He hung up, and the kitchen went quiet. Nothing left but the drip of the faucet and the tick of the clock on Miley's wall. A second ago his voice had been right here, warm and easy, full of laminated flashcards and dining hall grievances, and now it was just me and a cooling mug and the distance between Miami and everyone I loved.
Small, warm dispatches from a life I'd stepped away from. A family that thought I'd left for adventure, and never knew I'd gone because staying would've meant staying within reach of someone who'd already proven he could take everything from me and still smile while doing it.
I finished my coffee, grabbed my bag, and headed to work.
The elevator ride up felt different today. Not better, exactly. Just different. I was still thinking about the night before, about the elevator and the dark and the way Jace Hunter’s face looked when the lights came back on.
I sat down at my desk. A few minutes later, Miles walked in with two coffees and a grin that should require a permit before nine in the morning.
"Good morning." He handed me a cup. "You look radiant."
"I look like I fought a raccoon in my sleep and lost."
"Radiant raccoon energy." He said it without missing a beat. "It’s a vibe. Own it."
I rolled my eyes but took the coffee. Rich, smooth, still hot. Miles always got his from the place on Brickell that charged eight dollars a cup and was worth every cent.
"I'm good," I said. "Really."
He studied me for a second, a look that told me he wasn’t quite convinced.
"Yeah?" he said.
"Yeah."
He held my gaze a moment longer, then nodded slowly. Whatever he'd been looking for, he'd either found it or decided to let me have the lie.
"Good," he said softly.
And then something shifted in his face. The concern folded itself away, replaced by a grin that started in one corner of his mouth and spread with the confidence of a man about to do something ridiculous.
He took my hand with exaggerated gallantry, bowed at the waist like a duke in a period drama, and kissed the back of it.
"Then allow me to formally welcome you to another beautiful day at Hunter Interactive, my lady."
I laughed and pulled my hand back. "You are going to get yourself an HR complaint before ten a.m."
"Bold of you to assume I haven't already." He straightened up, still grinning. "Besides, HR loves me. I brought them muffins last week."
"Bribery is not a legal defense, Miles."
"It is if the muffins are good enough."
I was still laughing when the voice cut through.
"Ms. Wilson."
We both turned.
Jace was in his office doorway. Dark suit. No tie. Glasses in place. His eyes went from my face to Miles’s hand, which was still holding mine because I hadn’t pulled it away fast enough. His gaze stayed there for a beat. Then it came back up to my face and his expression was the usual granite, but something had moved behind it. Fast. Buried before I could name it.
"I have work for you," he said. "We’re going to a meeting. Be ready in twenty minutes."
Miles straightened up. "I thought we were handling the Meridian meeting together."
"Change of plans. I’m taking my assistant." The word landed with a weight that drew a line around me.
Miles looked at me. I looked at Jace. The air between the three of us did something I couldn’t describe but definitely felt. Miles raised his coffee in a mock salute, and backed away.
