Total pages in book: 27
Estimated words: 25871 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 129(@200wpm)___ 103(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25871 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 129(@200wpm)___ 103(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
“You can smile. I thought maybe you had a condition or syndrome that made it so you couldn’t do that.”
“Has anyone ever told you that you have a smart mouth?”
“Oh, sure.” She shrugs a shoulder. “What part of Britain are you from?”
She takes the visitor’s chair, so I sit across from her and lean my elbows on the desk. “Do you know Britain?”
“A bit. I spent six months traveling through Europe. I just got back a couple of weeks ago.” She smiles over at me. “I saw quite a bit of the countryside. Bath was my favorite. Sure, London is nice, and there’s no shortage of things to see and do, but I really enjoyed Bath. The Roman baths there are cool, but the architecture, the shopping, and the countryside are just amazing. I actually spent a couple of weeks soaking up the history and enjoying it. Parts of it look like they’re still in the sixteenth century. So, where are you from?”
“Bath,” I reply, feeling a little shell-shocked. And hearing her describe my city with such interest and reverence causes me to feel things I absolutely shouldn’t.
“Stop it.”
“No, really. I’m originally from Bath. When I was a teenager, my parents moved to the US for my father’s job, and I went to university here. I decided I wanted to stay. Shortly after I graduated, my parents moved back.”
I’ve never told an assistant that much about me before. I frown down at the desk.
“I’m sorry to pry,” Maya says. “I’m curious by nature.”
“You said before that your family is in Idaho?” I find myself blurting out, wanting to know more about her.
“My parents are, yes,” she says with a nod. “My father is a cardiothoracic surgeon. My mom was a nurse for years, but she was forced to retire for medical reasons.”
A shadow crosses her face, and I want to ask more about her mother, but she continues before I can.
“My brother is here in Seattle and recently married. I actually live in the same building as them. And I have a sister, Sidney. She’s also married. She and her husband are based out of Seattle, but she travels a lot for work. You’ve probably heard of her. Sidney Sterling.”
I feel my eyes narrow on her, immediately recognizing the name. “You and your sister look a lot alike.”
“That’s where the similarities end. She’s talented, smart, and so…brave. I’m really proud of her.”
How could she think she’s not brave? She spent six months in Europe by herself and has no problem at all going toe-to-toe with me. I find myself wanting to defend her.
“The woman who spent six months traveling around Europe alone just said she’s not brave.” A thought occurs to me. Maybe she didn’t travel alone. “Perhaps I’m wrong—”
“No, I was alone,” she confirms and sips her coffee. “And it was bliss, if I’m being honest. No one depended on me to do or remember anything. I could just be for a while. Anyway.” She shakes her head. “This isn’t a therapy session. Do you have siblings?”
“No, I’m an only child.”
She nods and then smiles at me, her eyes full of mischief. “Don’t look now, Derek, but we’re chatting.”
Fucking hell, if she keeps saying my name like that, I’ll never be able to stand up from behind this desk.
“Okay, okay. Are you in court today?”
“No, I’m in the office all day.”
She nods and then holds up a finger. “Let me grab my iPad.”
She rushes out of the room, and then comes back with the tablet and pencil in her hands. She taps the screen and consults it.
“You have a meeting at eleven,” she begins, running through my calendar. “And a call at one.”
When she’s finished with all her reminders, she sips the last of her coffee.
“Are you always this…happy?”
She blinks at me and then nods, seeming to consider. “Mostly. I mean, I spent the weekend with some of my favorite people, shopping and getting my hair done. Then I went hiking yesterday. And I like my job. What’s not to be happy about?”
I want to know who the special people are and ask where she hiked, but one thing in her statement stands out boldly.
I like my job.
Which means I shouldn’t do anything inappropriate to make her not like this job. It took me too long to find her.
But damn if I don’t want her.
“And why, pray tell, are you unhappy?”
I shake my head. “Enough chitchat for today. Let’s get to work.”
“Yes, sir,” she says, standing and striding out to her desk.
I need to stay focused, keep my hands to myself, and make sure she doesn’t want to quit.
* * * *
“Maya,” I begin as I step through the doorway after my late-morning meeting. “Will you please pull the Sullivan file?”
“Sure,” she says, pausing in whatever she was typing.
I’ve been doing this all morning. Making excuses to see her. If it wasn’t so absurd, I’d be amused.