Page 55 of (Un)Planned

Theo pulled me in, kissing me as if my lips belonged to him. In truth, they did. He possessed every part of me: my body, my heart, every fiber of me. All I wanted was to fully dive into him, to let go of that last tendril of doubt.

But until our relationship was out in the open, I didn’t know if I could.

THIRTY-TWO

The partners’ visit arrived faster than I anticipated. On the morning of their arrival, I stood in the lobby, Eloise waiting by my side. We’d spent the last two days ensuring that everything was ready. There was no room for error, not when the man I loved was the one on the line.

The thought snapped a tether inside of me.Loved.I loved Theo. It was nothing like what I felt in the past, what I’d assumed love was supposed to feel like. Instead, it was all-consuming, overwhelming, and yet the most natural thing I’d ever experienced.

My heart pounded in my chest when the elevator bell dinged, and the doors opened to reveal a group of well-dressed men and women. I tried to push away my nerves, knowing that Theo was waiting on the other side of the office doors. He wanted to greet them personally and then have us welcome them as they came inside. As he pushed the doors open, our eyes met, and I could feel his nerves. I smiled, trying to pass some of my faith onto him.

Theo paused in front of me. “Allen Wallace, this isCalla Winters, my assistant. She’s the one who keeps the office running smoothly.”

I tucked my head, hiding my blush from his praise. I reached out and shook the man’s hand, trying to portray as much confidence as possible. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Wallace. I hope you enjoy your trip.”

His smile was warm and genuine, not at all what I was expecting from the CEO of the agency. “Same to you, Miss Winters. We’ve been looking forward to this trip.”

After passing out folders filled with various facts and figures, Theo led the team into the main conference room to review the agenda for the next few days. As I watched them settle into their chairs, I finally exhaled, hating that he was in there alone.

While I stared at my boss, I caught Jack coming over out of the corner of my eye. It was tempting to avoid him, especially after the last time our paths crossed. I’d like to never see that sight again, but for Devyn, I’d try to play nice. It had been years since she even attempted to date, so if Jack was the person who got her to open up, I wouldn’t stand in their way.

“What’s the verdict?” Jack asked, leaning on his elbows on Eloise’s desk. “Are we all heading back to LA?”

“They’ve been here ten minutes,” I answered flatly. “Have some faith in Theo.”

“Oh, I have plenty of faith in our fearless leader, but we both know his head hasn’t been in the game as much lately.” He smirked at me. “Know anything about that, Calla?”

My eyes narrowed at him, not wanting to dignify his comment with a response. Eloise leaned forward. “What do you mean? Are our jobs in jeopardy?” She wrung her hands together. “I just signed a year-long lease. I can’t afford to get fired!”

“No one is losing their job,” I snapped, staring daggers at Jack, but he didn’t even notice. He was too busy staring into the meeting, as if he wished he was in the room as well. “Theo’s got this. As long as we have his back, this visit will be a breeze.”

That snapped Jack out of his daze. He smiled at me. “Actually, Calla. I need to have a word with you. Can you come to my office?”

“Of course.” I smiled tightly.

I followed Jack to his office, a corner section on the opposite wall from Theo’s. And that wasn’t the only way they were opposites. While Theo was neat, almost on the side of compulsive, Jack was a mess. Files and folders were tossed on almost every surface, as if a tornado had ripped through his space. I stood in the doorway, not daring to come any closer.

“Come on,” Jack chuckled. “I won’t bite.”

“Good, because I’m pretty sure I need a tetanus shot from just being in here. I don’t want to get a rabies one as well.”

“Funny,” Jack huffed. He leaned against his desk, motioning for me to take a seat in the chair across from him. After I shoved a few folders to the side, I took a seat, staring up at him. He tapped his hands on the surface, smiling cheekily at me. “Look, I’ve been trying to play it cool, but my patience is up. Tell me you’re coming to work for me.”

“What?” I snapped, leaning away from him. “I’m not–”

“Shit.” He ran his hand over his face. “Theo didn’t tell you?”

My mind raced, trying not to let my mind get the best of me. There was no way Theo would transfer me, especially not without speaking to me first. And even if he did think it was a good idea, there was no way in hell I’d choose to workfor Jack of all people. Besides, I mainly liked this job because of how well Theo and I worked together. Without that, would I really want to stay?

Jack sighed, leaning back to watch my reaction. “I’m sorry, Calla. I thought you guys had already the shift. He mentioned that he wanted to wait until the partners left to make any changes, but I thought he’d talk to you about it beforehand. But look, no matter how this plays out, know that I’d love to work with you. I’ve seen how well you run things around here, and I know we’d be a great team.”

His words should have meant a lot, but I couldn’t really let them sink in. Not when I was on edge, not sure if Theo meaningly hid something from me or simply forgot. Either way, it was a crappy feeling. I smiled at Jack tightly. “I’ll let you know.”

Without another word, I slipped out of his office, breezing past the conference room. I refused to look through the walls, afraid that if Theo met my gaze, I’d fall apart. Instead, I grabbed my laptop and the spare set of keys from Theo’s desk and walked toward the isolated back office. At least in there, I could fall apart without everyone staring at me.

I’d barely gottenan hour in the silence before Theo came busting into the abandoned office, a look of concern covering his features. He stared at me, lingering long enough on my eyes to know I’d been crying. He shut the door with a little more grace, moving to my side before I could get a world out. Theo reached down, brushing his thumb along the trail of tears left behind on my cheeks. “What happened?”

I scoffed, pulling out of his grasp. Turning back to my computer, I focused on the screen instead of his features. “Jack pulled me into his office for a little chat. Asked if I was willing to come work for him once you were done with me.”

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