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“Sorry for putting you on the spot there with my little white lie, but I figured you could use some help dealing with that . . . guy.” Not sure how Nina would take it, I bite back the plethora of words I want to call the douchebag by.
“No, no, it’s fine; it’s . . . well, thanks,” she stutters as she plops her beautiful ass down on the couch, her legs a little shaky. “He followed me the whole way here. I confronted him and figured I’d gotten him to back off earlier, but I guess he’s more desperate than I realized.”
“Are you okay?” I ask, concerned now. “Did he hurt you?”
She looks up at me with beautiful, amber eyes. “I’m fine. Thanks, Brock. I’m just a little shaken up.”
I resist the urge to reach down and pull her into a protective hug. She looks so vulnerable; I just want to tell her everything is going to be okay.
I almost do. The urge is so strong, but then I remind myself of what I thought when I first saw her.
Stay professional. She’s your coworker now, nothing more.
“Are you sure? We have a medic on site. Shall I call her down to take a look at you?” I ask.
“No, Brock. Really, I’m fine.” As if trying to convince me, Nina gets up to her feet. I’ve got to say she’s already looking better, like she’s making an effort to shake it all off. “I just figured the worst thing that could happen today would be me flunking my interview—not watching my crazy ex get dragged, kicking and screaming, out of the lobby. But now that has happened, I figure things can’t get much worse, right?”
Her ex, huh? I thought as much, but it’s nice to hear a confirmation. That means they’ve probably just broken up. That means she’s single.
Despite my resolve to stay professional, I can’t help the spark of hope flickering in my chest. Stop it, idiot.
“So . . . yeah, let’s go get this interview done. I’m not even nervous now. Isn’t that weird?” Nina laughs then looks embarrassed, her smooth, soft cheeks turning a rosy shade.
Adorable.
“Sorry,” she says, looking up and giving me a little smile. “I, uh, have a habit of talking too much when I’m nervous. Just tell me to shut up if it’s bothering you, okay?”
I open my mouth to tell her she’s doing okay; she’s doing perfectly fine.
“Should I even be saying all this to you?” she asks before I get a chance to say anything. A look of concern crosses her beautiful face. “I’m supposed to be impressing you and making you think I’m actually going to be good at this job. Because I am—going to be good at the job. Not just . . .” she trails off, bright patches of red rising to her cheeks.
It’s the cutest fucking thing I’ve ever seen, and I’m struggling to control my hands from reaching up and feeling the heat in her face. But that would be the opposite of professional.
I should say something, right? But it’s so fun watching her go on like this. I suppress the smile that wants to spread across my face.
Nina takes a deep breath, closes her eyes for a few moments, and then opens them again. “Let’s start again; shall we? Hi, Brock. Nice to see you again after all this time!”
With a bemused smile, I shake her proffered hand. “Hi, Nina. If you’ll come this way, we can get this interview underway.”
She returns my smile, her eyes so bright they almost seem like they’re glowing. I swear my heart pauses for a split second. It feels like she’s peering straight into my soul.
Unable to take any more of that intensely beautiful gaze, I turn away from her, leading the way toward the elevators as she follows quietly along.
It doesn’t look like Nina has realized I was the guy she spilled coffee on, but at this point, I’m not even mad about it anymore.
“I almost didn’t recognize you,” Nina says in the elevator as it climbs all the way to the top of the tall skyscraper. “But I guess we can all change quite a lot over the course of a few years, huh?”
You can say that again.
“We sure can,” I say, casting a glance at her. “It took me a few moments to recognize you, too. I still remember the days when you were just an awkward kid, tagging along while I was hanging out with Dean.”
“Oh my God,” she groans. “Don’t. I’ve been cringing about that internally all morning. I used to follow you two around like a little, lost puppy. Remember that time when you two were drinking beer, and I snuck one?”
I laugh at the memory. “How could I forget? We came up to your bedroom and found you in a heap on the floor, barely talking sense. After one beer!”
