The workweek had come and gone, and the weekend had approached quickly. Before I’d known it, Saturday’s morning sunshine and Kendy’s call had woken me up from my deep sleep.

“Oh, Kendy, the first date was perfect, and the second date was even more perfect than the first,” I squealed. “He’s seriously the greatest guy, all in a blue-eyed, blond man package,” I said. “When are you coming down here? I want to show you Chicago. I want you to meet him, and I want you to finally meet Kent.”

I heard her huff on the phone, and I could picture the crinkle in her nose on her annoyed face. “So, how is your new best friend?” she asked, jealously etched in her voice. “Is he still spoiled and having a hard time keeping his pants up?”

I silently laughed at the intonation of her voice. I could tell she was envious of my friendship with Kent. “Seriously, he’s not that bad. He’s still spoiled, and yes, he has a hard time keeping his pants up, but to be honest, he’s the closest thing I have to you here in Chicago,” I said, every inch of me missing my best friend and her sassy self.

“Blah. I don’t know,” she blurted.

“Promise you, he’s not bad news. And I’m still the good girl who you know and love,” I assured her. “When are you coming to visit?”

I crossed my fingers, hoping she would say soon. We hadn’t seen each other since I moved, and I missed her physical being, her Kendy-like hugs, and her goofy self.

“I wish I could. They have me working crazy hours over here. I can never get a break. We’re short-staffed, and until they start filling positions, it will never let up. Ugh, that reminds me. My break has been over for fifteen minutes. I have to go, babe.”

I held the phone closer to my ear, not wanting to drop our call. “I miss you, Kendy. Don’t make it too long before you call me again, okay?” I sighed into the phone, wishing she was right next to me.

She used to call me every day, but now, because of her nursing hours, I was lucky if she called me twice a week. I was beginning to resent her job, and I knew that was stupid.

As soon as I hung up, the phone rang again, and my first mistake was not checking the caller ID. The second mistake was picking up. I should have dropped the call as the person started speaking, but I fielded these all the time.

“Yes, I know. I know that it’s past due. When was my last payment? No, there’s no need to send it to the collection agency.” Like collections didn’t already know me by my first name. “Will you take payment over the phone? Can I just pay the minimum balance for now?” I leaned over the side of my bed to reach for my purse on the floor. Pulling out my wallet, I recited my debit card number.

“There really is no time off for you guys? Nothing. Thanks again.” Jerk. I hung up the phone and got out of bed. A call from a creditor. What a way to start the morning.

I’d avoided this long enough. Trudging toward the kitchen, I picked up the pile of letters. It was my personal hate mail. Most of them were tinted pink, which indicated past due. I sifted through each and every piece. Just in my hand, there were over ten bills. It was the first of the month, and in two weeks, more would come on the fifteenth. My cycle every day was to come home, get mail, and put mail—mostly bills—in a pile to be sorted later.

I huffed and blew my bangs out of my face. Better start now as I didn’t want to spend my whole Saturday paying bills.

Finished, I plopped on the couch and rewarded myself with some trashy reality TV when my phone rang. It was Kent.

“Hi,” I said, my eyes still glued on the screen.

“I’m bored. I’m coming over.”

I loved this stuff, even though people thought it was just garbage television. Reality TV was where I got the good, the raw, and the drama.

“My trainer canceled today. I was supposed to go with Luke on his boat, but he canceled, so I’m coming over.”

“Sure.” I chuckled, giggling at the show holding my attention.

“Hello? Did you hear a word I said?”

“Oh, sorry. Oh, my goodness! This show is flipping crazy funny. Have you ever watched Keeping up with the Kardashians? Right now, Kim and Kourtney are fighting, and they are totally getting into it. You’d love this stuff.” I stopped because I realized what I’d said. He would never watch Keeping up with the Kardashians.

“So, what happened?” I asked, still laughing at the TV. I turned the volume down, so I could concentrate on our conversation.

“I’m coming over,” he uttered.

“Oh.” I looked down at my puppy pajama pants, and my hand immediately flew to the bun on the crown of my head. “Warning, I look like crap, and my apartment is a disaster.”

“That’s fine. I don’t care. I’ll pick up lunch.”

As Kent hung up, I shrugged and remained sprawled on the couch.

Thirty minutes later, Kent knocked on my door, and I let him in. Dressed down in cargo pants and a navy T-shirt that said Princeton, he placed our lunch on the counter and smiled.

“Salad.” He lifted the clear container filled with greens.

I automatically made a face. “Lettuce is only for turtles. You know I don’t like salad,” I whined.

“Salad is good for you. You’re not overweight, but you should stop eating grease and eat healthy once in a while. Cute pants,” he said, glancing at the white puppies printed on my cotton pink pants.

“Shut up.” I snatched the salad container out of his hands and prepared our lunch on the island.

Kent strolled around my apartment. “Glad you cleaned up.” He said, eyeing the blanket that I threw over the mess of People, OK, and US Weekly magazines on the floor.

I shrugged, continuing to set up our lunch on the island.

He glided over next to the TV, and he looked at multiple framed pictures on the wall—me by myself in front of my dorm room, me with Kendy and my aunt, and me and Nana. I emptied the salad into bowls and sat down on the stool.

“You’re an attractive woman,” he said, still examining the pictures, particularly the single one of me alone.

“Yeah, right,” I said. “Ha-ha,” I mocked.

“I can see why you don’t think so.”

“I don’t think so because I’m not conceited.” I stuck my tongue out at him and his dimple appeared.

“Well, take me for instance. I’m smart, an exceptional athlete, and obscenely good-looking. And I know this to be true,” he boasted.

“You forgot conceited,” I said, stuffing my mouth with a forkful of salad.

“My parents have told me this all my life. You, on the other hand, have never been told these things.” He moved to the island, taking the stool next to me.

“Oh no, that’s where you’re wrong,” I said, my mouth full of food. “I’ve been told that I’m sexy and hot, especially when my ex-boyfriend was banging me in the back of his car.” I laughed and half-snorted as a piece of lettuce fell out of my mouth.

“You’re crazy,” he said, shaking his head.

“You are so beautiful to me. Oh, can’t you see?” I said in my sing-song voice, wiggling my eyebrows.

“Okay, let’s talk about something else. I know I’m hot. Now, your turn.”

I turned, directly facing him. “Why are you so conceited?” I said, pointing my fork in his direction. “Maybe your parents should have toned it down instead of telling you that you were king of the world, master of the universe.”

The smile he had a moment earlier slowly left his face. “It’s just how they see me. I don’t want to disappoint them, so I try my hardest not to.”

I sensed his mood shift.

I’d meant my question to be funny, but all of a sudden, his chestnut eyes showed a vulnerability I’d never seen before. He lowered his head into his salad, and I was taken aback, shocked at the walking contradiction in front of me. On the outside, he seemed confident when inside, he was rattled with insecurity.

“Is that why you don’t want to work with your father?” I asked. “Because you’re afraid you’d disappoint them?”

He shrugged and furrowed his eyebrows as he stared at the salad in front of him.

“It’s not that you don’t want to work for your father. It’s just that you’re afraid because you might not live up to his expectations? Is that it?” I studied his profile from his eyebrows pulled into a V to his chestnut eyes and then to his downward turned lips.

I had a sudden urge to console him.

When he didn’t answer, I placed my hand on his shoulder. “He’ll love you anyway. He’s your dad, and during the brief moment when I met him, I know it wouldn’t matter to him.”

The same pride I’d seen in Mr. Plack’s face—the way he had lit up when he first saw Kent at the golf club, naturally excited to see him—had mimicked Nana’s face every time she had seen me. There was unconditional love there. I knew it and recognized it because I’d felt it every day with my Nana.

I met his line of sight. “How could you not succeed, Mr. Princeton? All you need to do is try.”

He shook his head to break himself out of his trance. “I’m always a little too honest with you.” He met my eyes. “How did this conversation end up here? Let’s eat, shall we?” he said, changing the subject.

I studied his face, but then I let it go. Sometimes, well, most of the time, I would rather not talk about my family.

“I love how you change the subject when we were just getting serious.” I maneuvered to the fridge. “Okay, what do you want to drink? We have water, juice, and milk. Oh, I think I still have one can of pop here somewhere.”

I had my head in the fridge when I heard boisterous, uninhibited laughter coming from behind me. I turned to see he was standing right next to my laundry basket that I left next to the kitchen island. At that moment, I wanted to die.

“Wow, I’ve seen a lot of things before, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything this big.” He pinched my overly large flowery pink-and-green underwear with his fingers on each side of the cotton. His eyes squinted, and both dimples appeared on his face as pretended to examine what he had hold of.

“Kent, drop my granny panties, right now!” I yelled, my ears warming from embarrassment. I bolted toward him and snatched them from his hands.

“Granny panties?” He held his stomach as his laughter echoed through the whole apartment. “Oh. My. God. Granny panties.”

“You’re mean. I only use them when I don’t have any clean underwear or when I’m on my period.”

His laughter halted as he blinked. He looked at my underwear and then to his hands, making a face.

“They’re clean, dummy.” I dropped the panties into the basket and walked it back into my room.

We ate, we lounged, and I introduced him to every reality TV show there was. Before I knew it, I glanced up and realized the sun was setting. I didn’t realize so much time had passed until my stomach grumbled, reminding me of dinnertime.

“What do you want for dinner? I’ll order,” I said, grabbing the phone next to me. “Pizza?”

“Sure. Pepperoni and sausage,” he said.

I walked to the kitchen, snatched my many coupons that were held together by magnets on the fridge, and picked up the phone to place the order.

When the pizza arrived, Kent tipped the delivery boy and walked comfortably to the kitchen island. He reached in the cabinets to look for plates and unloaded the food from the box.

“Can you bring the food in here? I’m being lazy.” I was flipping through the channels, still in the same position, while lying on the couch.

He brought the food over, placed it on the low glass table in front of the couch, and sat on the floor in front of me. “Who’s this actor?” he asked, nodding toward the TV.

“Channing Tatum. He’s in a new movie coming out on Friday,” I answered.

“I’ve never seen any of his movies,” he mumbled between chews. “Aren’t you going to eat your pizza?” he said, eyeing my food in front of him.

“I’ll eat it in a bit.” I stretched my legs on the couch and rubbed my eyes with the back of my hands. Tiredness filtered through my body as I thought of the night before. “I had a late night last night. Brian has been working crazy hours, and we finally had a chance to go on another date.”

“Oh, yeah? How was your date? Are the flowers from him?”

“Yeah, he buys me flowers on every date,” I swooned, glancing at the dozen red roses sitting on my counter.

“Flowers die. He should buy you diamonds. Diamonds last forever.”

My mouth dropped at his comment. “You don’t buy your dates diamonds, do you?” I asked, plopping my head on my hand as my elbow rested on the cushion.

He shook his head. “I don’t go on dates, Beth. My father stopped buying my mother flowers years ago. He buys her jewelry instead.” He laughed. “Anyway, keep going. Your date?” he prompted.

“My date was great as always,” I said, all giddy. I moved to a sitting position, tucked my feet under my bottom, and hugged the couch pillow close to my chest. My eyes were glued on the TV, but my thoughts were brought back to the most wonderful date I’d had the night before.

At this, Kent spun around. “Great?” he asked. “So, was last night Brian’s lucky night?”

“That’s none of your business.” I squirmed and pulled the pillow closer to my chest. My eyes moved from him back to the TV.

“You like him?” he asked, a smirk on his face.

“Yes, I really do.” I sighed, smiling at the TV like an idiot.

“I like seeing you like this. So, tell me the details.” He glanced up at me from his sitting position on the floor.

“What details?”

“Was he good?” Kent’s face showed amusement.

He was making me uncomfortable, and he took pleasure in every minute of it.

“There are no details to tell. This is getting weird,” I dismissed. I shifted, pulled my knees up to my chest, and placed the pillow on top of my knees.

“So, did he give you one of the best mind-blowing orgasms you’ve ever had? Is that why you like him?” He put down his pizza and shifted to face me, still sitting on the floor. “Come on, I know this is what girls talk about. I’m interested to know.” He smirked, totally delighting in my unease.

“Gross. No. I’m not talking to you about this stuff,” I said, wrinkling my nose and fidgeting in my seat.

“Why not? I tell you everything. Okay, so is that no, he didn’t move your universe? Or yes, he did?” he asked.

“No, I’m not telling you. Okay? Drop it.”

“Come on, tell me, Beth. Just tell me yes or no. Yes? Or no?” he pressed as both dimples emerged.

“Yes or no to what?”

“Did he give you the best mind-shattering orgasm you’ve ever had in your life? Yes or no?” he asked.

I knew he enjoyed my uneasiness.

“No.”

“No? That’s disappointing. Well, I guess he didn’t know what he was doing then,” Kent said.

“I mean, no, I’m not telling you,” I said, giving him a look.

“Why not? Yes or no?” He got up and sat on the couch to face me. “Yes or no, Beth? It’s an easy answer.” His eyes lit in mischief. “Yes or no?” he enunciated each and every word.

Annoyed he wouldn’t relent, it just slipped out. “We haven’t had sex yet, and I’ve never had one. I’ve never had an orgasm before, okay?”

Kent’s eyes widened, and his mouth fell open. I’d never seen him shocked, and he was shocked beyond belief.

“Never?” he whispered, stunned. He blinked a couple of times in my direction.

“No, never. Okay? Drop it,” I commanded.

He plucked the pillow from my hands and inched closer. “Never?” he repeated, his eyes still wide. You would have thought I just told him there were aliens that were planning to seize the planet by the look on his face.

I seized the pillow back. “Never, ever…okay? This is weird. Stop it.”

I turned my head to watch TV, my face burning, but he moved in my direct line of sight.

“I don’t understand. You had a boyfriend before. You’ve never orgasmed with a guy or never even given yourself one?” he continued.

“Seriously, Kent. Never, okay? Never, ever, ever, ever has any man given me an orgasm, and neither have I, for that matter,” I said, exasperated.

“That’s crazy. I mean, why have sex then? What’s the point?”

“I like sex. For your information, it still feels good.” I covered my face and shook my head from discomfort. “Weird. Weird. Weird. I’m not comfortable with this conversation. Please drop it.” I felt the deep flush across my cheeks spread throughout my body. My palms began to sweat at this uncomfortable conversation.

The shock on his face changed to amusement. “Yes, it might feel good, but it’s like running a race and having no medal at the end or going to dinner and not having dessert. What’s the point? And that’s why you just like it. You’d love it if you’d had an orgasm before,” he said. “Even with my one-night stands, I always leave the girls satisfied every time,” he boasted.

“Yeah right, unless they are faking it,” I said incredulously.

“They’re not, trust me. I just know what I’m doing, unlike the men you have been with,” he uttered with confidence.

“Man. Singular.” I looked at him, annoyed. “My boyfriend from high school was inexperienced. Plus, he was only concerned about getting himself off. Maybe he didn’t know what he was looking for or how to find it,” I said even though I wasn’t sure what it was.

“It’s not rocket science,” Kent said, smiling.

He scanned my body, and I pulled the pillow closer to myself.

“I’m sure I can find it for you,” he said, giving me the most devilish look.

“Gross! This is not some sort of challenge, weirdo.” I got up, grabbed his arm, and dragged him toward the door. “This conversation has ended, and so has this night. Thanks for hanging out with me.”

“I’m kidding, Beth,” he said, laughing as I pushed him out the door. “I’m just kidding. I’m teasing,” he continued.

“I don’t care. I’m tired, and I want you out. Out. Out. Out.” I pushed at his back with both hands.

As I started to shut my door, he caught it with his hand and peered in.

“You know, I can find it.” He winked.

“Ew,” I said, scrunching my nose. A look of repulsion crossed my face.

As I closed the door, I heard laughter emanating down the hallway.

It was six thirty in the evening when I looked up from my computer. The office was silent as everyone else had left for the day. My brain was fried, working on the same proposal for the last four hours, and I still had so much more to do before tomorrow’s meeting.

I couldn’t work anymore in the office, so I packed up my laptop and headed out the door. For a change of scenery, I decided to go to the local bookstore and finish my proposal. Walking down the street, I felt my bag vibrate. I rested the laptop bag against my hip and searched for my phone, which was annoyingly at the bottom of my bag.

“Hey, it’s me. What are you doing?” Kent asked.

“I’m on my way home to change and go to the bookstore. I have tons of work to do,” I huffed. “I have a meeting tomorrow, and I need to get this proposal done.”

“Okay, I’ll meet you there in thirty minutes. Barnes and Nobles?” Kent asked. “Where’s Mr. Perfect?”

“Mr. Perfect is out tonight with clients—again,” I sighed.

One of the things I adored about Brian was his motivation, his drive for greatness at work. But his hardworking self, was putting a damper on our dating life.

“I’ll see you in a bit,” he said before dropping the line.

“Alright, see you soon,” I replied.

Thirty minutes later, sitting at the coffee shop of the bookstore in jeans and my Bowlesville High School T-shirt, my eyes were glued to the computer screen when I felt a tug on my high ponytail.

“Sandwich?” Kent offered, plopping down on the chair in front of me and dropping it on the table.

I gave him my biggest smile. “And that, sir, is why we’re friends,” I said, pointing to the sandwich wrapped in plastic wrap.

“From the beginning, I knew this was the key to your friendship. You ate that pancake at that diner as if you hadn’t eaten for days.”

“Shut up, and give me my food,” I sassed.

“You’re welcome.” He pushed the sandwich toward me and took another one out of the brown paper bag. “I hope they are paying you overtime.”

I made a face. “Yeah, right. I’m salary, not hourly, and boy, they’ve been working me to the bone.” I took a bite of my sandwich and sighed. “What?” I asked, noticing his expression as I took an overly large bite of my sandwich.

“You know, you make strange sounds when you eat,” he said, a dimple emerging on his cheek.

“Because it’s mmm-mmm good.” A piece of turkey almost fell out of my mouth, but I saved it with my tongue. “So, Mr. I Don’t Have a Job But I Have All the Money in the World to Do What I Want, what did you do today?”

He held up one finger as he finished chewing his food. “Well, I got up whenever I wanted, which was ten thirty, and then I went out for breakfast, went shopping, talked to my mother, went to the gym for a couple of hours, got a massage, and relaxed a little at home before I came here.”

“Must be nice.”

“It is,” he said without reservation.

“Well, sorry, some of us have to work for a living,” I said before taking another overly large bite of my sandwich. “And now, I have to get some work done. Do you want to grab a book or a magazine or something?” I asked, dropping my food and adjusting my laptop in front of me.

He positioned his chair to sit right beside me. “I’m interested. What are you working on?” His eyes observed my screen as I began to type on my computer.

“We have this new client. They want us to fund a buyout of their competitor,” I said, looking at the numbers on my computer.

“Well, what’s the cash flow of the company? And how much debt can the company handle?” he asked, scanning my screen in front of us.

I shot him a shocked look. “I thought your major was business management?”

“It was. I minored in finance. Beth, I went to Princeton. You know that, right? I’m not dumb,” he said, sounding offended.

“No, I never said that. It’s just that you surprise me,” I said, turning toward him. “Tell me again why you don’t want to run Plack Industries. You’re a smart guy. It’s already a successful business. It would take a dummy to run it into the ground, and you just said you’re not dumb.”

“Let’s not start now, Dad,” Kent said, slightly moving away.

I didn’t know why I’d pushed him, why I’d wanted to motivate him to run his father’s company, to take over. Maybe a big part of me knew his potential for greatness.

I rested my hand on his arm. “I’m not your dad, Kent, but I see you surprising him, too.”

“I’m content just the way I am.”

“I know, but why be content when you can be happy? And why be mediocre when you can be great?” I said, raising my voice. “Don’t you want to be like me and conquer the world?” I said, exaggerating with my hands, making that dimple reappear again.

He shrugged. “Why change something that is working just fine? Like I said, I’m fine just the way I am.”

My phone started ringing, which broke up our conversation. I glanced at the number on my phone and a radiant smile crossed my face “Hi,” I said. “You got out early from your client call? I’m at Barnes and Nobles. Kent is here with me. He came earlier.”

“Oh. So, he just wanted to hang out?” Brian asked.

I furrowed my brow at his tone.

“I don’t know. He wanted to come. He even brought me food. Okay, so you’re coming here soon?”

“Yeah. It won’t be soon enough. I’ll be there.”

Kent looked at me as I hung up.

My cheeks were hurting from the smile on my face. “You’re finally going to meet him! I talk about you all the time.”

“Do you now?” he asked, raising one eyebrow. “So, what do you tell him about me?”

“I tell him that you are a spoiled brat who doesn’t like to work.” I took out my makeup bag and started applying mascara.

He watched me as I started on my makeup routine.

“What?” I asked, noting the amused look on his face. “It’s still the beginning. I want to look cute.”

“Women,” he muttered, shaking his head.

Ten minutes later, I felt strong hands on both of my shoulders. I glanced up at a blond-haired looker in a navy suit and blue shirt that brought out his eyes.

“Hey,” I said, smiling up at Brian.

He leaned down to give me a kiss on the lips. It lingered longer than normal, sending the butterflies in my belly in a frenzy. I was the first to break away.

Kent smiled up from his Time magazine, and then he stood and offered his hand. “Kent Plack. You must be Brian.”

“Hey, buddy,” Brian said, taking his hand with a firm grip. “Yeah, Beth talks about you all the time.”

“And you, too. The perfect guy,” Kent said, making my face flush.

I gave Kent the evil eye as he sat down, before turning to Brian. “So, how was your client call?”

Brian pulled out a chair and sat with his elbows on his knees. “It’s a tough sell. There are a lot of other banks calling on Taper Corp,” he said, cranking his neck from side to side. “But if I win this one, that will make my quota for the year, and my year-end bonus will be nice and fat. And the perfect guy might get the perfect girl something nice for Christmas,” he said.

“Taper Corp?” Kent asked.

“Yeah. Do you know about the company?” Brian asked.

“Somewhat. I’ve heard of them.”

“They’re expanding internationally, and they are outgrowing their current bank,” Brian said, holding my hand atop the table. “I’m going to have to work hard to win this deal. I want this one,” he said, looking at me.

“You’ll win it.” I said, confident that my man would land the deal. I rubbed the top of his hand with my thumb as our eyes locked.

I glanced at Kent when he moved to stand and crumpled the sandwich paper bag in his hands. “I should go. I have another engagement tonight.”

I stood up and gave him a half-hug. “Thanks for the sandwich and for keeping me company,” I said, pulling back and giving him my cheesiest smile.

Kent shook his head in amusement. “Bye, Beth.”

As soon as Kent was out of sight, Brian turned to me with a sly smile. “So, that’s Kent, huh?”

“The one and only,” I replied, glancing back to Kent’s retreating back.

“You never said he was very good-looking.”

I shrugged, trying to play it off. “Eh, he’s okay.”

“Beth, I don’t usually say this, but that is one fine-looking man. I’m sure you noticed those two girls ogling him during our conversation.”

“Maybe they were ogling you,” I said, inching my way toward him. I placed my hand on his lap. “I ogle you all the time.”

“That’s all that matters,” he said, placing his hand on top of mine. “Just friends, right?”

“For the millionth time, yes! Kent and I are just friends.”

“All right. So, what are we doing now?” Brian asked, changing the subject at my tone.

“Working.”

“Sounds like a plan. Can I work on you at your place?” Brian said, leaning into me.

“No, like, really working. I have to get this proposal ready for my meeting tomorrow,” I said, moving toward my computer.

Brian reached over and squeezed my knee.

I laughed. “No, really, I have to finish this,” I said, pushing his hand off my leg. “You’re too much of a distraction. I think you’d better go.”

“And here I wanted to enjoy the view all night,” he said, leaning over to give me another kiss before standing up to leave.

When I looked at the clock, it was nearly eight. That gave me one more hour before the bookstore closed. Time to get working. I placed both hands on my forehead and focused on the screen.

Sitting at my desk the next day, I had a small smug smile on my face because I was satisfied with our team meeting. My boss’s boss had been impressed by my recommended frame of the deal. I’d laid out a reasonable structure, benefiting the client but also protecting the bank from losses, should any occur.

When my phone rang, I knew who it would be.

“Hey, Kent,” I said in my cheery voice. “What’s for lunch today? Oh, Caroline wants to join us. Is that okay?”

“Beth, can you meet me after work? I can’t do lunch today.”

I sat up straighter in my chair at the tone of his voice, which was hoarse and low.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“Yeah, rough night. Please. Jimmy’s Tap after work,” he prompted.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah, just meet me after work at Jimmy’s,” he said.

“I’ll be there,” I replied.

I dropped the phone and stared blankly at the receiver, sensing something was definitely wrong.

Throughout the day, my mind drifted to Kent. I truly hoped he had been just hungover, but the sadness in his voice concerned me.

Right before the end of the day, my manager stopped by my desk. “Hey, great job today. Everyone was impressed by the newbie. You were quite prepared, and I have to commend you for that,” Renee said, resting against my cubicle. “You know of our expansion out on the East and West Coasts? We’re trying to spread out our talent from here. Brian already got offered a position on the East Coast. I know you just moved here, but I’d like you to consider moving out west to be on my team.”

My insides were singing at her high praise, and to even be considered for a spot in the expansion meant that I was on management’s radar as a good employee. “Thanks Renee. That means a lot. I’ll definitely take it into consideration, but I’m happy here so far.”

When Renee left, my thoughts shifted to Brian

I turned to Caroline. “Hey, when did Brian get offered New York?”

She peered at me from her screen and stopped typing. “I don’t know. Two weeks ago maybe. Didn’t he mention it to you?” she asked before dropping her head back to her computer.

“No,” I replied.

“He’s not one to brag. Plus, I heard he didn’t take it.”

“Oh…he didn’t?” I released the breath I’d been holding in. We weren’t serious yet but I had hopes that we would slowly get there.

“Hey, I heard about your deal today. Good job. Way to impress the bigwigs,” she said, giving me a thumbs-up over her cubicle.

The smile slowly crept back up my face, and I put thoughts of Brian behind me.