27. Jeremiah
Jeremiah
I don’t know what the hell I’m doing.
Seeing Chase react like that yesterday made me lose my goddamn mind.
Someone could have seen us, ran straight to Jocelyn—and that’d be it.
But the second I saw him standing there in the stairwell—those glossy eyes practically begging me—I couldn’t help it. I had to touch him. I needed to feel those soft lips against mine again. And just like that, everything I was terrified of flew right out the fucking window.
And the worst part? If I had it my way, I’d have done more. A lot more.
“So Jeremiah, what do you think?”
Heather’s voice yanks me out of my head and back into the hell of the boardroom.
I blink, startled, and notice everyone staring at me.
I cough, clearing my suddenly dry throat. “Pardon me?”
“We’re swapping golf for pickleball tomorrow,” Heather says, nodding toward David across the table.
“Let’s get out there and move our bodies,” David adds with a clap and rub of his hands.
Damn. I hate screwing with my schedule. “Sure. Pickleball works.” I nod, already mentally preparing to tell Bailey to adjust the itinerary. “I know just the place.”
“Great,” David says, already pushing his chair back. “This is shaping up to be a great week.”
I breathe slowly. It’s the end of the day, and we’ve been in meetings all afternoon going over the driest investor contracts known to man. Jocelyn’s been here the whole time, which hasn’t exactly helped keep my mind off of him.
My eyes flick toward the open floor. He hasn’t moved far from Mia’s desk since—his back to me, of course.
I know I upset him. That’s not what I meant to do. I don’t want to confuse him, or hurt him. I just…
“Hey, you okay?” Heather asks, lingering while the others pack up their things.
“Yeah,” I say, managing a small smile. “Just excited to get things going.”
“That’s what I love to hear.” She reaches out and pats my shoulder. “Everything’s going to be great. You’re doing an amazing job. Just breathe and trust yourself—you’ll make the right calls.”
My shoulders loosen as her words sink in. “Thanks.”
She smiles and heads out, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
Well—almost alone.
“Hey,” Theo pats my back once, appearing beside me before I can leave.
“Hey, man.” I smile. Theo’s always been a good friend to me. Honestly, the only person in high school who didn’t make me feel like shit.
“It’s so different seeing you in person versus over the phone. You’ve really…” He chuckles, giving my arm a friendly squeeze. “Grown up.”
“Yeah.” I shrug. “Not that scrawny loser anymore.”
Theo’s smile falters. “You were never a loser. How they treated you used to make me sick.” He glances around. “Which, speaking of, how’s it been working with Chase?”
My jaw clenches beyond my control. “It’s been…different than I expected.”
“Well, you know, keep an eye out. You can never trust a guy like that.”
It should be comforting, but it’s not. The way Theo looks at me—it’s like he still sees that helpless kid eating alone at the cafeteria table.
“Yeah…” I say, though the agreement feels wrong. “Listen, I better run.”
“Yeah, absolutely. And hey, about that dinner. I’m serious,” he calls after me as I head for the door. “We’ve got to set it up.”
“Yeah, of course.” I offer a quick smile and wave.
I round the corner—and there he is.
Chase.
His eyes catch mine, lingering long enough to make my pulse stutter. Heated memories of him wrapped around me in the elevator flash through my mind.
Dammit. I need to see HR.
***
I knock twice on Jocelyn’s office door. Unlike the glass-walled offices around here, hers is solid and completely private.
“Come in!” she sings.
I step inside, peeking around the door. She’s by the window watering a Monstera plant that looks like it belongs in a rainforest. For goodness sake, it’s taller than she is.
“Jeremiah, what a nice surprise,” she says, placing the watering can down.
“Nice to see you, too.”
She grabs her bag from behind her desk. “What can I help you with?”
“It’s the end of the day, so I’ll keep this quick.” I step inside, shutting the door behind me. Be casual. “What’s WingMate’s policy on office romances?”
She slides her glasses up the bridge of her nose and thinks for a moment. “Nothing too crazy. We just have employees sign a love contract. Basically a consensual relationship agreement, to protect both parties and the company.”
Huh. That’s… actually manageable.
“Good to know.” I nod. Maybe there’s hope after all.
“Of course, that only applies to coworkers in the same department. We do have a non-fraternization policy when it comes to managers and their direct reports.”
My stomach drops. “Oh?”
She digs in her purse, until she finds what she’s looking for.
Smoothing on Chapstick in a compact mirror, she replies as casually as ever.
“Yeah. Big-time no-no. Even the appearance of favoritism or coercion? Huge liability. HR nightmare.” She laughs and tosses the Chapstick back into her bag. “Why? You hear something?”
I swallow. “Oh—no, not at all. I just figured I should know.”
“Right, right. Well, keep your ears open. You’d be surprised how sneaky people can be. I’ve worked in some places where folks carry on for years without anyone knowing.” She grins like it’s gossip hour at brunch.
“Yeah. Wild,” I echo.
She heads to the door and I follow, my pulse climbing.
“Oh—one last question,” I say. “If someone does get caught, what happens?”
“Usually nothing. Just the love contract, like I said.” She smiles, and for a second, my heart slows. “Unless it’s a power imbalance,” she adds breezily. “Then it can lead to termination.”
And there it is.
“Oh…”
“Yeah, big-time sucks.” She pats my arm. “Anyway, I’ve got a mani-pedi in fifteen. See you tomorrow!”
“Oh, right. See ya…” I mutter, stepping to the side.
I watch her walk out—taking any remaining hope I had right along with her.