Page 3 of Alive At Night

My name.

Andhername.

Like I said…no goddamn way.

Tyler responded by blankly staring at me, his enthusiasm wavering. “Put me up to what?”

Something turned in my stomach.

And then, a familiar voice barged into my ears for the second time that day. Sharp and irritated but also haughty. Smug.

“Believe it or not, I’m not a practical joke.”

There was absolutely no goddamn way. Never, not once in my twenty-seven years, had life played such a cruel joke on me. I turned on my heel to find myself at eye level with that larger-than-life bow again.

“I would prefer to not,” I said dryly, wishing I hadn’t given up my coffee. I needed something to wash the sudden bad taste down.

My eyes lowered to find Juniper cocking her head to the side. And then I couldn’t help my attention from dropping even further as she rubbed her lips together, almost absently. When she finally relaxed her grimace, they were puffy and plump.

“What?”

“Believe it.” I tried clearing my throat with very little success before forcing my eyes up to meet her gaze. “I’d prefer not to believe it.”

I wasn’t a huge fan of practical jokes, but I’d happily accept one right now if it meant I didn’t have to work with the one person who’d perfected how to drive me up a wall.

Silence greeted my retort, but a tick in Juniper’s jaw gave her away. I was impressed with how well she was holding her tongue in front of Tyler, but I knew. I knew what she was thinking.

Stuck at a stalemate, I crossed my arms over my chest. Tyler didn’t appear to know what to do, so he clapped his hands together and flashed an uncomfortable smile. “Well, I’ll leave you both to get settled in. Arlo from IT will visit shortly to set you up and ensure you have access to our systems.”

Without another word, Tyler hurried back to his post in reception. Despite the awkwardness, I was sad to see him go. Because now that he was gone, I was left with—

“You’re not supposed to be here,” Juniper said, repeating the exact words she’d said at the cafe.

I ignored her—because yes, I was absolutely supposed to be here—and rounded the corner into my office, striding past Juniper. Which I assumed wasouroffice. Seriously fuck that, though.

The small space was bright. Clean lines and high-end, modern furniture. The kind that looked like it would likely send me to the chiropractor after one week of sitting in it. A beautiful city view spread out before one of the desks, and I watched Juniper drop into the chair in front of it. She leaned back, propping both her heeled feet on the desk as if to make a point. But that point was lost on me as her dress rode up, revealing lots of bare skin. Too much.

Juniper immediately grabbed her dress to keep it from riding up further before sitting straight again. Feet on the floor. Elbow leaning on the desktop with fake nonchalance.

I shifted on my feet, clearing my throat. “That’s my desk.”

“No, it’s—”

“Move your elbow.”

She looked over her shoulder at the nameplate. And then swore beneath her breath before rounding on me.

“How are you even here right now?”

“I imagine the same way you are, Daisy. I went to law school. I graduated law school. I applied for a job. And then I—”

“Donotstart with the names, Julian. People will get—”

“Just wanted to drop in to welcome our newest associate attorneys!” A woman with one of those classic corporate bobs strode confidently into the office, demanding our attention. “I know you’re meeting with IT this morning, but let’s connect later this afternoon after you visit HR so we can review other aspects of your onboarding.”

“Excellent,” I cut in smoothly before Juniper could open her big mouth. “Thank you so much, Daphne. I’m thrilled to be here.”

“And we’re thrilled to have you.” Daphne, one of the firm’s partners, gave a succinct nod that was genuine but final. She didn’t have time to sit around all day and exchange niceties. It was nice enough that she even stopped to check in with us, but I wasn’t surprised. One of the reasons I was so eager to work at Gardner was because Cameron assured me its smaller size meant that the firm had a flat culture with partners who involved themselves in the development of associate attorneys. So far, Daphne was proving him right.

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