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“And then they’ll be forced to come in and have a look for themselves, which will seal the deal,” Mackenzie finished for me. She nodded, impressed. “That sounds like it could work. Nice idea.”
“Thanks.”
I swallowed hard and rubbed the back of my neck. I guess itwasa good idea, but it was what I’d had in mind before. Now that I knew Toussaint wanted something a lot more personal, I’d been working on an idea where selected guests would come to a party where they had all of Toussaint’s jewelry on loan to wear so that they could feel beautiful with it already around their necks, their arms, their fingers. Toussaint would be there in person and select the pieces that, according to him, best defined the people who would wear them so that it was a celebrity moment, flattery, the ultimate compliment. What was more romantic than the designer of his own jewelry choosing out a piece that was almost seemingly custom-made just for that person?
I didn’t say any of that.
We fell silent as we worked. I glanced at Mackenzie now and then. She wore glasses when she worked on her laptop—to protect her eyes, probably—and with her short blonde hair and her deep hazel eyes, she looked incredible.
I couldn’t keep my eyes off her.
Literally.
“This is torture,” I finally said.
“What?” Mackenzie asked and looked up from her laptop with a small frown. It only made her cuter. Hotter. It made me want to kiss her.
“Working together on something when we’re supposed to be rivals. We get along far too well to be pitted against each other.”
“And yet here we are,” she said.
“Yeah, it’s ridiculous.”
“Would you rather we didn’t talk and didn’t work together?”
I shook my head. “No, then I’d just drown in work all the time and do nothing fun. Believe it or not, you’re keeping me sane.”
She giggled. “I like to think that we’re mature enough to look past that fact and still get something done.”
“Hmm,” I said. “I guess we are very mature. Especially after spending the weekend in a blanket fort.”
Her giggle turned into a laugh. “That was the best part. Everyone should spend time in a blanket fort to see life through fresh eyes.” She smiled at me, eyes dancing with laughter. “Business doesn’t have to be all about backstabbing and breaking the rules. It doesn’t have to get ugly, and so many people choose to go that route.”
I swallowed hard and forced my eyes to my screen. I wasn’t backstabbing her, right? I wasn’t breaking the rules? I’d just… not mentioned a few small facts, but that didn’t mean anything.
Mackenzie closed her laptop. We’d been at it for a couple of hours, and it had gotten dark out.
“I think that’s me for tonight. My brain feels like old sponge, and I can’t do anything more productive tonight.”
“Pizza?” I asked.
Mackenzie nodded. “I’m starving.”
I grinned and picked up the phone to order in. The pizza delivery didn’t take too long to get here—they prioritized this neighborhood because the tips were monumental—and after dishing slices onto plates, we ended up back on the couches where we’d been before.
I liked spending time with her. I liked having pizza and beer and talking shit after we’d both worked hard. Mackenzie was the most down-to-earth, straightforward person I’d met and being around her was easy. There was nothing to prove, no impressions to make, and most of all, no judgment.
Around her, I could let down my guard.
It was different from what I’d had with anyone else I’d ever been with—I’d never been able to just be myself before without feeling like I would have to put on a mask or protect myself against something.
For exactly that reason, I was falling for her. It was also for that reason that this was so incredibly dangerous.
What if I fell… and she wasn’t there to catch me?
14
MACKENZIE
