Page 57 of Tell Me What you Think

"I don't know—eight? Nine?" she offers.

"Eight-thirty, then," Marina decides for both of them.

"Great, perfect. Do you want me to bring you a coffee? I'm going to grab one for myself."

Marina is about to tell her she'd be better off with chamomile tea, but she holds back.

"Yes, please."

She goes into her office and lingers by the door as she sets down her bag and takes off her coat. She's jittery—possibly more than Olga—because the apartment thing wasn't something she'd anticipated. She can control a situation in a restaurant: there are other people around, a menu to look at when you don't know what to say, waitstaff interrupting at the right moments, and the perfect exit when dinner ends. Even her own place would give her an advantage, because a host can always get up to grab something when she needs five seconds to think. But in Olga's apartment, she controls nothing. She'll be completely exposed—having dinner with a woman who blushes when she looks at her, who stole a kiss and then pretended it hadn't happened, and who now means something to her in a way she hadn't expected.

She sits down, opens her laptop, goes over the day's schedule, and works until she's sure her friend and colleague has arrived.

"I'm going to pop in and see Jordi for a minute—if there's an urgent call, put it through to his office," Marina says as she passes Olga's desk.

"Of course."

"Got a minute?" she asks from the doorway, making him stop typing and glance at the clock.

"A little early to be picking my brain, isn't it?" he says with a smirk.

She walks in and closes the door, crosses to his desk, picks up a piece of candy, and sits down while she unwraps it. She's not even sure what she's going to tell him, but she needs someone to confirm she hasn't lost her mind.

"So? Are you going to talk, or do I have to wait while you demolish that candy with your molars? That sound gives me chills, just so you know."

Marina clamps down with her jaw and cracks the candy, letting the sharp rush of flavor settle before she swallows it and grabs another one.

"Olga kissed me," she says outright, aware that she hasn't told anyone this—not even Andrea.

He stares at her, wide-eyed.

"It was weeks ago, when everyone else was off enjoying Christmas break and we were here." He's still stunned, watching her lay it out as casually as if she were talking about the weather. "It was nothing, a quick kiss, and then she panicked and told me to forget it."

"Holy shit—a quiet one, huh."

The vice president raises an eyebrow. Olga doesn't strike her as the quiet type—but she's so shy that plenty of people here probably think so.

"And what did you do?" he asks, curious. "What did she say when you asked her why?"

"Nothing. I didn't ask. She looked so panicked and distressed that I decided to let it go and move on."

"Ah."

"But I didn't move on," Marina admits, meeting his eyes. "I've thought about that kiss every day since. And yesterday I kissed her."

Jordi had been leaning forward to grab a piece of candy, but he freezes, arm stretched out across the desk.

"Damn," he murmurs, and settles back.

"Yeah…"

He doesn't laugh—which was what she'd expected him to do. He just stares at her, wide-eyed, completely thrown. Jordi had always known nothing would ever happen between him and Marina, but knowing that she seems to feel some kind of genuine interest in someone is the final confirmation, and he needs a moment to process it.

"I didn't know you—I mean, I thought you only liked—" He stops, not wanting to sound like an idiot.

"Men?" she finishes, twisting her mouth into a small smile. "So did I. Apparently not."

Now he does laugh—somewhere between disbelief and amusement.