Chapter 11
NASH
A loud growl rumbles through the silence.
“Was that your stomach?” I laugh, turning to Sadie beside me.
“Yes.” She taps on her phone, looking at the time. It’s almost seven o’clock. “I haven’t eaten anything since this morning.”
“You’re working too hard.” I scoot my chair back. “It’s Friday night. You should go home.”
“And do what? It’s not like I have a raging social life here in Chicago. I’d rather keep working.”
Same. If I go home, I’ll continue working for another three hours back at my house. I might as well stay with her.
Since Sadie came up with the idea of locum tenens two weeks ago, we’ve been working overtime to hopefully roll it out at the beginning of next year.
“Then let’s order some food. We’ll get some pizza delivered.” I shoot her a smile as I pick up my phone. “Don’t worry. I won’t order anything like a combination or Hawaiian. We can get half pepperoni and half cheese.”
She lifts her chin in satisfaction. “You know me so well.”
“I’ll even see if they can bring some ranch dressing with it. You’d bathe in that condiment if you could.”
“What do you mean?”
I hold my phone up to my ear. “From the first week you worked here, you’ve drenched ranch on every type of food imaginable.” My lips lift in a teasing way. “I’d love to see what would happen if you poured it on me.”
Sadie slugs me in the arm. “Where’s Human Resources when you need it?”
“You’re looking at him.”
“Then how am I supposed to report you for that comment and karaoke night?”
“None of those things are harassment at work.” My smile turns wicked. “It’s all after hours.” The pizza place answers before Sadie can give a retort. “Delivery,” I say, focusing on ordering. “They said it will be here in twenty minutes.” I set my phone down.
“Who calls to order food anymore?”
“I’m old school like that.”
She sits up in her chair, stretching her back. I want to watch because there’s something really sexy about Sadie stretching, but I don’t watch. Instead, I sit back down.
My phone dings, and I drop my eyes to the screen.
Lindy
You should stop by for dinner. I made stroganoff. Not the homemade kind. I’m not domestic enough for that. It’s Betty Crocker, but a noodle is a noodle. Eating at seven-thirty. I’ll set you a place.
If I left the office now, I could make it to my cousin's house for dinner. But I’d much rather stay here with Sadie. So, I ignore the text.
“I think we’ve exhausted every lead today.” I lean into my chair, fluffing the back of my hair.
“I wish I was going to be here in January to see how locums work out.” Her lips push into a frown, and I feel for her. I’d want to see how my idea—something I worked tirelessly on—plays out in real life.
“You could always keep working here when your internship is done. And I mean that in a totally professional-boss way and not the-guy-from-the-Cubs-game way.”
She laughs, but the longing returns to her eyes. “I wish I could. There’s just too much waiting for me back home. Too many people depending on me.”
I hate her answer because it’s about everyone else. Not what she really wants.
“You don’t have to decide right now. Let’s just play it by year.”
Amusement brings Sadie’s expression to life. “What did you say?”
“I said you could play it by year.”
She buckles over with laughter.
“What?”
It takes her twenty seconds to even get the words out. “It’s ear, not year. We could play it by ear.”
“No.” I shake my head, my disbelief more than apparent. “That doesn’t even make sense.”
“And play it by year does?”
“Yeah, like we’ll see what happens next year.”
“That’s not the phrase.”
“I’m fact-checking you.” I use my laptop to Google it.
Sadie leans in, reading the meaning out loud over my shoulder. “The term's original meaning was to play without sheet music, meaning you either remembered the music or improvised it.” She turns to me. “I told you!”
Her smile widens to something full and genuine. I’m struck by how pleasant it is. I also don’t usually use words like pleasant, but she’s my intern, so pleasant seems like the safest way to describe it.
I’m smiling at her, and she’s smiling at me. Our gazes are locked, and sparks fly between us—at least for me. Suddenly, this no longer feels like a boss/employee conversation. It feels flirty.
I scoot back. “I’m going to go to the bathroom before the pizza arrives.”
“Sounds good.” She rolls her chair to her spot. “I’ll just be here.”
That’s the problem.
Sadie’s here at work.
In my thoughts.
In my dreams.
In my heart.
She’s everywhere.
SADIE
“I’ll never get over a Chicago deep-dish pizza.” I pat my lips with a napkin, savoring the taste.
“Yeah?” Nash smiles through his bite. “You like it better than New York pizza?”
“For sure! Give me all the thick bread and crusts.”
Nash’s cell phone rings. The sound is muffled, but it’s definitely ringing somewhere in this room. We both jump to our feet, lifting papers and napkins until I find it.
“It’s Lindy,” I look at the zoomed-in picture of the blonde with vibrant blue eyes and a giant smile.
This is the Lindy who calls at least three times a week and the same Lindy who texted Nash earlier tonight, inviting him to dinner.
I peeked over his shoulder and read the message.
I’m not jealous.
I just liked it better when I was the woman Nash wanted, but I’ve been replaced by Lindy.
I hold his phone out to him. His fingers skim mine in the pass-off. I pull my hand back, trying not to think about how divine his touch was.
“Lindy?”
Through the earpiece, I hear her snap, “Where are you? Dinner is happening right now.”
Wow, she’s a feisty one.
“I should’ve known you'd start calling if I ignored your text.”
“Well, are you coming?” I’m so glad she’s a loud talker, making it easier for me to eavesdrop.
“No, I’m still at work.” His eyes flick to me.
“You’re a workaholic, and I hate it.”
“I know you do.”
“You’re missing out on my stroganoff.”
“Save me some. I’ll eat it later.”
“If you’re lucky.” She sounds irritated but, at the same time, not. “Okay, goodbye.”
“Bye.” Nash sets his phone back down. “Sorry about that.”
“No problem.” I begin cleaning up the pizza, working as if I don’t have a care in the world. “Was that your girlfriend? She sounds lovely.”
“Sadie?”
“What?”
His lips morph into quite possibly the most amused smile I’ve ever seen from him. “Are you jealous?”
“What?” I scoff and puff and do all the things that I shouldn’t do if I want my lie to be convincing. “No! Why would I be jealous?” I aggressively throw stuff into the pizza box—the ranch cups, parmesan packets, chili pepper packets—until Nash grabs my wrist, stopping my movements.
His eyes are so soft and green, looking up at me. “Lindy is not my girlfriend.”
“You don’t have to explain anything to me.” I try to keep cleaning, but he tugs my arm, forcing me into my chair so we're face to face.
“Lindy is my cousin.”
“Your cousin?” I wish I were better at hiding my emotions, but my small smile gives me away.
“My cousin.” That same amused smile returns to his lips. “Besides, I don't need a girlfriend. I’m holding out.”
Confusion clouds my expression. “For what?”
“For you.” Flirtation rounds out his grin. “I thought it was pretty obvious where my romantic interest lies.”
Steady beats pound in my chest, and I think my soul just pirouetted out of my body, dancing happily around me.
As much as I love the feeling, this is not the reaction I should have to my boss.
My eyes dart to the home screen of his laptop as a way to change the subject. “That’s Switzerland at Christmas, right?”
He shifts his focus to his computer. “Yeah, the flying Santa attraction at the Christmas market in?—”
“Montreux,” I finish his sentence for him.
“You’ve heard of it?”
“You’re not going to believe this, but…” I hold up my cell phone, showing him my background with a similar picture of the same magical place.
His brows inch upward. “Have you been?”
“No, but it’s my dream to go there someday for Christmas to see the flying Santa with Lake Geneva in the background and experience Christmas markets, fondue, and skiing. I can’t think of a better way to spend the holiday. Have you been?”
“No.” He lifts his hand to his mouth, hiding a smile. “But it’s my dream to go there during Christmas too. For all the same reasons.”
“For real?”
“No, I just have it as my screensaver for nothing.”
If Nash weren’t my boss, I would think he was the perfect man for me.
And if I weren’t already in love with Stetson.
That reason should’ve come before the boss one, but it didn’t— unfortunately . I’m claiming out of sight, out of mind on this one. I haven’t spoken to Stetson for a week, so naturally the boss thing would come to my thoughts first.
“Well, you should go,” I say flatly.
“Maybe we should go together,” he offers. “Or do you already have plans to go there with Stetson?”
“Oh, no. Going with Stetson won’t happen.”
“Because he’s gone from a kind of boyfriend to an ex- boyfriend?” Nash’s smile is hopeful.
“No, he’s still just a confusing kind of boyfriend.”
“Then why won’t you go to Switzerland with him?”
“Um…”—I fidget with the corner of Nash’s laptop—“Stetson is afraid to fly.”
“He’s afraid to fly?” The shock in his voice is pretty valid.
“Yeah, that’s why he hasn’t come out to Chicago to visit me. It’s a long drive, and he can’t miss school.”
“I thought he hadn’t visited because he broke up with you.”
“That might be part of it, but I just say it’s the flying thing to make myself feel better.”
“So if Stetson doesn’t fly, how will you get to Switzerland for Christmas?”
“It’s not just Switzerland. I’d love to travel the world. Tahiti, Thailand, Bali—you name it, I’m interested in going.” I lift my chin, masking the disappointment I’ve felt about this topic for years. “But you know, my friend Autumn loves to travel, so I’m sure I’ll go with her. Or maybe my little sister, Annie.”
My facade isn’t fooling Nash. There’s so much behind his stare—a promise that he’d give me the world if he could.
But I’d be blowing up my entire life plan if I opened my heart to him.
That’s a lot to give for love.