The Boss Project

He nodded. “You’re welcome.”

When we arrived at my floor, I turned to Merrick. “Here, give me those bags. You’re probably going upstairs to your apartment, right?”

He used his free hand to hold the elevator door open and lifted his chin, motioning for me to walk out first. “It’s fine. I’m going to grab a file from one of the analysts down here anyway.”

He followed me into my office and set the bags down on the coffee table in the patient treatment area. Then he picked up a shard of glass I’d forgotten when I left Friday night. He looked around the room. “Did something break?”

“No, I brought that with me.”

He flipped it around in his fingers. “Is it sea glass?”

I nodded.

“It’s an unusual color.”

“Turquoise is the second rarest color for sea glass. Orange is the first.”

Merrick lifted a brow. “Sea glass expert?”

“A little. I collect it.” I walked over and took the piece from his hand. “I shouldn’t give you any more ammunition to think I’m a quack, but that’s one of my lucky pieces. I meant to put it in my desk drawer the other night for safekeeping before I left.”

He smirked. “Lucky sea glass, huh?”

I wagged a finger at him. “Be nice.”

“Who are your first patients today?”

“Ummm… Let me check the order.” I went to my desk and got my calendar out of the drawer. “I started with the most senior people, so I have Will Silver at nine, Lark Renquist at eleven, and then this afternoon I have Colette Archwood and Marcus Lindey.”

“Will is a cocky bastard, but he has good reason to be. He’s talented. Lark was promoted last year. He’s young, and the older guys don’t like to report to him because they don’t feel like he’s paid his dues. It doesn’t help that he looks even younger than his age, and won’t grow a five o’clock shadow even after a marathon forty-eight hours in the office. Colette hates my guts. And Marcus is currently interviewing with our biggest competitor and doesn’t think I know.”

“Oh, wow. I appreciate the insight. But why does Colette hate you?”

“It’s a long story.” Merrick nodded toward the bags he’d set down. “Did I earn a cookie?”

I smiled. “Help yourself. There’s chocolate chip and peanut butter chunk.”

He reached into the bag and slipped a cookie out of each of the top two containers. Biting off half a peanut butter one with a single chomp, he waved it at me. “Peanut butter is my weakness.”

I might’ve remembered that when I was figuring out what to bake. But I kept that to myself.

He popped the rest in his mouth and spoke with it full. “You probably shouldn’t have told me you make these when you’re excited or angry. These cookies are the shit, and I’m really good at pissing employees off.”

I laughed. “You can also just ask.”

Merrick nodded and reached for the bag a second time. He swiped a few more peanut butter cookies and winked before heading out. When he reached the door, I called after him.

“Hey, Superman.”

He looked back.

“You think a Wonder Woman stance would work, too?”

His eyes did a quick sweep over me before a dirty grin spread across his face. “Had a huge crush on Wonder Woman when I was a kid. Whoever designed her outfit was a damn genius.”

• • •

“Should I lie down?” Will pointed to the couch.