Page 45 of One Month's Notice

“Here.” She placed the vase on the sideboard. It stood out like a beacon, radiating warmth into the cool, monochrome palette of the living space.

“They look… nice.” There was a note of surprise in his voice. “A perfect complement to that.” He gestured towards the opposite side of the room.

Nat’s eyes fell on the print she’d given him, now hanging on the far wall.

“It looks great!” She sensed a gentle flutter in her stomach, wondering if he thought about her whenever he looked at the print. “See, your apartment doesn’t have to be so sterile and grey, does it?”

Michael studied the print for a moment before nodding. “You might be onto something.”

Nat smiled to herself as she took a seat at the dining table. It felt nice, knowing that there was a little part of her in his home. Her fingers tapped away at the keyboard as she made an effort to stay focused on her work. Michael was across from her in his usual seat, poring over a document with a furrowed brow.

She found watching him work mesmerising, noticing his little quirks and mannerisms. The way he chewed on his lip when he was trying to decide what to type next. The way he rubbed his jaw line when he was talking on the phone. He was usually so engrossed in what he was doing, he never noticed Nat watching him. She snapped out of her daydream and looked at her watch. The morning was nearly halfway over and she had a lot to be getting on with.

“Need a caffeine fix?” Michael pushed back from the table and stood up.

“Definitely.” She threw him a grateful smile, watching as he strode towards his modern kitchen.

“How’s Lexi’s shop coming along?” Michael returned to the table with two cups. “It can’t be long until the launch?”

“It’s Friday evening.” She accepted the coffee with a nod of thanks. “We’re nearly there, just a few finishing touches left. It’s nerve-wracking, but exciting.” Her voice betrayed the unease she felt, the fear of everything not being perfect lurking in the shadows of her enthusiasm.

“You’ve put a lot of work into it. I’d like to see the finished place. I know Enzo would, too. Count us in for the grand opening, if that’s OK with you?”

“Really?” Nat’s heart lifted, and she forced a laugh to cover the surge of warmth his support sparked within her. “Of course we’d love to have you there, if you haven’t got other plans?”

“No other plans. And if I did, I would cancel them.” Michael held his gaze steady on hers. “Besides, Enzo never misses a chance for live music. He’s quite the musician, remember?”

“Hard to forget!” Nat laughed. “Lexi will be over the moon if you could both make it.” And so would she.

Nat sank into the armchair in the corner of Michael’s living room, her legs tucked beneath her as she flicked through a design magazine. The remnants of their casual lunch lingered on the coffee table. A few traces left from their bowls of chicken salad and two empty glasses stained with bright green smoothie.

Since she had been working from his apartment, he regularly made lunch for them. Nat was used to sandwiches, crisps, and a fizzy drink when she was in the office. She was starting to enjoy the healthy options he would effortlessly rustle up. It wouldn’t be long before he tried to persuade her to go to the gym with him, although maybe that would be a step too far. The thought of trying to do exercise alongside Michael in his sportswear, showing off his tight muscular frame, would surely be a recipe for disaster. They may have agreed on just friends, but that didn’t mean she had to put a stop to her imagination.

As Michael logged onto his laptop for the board meeting, Nat found herself an unobtrusive spectator, absorbed in her magazine yet keeping an ear on the conversation.

“Good afternoon, everyone.” Michael’s voice shifted to the crisp, formal tone he reserved for business. “Unless anyone has anything they’d like to raise first, let’s get straight down to discussing the investment deals on the table.”

Nat listened as the voices of the board members trickled through the speakers, arguing over numbers and forecasts with a passion that contradicted the boring topic.

A gentle ripple of worry ran through her as she studied Michael’s composed profile. She knew him well enough by now, the way his jaw tensed, how his blue eyes turned a shade colder when discomfort lurked beneath his polished exterior. He believed in doing things right, not just profitably.

The board’s enthusiasm for Spinigma was palpable, their arguments circling back to bottom lines and market shares. But where was the passion for integrity, for the impact of their choices beyond the boardroom? Clara’s influence on the group was clear—and it looked like her efforts to persuade them to choose her preferred investor were going to pay off.

“Michael?” One of the board members drew his attention. “Your thoughts?”

“Both offers have merit,” Michael conceded after a pause. “We’ll need to weigh them carefully. There are certain… complexities we will need to consider with Spinigma.”

“Come on, Michael.” Another board member was quick to scold him. “You know the kind of capital we’re talking about with such an enormous organisation. We can’t let sentimentality cloud our judgement.”

The meeting continued, but Nat’s mind churned with disquiet. This wasn’t him. Michael set up the company with a very specific vision that set them apart from others in the market. He was passionate about the environment, the community, the message they sent. Yet here he was, acquiescing to a path she knew he couldn’t truly believe in.

As the call ended, Michael leaned back with a sigh. Nat set the magazine aside and took a seat next to him at the table.

“Can I ask you something?” Her voice cut through the quiet.

“Of course.” His eyes met hers, a weariness to them that she couldn’t bear seeing.

“The deal… with Spinigma.” Nat hesitated, searching his face for any sign of the misgivings she suspected. “Are you really OK with it? It just seems so at odds with what you’ve always stood for.”

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