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“Too much.”
She laughs and pushes open a large wood door. Ryan takes his glasses off and smiles at me. “Well, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.”
“It’s been a while.” I haven’t seen the guy since he hired me several years back. Working remotely, almost all of our correspondence is done via Skype or phone.
“Too long. We’re glad you’re here.” Ryan walks around his desk and shakes my hand. “Have a seat.” He motions to a chair, and rather than taking the seat at his desk, he sits beside me. “Did you have any problems getting into the penthouse?”
“None at all. The code worked, and the staff at the building was wonderful.”
“I’m glad.”
“It’s a lot bigger than I thought it would be.”
“Welcome to the big leagues, son.” He leans back, stretches his legs, and crosses his ankles. “You worked your ass off to get here, and we’re thrilled you’re finally here. Now, why don’t you put me out of my misery and accept the damn job already.”
“You can’t go in there. Ma’am. Ma’am, I said you can’t go in there,” someone says outside of Ryan’s door. There’s a scuffle, a few more words are said that are too muffled for me to make out, and then the office door flies open, and the sweetest sight I’ve ever seen appears.
“Lizzie.”
“Do you know this woman?” Ryan asks.
“I’m sorry, sir,” the secretary says. “She insisted on coming back here, and she’s strong and—”
I cut her off. “She’s with me.”
Lizzie takes a step forward. She looks about as rough as my heart feels. Her hair is piled on top of her head, she has dark circles under her eyes, and her clothes are wrinkled.
“Have you been mugged?” Ryan asks.
Lizzie looks down at herself. “I feel like it.”
My heart slams hard in my chest as I take her in. She looks like a hot mess, but she’s my hot mess. At least, I hope she is. Hope unfurls in my chest, but I quickly tamp it down.
“What are you doing here?” I ask.
“I would’ve been here sooner, but Calvin wouldn’t shut the hell up—”
“Calvin?”
“Uh-huh. He just kept talking, and by the time he went to book the flight, it was sold out, so he had to book me another one, and then I had to pack—”
“Pack?”
“Yes.” She laughs and gives me a look. “Would you let me finish?”
“Sorry, go ahead.”
“My flight left a few hours after yours, which wasn’t a big deal until I got off the plane and realized I had no idea where you were. I called Calvin. Of course, he didn’t answer. Asshole,” she mutters. “And then it took almost an hour to get here. The traffic in this city is awful.”
“It’s not that bad,” Ryan says.
Lizzie frowns. “We can argue about that later. Maybe I’ll change my mind after I’ve lived here for a while. But I doubt it.”
I stand up. “What?”
She smiles softly. “You caught that, huh?”
“I think my ears are playing tricks on me.”
