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But the door slides open a few seconds later, and I step into a brightly lit reception area.

A young man smiles at me from behind the counter. “Good morning, Sir. I think you’re expected.” If I weren’t so terribly nervous, I could appreciate how handsome he is. He’s shorter than I am, but the alert look in his dark gray eyes surely makes it clear to everyone who walks in here that he’s not someone to be messed with. His neat, short haircut reinforces my impression that no one gets past him unless he lets them. In his charcoal-gray suit, he is incredibly elegant. I could never.

I don’t react quickly enough, and he raises an eyebrow defiantly.

Of course, there’s no time to waste.

He stands up and walks toward me. “I’m Ricky. Follow me, Mr. Sinclair.”

I give him a brief nod and follow him into a conference room, where I already see Derek.

He’s standing at the table with his arms crossed over his chest. Judging by his expression, his mood clearly hasn’t improved much.

“Hello.” An agency employee hands out tablets and smiles at us. With her long, dark curls and brown eyes, she moves calmly and purposefully from seat to seat. “Parker will be here any minute.”

Parker. My heart sinks. A coincidence. But after all these years, the name still triggers the same reaction in me. Regret. Longing.

“Good morning, everyone. Hi, Derek. It’s been a while.”

I jerk my head around to see where the voice is coming from.

Parker.

It’s as if it were yesterday: his slightly too-long blond curls, which aren’t an actual hairstyle, hang over his forehead. His green eyes sparkle behind them, creating a fantastic mix with his colorful knit sweater. This is unreal.

For the second time today, my world is crashing down around me. But this time, I can’t stop it. Now the past is catching up with me, too. I’m not ready. Not ready for my world here to come to an end.

Chapter 2 – Parker

I can barely hear Carly over the noise from the street.

“Tell me again, why am I being called into the office on the second day of my first vacation ever? You do realize that I could be lying in my bed right now, watching Pride and Prejudice on repeat. Instead, I’m trudging through a cold, wet city. Why? Carly.”

“It wasn’t my idea. Derek Watson is the manager.”

“Ugh.” I groan exasperatedly into the phone, causing a passerby to look at me with a puzzled expression. Shaking my head, I glance back. Sorry. Or not. “I can’t deal with him on my time off. Seriously, I can’t.”

“I know. And I’m sorry. The boss insists that you be there.

“So, the usual?”

“Yes. The usual. Professional athlete. Caught with a man.”

Keeping my gaze fixed straight ahead, I keep walking. “Get the standard battle plan ready. Is there anything else I need to know?”

My assistant lets out a few thoughtful sounds. “Nope. I’m digging up women from his past for possible alibi dates. Not sure if he has a specific type. Other than that, we don’t know anything else yet.”

“Thanks. I’m making a quick stop at Mighty Juice. Should I pick something up for you?”

“No, thanks. Please be here on time. I can’t be spending a single minute alone with Derek.”

“I’m racing there as fast as I can.”

Carly hangs up, and I turn up the volume on Troye Sivan in my headphones to get going.

Why do I put up with this shit time and time again? This job is not worth my sanity.

After a quick stop in my office, I head to the conference room with my tablet, which Carly has surely set up with all the necessary info.