“It’s a little creepy,” Grace said, gesturing to the deserted offices.
“Really? I kind of like it. It’s peaceful.”
Grace shook her head. “Disagree. At least you’re walking with me.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll protect you from all the ghosts.” Grace’s eyes widened, and Alex laughed. “I’m kidding.”
“Sure, sure.” But Grace looked around a little apprehensively.
“Louisa, my assistant, always says that the office ghosts are nice people,” Alex continued. Grace glanced at him, then grinned.
“You’re kidding.”
“No, she really believes in ghosts. I think.”
“I have to ask—if you have an assistant, why do you still do everything yourself?”
“Not everything,” Alex said. “Just most things.”
They reached the elevators and headed down to the parking garage, where they went their separate ways.
“Good night,” Grace said as she headed for her beige Toyota.
“Good night,” Alex replied as he went to his own car, a white Lexus in this year’s model. Part of him wanted to tell Grace to text him when she got home safely, but that wouldn’t be very professional. Though they’d eaten dinner together and talked, itwasn’t as if they’d been on a date. This had been purely about work.
Still, he watched to make sure Grace drove out of the lot safely before getting in his car for the drive home.
CHAPTER 4
GRACE
Grace drummed her hands on the steering wheel in time with the music on the radio, a pop song about floating bubbles that she usually found too upbeat. Today, though, it matched her mood. Her new job was everything she’d dreamed it would be, and her first two weeks had gone off without a hitch. Her new colleagues were wonderful, apart from a little weirdness from Autumn. She had the chance to prove that she was good at what she did, despite starting later than most, and it was going wonderfully. And she liked Alex.
As a boss, of course. Maybe as a professional mentor.
That was why, even though it was Saturday morning and she could have gone for a walk or to the beach, Grace was driving in to work. Alex had asked for her help on another bug, and Grace wasn’t about to say no. She wanted him to see that she was a hard worker. And she wanted him to smile at her again, with that look that made her feel like the most important person in the world.
Grace pulled into the lot and headed to the elevator bank, nodding at the receptionist on the way past. She’d worn a simpledress today, instead of her usual office wear. It was a nod to the warm weather and to the fact that it wasn’t a normal working day. There were only so many days in a row that she could wear blouses with slacks or pencil skirts.
A few offices were occupied by people working on their computers. Most of them smiled at Grace as she passed, though a few were so involved in their work that they didn’t seem to notice her. She went straight to Alex’s office. His assistant’s desk was empty, so she knocked on the door as she pushed it open and found him sitting behind the desk, sipping a mug of coffee.
“Good morning.”
He looked up from his computer and smiled at her. He was dressed more casually today, too, in jeans and a black T-shirt with a band logo on the front. With that and his glasses, he looked more nerdy than businesslike. Grace found the difference endearing. It was nice to know that he could be something other than intimidating.
“Good morning, Grace. Thanks for coming in today. I hope I’m not keeping you from anything.”
“Not at all.” Grace took a seat on the other side of the desk, where she’d been the last few times they’d worked like this. “I’m happy to be here.”
“Great. Let me show you what I’m working on.” Alex turned his laptop to face Grace and talked her through a few lines of code. Pretty soon, they were both tapping away on their laptops companionably.
Working like this reminded Grace a little of childhood days when she’d sat beside her father in his home office while he worked. She’d been allowed to join him at his desk if she broughtsomething to read or a coloring book with her. The kind of camaraderie they’d shared was almost impossible to replicate, even in college when Grace had joined study groups or worked in the library.
She missed those days of being close to her father. And she was glad that she could work alongside Alex now.
The morning flew by in a blur of screens and code. By the time twelve o’clock rolled around, Grace saw lines of code whenever she closed her eyes, and she stifled a yawn.
“Time for a break,” Alex said, smiling at her over his computer. “How about some lunch?”
