Page 98 of Keep Your Friends Close and Your… Work Enemy Closer?

"Mm-hmm. My reasons."

And then she truly was saved by the elevator, loaded with people of course, making it impossible to continue the conversation. I kept my eye on her, though, as she twirled a strand of her hair the whole way down.

On the first floor, the elevator emptied out, a crowd of people in the lobby not helping the situation. But since people usually steered clear of me due to my height and title, I managed to find myself next to her as we walked toward the exit.

She bumped into my side in the chaos. "Oh," she said with a laugh. "Sorry about that."

"No problem. So about these reasons..."

"I can't really go into particulars," she began, her tone more confident. Clearly, the elevator ride down had given her time to recover a bit.

"You can't."

"No. But I will say this..."

There was a pause as we waited our turn at the exit, a funnel of people heading out the doors.

"Yes?" I prompted as we squeezed our way through.

"Don't forget to invite me to the wedding."

I stopped dead in my tracks as she shot me a huge smile and skirted away, leaving me standing there shocked that she'd had the gall to say that.

What the fucking hell? Was Nina from HR playing matchmaker all along?

A river of people began to flow around me, a stunned rock in the middle of the sidewalk. Not many people took me by surprise, not with a grandma who talked to her dead husband, not after navigating the ins and outs of the business elite, but Nina had managed to do just that.

Shaking my head, I couldn't help smiling because maybe Nina was onto something. Now if I could only convince the stubborn vixen upstairs.

Twenty-Five

Annalise

I'd never admit it in this lifetime, but I really did need his help. Jared. Max. Whoever. And not only his actual help, but his easy reassurances. Because this was the biggest fucking project I'd ever worked on, by far, and I felt like I was drowning in nerves, fear, and a miles long to-do list.

If I had more than two days—two days—I wouldn't be freaking out like this. But two days?

My God, was this what hyperventilating felt like? What were you supposed to do? Breathe into a paper bag? Did I even have a paper bag anywhere?

And what the fuck was that weird noise coming from down the hall? No one was even in here anymore but me.

I hated working late alone. I'd only ever done it once before at my old job and found it incredibly creepy. That night before a big deadline I'd spent more time wondering what strange sounds were than doing any real work.

Maybe I'd be better off working at home. I'd just have to finish this one thing, and then I was out of here.

In the silence around me, the ding of the elevator sounded like a clap of thunder, and I stared in that direction. Who on earth was coming up here? The cleaning crew? It was way too early for them. So who the hell could it be?

A tall figure rounded the corner and came into view. Heaving a relieved sigh, a surge of comfort flooded through my body at the sight of Jared... er, Max.Max. I still couldn't believe it. Relief at seeing Max Sterling?

He grinned at me, and my heart did a little flutter.

Stop it, stupid heart.

"Fooled ya," he said, striding toward me, bags in hand.

I did my best to smother a smile. "Yeah. I guess you did. But if you think you can win me over with food, well, you're sorely mistaken."

"Who said any of this is for you?"

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