could count. I was no martyr anddefinitelynot too proud to accept referrals, but her friendship mattered too much. Not that I thought we’d fall out over money or charcuterie cups, but why risk it?

“Nox Cyber is a huge coup.” Shira laced her fingers at her middle. “I’ve heard rumors they might be going public.”

I shrugged. “I don’t know anything about that. But…”

Clara leaned closer. “But what?”

“Well, the CEO, Tore Gallo, and I have a brief, kind of intense past.”

Clara’s eyes flared. “What? Why have you never mentioned this?”

“How far in the past?” Shira asked.

“Two years ago, and like I said, it was brief.” I winced. “He ghosted me after a couple incredible days together, and it threw me for a loop.”

Clara looked affronted. “You’ll work for a guy who ghosted you but not your best friend?”

“First of all, I didn’t realize he was the CEO when I took the job, okay?”

Shira grinned. “I imagine your tell off was legendary. Did you make him cry?”

“I—” My face heated in an unnatural way. Why hadn’t I told him off? I’d been mean, but not mean enough, given the circumstances.

“You didn’t, did you?” Clara whispered. “You’re still working at Nox, which tells me you didn’t eviscerate the CEO.”

Shira gasped. “That’s not very like you.”

“I—” had no good excuse. I didn’t know how to explain it. I should have eviscerated that man. When he walked in the conference room, I should have upended all my beautiful charcuterie cups, flipped him off, and sashayed my very fine ass out of there.

“You what?” Shira coaxed gently.

“I agreed to meet him tonight so he could explain.”

Clara fell back in her seat like I’d knocked the wind out of her. “I’m not sure I understand. You’ve never mentioned him.”

“You and I were new friends back then, and after… Well, I didn’t think about him.”

“But you’re thinking about him now,” Shira filled in.