“I’m just saying that it’s time to get back out there,” Riley says. She is thumbing through a catalog someone has left in the break room. “You have no idea how many guys will line up if you show the slightest interest in dating.”

I stir my coffee quietly and think of a way to change the topic. But I know Riley. When she sinks her teeth into something, she doesn’t let go until she’s satisfied. It’s Friday now, and she is still hell bent on getting me a date.

“I don’t know what you mean by interest,” I reply. “You act as if I have a sign on my back that says I don’t date. How am I supposed to show interest exactly?”

“I don’t know.” Riley frowns at me. “But you definitely give off this vibe that you want nothing to do with men. If I can feel it, you can be damned sure men are feeling it.”

“Maybe I’m not interested in men,” I say coyly.

Riley snorts. “Okay. So where are the women then? Have you dated any I don’t know about?”

“No,” I concede. I’m about to say more, but I’m rescued by Samuel’s entrance.

“My two favorite ladies.” He smiles at us. “Mind if I join you for a bit? I could use some extra coffee today.” He stops to pour himself a cup at the counter.

Riley gestures to an empty seat, giving him a wide smile. I smile back at him too and make a note to ask her about him later. Even though it’s my first week, I can tell he’s a great boss. He doesn’t micromanage, but he’s always available to answer questions. I enjoy the easy banter he has with everyone, myself included. It makes the work environment that much more relaxed.

“So Laura, now that you’re almost done with your first week, can you tell me how you’re adjusting? Is there anything we can do to make it easier for you?” He and his brother share many of the same features, and I find myself searching his face to see Maxwell.

Riley gives me a pointed look when she catches me staring, and does a terrible job of hiding her grin before answering for me. “She’s incredible, isn’t she? Even in college, she was always buried in her work. She’s one of those single-minded individuals; she barely even went out. Believe me, we tried our best to distract her from all that studying. But landing a job here fresh out of college means the sacrifice was worth it.”

One side of Samuel’s face kicks up in approval. “It’s rare to see that level of dedication so early on, so we’re happy to have you with us.”

“On the other hand, I was just telling her she needs to go out more to keep the balance. I can’t very well carry the weight of that burden all on my own.”

We laugh at her joke, and I notice Sam lingers on Riley a bit before looking back at me. “Maybe we can change her mind about socializing again. I think with all the work I’m giving you, you’ll need an excuse to pull away and unwind.”

“Good luck getting her out there.” Riley groans into her mug. “You have no idea how stubborn she can be.”

“Speaking of that work, I have a ton of files that you dropped off this morning, so I’d better dig into those,” I say, backing out of the room. “You’re free to listen to Riley, but please take what she says with a grain of salt. She tends to exaggerate, as I’m sure you’re aware.”

I hear their sounds of protests as I leave and smile to myself. After the past few months of struggling with all the debt I’ve accumulated, it feels good to find some stability. I have a job, a growing circle of friends, and more opportunities to look forward to in the future. In a way, I’m thankful that my ex-fiancé cheated on me. I know that it sounds funny, but he did me a favor, in a sense. His unfaithfulness not only saved me from a terrible marriage, but it forced me to focus all my energy on finishing school and making myself eligible for big career opportunities.

I was thrilled when I got an internship opportunity in Milan until I realized that the pay was so little that I would basically be working for free. Steeped in debt, I had little choice but to turn it down. While I was aware of student loans collecting interest, I hadn’t anticipated the damage that it would do. Working hard through college wasn’t enough. I’d made some meager payments, but they barely put a dent in what I owed. Now that I have this temp job, I intend to work as hard as I did in college and make it into a permanent position.

My career path into the fashion industry will just have to wait. I know I can get another offer from designers but only as an intern, at best. If I’m being realistic, and I am, this job is the best thing that I can hope for at the moment. The experience here will hopefully give me some window of opportunity since they have a lot of international dealings.

Humming to myself, I open the door to the conference room and see a pint-sized cherub giggle and whiz past me to circle around the large table in the center of the room. Three receptionists in pointed heels chase after her, ill-equipped to deal with the tiny tornado of a girl who’s racing between stacks of paper, ruffling them with her speed.

“Can you close the door?” One of them looks at me in exasperation. “If she leaves this room, we’re dead.”

“Yeah. If we can’t catch her in a contained place, we have no hope once she leaves the room,” the second woman agrees.

The third is about to speak, but can only let out a squeak when she sees the little girl climbing on top of the table to march from one end to the other.

I laugh out loud and clap my hands. This little girl, as small as she is, has three uptight women losing their minds. They look at me in irritation, but I ignore them because the little girl catches my eye and gives me the naughtiest, yet most innocent look. I just can’t get enough. She is adorable and just what I need to end the week on a high note.

“Hi, I’m Laura. Can I help you down from there?” I ask her. I’m not expecting her to say yes. She looks like she’s having far too much fun giving these other women hell.

She assesses me carefully with her hands on her hips. I take a moment to appreciate her attire. She’s wearing a pink bow in her hair, pink cowgirl boots, purple tights, a light blue leotard with a ninja emblazoned on it, and a tutu with colorful pom-poms dancing around inside of it.

“Nice outfit. I wish I could have you pick my outfits. I don’t have anything quite as colorful,” I tell her woefully.

She brightens and throws herself on her bottom to scoot to the edge. Her chubby legs dangle off the table for a moment before she takes my hand and jumps off. “I pick all my outfits,” she boasts proudly.

“I can see that. I think grown-ups pick a lot of boring outfits. What do you think?” We both look at the other women, who wear uniform-like black skirts and white tops, except one receptionist, who is wearing a pale pink top.

The little girl wrinkles her nose. “Yeah,” she agrees. She turns her attention towards my outfit, and I cringe a little.

“Not that good either, huh?” I ask her. For some reason, I desperately want her approval.

“No, but you just need something extra,” she says with a hand on my shoulder. She removes her headband and offers it to me. “You can borrow this!” She thrusts it into my hand and waits expectantly.

I’m unprepared for this and see the three other women watching me. Not one to disappoint, I don the headband carefully. She gestures for me to kneel down, so I do. She adjusts the headband to suit her taste and steps back to admire her handiwork. “Perfect.” She grins.

I smile back. “I have you to thank for it. What’s your name, by the way?”

“Bella,” she says, rising on her toes. “Actually, it’s Isabella, but my daddy only calls me that when he gets upset.”

“Ah, I see.” I stand up, and Bella darts past me. “Hey, wait—” My words die on my lips when I see Maxwell stoop down to pick up the little girl.

“Daddy!” She squeals and wraps her arms around his neck, planting kisses all over his face.

“Isabella, were you giving these ladies a hard time?” He sounds stern, but I can hear the love in his voice.

“No, Daddy.” Bella lowers her eyes to the floor. “I was just running, and then I got in trouble.” She sneaks a look at the three women, who look torn between telling Maxwell the trouble she caused or telling him that she was no trouble at all.

Bella saves them from their dilemma by pointing at me. “She helped me down from the table, and then I helped her fix her outfit. See, Daddy? I shared my headband.” She stabs her finger in the air, pointing at my head.

I forgot that I was still wearing the headband, and now I feel more than a little foolish. I want to remove it, but know how the little girl might feel if I do that. I square my shoulders and lift my chin. I did nothing wrong, and I refuse to feel silly for wearing the inappropriately frilly headband.

I don’t know if I’m imagining things, but it seems like the corners of Maxwell’s mouth lift when I fix my posture. I can’t stand to be in the room much longer. I have to come to the conference room to work, but I think if I wait ten minutes, everyone should clear out. The receptionists are leaving ahead of me, and I don’t want to be left alone in the room with Maxwell because every meeting leaves me feeling awkward.

Maxwell steps to the side to allow them all to leave but steps back in the doorway just as I’m rounding the table to exit. It’s my own fault for not picking up the pace, I reprimand myself. He steps to the left as if to give me space, but it still doesn’t allow me much room to move past him. His arms are huge when flexed, as they are now. He holds his daughter in one arm, with the other arm coming under her for support. My mouth goes dry just thinking about those arms wrapped around me. I don’t know where these thoughts are coming from, but I immediately want to blame Riley for putting them there. She keeps talking about me dating, and now I find myself falling into that mind trap that will only lead to disaster.

“Do you need to use the conference room?” His deep voice interrupts my thoughts, and my heart flutters in response.

“I do,” I answer. “But first I need to talk to Samuel about something. So, I’ll just...do that first.”

I don’t have to speak to Samuel about anything urgently, but I make it a priority now. Maxwell doesn’t budge. He must think he’s given me sufficient room. I murmur an “excuse me,” and he presses himself closer to the left side of the door. There still isn’t enough room.

Turning to my side to squeeze past him, I make a quick decision to either brush my bottom against him or my chest. I choose chest because I’ll feel more in control while I’m facing him. I finally make it past him, but not without feeling a sharp jolt when my breasts make contact with this muscular arm. A warmth grows between my legs, and I feel my face turn hot. I feel like he knows what effect he’s having on me, and all of me is on display.

Once I’m out of the conference room, I almost run to Samuel’s office, taking deep gulps of air as I go. The two brothers might look alike, but that’s where their similarities start and end. I don’t dare look back to see if he is watching me. I can already feel a pair of eyes on me as I walk away, and I’m still recovering from just a simple touch. Another look into his eyes might totally unhinge me.

When I get home, I relax on my small patio. I made it through my first week unscathed, and I’m proud of myself for hanging in there. Things looked bleak for a while, but they turned around quickly. I pick up my phone to call Riley. I think it’s time I told her the truth, so she’ll back off with the whole hookup situation.

The phone rings and I hang up before it goes to voicemail. Maybe I’ll just text her to get a rise out of her. I imagine a shocked look on her face and laugh to myself. Yes, that will get her attention.

Hey, Riley, it’s Laura. I called to talk, but I guess you’re busy. I wanted to tell you—the reason I’m so hesitant to date is that I’m a virgin.

I hit “send,” drop the phone onto my lap, and close my eyes. I suspect that I’ll get a phone call within a few minutes with that bombshell. Exhaustion from the week has caught up with me, and I wake up with a start. I check my phone, it’s only been thirty minutes. Why hasn’t Riley called? I wonder.

I check my text message again to make sure it sent, and my blood runs cold. My face turns hot, and I feel my heartbeat quicken.

I didn’t send it to Riley. I sent it to Maxwell.