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Despite my guilt for not actually working, I nod. I made a mistake but for the rest of the day, I’ll only focus on my job. I swear. “Let me get your coffee.”
“Thank you.”
Relief floods me that she doesn’t seem to notice I was distracted. As soon as she passes by, I hurry to the little kitchenette and pour fresh beans into the hopper. My boss likes her espresso extra strong on Mondays, so I scan through the settings for that preference and then grab the milk.
Although I used to be intimidated by the three-thousand-dollar machine when I first started here, the process calms me now. I know exactly how she likes her beverage and feel confident again that I can overcome anything I’ve messed up going forward.
Once her drink is ready, I carry the cup carefully to her office. Silently too after I push open the door with my hip to find her typing intently on her laptop. I set the demitasse on her desk. “I can tell you’re busy. If you need anything else, please let me know. I’ll be working on the Pease files.”
“How was your weekend?”
Thank goodness I’m not holding her mug, or I would have dropped the glass from the mischievous lilt in her voice. Her gaze scans me as if she’s searching for something.
Do I tell her about Balthazar? Is that too personal? Or am I obligated to since she’s my boss?
I really have no idea. So I start with honesty and will wing it after that. “Wonderful. How was yours?”
My voice sounds squeaky and nervous.
“Horrific. Reid booked our honeymoon but won’t tell me where we’re going. How do I pack for a two hundred-thousand-dollar destination when I don’t know what it is!”
I genuinely have no idea how to respond. That’s the craziest problem I’ve ever heard of. “Maybe ask if it’s warm or cold? Then you’ll at least have some idea for a starting point.”
Still frustrated, she nods her head. “That’s a good idea. Then hopefully I can break him if I inundate him with enough questions.”
Her relationship with her fiancé seems very different than mine with Balthazar.
Balthazar.
Shoot! I promised myself I wouldn’t think about him. I smile at her. “I hope it works.”
She sighs so hard, her bangs billow. “Me too. I swear Seraphina, don’t marry a man who thinks surprises are fun.”
Every surprise from Balthazar has been marvelous so I don’t know why she says that. I don’t argue though. I like my boss and want to keep on her good side. I laugh agreeably. “Okay.”
The grin that makes me feel like she knows every single thing Balthazar and I did this weekend, including the embarrassingly private ones, curves her red lips. I can’t stop the blush flaming my cheeks, but I keep my smile on my face. “I’ll be at my desk if you need anything.”
With her head dip, I twist around and walk as casually as I can out of her office despite wanting to run and hide. I know they’re friends but surely he wouldn’t tell her things about me.
About us.
About what we did.
In my bed.
Oh god.
Back at my workspace, I take a few deep breaths. I have to calm down. I haven’t known Balthazar for long, but I really feel like I can trust him. He never mentioned London once this weekend, so I doubt he’s even spoken to her.
I smile at his email, reply thank you and have a good day, and then open the proposed contract to proofread the final draft before London reviews the document with the client.
I cross reference with the hard copy of the real estate listing he gave her and highlight a few inconsistencies in the description to see if she needs them to be changed. All the lessee and lessor details are correct.
The front doors slide open and my attention whips to the entry. London doesn’t have any appointments until nine and FedEx delivers closer to lunch time. Three men stride in. Two of them haul in an eight-foot-tall Christmas tree between them and the other carries enormous red bags in each hand.
“Seraphina Snow?”
My pulse races as the guy with the sacks approaches. “Yes, that’s me.”
