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Grabbing her bag, Lila groaned beside me. “Is it almost nine already? Why does time fly so much faster when I’m doing things I actually enjoy. Guarantee as soon as we enter the office the next eight hours will drag on slower than if we were back row coach on an international flight to Bangkok.”
I laughed and waved as the last two of our attendees exited the shop.
“At least we have each other.”
“Thank god for that,” she said, raising her coffee cup and tapping it against mine.
“And at least the Pulse death lords, as you’ve so eloquently dubbed them, will provide some much-needed entertainment,” I added.
“Pulse death lords?” A gruff voice caused me to spin around.
“Um…” My voice completely betrayed me as I looked up at the tall stranger who had spoken. His intense eyes glared down at me. They were dark blue, almost navy—not a color one sees every day. And despite not being short myself, he towered over us. I opened my mouth to speak, but his chiseled jawline, broad shoulders, and jet-black hair rendered me speechless. I recognized him immediately as Nathan Shaw. Damn, Lila wasn’t kidding. This guy looked like a Greek god.
Lila elbowed me in the ribs.
“Pulse board,” Lila corrected, thinking quicker on her feet than me—even though I’m not quite sure what a pulse board is supposed to be. “You must be Nathan Shaw, right? I recognize you from articles.”
“Right,” he said flatly, leaving no room for introductions.
“We both work at Love Linked,” I said, finally finding my words.
Instead of asking our names he just nodded. “I’ll see you there, I suppose. I need to order now, or I’m going to be late.”
Rude.
“So nice to meet you,” Lila’s voice dripped with sweetness, and I had to cover my mouth to hide my smile.
Nathan offered a single nod before pivoting on his heel and heading for the counter. Lila and I swiftly gathered our things and dashed out the door as fast as our feet would carry us. Once outside and safely a block away, she started giggling.
“Well, don’t we make a great first impression.”
I tipped my head back and laughed. “Oh my god, what are the odds he walked in there right then?” I eyed her nervously. “Do you think he bought what you said?”
She shrugged. “Maybe? Who cares? Seems like that guy wakes up on the wrong side of the bed every day of his life, regardless. I doubt one stupid comment will make much of a difference.”
“I hope so,” I said, still unsure. “I’m supposed to be lead on the integration. He’s basically my new boss according to Don. The last thing I’d want is for him to hate me. It’d make working together a nightmare.”
As the two of us hurried the short distance to our office downtown, a sense of frustration brewed within me. We couldn’t pause for even a moment to savor the success of our event this morning. The enthusiasm we both felt for ConnectHer invigorated me. A stark contrast to how I felt about my currentrole as Head of Product at Love Linked. A once fulfilling, challenging career now left a bitter taste in my mouth. I found it difficult to summon the motivation it took to give one hundred percent when all I wanted to do was pour all my focus into my own company.
We flew up the stairs to our building, not bothering to wait for the elevator, and threw open the glass door. We parted ways to drop off our stuff at our desk only to meet back up in the common area. We liked to arrive at Monday’s all-hands meeting early so we could be some of the few people to snag seats. It was much easier to tune out Don when I wasn’t thinking about not locking my knees.
“That must be the other one, Ben,” Lila whispered.
Talking with Don at the front of the room was another very attractive guy in his late twenties. Unlike his counterpart, Nathan, Ben seemed good natured and his eyes held warmth. He looked genuinely friendly.
“He seems a lot nicer than the other one,” I said under my breath.
Lila leaned in to whisper. “He wasn’t so nice when he got caught two timing those reality TV sisters.”
My eyebrows shot up in surprise. I guess these guys really were in a league of their own. So much for hoping they’d be more bearable than Don.
“Mind if I join you?” Liam set down his coffee and fiddled with his dark rimmed glasses before flashing us an endearing smile.
“Saved you a seat,” I said, pushing the chair toward him with my foot.
When Liam fixed his gaze to the front of the room, Lila took the opportunity to wink at me. He had joined the accounting team a few months ago, and our flirty banter was one of the few bright spots in my otherwise mundane workdays. Sincemy breakup last year, navigating the Denver dating scene had proven challenging, making the romantic tension between Liam and me a welcome diversion. Even if we never acted on it.
Nathan Shaw breezed past our table and joined Ben and Don at the front of the room. After another minute of hushed conversation, Don clapped his hands and turned toward the rest of the company.
