Page 237 of The Last Good Man

“I’m sure they won’t,” he says, a smile tinging his voice. “We can see it this evening,” hegoes on, more confident than I am.

“Okay. Sounds good. What time?”

“We can talk about that over lunch,” he says, and a strange feeling washes over me.

I tip my gaze up and look at the corridor.

Just outside my door, a man wearing a sharp suit tips his chin down with a greeting and gives me a soft wink.

If I didn’t have an image to protect, I’d probably jolt out of my seat and sprint to him with a telling grin on my face and my arms open.

Since I can’t do that, I bite back a smile, collect my purse and phone, clear my throat, and tip my head up before squaring my shoulders.

His eyes glimmer with satisfaction, making it hard for me to hold my emotions back.

By the time I reach the corridor he looks me up and down, tosses me a compliment, and kisses my cheek in front of everybody.

Mina looks like she needs to be resuscitated.

“Any instructions for me?” she asks, wiggling her eyebrows in astonishment.

“No,” I say in a clipped voice. “I’ll be back after one,” I add before Jax takes my hand and walks me down the corridor as if we’re walking down the aisle.

MELODY

The firm is almost empty.

Almost.

Mina is still here, talking to her mother on the phone.

A few of my colleagues are catching up on their reports, and the cleaning crew is in.

Leaning back in my chair, I focus on the view outside, my phone against my ear.

Everything that has happened lately makes me feel on top of the world.

“So, you’re coming?” Alice asks for the tenth time, not trusting my words.

I put her on speaker and set my phone on my desk.

“Yes. I told you I would. There’s only one thing… I might bring a man with me.”

“Is that a problem?”

“No. I just wanted you to know.”

“Is that why you’re so reluctant?”

“It’s a new man, so things are, you know…”

“Do I know him?”

“No.”

“New, new?”

“Uh-huh.”

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