What had I done? All the adrenaline faded as I pushed Nana toward the front door. That creepy orderly was lurking behind the reception desk, eying me balefully, and no one else seemed willing to help.

The first set of doors opened automatically, and as I pushed Nana through, I realized that I didn’t have any way to get her into my car. I wasn’t strong enough to lift her out of the wheelchair myself.

But as we exited the second set of doors, a black SUV came to a stop in front of us, and to my amazement, Seth stepped out. Nana called his name, and I about started crying from relief. Thank god.

Shaking a bit now, I wheeled Nana a few feet closer, and Seth opened the passenger door. He picked Nana up as easily as if she were a child and placed her gently in the passenger seat. Then he hugged her and whispered something to her while he helped her with her seatbelt.

Then he closed the door and turned to me.

I couldn’t read the expression in his eyes. He seemed angry. Mad as hell, in fact.

But not at me. I realized that when he moved toward me and took me by the upper arms.

“Thank you,” he said.

What? “But—how—?” How did he know what was going on?

He ignored my half-formed question. Instead, he looked deep into my eyes. His had never been a more vivid blue.

“Erin—thank you.”

* * *

Together, we got Nana settled in the spare bedroom of Seth’s penthouse. It a magnificent place, even more luxurious than the suite in Las Vegas, but I was too focused on Nana to take in a lot of the details.

We spent most of the day helping her get settled. Seth had my car brought over, and at one point I left to get some toiletries and other things Nana might like. For his part, Seth ordered food and movies and clothes and anything he could think of to make his beloved grandmother more comfortable.

By late afternoon, Nana had recovered a great deal of her poise, and she told us a little more about the ordeal. “It was the first time in my life I’d ever truly felt helpless,” she said. Seth had carried to her to the sofa in the guest suite, and he and I sat on either side of her, holding her hands. “I’ve been in a wheelchair for two years now, but I’ve never felt like that before. I can get where I need to go, and I have all those devices you made to help me.” Her gaze when she looked at Seth was heartwarming.

“But when that man—Frank—stood over me and threatened to hurt me, I realized how vulnerable I was. How dependent I was on other people. And I realized he could very easily hurt me and make it look like an accident.”

Nana was shaking, so I squeezed her hand tighter. “That man would’ve intimidated anyone. Anyone would feel vulnerable next to him.”

“Yet you stood up to him.”

“She was magnificent.” Seth’s eyes met mine across the sofa, and his gaze was so intense I had to look away. We’d been so focused on Nana today that there hadn’t been time to think about what—if anything—this might mean for Seth and me. But I’d been very aware of him all afternoon. I’d stared at him whenever I thought I wouldn’t get caught. This might be the last time I’d seen him, and I wanted to drink in the sight of him as much as possible.

Seth had dinner catered in, and we ate together, keeping the conversation light. He’d wanted to hire a nurse to stay the night, but Nana insisted she didn’t need that. “Erin can help me—can’t you?”

“Of course,” I said. “I’ll stay as long as you’d like me to.”

“Thank you, my dear, for coming to my rescue today. I don’t know what I’d done if you hadn’t shown up. Thank you so much.”

It took a while, but between Seth and I, we managed to get Nana ready for bed. Seth found some books for her, and when we left her, she was reading in the massive king-size bed with everything we thought she might need within reach. And, of course, she had both our numbers on her cell phone.

Seth led me into a huge living area dominated by a round fireplace in the middle of the room. One wall was entirely made of glass, but it was too dark outside to enjoy the view. Without asking, Seth went to a small bar area and poured us some wine.

He came back and sat next to me on the sofa, sitting sideways, focused on me. “Congratulations,” he said, clinking his glass with mine.

Huh? “For what?”

“For finally speaking up in a high stakes situation. Nana needed you, and you came through—big time.”

His words were as comforting as they were confusing. “But how do you know what I said?”

“I got there shortly after you. I rushed in, ready to come to her aid, but she already had a champion. A young woman who refused to back down. A young woman who spoke her mind without hesitation. A young woman who kicked major ass in there.”

“You heard that?” I couldn’t believe he’d been there almost the whole time.

“Yes, from the next room over. I was all ready to fight for Nana, but you did instead.” His face was so close that I could see the flecks of black in his blue eyes. “Do you know how many people on this planet I’d trust with Nana’s well-being? Just two. You… and Brad. With anyone else, I would have barged in and started barking orders. But you handled the situation beautifully. Without getting tongue-tied. Or babbling. Do you have any idea how amazing you were?”

His words seemed to open a floodgate, and suddenly, I was in tears. The last week had been so awful. I’d missed Seth so much. Missed the fun and lively workplace he’d created. Missed Brad and Justine and maybe even Lola. And today at Nana’s place it had been so tense. I’d done what I’d needed to do, but it had been very taxing. Now Seth was here, sitting next to me, saying such amazing things, and I just lost it.

Seth took mine wine glass from me and set both of ours on the coffee table. Then he opened his arms and I went into the, leaning my head against his chest as I cried. His embrace had become my safe space these last few weeks, and it felt so good to be held by him again. He let me cry as he stroked my hair, my arms, my back.

“I missed you so much,” I said, my words coming out between the sobs.

“Me too.” Seth’s voice was low and soothing. “I was so grumpy around the office that Justine said she was going to take a vacation if I didn’t let up.”

His touch felt so good. So comforting. But it made me want more, and I still didn’t know what we had between us. If any of that had been real.

Seth’s next words were simple but sincere. “I’m sorry. For the bet. That’s just the default mode between Brad and me. That’s what we do. Honestly, I’d mostly forgotten about it. It was just something we sometimes used to tease each other with. I started training you because I believed in you. Because I knew you could do it. And you did. What you did today at Nana’s place—that was like graduating magna cum laude. The student became the teacher, and boy, did you school that asshole Holt.”

Seth lifted me in his arms, swinging my legs across his so that I was sitting in his lap. In this position, we were almost eye-level with each other. “Tell me the truth. Do you have any idea of how well you did today? That was a textbook definition of grace under fire. Strength under pressure. You didn’t back down, not even once. You were amazing.”

Embarrassed, but pleased, I looked down, noticing the way Seth’s shirt had ridden up a little at his waistband. But then a hand cupped my chin, forcing me to look up. “That wasn’t a rhetorical question. I want to know if you understand what you did today.”

Wow. How was I supposed to answer that? But it seemed important to him that I think about it, so I did. I hadn’t really noticed at the time that I was defending Nana against five other people. I’d just done what needed to be done. She needed help, and I was there.

But Seth was right—it was scary but I hadn’t backed down. And I hadn’t stuttered, or babbled or frozen up. I’d just done what I needed to do. Slowly, a smile spread across my face.

“Do you understand what you did, Newbie?”

“Yes,” I said, and something in my expression took the tension out of his. “I kicked ass.”

He smiled at me and kissed me on the nose. “You sure as hell did. And now, I’m going to do something that a gentleman would never do, but hell, I never claimed to be a good guy. So I’m going to do it anyway.”

“Do what?” I couldn’t quite read the look in his eye.

Then he winked that sexy wink of his. “I’m going to say, ‘I told you so.’”

I looked at him strangely for a minute and then I laughed. He had told me I could do it—and he’d been right. “That was rather ungentlemanly of you.”

“Damn straight. But you needed to know that about me—and you need to know something else as well.”

The look on his face made my heart speed up for some reason.

“It was never about the bet. It was about you, Newbie. About releasing the potential within you. About seeing the amazing woman you were meant to be. It was all about you—and also about me.”

“About you?”

“Yes. Because from the moment I read your letter—the moment I learned that this girl I’d never heard of, this outsider understood my company better than most of my employees, I knew I needed you with me. That’s why I hired you, sight unseen.”

“I’m glad you did. Though I don’t think you were expecting me to only last three weeks.”

“I didn’t,” he said. “But luckily, there’s no law that says I can’t hire you back. If you’re willing.”

That was an easy decision. “I am.”

“Would it make you feel better to be hired back as a copywriter? Working in the marketing department without much call for public speaking?”

The word ‘yes’ was on the tip of my tongue, but then I stopped and thought about it. I’d sent the past month wishing I’d had that job because it would’ve been easy for me. But was easy what I wanted anymore? If I were writing copy, I wouldn’t be able to take part in designing the new product line for senior citizens. I wouldn’t be able to work directly with Seth. And above all—I wouldn’t be sharing my ideas with others, speaking up in groups. Before, that would’ve seemed like a positive. But now it felt like I was ready for more.

“No,” I said, my heart beating faster as if I’d made a monumental decision. “I’d rather be your PA.”

“Good choice. Except… that position’s already been filled.”

“What?” He’d replaced me in one week?

“Yep. You’ll like the new girl. She’s a quick thinker. Has an incredibly sexy voice. Though she proved today she’s not much good in an emergency.”

“Oh. Lola.” I smacked him on the arm, and he laughed, catching my hand.

“Were you jealous?” It had been a while since I’d seen that sexy smirk on his face.

“Maybe a little. But just you wait. One day if I learn how to code, I’m going to reprogram her to sound like a phlegmatic eighty-year-old—let’s see how hot she sounds then.”

Seth grinned. “I’ll teach you how to do that myself.”

“But if I’m not your PA, what’ll I do?”

“I was thinking something like… Assistant Director for Product Development.”

Shocked, I stared at him. He couldn’t be serious, could he?

He laughed at the expression on my face. “And I want you on the board, too.”

“What?” That was insane. “Seth, I was only there for a couple of weeks.”

“I’m well aware of that. But you’re smart. Organized. Insightful. In short—a grown-up. And Seth-Tech can definitely use more of those.”

I was still having trouble taking this in. “But—but—you have Brad. He’s the one who keeps you on track.”

“And now that’ll be you.”

Seth was silent for a moment and then his face fell. “He’s leaving, Erin. Next week. Christopher got a great opportunity, a residency at a hospital out east. They’re moving away.”

His voice was full of pain, and my heart went out to him the same way it had to Nana earlier. I hugged him, holding him as tightly as I could. He and Brad had been inseparable for so long—he must feel like he was losing his twin. “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be. It’s a great opportunity for him. And we’ll keep in touch and visit of course… but it won’t be the same. The company needed him. Now it needs you.”

“Those are some really big shoes to fill,” I said, my head resting on his shoulder.

“But I knew right away you were the one to fill them. That’s why I gave you that nickname.”

“You mean ‘newbie?’”

“Yes.” He repositioned me so that he could see my face. “It was never about you being a new hire. I was calling you ‘New B.’ As in my new Brad.”

“Really?” That was so… sweet. And daunting. “That’s lot to live up to. The ‘Old B’ is pretty amazing.”

“Yes, but so are you.”

He kissed my forehead this time, but I still couldn’t get past this last surprise. “You were really that sure of me even back then?”

“I was. And I’m even more sure now. Seth-Tech needs you, Erin. And I need you.”

My breath caught in my throat. “As an Assistant Director of Product Development?”

“As the woman I can’t stop thinking about. The woman I’m crazy about. As much as I need you for my company, I need you even more for myself.”

Tears threatened to flow again, but I held them back. This was too important. “I’m yours. I have been since before I even met you. If you truly want me, I mean.”

“I do. And I fell for you before I met you, too. Nothing’s been the same since the NT3000 laid its little electronic eyes on you. One look at the video screen and I was hooked. Still am, in fact.”

He stood up, lifting me easily, but he didn’t set me on my feet. Instead, he cradled me in his arms. “Would you like to finish what we started in Vegas?”

“Hell yes,” I whispered.

He carried me out of the room, and down the hallway. Toward his bedroom. And I knew this was about more than just our bodies joining together. It was our lives coming together. I wanted him in mine, and amazingly, he wanted me in his.

I’d never dreamed I could ever be this happy, but I was. And I trusted it. He may have been one of the sexiest bachelors in the U.S., but he’d recognized something special in me right from the start.

Maybe it was about time I recognized it, too.