Chapter 9
JUNO
Istared at my phone. The text message sat there. It was professional. So why in the hell was I freaking out?
I prepped something for the meeting. Can I drop it off for you tomorrow?
My cup of green tea had nearly spilled in my lap when I first read the text. Drop it off. Just like that. Like it was normal for him to swing by whenever he felt like it.
I pulled my knees up to my chest, wrapped my arms around them, and burst into laughter. I was debating my response like he had asked me on a date. And then I realized I was wearing pajamas.
Not sexy PJs meant to tantalize a man. Nope. Ratty old college sweats with a hole in the knee and a faded shirt that had seen better days. Hollis Blackwell was not interested in me, and he wouldn’t be even if I was wearing sexy lingerie.
I stared at the bottle he’d given me the other day, now sitting on my counter. I hadn’t touched it. It just sat there, mocking me.
This was ridiculous. It was just a text message. A completely normal, professional text message about work. So why was I overthinking it like a teenager?
If I answered right away, would I look desperate? Too eager? Like I’d been sitting here waiting for him to contact me?
I hadn’t. I never expected him to text me at all.
I could just ignore it. But then he’d probably show up anyway. Just waltz into my office with that insufferable confidence, acting like he owned the place. I set my phone down on the coffee table and stared at the ceiling instead.
“Juno, get it together, girl!”
How many texts did I have with other business associates? Hundreds. Freaking out over a very reasonable request was stupid.
The read receipt was on. He knew I’d seen it.
Great. Now if I waited too long, it would look weird. Like I was playing games or couldn’t make a simple decision.
I pressed my palms against my eyes, trying to banish the image of him looking far too devastating for my own good.
“Stop it,” I muttered to myself. “Stop it right now.”
I grabbed my phone.
It’s not that deep. It’s a simple yes or no.
I typed: Sure.
That was it. Simple, straightforward, professional.
My traitorous brain kept replaying the way he’d looked in my office. He was a walking, talking fantasy and I was supposed to sit with him and pretend he was just some average Joe.
There was nothing average about that man.
That sent my thoughts into a place I had no business visiting when it came to a coworker.
I spent way too long the next morning deciding what to wear—again. Why hadn’t I diversified my wardrobe?
I settled on gray slacks that I felt made my ass look great and a cream blouse with the top few buttons undone. My stilettos. My feet would hate me, but at least I’d look good.
Professional. Put together.
By the time I got to the office, I’d convinced myself this would be quick. He’d drop off the thumb drive, maybe make some comment about the meeting, and then leave. Five minutes, tops.
I was reviewing quarterly reports when Kari buzzed my desk.
“He’s here,” she whispered into the phone.
My stomach flipped. I pretended not to notice. “Send him in.”
I didn’t look up from my computer screen when the door opened. Just held out my hand. “You can just leave it here.”
“No good morning? No thanks for bringing this by?” His voice carried that hint of amusement that was already starting to grate on my nerves.
I finally looked up. He was wearing jeans today. Dark jeans that fit him entirely too well, paired with a simple white T-shirt. Casual but somehow still polished. Like he’d just thrown on whatever and managed to look like he belonged on a billboard.
I really hated him for that.
“Good morning,” I said flatly. “Thank you for bringing this by. Was there anything else?”
He stepped closer to my desk, holding the thumb drive between his fingers. “I thought you might want to review it now. Make sure it works with what you had in mind for the presentation.”
“I’ll look at it later.”
“It’ll take like three minutes.”
I sighed and held out my hand again. He placed the thumb drive in my palm, his fingers brushing against mine for just a second.
I plugged it into my computer. Hollis walked around my desk and stood behind me.
Now, I had to smell him. Had might have been a strong word. Got to. It was like he’d been sleeping in an orange grove. In the mountains. It was very clean and outdoorsy.
Very him.
And now every time I smelled an orange, he would be front and center in my mind.
“I was going to go with thirty seconds, but my guy is so good we went a full minute. But we do have a version that’s shorter.”
“We’ll see.” I pulled up the file and hit play.
The reel started. Sixty seconds of perfectly edited footage. Customer testimonials flowed into product shots. The music worked with it. It was well done.
We typically paid thousands for something like this. And honestly, I couldn’t say it ever looked this good.
“Well?” he asked when it finished.
“It’s fine.”
“Fine?” He leaned against my desk, crossing his arms. His thigh was like two inches from my hand. “Come on. You can do better than ‘fine.’”
I ejected the thumb drive and set it aside. “It’ll work.”
“High praise from Juno Young.”
I gave him a look. “Was that all?”
He opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, my office door swung open.
Hollis quickly stood up, like we’d just got caught acting out one of the many fantasies that had filled my dreams.
My father walked in, his face lighting up when he saw Hollis. “Oh good, you’re both here. Perfect timing.”
Dread crept up my spine. “Perfect timing for what?”
“I’ve set up a little interview for you two,” he said cheerfully. “Nothing formal. Just a casual conversation about the partnership, how you’re working together, all that good stuff. We’ll record it, edit it down, and get it out there so we can change the narrative.”
I stared at him. “You did what?”
“An interview. Tomorrow.”
“Dad, you can’t just spring this on us.”
“It’ll be great. Just be yourselves. Talk about the collaboration. Show everyone that there’s no bad blood.” He was already backing toward the door. “Toodles!”
And then he was gone.
I looked at Hollis. He looked at me.
I dropped my head into my hands. “This is a nightmare.”
“Could be worse.”
“How?” I lifted my head to glare at him. “How could this possibly be worse?”
“We could be doing it live.” He had the audacity to grin. “At least this way they can edit out anything too terrible. Like some of those dirty looks you like to throw my way. Or if you scream at me again.”
I wanted to scream at him right now. “This isn’t funny.”
“It’s a little funny.” He walked around my desk. “So, should we coordinate outfits? How do you feel about blue? It’ll make your eyes pop.”
“It’s not an engagement photo, Hollis. No matching. Just wear whatever.”
“Whatever?” He gestured to himself. “So this is fine?”
“It’s fine.”
“Well, you’re fine too.” He was definitely teasing me now.
“I didn’t ask for your opinion,” I told him.
He walked to my door and laughed. “Too bad. Because you’re stuck with me now. See you tomorrow, partner.”
I sat there for a full thirty seconds, just staring at the open door. I hit the button to connect with Kari. “Get in here. Now.”
She appeared in my doorway less than ten seconds later. “Don’t worry. I saw him too. Who looks that good in a T-shirt? I mean what the hell?”
“Stop,” I said, shaking my head. “I didn’t call you in here to talk about how hot he is.”
“So you agree? Because my god, he’s got the whole office ovulating.”
“I have to record an interview with him tomorrow!”
Her eyes went wide. “What? Really?”
“Yes. What am I going to wear? I’m going to be on camera with him. People are going to look at me and then him and then laugh at me.”
Kari nodded. “Juno, this is a code red. You’re about to go on camera with possibly the most attractive man in Los Angeles. You can’t look boring next to him.”
“I know!”
She grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet. “Okay. We’re taking an actual lunch and going to Nordstrom’s. We’ve got forty minutes to find an outfit that makes you look hot.”
“Forty minutes? That’s not enough time. I need a fucking fairy godmother. Got a magic wand in your purse?”
“It’s plenty of time if we don’t waste it arguing.” She was already steering me toward the door. “Come on. Let’s get you ready for your closeup.”
I barely had time to grab my purse before she was dragging me down the hallway. Several coworkers looked up as we rushed past, but I didn’t care. This was an emergency.
Kari drove like she was auditioning for Fast and Furious. We made it to Nordstrom’s in record time, screeching into the parking garage with minutes to spare.
“What’s the vibe we’re going for?” she asked as we speed-walked toward the entrance.
“Professional but not boring,” I said. “Confident but not trying too hard. Hot but not sexy.”
“Hot but not like you’re trying to seduce him on camera. Got it.” She grabbed my elbow and steered me toward the women’s section. “What colors?”
“I don’t know. Not white. The camera adds ten pounds, and white makes it worse.”
“Navy? Black? Jewel tones?”
My mind was spinning. “Something that makes me look good next to him. He mentioned blue. He’s probably going to show up looking like a damn model, and I can’t look like his frumpy business partner.”
Kari stopped walking and turned to face me. “Juno. Listen to me. You’re gorgeous. You have curves that most women would go to a sketchy clinic to buy. We just need to find something that shows off what you’ve got without making you feel uncomfortable on camera.”
I took a breath. “Okay. Okay, you’re right.”
“Now let’s find you something that’ll make Hollis Blackwell forget his own name.”
I didn’t think that was possible, but I’d try.
We split up, each taking a different section. I rifled through racks of blouses and dresses, rejecting most of them immediately. Too casual. Too formal. Too dumpy. Too revealing.
“Try this!” Kari appeared beside me, holding up a deep blue blouse. It had a V-neck that wasn’t too low, three-quarter sleeves, and a slight wrap style that would emphasize my waist.
I held it up against myself. “It’s pretty.”
“It’s perfect. Try it on.”
I grabbed it and headed for the dressing room. Kari appeared seconds later with a pair of black slacks.
“These,” she said, shoving them over the door. “Trust me.”
I stripped out of my work clothes and pulled on the outfit.
The blouse fit perfectly, skimming over my curves without being skintight.
The pants were tailored beautifully, sitting high on my waist and making my legs look longer.
The whole ensemble was polished and professional.
Definitely more stylish than my usual wardrobe.
I stepped out of the dressing room.
Kari’s eyes lit up. “Yes. That’s it. That’s the one.”
“You think?”
“I know. You look amazing. Hot as hell. And if he wears blue, you’ll match.”
I groaned. “I don’t want to match.”
“Okay, fine, you won’t clash.”
I turned to look at myself in the three-way mirror. I looked good. “Okay,” I said. “I’ll take it.”
We rushed to the register, and I tried not to wince at the total. Worth it, I told myself. This was an investment in my professional image.
Kari drove us back to the office. I made it to my desk with three minutes to spare before my next meeting.
I hung the new outfit on the back of my door where I could see it. A reminder that tomorrow I’d be walking into that interview looking my absolute best.