Page 27 of Strictly Business

How many times do I have to tell him not to call me that?

"You look a little flush."

"No, no... I'm good. Great! Just you know..."

"Stressed?" The smirk on his face infuriates me as he drops a paper bag on the conference table, a drink carrier with two steaming coffees in his other hand. I wouldn’t be stressed if he’d done his part sooner.

"No. Why would I be stressed?"

"Because both of your bosses are stopping by today and not because they miss your gorgeous face."

I narrow my eyes at him. What’s with him this morning? He seems to be in an extremely pleasant mood. Should I be worried?

I roll my eyes turning back to the business financial statement projections for the next three years. I need to finalize it before Kai and Nina arrive. Getting their input will be vital to determine if things are heading in the right direction. But, I can't stop thinking about the man on the other side of the table.

Has he always been that fit?

How have I never noticed how hot he is?

"Probably because you were too busy chasing after douchebags."

"What are you yammering on about?"

"You asked why you haven't noticed how hot I am before, and I said–"

"No, I didn't."

Shit. Oh my God, did I say that out loud?

"Hate to break it to you, Shortcake, but you did." Finn begins to empty the contents of the paper bag: two black to-go containers. "Don't worry, I won't tell if you won't." He winks handing me a container as I do my best to hide the burning in my cheeks.

Throwing open the lid, my senses are blinded by the delicious smell of fresh bread. Not any bread... A rainbow bagel. And not any rainbow bagel... An egg, ham, and cheese rainbow bagel sandwich with a scoop of jalapeno cheddar spread on the side…from Bagel World. "What is this?"

"Most people call it a sandwich.”

"Yeah, all the way from Brooklyn."

It's his turn to avoid my gaze digging into his breakfast.

"Not that I don't appreciate getting breakfast from my favorite bagel shop, but why did you go all the way to Brooklyn to get breakfast? You could get a rainbow bagel sandwich from literally anywhere in the city!"

Finn shrugs taking a bite of his sandwich.

"I don't understand, you–"

"Michaela, just shut up and eat the damn sandwich.”

"How did you come up with this idea for Sheffield House?” Kai questions fingering through the packet I put together.

"Helping these kids means a lot to me," Finn answers. His hands wring together under the table. Wait, is he nervous? This might be the first time I've ever seen him nervous. Not even during the big rival football games at Bridgeport did he ever show any kind of nerves. He’s always been calm, cool, collected…and I’ve always hated it. “A lot of them don’t get the same opportunities I do, so if I can give them a fraction of–"

"I think it’s great,” Nina says, returning from the hallway. ”Not to mention, I think going the nonprofit route is a wonderful idea. We’ve been talking how the company needs to do more charity work, Kai.”

A simple hum in response, and Nina rolls her eyes. Kai was supposed to take over the company when Ric died four and a half years ago. Then Eileen got pregnant, and Nina decided to take on a bigger role at corporate than she had anticipated. She wanted her brother to have time to adjust to his growing family and it wasn’t until recently that he started showing up more. I think it annoys Nina; she’s been running both DV Designs and Villa Incorporated for almost four years — not that the board knows because Kai always showed up for the important stuff. “We have to look like a team,” Nina always said when I asked her about it.

"So, these events... You have some time before the big presentation." Kai still hasn't looked up from the papers, but I can practically see the gears turning in his mind.

"Are you suggesting we do one of them?" I ask.

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