Page 16 of The Relationship Clause

She gazes at it, and for half a second, I think she’s going to shoot me down altogether, but then she nods. “Monday.”

We reach across the table to shake hands, and as we do, I swear a spark shoots across her fingers to mine. I hold firm against the feeling but tuck it away for further inspection later when I’m alone and can think more clearly.

Before she leaves, I hand her one of my business cards. This time, I make sure to skip the skin-to-skin contact.

After my staff meeting, during which I kept getting pointed looks from Kiera and curious eyes from other employees, I return to my office and shut the door. The windows are still opaque from my meeting with Junie, which is good. I could use some alone time.

My life, which I make a point to keep orderly and private, is suddenly feeling the very opposite. I scrub my hands over my face and allow a sigh to fill the room. I swivel around to face the set of windows overlooking the city. The January sky is gray and overcast, like my mood.

“Control the things I can control,” I whisper to myself. It’s something my therapist often says. I rack my brain for what is within my control right now, and the obvious answer is: work. Starting with the horrendous amount of emails I get on a daily basis.

Emails. I can do that.

I manage to get a good chunk of them answered before my door swings open and Shane walks in. He looks around like he expects a clown or maybe a puppy to pop out behind the fake potted hibiscus in the corner at any moment.

“Can I help you?” I ask, already anticipating what this is going to be about.

“Hey, man, what’s this I hear about you hiring some hottie to be your secretary?”

I bristle at his words.

Here’s the thing. I love Shane like a brother. I consider him as close to family as a guy can come without being blood related. We wouldn’t have this business if it weren’t for him since he’s the brain behind this whole operation. He’s wicked smart. Where I have the business-savvy expertise, he has the ideas for pretty much everything else. But Shane can also be…problematic when it comes to women.

“Call her a hottie one more time, and I’ll report you to HR,” I mutter, turning back to my computer.

“Aw, come on. You’re not going to give me the story?” He comes all the way inside, closing the door behind him and plopping down in one of my chairs.

Since I know he won’t give up until he’s gotten what he wants to hear, I tell him the watered-down version of what happened earlier this morning, including the details with my mother, but excluding the parts about wanting someone to poke around the office for me and our arrangement for Junie to be here temporarily.

Yeah, I know I need to tell Shane my suspicions about a leak, but I’m not ready to do that. Not yet.

“So, yes, I’ve got a new secretary, and I’d appreciate it if you respect her new position at the company and leave her alone.”

Shane grabs a stress ball off my desk and starts tossing it into the air. “Pshhh, come on, of course I’ll respect her. Then, after a month or two of showing her how respectful I can be, I’ll ask her out on a date. When that happens and I report our relationship to HR, I hope you’ll be the one to respect us.”

“I think you forgot the part where I told you to leave her alone.”

Shane laughs. “Come on, man. We’re in different departments. There’s nothing wrong with dating someone from a different department. If you and your new secretary decided to hook up, then there’d be some trouble.”

I bristle again. He’s right. I know he’s right, and I have no intention of “hooking up” with Junie. But for some reason, his words bug me way more than they should. “There will be no hooking up, from either of us. I forbid you from even trying.”

Shane’s eyebrows raise, and I realize my mistake. He throws the ball one more time, catches it, then leans forward, squeezing it between his hands under his chin. “There’s something different about her, isn’t there?”

My heart gives a little squeeze in my chest.

Yes, there’s something different about Junie. Up until this morning, she was my favorite barista. Heck, if she decides to turn down my offer, she might still be. Up until this morning, my life was easy and uncomplicated. One might even call it mundane, but I like mundane. Up until Junie, I didn’t have to worry about lying to my mother.

But I can’t tell Shane any of this. That would mean I’d need to tell him about my suspicions around the office and about Junie being a fake secretary, and if anyone finds out, that will jeopardize the whole operation.

“There’s nothing different about her,” I say through gritted teeth. “I want my mother off my back for a while, okay? And I don’t need you and your issues running around here and chasing her off.”

“Nooo, that’s not it. There’s something different about her, and I can tell, even if you can’t.”

I roll my eyes. “Come on, Shane. You wouldn’t know what finding ‘the one’ looked like even if it landed on your head.”

As soon as the words leave my mouth, I wish I could suck them back in again.

Shane’s entire golden retriever demeanor deconstructs into something more resembling a basset hound.

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