Page 10 of His Long-Lost Baby
What? Did she honestly just say that?
“I’m not lying.” I shift uncomfortably. “I’m… here to take care of my daughter.”
Audrey smiles. “That’s really sweet. It’s so hard being a mom.”
“She’s my world.” I bite my lip. “Well, I should get to work.”
I hurry across the office, mind reeling. Was she seriously trying to get me to say I wanted to hook up with James Garris? Or was I reading between the lines and imagining something that wasn’t there?
I reach my cubicle and suck in a breath as a wave of anxiety threatens to overwhelm me.
James Garris is in the office, and he’s only a few hundred feet away from where I’m sitting. If I turn my chair to the right, I can look out and see the huge windows that look into his office.
This is so strange. It’s almost like having an ex-boyfriend move in next door.
My phone buzzes, and I see a text from Monica.How’s it going? Got any info yet?
She has to be joking. I’ve been here for all of thirty minutes.
I glance back at James’s office. He’s up now, pacing around the room while talking on the phone. One strong hand reaches up to adjust his necktie, and I swear I melt into the chair.
Suddenly, he turns to the side and his blue eyes lock right onto mine. We stare at each other for a long second, and all the noise in the office fades away.
My heart pounds. I’m on the verge of getting up and walking into his office and…
He breaks away from my gaze and turns back to his desk. His hand goes up to his head and he runs his fingers through his hair. I feel like I might pass out.
His phone call ends, and he strides out of his office and out of view.
I’m a complete and total dork, but I’m almost certain I’m blushing.
Instead of coming over to the cubicles, James gets into the elevator and disappears. It feels like I exhale fully for the first time since entering this building.
If I’m going to be this undone every time I see him, how will I ever talk to him?
I need to get over being so affected by him. So what if he’s attractive? So are millions of other men.
“Hi.” A guy with close-cropped blond hair and a kind expression appears on the other side of my cubicle. “It’s your first day here, right?”
I turn to face the stranger, grateful for the interruption. “Yes, it is. Hi, I’m Billie.” I hold out my hand, and he shakes it with a friendly smile.
“I’m David.” He points to the cubicle next to mine. “I’m your neighbor. Welcome to the neighborhood.”
I chuckle. “Thanks. Nice to meet you, David.”
“So, how’s the new gig treating you?” He leans against the partition between our cubicles.
“So far it seems… intense,” I admit. “But I’m excited to be here.”
David nods sympathetically. “Yeah, it’s a cutthroat environment. But if you can handle it, you’ll go far.”
I frown. “What do you mean, ‘if I can handle it’?”
He shrugs. “This place isn’t for everyone. You have to be willing to work longer hours, put up with a lot of pressure, and sometimes even sabotage from your colleagues.”
My stomach drops. “Sabotage? What do you mean?”
David leans in close, his voice lowering to a conspiratorial whisper. “This is a competitive industry, Billie. People will do whatever it takes to get ahead. I’ve seen coworkers steal each other’s ideas, spread rumors, and even frame each other for mistakes they didn’t make.”