Page 16 of Tell Me What you Think

"It's no longer exploratory — we're buying them," he said. "And I want you running the acquisition. We'll sit down properly later," he stood, "but it needs to be closed by spring, which means…"

"Working through the holidays," she finished.

"Yes, but you'll have everything you need, and of course you'll be compensated. Ask for whatever and logistics will approve it."

"For now, Olga is enough. If I need anything else, I'll say so."

"Olga?"

"My assistant. Very efficient." She raised an eyebrow, and Javier straightened his tie as he rose.

"Right, of course. I won't take up any more of your time — thanks for being so understanding."

Javier left her office and Marina checked her watch. She was already running late for the meeting, but it wouldn't be the first time or the last. She grabbed her laptop and headed out, but instead of telling Olga they could go, she walked around her assistant's desk and perched on the edge with a pose that landed somewhere between relaxed and effortlessly sexy — enough to make Olga's jaw drop.

"Do you know anything about Nauta Partners?" she asked, and her assistant rolled her head in slow circles as if loosening her neck, though what she was really doing was trying to jump-start her brain.

"Yeah, we were looking into them, right?"

"Exactly, but it's official now. We're buying them — and guess who got stuck with it?" Her eyebrows lifted.

"You?"

"You and me both. I need you with me on this a hundred percent — that means late nights and probably no Christmas break. Is that a problem? I can request help if needed."

"No, it's fine. I'm available."

Marina bit her lip and put on a mock-pitiful face.

"I'm going to have to call my mom and explain that I'm staying in Barcelona for the holidays because of work, instead of going with her to Tenerife. She's going to love that," she said, her dry tone making Olga laugh. "Okay, let's go — we're already ten minutes late."

Olga grabbed her notebook and followed her down the hall at a quick pace, savoring the warmth that had bloomed in her chest when Marina shared that small detail of her life. It was the first time it had happened, and it was so nice to hear her talk about her mom and Tenerife that she hoped it wouldn't be the last.

"Is it true Marina's running the Nauta acquisition?" Silvia asked, standing at the bar where they usually met.

"Yes," Olga confirmed. "No vacation for me."

"But you'll be with her, and you'll probably make a trip or two to Lisbon."

Olga stopped breathing, because that part she hadn't thought about. The company in question had offices in both Madrid and Lisbon, so the odds were they'd have to travel to one of the two cities before the deal closed.

"Wipe that horrified look off your face and stop pretending you don't want to spend more time with her."

"God, I barely survive being her assistant in the office. This morning I walked in on her changing her shirt and I almost passed out," she whined, fanning herself.

Silvia burst out laughing. She'd tried to push her friend to make a move plenty of times, but since that clearly wasn't happening, the least she could do was laugh at everything and make it a little lighter.

"So? Did you like what was under her shirt?" she teased, and Olga turned so red that Silvia dissolved into another round of laughter. "Come on, Olga, if you don't get it together, you're going to make yourself miserable."

"What do you want me to do? I can't control myself around her — it's like I get possessed by this insufferably cowardly, clumsy version of myself that makes me look like an idiot. At this point I don't even want to imagine what she thinks of me."

"She asked for you on this project full-time, so you can't look that much like an idiot. You should give yourself a little more credit, seriously."

Silvia ordered two more beers, and Olga grabbed a barstool that had just opened up, as if she hadn't been sitting all day.

On her way home she marveled at the Christmas decorations. It was already dark, and Paseo de Gracia glittered under the colored lights. Olga got to her building feeling happy — she'd had a good time with Silvia, laughed a lot, and they'd ended up ordering tapas that more than counted as dinner — so her plan was to shower and stretch out on the couch to watch her show for a while. But when she opened the mailbox to grab the day's mail, there was a slip of paper that changed her priorities. It was a notice from the post office — specifically for a certified letter that someone had tried to deliver that morning and that would be waiting for her at the office starting tomorrow.

Olga stood for a few seconds in the entryway, staring at the notice and trying to think of a single time anyone had ever received a certified letter with good news. A chill ran down her spine, and she stepped into the elevator knowing she wouldn't sleep a wink that night.