Page 165 of Last First Kiss

He holds up a hand until he’s done. “Jamie, dude. It’s fine. I got caught up for a second there. But it’s nothing. I’m good. We’re cool.”

“We are?” Jamie’s voice drags, skeptical.

“We’re cool,” Jordan repeats with as much sureness as he can project.

This time, Jamie nods, scratching his cheek.

“Cool.” He gestures to the tree. “It’s starting. Wanna check it out?”

“Yeah. That’s why we’re here, right?”

They turn together. Stand side by side in the damp breeze. When the tree lights up all of Decatur, Jordan listens to the crowd cheer while, on the inside, something goes as dark, quiet, hollow as the smile on his face.

-18-?Verify the Final Head Count

Jordan stares at the whiteboard on his office wall.

All those important dates. Color-coded notes. His future plans.

So many reminders of the things he has yet to accomplish.

There’s a buzzing in his ear. Like a bee. No, like his phone’s alarm. The one he won’t set for tomorrow morning. Or the day after.

For however long it takes for Kami to make a decision.

He’s worked so hard for his position in the company. His career’s promising trajectory. Being the one employee everyone outside his office door sees as great.

He wonders what they think now.

Stupidly, Jordan thinks back to how he got here. Not this office. Buthere, on the verge of losing his job. Losing… everything.

Did it start when Jamie fed him that sample of citrus cake at the bakery? The weed gummies at the bridal boutique? Piedmont Park or Jamie’s apartment or when he didn’t walk away at the engagement dinner? Before he opened his dumb mouth to the Peterses? Before he let them get so far under his skin he needed a bottle of champagne to puke them out?

His mind hits so many twists and turns, he might throw up again. Yet at every dead end, it’s always the same:

Jamie, Jamie, Jamie.

Jordan’s eyes trail around his office. Why is he still here? He’s suspended. He needs to go home. Wait out Kami’s deliberation.

The door swings open.

Of course his mom doesn’t bother to knock. Honestly, he expected her sooner. Gossip travels fast around here. It travels at light speed when Cheryl Carter’s involved. He’s surprised she didn’t know the second he walked into Kami’s office this morning.

She waltzes in wearing a chic pink drape midi dress and… a smile? “Jordan, I’m so glad I found you,” she says, pausing in front of him.

His brow creases. “You are?”

“There’s someone I want you to meet.”

A beautiful, brown-skinned woman with high cheekbones, a heart-shaped face, and a fluffy ’fro steps inside. She looks around Jordan’s age, maybe younger. Her fun, floral-print dress matches the softness of her smile.

“This is Juliet,” Cheryl says perkily. “I wanted to introduce you two. She’s—”

Reality comes at Jordan too fast.

Three things become very apparent at once: (1) his mom doesn’t know what happened in Kami’s office; (2) he’s being ambushed; (3) his career is headed down the drain and all his mom can think about is setting him up with a woman whose first name starts with a J.

“No,” he snaps a little louder than intended.