Page 19 of (Un)Planned

She laughed, the sound light and ethereal—intoxicating. “No offense, boss, but it’s not like I can call you to grab drinks if I’m feeling lonely.”

“Why not?”

She shook her head. “Well, for one, I work for you. I think us becoming drinking buddies might raise some questions.”She had me there. “And also, you seem to live in the office most nights. Even when you’re not there, you’re thinking about work.”

“I’m not thinking about work right now.”

“What are you thinking about?”

How your lipstick would look smeared on my cock. I reared back, trying to rein in those fantasies. Being this close to Calla was veering us into dangerous territory. My imagination was already running rampant before this moment. It would be even worse now that I was able to smell her shampoo, the subtle scent of wildflowers filling the space between us.

I shook my head, trying to get myself under control. This couldn’t happen. Even if the office didn’t have a strict no-fraternization policy, I’d never been open to those types of relationships—too close for comfort.

Steering the conversation back to neutral territory, I asked, “What brings you out tonight?”

Calla’s face fell, playing with her fingers. “I’m trying to meet someone.”

Fuck. I cleared my throat, wishing I had more than two drinks before coming over here. “Why?”

“I have no idea,” she laughed. “If I tell you the truth, will you promise not to make fun of me?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Theo!” she laughed, smacking me on the leg. “You’re supposed to say yes!”

I shrugged, and my arm found itself on the back of her chair. For a moment, I thought she’d shy away or make a comment, but neither of us made any attempt to move. “You know I’d never lie to you, Calla. If you say something ridiculous, I can’t promise I won’t use it against you.”

“That’s it—now you’ll never get to know.”

I leaned in, loving the way she shivered when I spoke into her ear. “C’mon, Calla. You know you want to tell me.”

“Fine.” She pushed a breath through her lips and stared up at the ceiling. “I guess I’m tired of waiting for the real thing to show up, so I thought I’d try to put myself out there, see what the city has to offer.”

“No luck?”

“None,” Calla chuckled. “Honestly, if this is what I have to do to meet someone, I’d rather stay single forever.” She sipped her drink. “What happened to that old-fashioned kind of love? You know, the moment—when you lock eyes across a crowded room and the world stops moving? And you justknowthat this isyourperson. That the universe has aligned for you two to find each other.”

I snorted. “You’ve been watching too many movies.”

Calla chewed on her lower lip. “Maybe.”

I hated the look on her face and wished I had the words to make it alright, but we were on opposite sides of the coin. She was looking for true love, and I was pretty sure it didn’t exist. Love was a series of choices, about hoping you’d find someone who best checked the boxes you needed most. There was nothing fated about it, just dumb luck and poor decision-making.

But instead of spewing my usual rant, I let down my walls a little bit, wondering what it would be like to see theworld through Calla’s eyes—to view each experience as an exciting possibility instead of waiting for it to fail.

“Have you been in love before?”

Calla scrunched her face. “Not really. I thought I loved my high school boyfriend, but it was more friendship than anything else. That’s the closest thing I’ve had to something serious.” She glanced up at me. “Don’t get me wrong, I’ve dated. But I don’t see the point in continuing something if it’s not going to work. If you don’t feel that…” Her voice trailed off, searching for the right word.

“Chemistry?”

“Yes!” she exclaimed. “But it’s more than that. Your person should make you the best version of yourself, don’t you think?” I grimaced, thinking back to my marriage. While it started great, we did the opposite, bringing out the angry, vindictive sides of each other. Hell, even two years after our divorce, we werestillbringing out the worst in each other.

“I don’t want to settle for anything less than that, so I guess I’ll be waiting for a little bit longer.” She nudged my side with her elbow. “Know anyone you could set me up with, boss?”

My fists clenched as I imagined Calla grinning up at someone else. I wanted to be the sole recipient, to hoard her smiles all for myself greedily. But as much as I was a selfish bastard, I would never drag her down to my depths. She was light, pure, and full of heart. I would never be able to give her everything she needed or deserved.

I shook my head. “No one who deserves you, Calla.”

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