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Damn.
There was a fighter buried under the paisley and floppy hair.
Sophie kept her attention on her desk. She’d been protecting herself for a while now. Maybe she had taken it too far.
“And I don’t think I’m better than you,” he added, his voice gentle.
Why was that the part that got to her? No one treated her delicately. Patronizingly, maybe, but never softly. Never with care. And here was Mitch, telling her she scorched the path of those walking near her, then immediately looking at her like she was worth knowing.
It was too much.
She finally turned to him. “It’s not easy for me, okay? To trust people.”
Understatement of the year.
But he was right. Agreeing was hard, felt too close to letting him in, and vulnerability had never sat easily with her. It was a slippery slope to friendship, and then what? They’d be swapping stories and going for after-work drinks in no time. And then it was just a hop, skip, and a jump to movie marathons and inside jokes.
No, thank you.
“Sophie.” He’d rolled closer, at her elbow, refusing to be ignored. “If this isn’t working, tell me now so I can put in for a transfer.”
“No, don’t.” The words were out before she could stop them. “I’ll…” She wanted to kick herself. This shouldn’t be so hard. Mitch was a good guy. Friendly, smart. He shouldn’t suffer because of Sophie’s hang-ups. “I’ll stop.”
“You won’t give me the cold shoulder every day?”
“I won’t.”
He was grinning now, and Sophie couldn’t help but mirror the expression.
“And you’ll say good morning?”
She rolled her eyes. “Sure.”
“And go on a date with me?”
He never gave up, did he?
Her laugh shot out without her permission. “Don’t press your luck.”
Mitch shrugged, unbothered. “Worth a shot.”
When he lingered at her desk, she retrieved the paper plane from her drawer and handed it back to him. If they were going to make it work, she wouldn’t half-ass it. “I saw how you handled the error yesterday. It was impressive. I’ve never seen Ewan backtrack so fast before. He’s never apologized to me. So you’re one up there.”
“Thanks. That means a lot. I’m not trying to steal your job, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
Sophie laughed again. “Not what I’m worried about. But you’re welcome to it. The privileges are shit.”
“Just how I like it.” He rolled his neck, stretching again.
Sophie tried not to watch but failed miserably. “Have you finished scanning that carton yet? Make sure you log the barcode into the tracker this time.” She picked up the first thing she could find, hiding her blush.
When Mitch rolled away from her desk, she let out a sigh of relief.
“It’s almost done. Just need another coffee first.”
“You’re a fiend,” she called over her shoulder.
Mitch turned and walked backward, flashing her a pearly smile. “You have no idea.”
