Page 36 of A Conflict of Interest

“Thanks, Jen,” Veronica said, taking her mug of latte in hand. That was her working beverage. When she just wanted to sit down and enjoy a coffee, she’d have a cappuccino, but when she wanted to get work in, she’d have a latte—I drink it slower if it’s a latte,she’d explained once when I’d asked, eyes sparkling like she knew it was a little silly but she didn’t care.And having coffee around for longer gets me through the unbearable prospect of doing labor.

I wanted that version of Veronica back, so desperately. And I was so rooted in those aching thoughts that I didn’t even register the logistics of the situation, because she turned awayfrom the handoff plane, saw me at the table right behind her, and when her eyes met mine in a spark, the rest of the world—

Well, the rest of the world suddenly became very pressing, because she flinched so hard she sloshed half her coffee down her front. She didn’t seem to notice, even though everyone else in the café did.

“What—Kelcey—” She whitened. “I-I’m so sorry—I had no idea you were here—”

“Oh, god, Veronica, you just—” I gestured to her, my voice shaking. “Veronica, you’re burning yourself!”

“What?” She looked down, and she frowned. “Oh… oh yeah.”

“Are you okay?” I stood up, my face hot, and she looked up to meet my gaze again, stopping there like she was having some kind of religious experience just looking at me.

“I’m… I’m fine,” she said reverently. “I’m… I’m so sorry, I’ll… go,” she said, and before I could say anything to stop her, she knocked back the second half of the latte in one go, and she turned back to the doors.

“Veronica!” I fumbled around the table after her, but she moved too quickly, and I slipped—my boot came down on the squeal of coffee on the floor, and I fumbled against the handoff plane as Veronica raced out the doors, letting them swing shut behind her even as I called, “Oh my god, wait!”

The barista looked at me and back after her, and she said, “Veronica’s going through some stuff lately… you’ll have to be careful with her.”

Oh, god,Iwas thatsome stuff.My throat felt tight. “Has… has she?”

“Yeah, she’s been in here working nonstop on this project. Says she wants to make it good enough to get her client their job back? I don’t really get it.”

Dammit, thiswoman.What was she trying to pull? Was shestilldoing overtime trying to support my case even after I’d screwed it up and then told her to go and never talk to me again?

I looked at the barista. “Tell me that wasn’t extra-hot.”

“No, just… regular hot. At least she didn’t spill it on her laptop.”

“Did she not? I don’t know how she managed that.”

The barista gestured to where—I only just then clocked it, that Veronica’s laptop case was here on the handoff plane. “Mostly by forgetting it here.”

“Oh, god.” I put my hand on it—the solid weight of her phone in the front pocket, too. She’d really just ditched everything and run.

“I guess she’ll be back here soon enough…” the barista said, and I don’t know what got into me—I stood up taller, and I took the laptop case myself, sliding it towards me.

“I’ll bring it to her. I know her address.”

“Oh, would you?” she said with a radiant smile. “Thanks. You know, all those times coming in here and I never actually got your name.”

“Kelcey.”

Her face fell. “Oh… oh. The one she’s been stressed about.”

“Yeah… that’d be me.”

“I hear you threw her into a Christmas tree.”

I lost my confidence, flushing as I looked at her. “Uh—did she mention that?”

She laughed. “She said she didn’t realize you were that strong and that it was kind of attractive, but to never, under any circumstances, tell you she said that.”

Oh my god, that damnwoman.She was always making fun of Lucy for how Anna “could punch her in the face and she’d thank her,” but here she was literally doing the same thing with me.

I was done overthinking this. I was going to give her a piece of my mind.

And her laptop back, because… well, that seemed important.

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