AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“At all?” she probed.
I thought about how he had pulled me into him for a split second before pushing me away. “Barely. I practically threw myself at him, and he couldn’t get away fast enough. My ability to read moments is completely off.” I put my face back in my hands and shook my head. “I could not be more mortified. How am I supposed to face him today?”
“Damn.” Lila chewed her lip and looked at me with pity. “It really seemed like you two were flirting at the bar. I never would have thought he would turn you down like that.”
“I never should have made a move,” I murmured. “He’s myboss.”
She waved off my concern. “Oh please, he stopped being your boss the second he came to the brewery. It’s not like hewas being the picture of professionalism while you dragged him around all night. He did all that of his own free will. The signals were there, Char, you aren’t crazy.”
“Regardless, I should have shown some self-control.”
She rubbed my shoulder. “Don’t beat yourself up, okay? It was just one night and we were all drinking. He’s not going to hold this against you. I'm sure he feels awkward about it too.”
The elevator dinged, and we both looked to the opening doors. As my luck would have it, Nathan strode off looking perfect—just as put together as he always did. It was almost as if I had imagined him there last night, because the guy in front of me did not look the least bit hungover or struggling. He met my eyes, and on instinct I jerked them away before realizing that looked even more strange. I forced my gaze back to him and gave him a pathetic smile.
“Morning,” I said, my voice shaky.
“Good morning, Charlie. Lila.” He nodded at both of us. His cold stare had me panicking even more, but then he looked us both up and down. “Hope you’re both feeling better than I am.” A smirk played on his lips, and I wanted to cry with relief.
“Oh, I feel fantastic,” Lila said drily.
“Oliver said you two really came into your own after your fifth duet.”
She nodded. “We had everyone giving us a standing ovation by the end. We even got Harrison to join for one.”
He chuckled. “I seriously doubt that.”
“Okay, well Oliver tried to drag him up there before Harrison shoved him and said some unflattering things—but he was at least within six feet of the stage.”
“Impressive.”
Lila giggled, before pushing off my desk. “I better get some coffee before I shut down completely.”
I glared at the back of her head as she abandoned me.
Traitor.
To my dismay, Nathan lingered. Should I say something? I couldn’t imagine anything more miserable, but he looked expectant.
“Um…” My voice trailed off as soon as my mouth opened. This was beyond the point of mortifying. I could feel a flush creeping from my cheeks down to my neck.
What the hell had I been thinking last night? I don’t care how much alcohol I consumed. My survival instincts should have still kept me in check. Instead, my body and mind betrayed me by throwing themselves at the one person who was not only off limits but that I’d have to see every day. Now I had to look my rejection right in the eyes.
Maybe this would be the incident that finally gifted me the courage to give my notice. Lila would be thrilled—even if my motivations weren’t pure.
Nathan still stood there, looking at my forehead. I noticed he used this tactic a lot to still appear engaged without making direct eye contact. I realized I had been silent for an uncomfortable stretch of time, but that still didn’t trigger the receptor from my brain that instructed my mouth to speak.
Finally, he cleared his throat. “I guess I’ll see you in our meeting later.”
“Of course,” I squeaked.
He briskly turned on his heel and moved down the hallway—likely trying to get away from me as fast as humanly possible.
My head fell into my open palms as I shook it in misery. That could not have gone any worse. And now I’d have to face him in a few short hours. Alone.
I looked across the office at Lila’s desk. She was watching me.
“Did you see that,” I mouthed, ensuring my expression looked as dejected as possible.
