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He stops, like he’s not sure he wants to say more. But after a long moment, he continues.
“Obviously, this was a very unfortunate series of events, completely outside of our control. If this is all too strange, if the circumstances are too unusual for you to have a fruitful working relationship with SITL, we understand and accept any request to terminate your contract.”
A hard iciness gathers in the pit of my stomach, sharp and stinging. After that lengthy interview process, Liam is willing to get rid of me over a simple wrong-place-wrong-time travel mix-up?
“We do?” Luke gapes.
Liam holds up a large hand to silence his older brother. “We do. The last thing we need is an HR scandal over a simple… misunderstanding.”
He fixes me with that coal dark stare, and despite my urge to flinch or squirm under his attention, I square my shoulders and stare back boldly. Clear my throat and channel all my confidence. “That won’t be necessary. I’m here to work, not create drama. You hired me because you believed me to be the best person for the job, and you were correct. The circumstances surrounding how we met are beside the point.”
I hold Liam’s gaze, watch his reaction—of lack thereof—to me laying my cards on the table.
What I said is the truth. I came here to do a job, not get involved with my colleagues. And I’m not going to run out of here with my tail between my legs because of some ridiculous mishap.
To my surprise, Liam’s brows lift a touch and his face softens. Just the slightest bit. “I’m glad to hear that.”
Something in his voice, in those words, makes my heart flutter. As his eyes meet mine, I see we’ve come to an understanding—bury the past, focus on the task at hand.
“Thank you,” I say quietly. “You won’t regret this.”
I’ll make it my business that he doesn’t.
12
LIAM
You won’t regret this.
In my experience, those are usually famous last words. Destined to kick off some ill-fated scenario that you very much DO regret. But it’s Thursday—three days have passed since Annie said those words, and so far, they’ve actually been correct.
It also means that at, as of 6:47 this evening, Annie Jacobs will have been in my life for almost an entire week.
And what a week it’s been. First off, learning the ins and outs of parenthood—which has mostly consisted of being a free Uber driver, watching princess movies, and sneaking vegetables into other, less healthy foods.
Second, there’s Luke. My absolute joy of a brother has been teasing me mercilessly since Annie’s “we slept together” comment, and generally making things as awkward as possible. Last night, for example, I told Luke that I was popping out to grab us all takeout for dinner, and he replied, “I know it’s hard for you, but try not to sleep with the cashier.”
Which is rich, coming from a man who, pre-Mindy, was totally unabashed in the amount of female company he kept.
But I can’t complain too much. Luke seems to think that the whole hotel incident is one huge, hilarious joke—he’s wrong—and not that big of a deal—he might actually be right. Annie and I have apparently both chalked it up to an unfortunate accident, and havefinallymoved on to work-related things.
This brings me to my third point: while the woman might spread chaos like fairy dust everywhere she goes, she’s good at her job. Damn good.
To the point that, over the last few days, my shoulders relax when I see the work she’s producing. How her findings will contribute to our proposed upgrades for the Stay Inside the Lines app.
Though maybe it’s just her sweet, beachy scent, which now lingers in my office. Ocean smells are relaxing, right? It’s probably just that. Nothing else.
Definitely not the fact that Annie Jacobs is sassy, free-spirited and beautiful. I haven’t thought about any of that at all.
She’s smart, that’s all I’m focusing on.
And I’m not the only one who thinks so.
“Nice,” Luke says when he finally looks up from the computer.
Luke and I are huddled in the boardroom, as we’ve been for so many hours this week, trying to get a semblance of a proposal together for Wiseman. “I like what I’m seeing with Annie’s findings but I’m not sure about a couple of the suggestions—whether they’re on brand.”
My brow furrows as my eyes skate across the screen again. “I had the same concern.”
