Back in the safety of my own office, I let out a sigh.

My nerves feel like they’re so tightly strung that I might implode. Being near Jesse is difficult. It’s like my body remembers everything he did to me. From head to toe, I just feel like one big blush.

His steely grey eyes looked at me so tenderly that it made my heart skip a beat.

And now?

Now I’m alone again, and my head is spinning. How can I possibly make it through this project working alongside him when I know what he can do to my body? When I know how wrong it is?

I jump when my phone pings.

Jesse: Neil said he’d have the updated quote with the lighting and the girls’ change room in it by Thursday. Are you available to meet? I’d like to go through it with you.

My heart starts thumping. Typically, a lot of these communications would be done through email. But Jesse is asking me to meet with him.

Is it because he wants to see me?

I shake my head.

He’s just trying to get his project—his dream—off the ground. And I’m the one who has the keys to the money, so to speak. So of course he’d want to work closely with me.

But still, when I read his text over again, I can’t help but think that there’s something more.

He wants to see me.

Farrah: Sure. I’m actually free Thursday and Friday afternoon. Would you like to come to the office?

Jesse: Let’s do Friday at 2pm.

I let out a sigh. Leaning back in my chair, I grip my phone to my chest and take deep breaths. My heart is hammering.

I can’t deny the excitement in my chest at the thought of seeing him again. And of course, this is all professional. It’s work-related. We’re meeting about my firm’s investment in his project. That’s it.

So why does it feel like so much more than that? He could have waited until Neil had the quote ready before setting a meeting. These things usually move a lot more slowly than this. But he wanted to make sure I was free, that I could meet in person.

My heart thumps.

I want to see him. I want to be near him. I want to stare into those grey eyes and watch the way his muscles pull against the fabric of his shirt. I want to feel the thrill that passes through my chest whenever he flashes me a smile.

I jump when my office door opens. Victor pokes his head through.

“Good work today, Farrah. You obviously know what you’re talking about. I’d like you to work with Rachael to have the contract drafted by the end of the week for the Matthews Football School. We’ll wait for the updated quote, but I’m ready to invest.”

I can’t help but smile. Jesse will get his investment. He’ll make so many kids happy.

No—we’ll make so many kids happy. This whole thing is starting to feel like my project too.

I nod to Victor.

“That’s great, Vic. I’m so glad you’re on board. This project is exciting.”

“It is. It’ll be one of the biggest projects that we invest in, and I’m very pleased to have you on board for it.”

He nods to me and slips out the door. I can’t tell if my happiness is because my new boss is happy with me, or because I’m glad Jesse will be able to get his Football School built.

The week crawls by. I love my new job, and I feel more free than I’ve felt in years. It feels like I’m finally where I’m supposed to be. I haven’t enjoyed a job—or my life—this much since college.

But Friday seems so far away. In the quiet moments at work, or in the evenings, I think about Jesse. I think of the way his hands ran over my skin. He was so tender, and yet strong. I haven’t felt that connected to a man in a long time. I don’t even know if I’ve felt that connected to a man, ever.

He’s painfully out of reach.

Even if he wasn’t a client, he would still be my ex-fiancé’s brother. I shouldn’t even be thinking about him like this. It’s wrong on so many levels.

I shift in my chair beside Rachael as she goes over the particulars of the Football School contract. She glances at me.

“You’re thinking about him again, aren’t you?”

“About who?”

“Oh, stop it,” she laughs. “You know who.”

I grin. “What if I am?”

“Why don’t you just bang him again and get it over with?”

“‘Bang him’? Are you a teenage boy?”

“Why don’t you make sweet, sweet love to him, then?” She grins.

I just shake my head. My cheeks are burning, and I turn back to the uninteresting pages of legal jargon in front of me. Rachael is still staring at me. She shakes her head.

“You’ve got it bad. Was he that good in the sack?”

“Why are you being so vulgar right now?”

“Vulgar! Wow. You really like him, don’t you?”

My blush spreads down my neck and across my chest, and Rachael raises an eyebrow. I sigh.

“I don’t know how I feel. I can’t stop thinking about… about our night together. He made me feel more alive than ever. But still, I don’t want to jump into anything with him. I can’t jump into anything with him! And plus, this is supposed to be ‘me time’.”

“Exactly.”

“I just have to keep reminding myself of that.”

“You do.”

Even though I know she’s right, I’m still frustrated. Rachael takes a deep breath, and looks me square in the eye.

“Farrah, listen. I know that he’s attractive, and that you guys have some sort of connection. I could see it at the club when I saw you together. But what happens if you get involved with him now? Elijah finds out and it’s all over the news. It gets messy, and then it falls apart and you’re left heartbroken again.”

I nod as my throat gets tight.

“I care about you, and I don’t want that to happen. I really, really think that you need to just be on your own right now. Jesse…” she sighs. “I think he’s just a distraction for you. It’s hard to work on yourself. It’s hard to be alone. It’s hard to focus on making yourself a better person and getting to know yourself. But you can’t do that if you’re consumed with trying to get to know someone else.”

Something resonates in my heart. Maybe it’s the knowledge that if I get caught up in this whirlwind romance with Jesse, then more likely than not, it’ll blow up in my face.

Rachael reads my mind.

“If you guys are meant to be together, he’ll wait. He’ll see that you need time, and he’ll wait for you. If he doesn’t, he’s not the one.”

“Do you believe in ‘the one’? Like in the concept that there’s one person for all of us?”

Rachael grins. “No. But I know you do.”

“I’m not so sure about that anymore.”

“I just want you to be happy, Farrah. And a guy can’t do that for you. Only you can do that for yourself.”

I swallow. “You’re right.”

“I know.”

I laugh, and then shake my head. “I still want to keep working on this project, though. It feels like it’s important.”

“That’s fine. Work on the project. Take care of yourself. Just don’t jump into anything too fast. That’s all I’m saying.”

Taking a deep breath, I nod. I smile at Rachael and turn back to the contract. “Let’s finish this up. You still free to go to that apartment viewing with me tonight?”

My best friend smiles. “Of course I am,” she says. “I’m always there for you.”

I take a deep breath. “Finding a new apartment feels like a big step. It’s like… this is really happening now. I’m moving on from my life in New York… from Elijah.”

Rachael laughs. “It is really happening, Farrah. It’s already happened.”