I couldn’t help but check my phone for the third time that morning. No texts or phone calls. Nothing. It was my first day working in a new city with a new job, so I shot off a message to my husband before stepping out of the apartment with Lilly.

“You are seriously going to love it here.” Lilly was gushing once again about the fact that I had landed a job with her at one of Georgia’s smallest but most prestigious publishing companies. “It’s a great company, and Greg is a great boss.”

“I’m sure he is, Lilly.” I gave her a side glance as I took a sip of the hot tea she’d made me. Lilly had made her admiration for Greg Moran, my new boss, very clear over the last week.

“Don’t give me that look!” She bounced across the street next to me, and I knew it was the schoolgirl crush she had on Greg that was making her so excited, not the caffeine in her hand. The girl I grew up with never woke up before noon, even with an alarm clock. “Even if Greg wasn’t my boss, I would still only look, not touch.”

“Don’t lie to me—I see that sparkle in your eye.” She tried to hide behind her light brown curls, but she turned a shade of pink that matched her blouse. “But don’t worry, I’m not here to crush on the boss. I’m here for the job.”

“Oh, I’m sure it’s not Greg you’ll be crushing on. The one you’ll have to worry about is Max. He is all looks, and even though he’s the owner, he still likes to shop around the office from time to time. He can sniff out new blood like it’s a sport.” The grin on her face made me think I wasn’t the first person she’d had to warn about Max.

“Lilly, seriously? You’re talking like you stepped straight out of a romance novel. You know I’m married, maid of honor.” Lilly grabbed my left hand as we came up to the sidewalk in front of The Ink Well. We both stared at the sparkling diamond that had been mounted on my finger for the past three years. Adam and I were college sweethearts, six years and still counting. There were just some things that were meant to last forever.

“Speaking of husbands, when is Adam finally coming down?” I had already been in Georgia—Atlanta, to be exact—for a week.

“He should be finishing up his job in California in the next month, but he already started looking for a place here. I told him I would love to be where you’re at, but he’s focused on looking at a house outside the city.”

“The commute is a bitch, you know that, right?” Her tone was clipped, and I knew she didn’t like the thought of me being further away from her. I knew it wasn’t the best option, I just didn’t know how to tell Adam.

“I know, but to him, nothing can be worse than San Diego traffic.” Oh, how I didn’t miss San Diego traffic. Being in Atlanta was a godsend, and finally getting to work in publishing was a big step up from the previous six years working in retail.

“I swear. Sometimes your husband can be so stubborn.” Lilly pulled open the office building door for me, and I was immediately engulfed by an array of emotions. This is it. No turning back now.

“Come on, babe.” Lilly had to grab my hand to maneuver me to the elevator. She handed me a visitor’s badge she had picked up from the front desk and pressed the button for the second floor.

“I don’t think I’ve said thank you enough for this job. Seriously, Lilly.” We both leaned against the wall, heads butting. It had been years since we had been together this long, and I missed it. We had grown up together, but when Lilly went off to college, a divide set in that we both hated.

“You know I would do anything for you. I need you as much as you need me.” I smiled to myself because it was so true. I didn’t know what I would ever do without her in my life.

I looked at my phone one more time. Still nothing. I took a deep breath, putting it back into my purse. I knew Adam would be busy, but I thought he knew how important this was to me.

“You’ll be fine.” I relaxed next to Lilly. She seriously knew me all too well. The elevator dinged, and Lilly all but pushed me towards the HR desk. “When you’re done, come up to Financing on the fourth floor and I’ll introduce you to Greg.”

She winked as she headed towards the stairs. Lilly was a workout freak, and clearly even work wasn’t going to stop her. I was given forms to fill out to set up my new position. I kept flattening my black pencil skirt, even though there were no wrinkles, while filling out each new paper.

I could do this.

I could start a new job in a new city.

I tucked my long, curly brown hair behind my ear and readjusted my black and white polka-dot top.

Once I was done with paperwork, I led myself up to the fourth floor. Rows of cubicles filled the floor. I could see Greg’s office from the elevator and started my way there, until I heard a familiar giggle.

“Alexa, over here!” Lilly’s desk was right in front of Greg’s office and was decorated like it was her home. All the knick-knacks she could find, and anything zebra related. “I’ll introduce you to Greg. He’s been shoved in his office all morning, so maybe he’ll pay us some attention now.”

I was more than nervous. What if I wasn’t right for this job? What if I sucked? I may have gone to college to write novels, but I knew that wasn’t what my job was. I was putting those tucked-away math skills to good use. It wasn’t like I didn’t want to write, because I did, but on my downtime. It was more that Adam didn’t see it as a career. If you weren’t physically going in to work, you weren’t actually working.

“Hey, Greg.” Lilly knocked on the door before opening it. Greg looked over his computer screen, his glasses slipping down his nose. His eyes weren’t on me though, but on Lilly. “This is Alexa.”

“Alexa!” He jumped at the sound of my name, almost knocking over his coffee cup. He stayed behind his desk, nervously trying to get himself back together. “It’s so good to finally meet you in person.”

“Thank you.” I didn’t know what else to say as the awkwardness set in. Greg still wasn’t looking at me. His hand gripped the cup tightly, and dangled in the air, about to drop one more time.

“Well, I hope that Lilly showed you to HR already.” It was like I wasn’t even in the room with these two. I looked toward her, but her eyes were everywhere, but on Greg. I tried not to giggle.

“She did.” I nudged Lilly with my elbow, trying to bring her out of the Greg funk she was in. She didn’t budge, nor did she make any acknowledgement about her behavior.

“Just let me know if you need anything, Greg.” Lilly exited the room without another word or look in either of our directions. It was like she went from the super social girl I knew, to this robot I had never seen before.

“Thanks, Lilly.” Greg waved to her back, and I could see the look on his face. It was almost the same one Lilly had on this morning when she was talking about Greg. The tension between the two was unmistakable. I coughed lightly to try to turn his attention back to me, but almost let a laugh slip. These two. They were doomed.

“All right!” Greg clapped his hands together. He had way more energy than anyone I knew, and that was saying something, since I grew up with Lilly. “I have your welcome packet ready to go at your desk. Just let me grab a few extra things, and I’ll show you around the floor.”

Our floor wasn’t big. We didn’t need many people for our department, that much I knew about the publishing word. There were only 10 of us, and my desk was right next to Lilly’s. Greg walked me over to where my desk was. “Hopefully being here will let you settle in easily. Lilly has been with the company for years, so any questions you have she can answer. Also, next to you is Erica.” At the sound of her name, Erica bounced up and I could see her pitch-black pixie cut. “She is the only other royalty coordinator we have, so you will both be working hand in hand.”

Greg motioned for me to sit down. To my left was a basket and a vase. Fruit and white roses.

“We try to make it feel a little more like home here, so everyone always gets a fruit basket, and then Max decides on his gift. The roses give the office a nice feel,” Greg explained. It made me feel good that everyone had gotten this kind of treatment, even though it wasn’t something I was expecting. “I hope the move out here wasn’t so bad.”

“Not really. Definitely a lot of adjusting to do, but Lilly has that covered for me.” I hooked my thumb in Lilly’s direction. I didn’t have to look at her to know she was slightly mortified that I was bringing her to Greg’s attention. Lilly was all talk when it came to men, when it came to confronting her feelings, she never did.

I picked up the packet that Greg had mentioned and thumbed through the how-tos on getting all of my information set up.

“Here are the passwords and usernames that you’ll be needing.” Greg set a sticky note in front of me. “Since it’s Monday, you can take your time getting everything set up. I sent you an email for the accounts for the week. Let me know if you have any questions, but Erica will be helping out with your training.”

As soon as Greg was back in his office, Erica and Lilly both bombarded my desk.

“It’s so nice to finally meet you.” Erica went in for a hug. She was taller now that she was in front of me, and her tight curves made me envious. My hands went immediately to my hips, covering what I should have been proud of. “Lilly has told me so much about you.”

Erica’s voice was soft, almost like she was shy but still sincere in her convictions. She seemed almost like a little pixie standing in front of me but who happened to be tall. I already liked her.

“I hope only good things.” I shot a wink over to Lilly as they both laughed. I could already tell by looking at them, that they were close, so I knew I needed to learn more about Erica. “All right, so what do I need to know before I start this crazy adventure?”

“You already met Greg, and I’m sure Lilly warned you about Max, but the only other executives we have are Chase Ruthen, who is in charge of the editing department, and Jack Moran, Greg’s half-brother, the head of publishing.” Erica moved her chair around the corner to join me. My brain was spinning with all the information. Corporate environment was new to me, so I wasn’t sure how often employees saw the executives, except through a glass window into their office. I snapped out of my head as Erica clapped next to me.

“Let’s start off strong today, ok? That way, if you have any questions, we can go over them.” I loved her demeanor, and that she could tell that I was trying to process everything. Erica handed me some paper and a pen. Notes, I should take notes.

“I’ll leave you two to it, but we are breaking for lunch at one, come hell or high water. I’m already starving.” I had almost forgotten Lilly was still standing beside me. She squeezed my shoulder before heading back to her chair.

I scoffed, moving the fruit basket onto Lilly’s desk. She giggled, and happily accepted the gift. I offered the flowers to Erica because they just weren’t me. Not that I had anything against flowers, but my mother instilled in me that they were only given for apologies rather than actual gifts.

“Go ahead and pull up your email. Your client list for the week should be in there. Greg sends it every Monday morning, and if you finish it during the week, just ask him for a new list.” I maneuvered through the settings, getting my computer adjusted just how I wanted, setting up a spreadsheet and making file folders on my desktop. Ok, so maybe I was a perfectionist.

“When you start with a client, you’ll go over all of the notes from the editing department about the book and their estimations. From there, you will negotiate the pay with the client.” I took a deep breath. My brain started thinking up new questions.

How would I know what was the right amount for the client?

Could I convince someone their book wasn’t worth a certain amount without reading the book?

“I can see you thinking. Don’t worry. The estimations that come in will give a range, based on what the editing department reads. It should state the first starting price, and then from there the negotiation can work within the confines of the range. If the client starts to go out of the range, we transfer them to Greg.”

Erica’s words sank in, and relief filled me.

“Pull open the first client and we can walk through it together.” We eased into a rhythm that worked for both of us, and before lunch Erica had left me on my own after I snagged a client that they had previously have a problem with. Not even Max could get through to this woman, but it seemed that I had the magic touch.

“You’re a machine!” I jumped as Lilly plopped onto my desk at exactly one. I didn’t even know where the time had gone. Erica joined us immediately afterwards. I looked up at the two of them, trying to regain my thought process. I had been so involved in my work, I almost forgot I was even here. “Let’s do lunch across the street at Baker’s. Their sandwiches are to die for, and it’s the only place I haven’t taken you yet that’s nearby.”

Lilly dragged Erica behind her towards the elevator. I grabbed my purse, intending to follow them, but instead collided with Lilly’s back. I grabbed onto her to keep myself from falling over. I couldn’t see over the girls but noticed that the whole room seemed to stop what they were doing. I peeked around and only saw one thing, or rather, one someone. What stood before me seemed like every aspect of the perfect man I could think of, put together. Tall with a broad figure and gorgeous porcelain skin, with shaggy, dark brown hair and dark gray eyes. There seemed to be a pepper of hair along his jawline, just enough to give you a tease of what he would look like with a full beard. By the way the girls were staring at him, I could only guess as to who this man was. Max Wellington.

He stopped mid-stride when he caught my eye. The smile that crept along his face was swoon-worthy and nowhere near as innocent as it seemed. I had seen that look in my own husband’s eyes once upon a time. Max owned the room and he knew it, but he waited for the introduction.

“This is Alexa.” Lilly piped up. His stance changed immediately as he straightened himself up. One hand went to the back of his neck, and the other combed through his hair. I felt like I had seen this move a hundred times on TV. He seemed curiously more aware of me and I didn’t know how much I liked that. “And Alexa, this is Max.”

I didn’t have time to moved towards him for a handshake, before his words boomed through the office and stopped me in my tracks.

“Nice to finally meet you, Alexa.” His eyes never left mine. Never wavered to anyone else. I was his only priority at that moment. Even with the introduction, I felt that he knew exactly who I was, by more than just my name. Just like Lilly had said, it seemed he had seen me coming from a mile away. The look in his eyes was one of a hunter and I was his prey. “Did you like the roses?”

I stood there silent for a few minutes with Max’s eyes on me. I didn’t know what to say. This man in front of me sent shivers down to my toes that I didn’t want to acknowledge. There was a power to him that was intriguing and frightening at the same time.

“I hate flowers.” The words came out of my mouth before I could think of how rude they were. I simply didn’t know what else to say. Max seemed taken aback by the comment as snickers started to fill the room. Lilly pulled me away quickly, and Erica wasn’t far behind. Max was left standing alone in a room full of people, but my eyes never left his until the elevator doors shut. He didn’t look happy. His brow was creased, scrunching his eyes together, mouth in a thin line, not able to say anything more. When we finally reached the sidewalk in front of the building, Lilly stopped Erica and me.

“I can’t believe you just did that.” Lilly voice was too mellow and the look on her face didn’t reveal if she was proud or upset with me. “No one has ever talked to him like that.”

She clapped her hands together, sending herself into a giggle fit. My shoulders slumped with relief that she wasn’t mad at me for embarrassing our boss in front of everyone. I was confused. How did other girls react to him? Did they all fall for him so easily?

“Yes, they do.” It was Erica who responded to me and caught my attention. I didn’t know I had asked the question aloud. But the look on her face showed that she hadn’t realized she answered. She sealed her lips as fast as she had opened them. I hadn’t pegged her for a shy one, after greeting me so warmly in the office.

“Well, I’m not one of those girls who fall for men like that.” We quickly headed over to the sandwich shop but decided not to come back to the office to finish eating. We all needed a break from what seemed to be a crazy-ass Monday. I checked my phone again. I had a missed message from Adam.

Have a good day at work.

I slumped back into the chair I was sitting in. I was so used to being able to talk to Adam at least three times a day, even when we didn’t see each other. The transition, I think, was difficult for both of us.

“So, what does your husband do?” I looked to Erica, assuming Lilly had told her about Adam. She had half of her sandwich in her mouth, but didn’t seem to care. I was still trying to figure her out, but either way, I already knew us three together was going to be perfect.

“He’s a physician’s assistant. He’ll be at Emory University Hospital.” If there was anything that described my husband, it was his dedication to his job.

“Don’t let her sell you short.” Lilly went to throw away her trash; clearly the fruit hadn’t done its job this morning. Erica and I packed up our leftovers for later. Lunch never seemed like a long enough time, no matter what business you were in. “He’s almost a doctor. Just one more year of residency with his current work.”

Lilly opened the door to the building for us, and the girls tried to get me to the stairs, but I forced them towards the elevator. It was only day one and we were all already glued at the hip. With what Lilly had said, it was crazy to think my husband’s life was moving in fast-forward mode and I was just starting out with a new company. I always tried to support him, even if it meant not getting to live my dream until now.

We rounded the corner to my desk, and there sat another gift. This time it was directly on my keyboard. The black box was small with a white ribbon wrapped around it. My two favorite colors.

“Who is that from?” Erica and Lilly both asked at the same time. They stopped at my cubicle before going to theirs and watched as I opened the box. A note fell onto the desk. Lilly picked it up as I took the engraved bookmark out of the box.

“Max.” Lilly’s word came out as a snort. I snatched the note from her to see what it said.

“Hope this is better than the flowers.” I stared long at the note and then back to the bookmark. “A Well-Read Woman is a Dangerous Creature.”

“Appropriate for you, don’t you think?” I smiled down at the bookmark. Lilly was only teasing me, but I couldn’t help but think the same thing. I had only met this man once, said three words to him, and he was already trying to make up the awkward meeting to me. I may be working at a publishing company, but this was almost too perfect. No one here but Lilly knew that I was a book nerd.

As the day went on, the box sat neatly put back together on the desk. I wasn’t too keen on keeping it, because with a man like Max, I wasn’t sure what accepting a gift like this meant. I wanted Max to see it the next time he came by so that he knew I wasn’t some new employee who could be bought.

Erica bee-lined for the bathroom when the end of the day came upon us. I loved this part of the workday, especially when it meant I could call Adam before he went in for the night. Lilly stepped into the elevator first; I still wasn’t up for using the stairs just yet. Erica was going to meet us at the apartment later tonight after she went home to change. I wasn’t quick enough to the elevator though. The doors started to close almost immediately, but before I could stop them to get in, a hand grabbed my wrist and pulled me back. I thought it was Erica, because she was the only one left on the floor, but when I was turned around, I was facing Max’s chest. His fingers brushed against the inside of my wrist.

“You didn’t like the bookmark.” It wasn’t a question, but a statement. He held the box in his other hand. He had been waiting for the end of the day just to see what I thought of the gift. I couldn’t believe this was happening. I almost swooned, and I couldn’t even begin to understand why.

I was his new employee. I didn’t think a boss would want to impress someone so new, unless I had everything wrong. Was he trying to impress me in a romantic way?

I slipped my hand from his and crossed my arms in front of me, placing my left hand in view and blocking him from coming any closer. The shimmer from my ring could be seen out of the corner of my eye, but all I could focus on were Max’s eyes searching mine. He loomed over me from where he was standing. A part of me felt almost excited. Adam and I hadn’t had this kind of tension in years, and it was making me yearn to have more. I looked at Max’s face, and my breath caught. Up close he was more intense. It seemed like Max was a completely different kind of man, one that I wasn’t used to, and definitely one I wasn’t prepared for.

No words came from me this time. I didn’t know what to say to him. He seemed to be the kind of man who always got what he wanted, and I just couldn’t give that to him, whatever it was he wanted. For all I knew, he was trying to be a nice boss. Then again, the stares and his stance told me something different.

“I want to know you.” My eyes grew wide at his bold remark, and despite my effort to block him, he took a step closer to me. I stepped back from him, trying to build a gap. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Erica coming towards us. Her eyes moved between the two of us, and her steps almost doubled to get to us faster.

“Let me walk you home, Alexa.” Erica’s words rang in the quiet office, and she didn’t wait for Max to move away before she ushered me towards the stairs, and I didn’t complain. It made it so that Max couldn’t interfere with my second attempt at an exit. When we reached the lobby, Lilly was pacing back and forth in front of the elevator.

“What happened to you? I saw Max grab for you just before the door closed, and then you never came down after the elevator went back up.” We all moved outside to the twilight that was engulfing the sky.

“He wanted to know if I liked the bookmark or not. Erica was there to walk me out of the office.” It was nice to think that I could have another good friend in Georgia, especially when I only knew one person so far. But as I thought about Erica saving me from Max, I remembered his hand grabbing me and how my first instinct wasn’t to pull away. His touch felt safe and secure, even if he was coming on strong. That wasn’t something I had felt in a long time. I shook my head. I had no idea where these thoughts were coming from. Adam and I had been happily married for years. Yes, we had each had our crushes throughout the years, from celebrities to friends from college, but they were just that, crushes, and I knew that’s all that Max would ever be.

“I say we make it a night of chick flicks and ice cream to celebrate your first day, Alexa.” Lilly sang out, as she led the way back to the apartment.

Erica ended up staying for a few hours and left after the first movie. She lived outside of downtown Atlanta and needed to be back early to work in the morning, just like us.

I had tried to call Adam when we had gotten home but ended up leaving a message, knowing he would get back to me when he could. He must have gone in early. He seemed to do that more lately, now that I wasn’t home. Working every day, almost all day long. His job had put a slight struggle on our relationship, ever since we found out that he was going to be transferring to Georgia, but it also made me work harder to make sure we would have time together. If we worked hard now, we wouldn’t have to once we got our own apartment. My phone chimed, Adam.

I love you. Goodnight, beautiful.

I made my way into my room. Lilly had a two-bedroom apartment supplied by our company, and it came in handy when I had to start working before Adam. I laid myself down, closed my eyes and tried to think about how my first day of this new life had been. It definitely was one for the books, but it was the smile on my face that made it hard for me to sleep. I looked back to the text one more time before clutching the phone to my chest and falling asleep.