* * *
The rest of the day flew by in a whirlwind of meetings. Mia had to report to accounting and was happy when the monthly numbers surpassed predictions, which meant Rebecca, the accountant responsible for Mia’s department, had nothing to complain about for the second month in a row.
Emilia left as she was still packing up her things with a quick wave and a “See you tonight!” that rang out across the almost-empty office. It was just her and Jack now and she could freely admit to herself that she was dawdling, waiting for him to leave.
“Hey, I’m just headed out. I’ll walk you to your car.” He just had that way of appearing out of thin air and making her heart jump in her chest.
“That’s nice of you, thanks,” Mia said, keeping a professional smile on her face as she swung her bag over her shoulder.
“It’s not selfless, you know. I like spending time with you.”
Mia didn’t know how to reply to that, so they walked to the elevator in silence. She was aware of his arm brushing against hers and him moving closer when she tried to move away.
“Oh wait, I forgot something,” she blurted, trying to get away from him.
“That’s all right, I’ll wait here.” He took the large bag off her shoulder, leaving her with just her handbag. Mia felt remarkably stupid walking back to her office, to get a “something” that didn’t exist. She was doomed. She stood in her office for what she thought was an acceptable amount of time before heading back to the elevator, where Jack was patiently waiting. He didn’t hand over her bag and since it was full of files and she was slightly annoyed, she let him carry it for her.
“Do you always take this much work home?” He asked as they stepped outside.
“Sometimes, I get it done during the day, but not on days where I have a thousand meetings that could have been E-Mails.”
Jack laughed at that, and the sound coursed through her. He was just… gorgeous. He was gorgeous. There was no point denying it anymore.
“So, about those drinks.” He said as they approached her car.
“Like I said,” Mia’s voice was not as firm as she thought it would be. As it ought to be. “We can’t.”
He leaned in then, his scent surrounding her for the second time that day. Their bodies weren’t touching. Not quite. But Mia felt like she could feel every inch of him, just the same.
“We can and we’ll see about that, Mia.” His voice was low and his brown eyes darkened. He placed her bag on her shoulder, letting his hand linger longer than it needed to. “See you tomorrow.”
“Bye, then.” As he walked away, Mia shot off a quick group text to her friends:
SOS (the good kind)… drinks tonight, no exceptions, our place. Xoxo
She needed help because Jack was trouble. But maybe he was just the kind of trouble she wanted to get into.
* * *
Hannah was the first to arrive, entering the house without knocking about half an hour after Mia got home. Then Sammy, Poppy and Brooke all came in the one car straight from their different jobs, with Maya arriving a bit later because she’d heard about someone setting bear traps in the woods on the outskirts of town.
Annie, Mia and Emilia’s roommate, was ironically the last to arrive.
“I could get used to coming home to this!” she said cheerfully as she greeted everyone. She turned to Mia and tilted her head to the side. “Have I got time to get changed, or are we jumping right in?”
“Don’t you dare leave,” Hannah said, grabbing her arm. “I’ve been waiting to hear what’s up for the last hour and a half, and you all took ages to get here!”
“We can’t all decide our own hours, Han, and just close up shop whenever we like,” Maya said, but there was no sting in her tone. Maya, a park ranger, was on call twenty-four hours a day. Hannah, a mechanic, could just leave when her job was done for the day, as long as she didn’t make her customers wait.
“Absent bosses, they’re a trial and a treasure,” Hannah replied, sticking her tongue out at Maya.
The group moved as one into the living room, each taking their usual spots. It was a mish-mash of Annie, Emilia and Mia’s furniture, with pictures of the eight women hanging on the walls, including Mia’s favorite—their group at graduation. They had been friends since high school, and their bond was tight. Mia felt more settled just because they were there. When she’d lived away in Charlotte and couldn’t just spontaneously get home, nights like these were one thing she’d missed most.
“Okay,” Emilia spoke, popping an olive into her mouth. “Let’s get to it. What happened in the twenty minutes between me leaving and you leaving work today?”
“Well,” Mia began quietly, well aware that all eyes were on her. Clearing her throat nervously, she said, “Jack walked me to my car.”
Her seven friends spoke all at once, making Mia grin, but it was Emilia who asked, “Oh my god, did you kiss him?”