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I nodded. “Yep.”
“All right. Let’s go.”
When we arrived at the office, I was once again reminded of why I so thoroughly hated feeling like the new kid in town. It was just a solid reminder that I hadn’t entirely outgrown the self-consciousness I’d suffered in childhood; it was always there, ready to resurface. My self-consciousness was what had contributed to my need to be an over-achiever. Too often, it felt like the only way I could make myself feel worthy was by proving how adequately I could do my work.
“Are you all right?” Tobias asked, obviously noticing my distress.
“Yeah.”
He raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing me. “How about taking a quick break? I know this all must feel overwhelming.”
I nodded gratefully. “Yeah. That would be nice.”
And with that, I headed to the break area, where I began making myself and Tobias fresh cups of coffee.
Finding peace in the room being empty, I took a long and deep breath.
“Come on, Joanna,” I said to myself. “You’re just working for your brother. How hard can it be?”
Filling two cups from a fresh pot, I reflected on the training I’d had thus far, as well as the people I’d met, trying to recall names and faces even though so many of them blurred together.
I sighed in frustration as I added sugar and cream to the coffee.
Holding a cup in each hand, I took another deep breath and got ready to return to the office to let him know that I was ready to resume. But just as I reached the door, a figure unexpectedly appeared before me.
I crashed right into him, sending the hot liquid splashing all over both of us.
I looked up, positively mortified.
A man stood before me with a disgruntled look on his face as he stared down in disbelief at his expensive suit that I had just ruined with coffee.
When our eyes locked, my heart almost stopped entirely.
It had been a long time, but I easily remembered his handsome face, short blond hair, and impressive physique.
Just like I recalled the sneer he currently wore, and the way it had always been reserved specifically for me…
Anderson Lawrence.
I knew he worked with my brother and that I was bound to run into him sooner or later. If I was being perfectly honest with myself, I also knew that he was part of the reason I felt so nervous. Throughout my teenage years, I’d maintained a super-intense crush on him. There were times that my young self wanted him so badly that I didn’t know what to do.
What I hadn’t been prepared for was that over the years, he would manage to become even more handsome.
He was drop dead gorgeous; my memory hadn’t been doing him justice at all.
“Dammit, Joanna,” he said.
I recoiled.
Anderson was even more gorgeous than I remembered, but obviously, one thing hadn’t changed at all.
He still hated me.
CHAPTER 4
Anderson
I stared down at the hot brown liquid staining my new suit. In that moment, I knew Joanna was going to be just as much a nuisance as I always remembered her being. I began having vivid flashbacks of the annoying kid sister Tobias just couldn’t shake off whenever I was around.
