Page 37 of The Interns

She shrugged it off and reached for her Diet Coke.

“If I would have known, I never would have taken the position,” he promised.

“I know, Reed.”

“If you want me to step down—”

Maya held up her hand to stop him. “No, you’re not going anywhere. If you left me now, that would really piss me off.”

She cracked a small smile and reached out to squeeze his shoulder and shake him out of his panic. She had come to terms with this already, but he was still reeling. He’d hate to do this to anyone, but especially Maya because he knew how much this associateship meant to her.

“I’m sorry.”

She laughed and swatted at him. “Stop saying that! Everything worked out. If I’m going to hold a grudge against anyone it should be Al, right?”

“I guess so, but—”

“Don’t you dare,” she warned.

“Well, can I make it up to you, at least?”

“You can buy me a pretzel.” He started to stand from his seat, but she grabbed his arm and pulled him back down. “After the inning’s over.”

“You got it.”

“And let me borrow your hat. The sun’s shining right in my eyes, making it hard to read.”

“Well, maybe that’s a sign you should quit reading.”

She put her hand out and wiggled her fingers. “Hat.”

“It’s yours.”

He grabbed the bill and slid it off his head then slipped it onto hers, pulling it down low so that it covered her face. He couldn’t help himself. She knocked his hands off, then went to work adjusting the hat just so, finishing it off by flipping her ponytail over her shoulder with flair. She was so damn cute.

“Looks good on you.”

“Thank you,” she said with a grin.

“And Maya?”

“Yeah?”

“My dad has never stepped foot in a country club in his life. And neither have I.”

“See? I get things wrong all the time.”

She then turned away from the field, angling her body away from the sun and resting her back against his side before going back to reading. He stared at her in awe for a moment, their casual contact sending an electric charge down his arm. He lifted his arm and placed it on the back of her seat, inviting her to settle into the spot which she did seamlessly. He fought the urge to wrap his arm around her and pull her even closer.

This would go down as one of his best summer memories. Perfect weather, perfect woman, and if the Braves could pull off a win, a perfect day. There was no future for them after this associateship was over, but at least he’d met her and now he knew exactly what he wanted out of a future partner.

15

Reed

“Well, we’ve come to our final briefing of the summer. Take it away.”

Al leaned back in his desk chair and folded his hands across his belly, looking more like someone about to settle in for an afternoon nap in the warm, summer sun streaming through his office window instead of a case briefing. There was no agenda set for this meeting and he had no pen in hand to take notes. They must have earned his trust over the past couple of months.

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