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Josh was a genius as far as I was concerned, and one of the most handsome men I had ever seen.
A great guy too.
I thought back to the week before when he had personally escorted Carol, the company’s receptionist, to her desk after she’d sprained her ankle.
Or how he never forgot a birthday.
How he was friendly, kind to everyone he encountered.
It wasn’t fair.
My shoulders drooped at the thought, but I shook it off.
It wasn’t Josh’s fault that he was awesome, and it was impossible for anybody to miss it.
Just like it’s not your fault that you’re not, a small voice whispered in my head.
I ignored it, and instead focused on filling out the rest of the list.
I made a show, mostly to Josh, of how much I disliked organizing these events, but that wasn’t entirely true.
Sure, it didn’t come naturally to me.
If anything, I preferred to be tucked away, hiding behind my computer screen or digging through my files.
But my father had always told me how important it was to build bonds in the company, and besides, taking over those duties saved the expense of hiring someone else and relieved my coworkers of the burden.
It was the least I could do.
So, I did it diligently, not that anyone ever said thank you.
In fact, my father, who had been so insistent on these company activities, hadn’t attended even one.
But that was no matter. I’d taken the job, so I’d do it to the best of my abilities.
“Source the ice cream. Check out some vegan options. Make sure you get extra—”
“Talking to yourself again, Amy?”
At the sound of my father’s voice, I stiffened, then I turned to him and smiled brightly. “No, sir. Just putting the finishing touches on the ice cream social.”
I was surprised I hadn’t known he was there.
Raphael James was a presence and demanded attention in every room he entered. He slipped into the conference room where I had set up and threw his coat on the table. Then he set his briefcase next to it.
“Get that for me,” he said when his coat slid to the floor.
I jumped up, grabbed the coat, and hung it on the coat rack behind the door.
“Do you need the room?” I asked.
“Yeah. I need to think, and you know I like the view,” he said, nodding his head to the large panel of windows.
“Would you mind if I stay for about five more minutes? I just want to finish this up,” I said.
“Amy,” he said, turning to look at me.
He was frowning, but I didn’t know if that meant anything. He was usually frowning when he looked at me.
