Page 25 of When We Are Complete

I shake my head. We have to make this work, professionally at least. For my crew, for my daughter, for the growth and reputation of a company I’ve fought tooth and nail for.

I sink back on my chair, elbows on the desk, thoughts racing. But then, a flicker of something else sparks deep in my belly. A perverse excitement at the thought of seeing her again so soon, of being close enough to breathe in her scent, see those dark eyes flash with fire.

If fate’s throwing me this chance to be close to her, I’ll take it, even if it’s not exactly what I had planned. She’s the only one I’ve ever felt this way about, and that hasn’t changed. Not in all these years

Part of me, that reckless,zero fucks givenpart, the part I haven’t seen in more than thirteen years, actually can’t help but look forward to the idea of working side-by-side with her.

I need to tell Joan and the rest of the crew we won, then I’ll have to get ready for that meeting. With the hurricane that is Kelly Charleston.

Kelly’s always been a force, the sea just before a storm, calm one second, surging with life the next. It’s no wonder she got under my skin—she’s exactly the kind of beautiful chaos that can wreck a man. And somehow, I still crave it.

I push back my chair and stand, smoothing down my shirt, catching my reflection in the window before heading out. She probably won’t even notice, but I need to look as though I have my act together, like I’m the man she once thought I could be.

Time to face the music. Or in this case, the storm.

Chapter 13

Kelly

I’m clearing my inbox,responding to emails like a machine when a new message comes through with a meeting invitation:Founder’s Day Festival Kick-Off Meeting.

I click open the email, scanning quickly—a meeting at eleven with the successful contractor and the mayor. Finally, something to sink my teeth into, something to drown out thoughts of what happened at the wedding.

I keep working until 10:45 a.m. and then go past the bathroom, applying a new coat of lipstick and tapping twice on each tap for good measure.

The meeting room waits for me. It’s quiet when I get there a few minutes early, and I pause outside the door, checking my notepad, pens, and highlighters. I prefer taking meeting notes by hand and transcribing them once I’m back in the office.

Everything’s in order, so I push open the door, before freezing. My heart stutters in my chest, and my breath slips out in a short gasp. Jake Tanner is sitting at the head of the table,looking all too comfortable. A neat stack of papers sits in front of him, a pen balanced casually between his fingers, and worse—far worse—there’s a signed contract right on top.

I can’t look directly at him for too long without feeling my chest might combust; he’s just so maddeningly at ease, as if that night at the wedding didn’t unravel every carefully built defense I’ve constructed over the years.

His dark eyes lift to meet mine. When our eyes meet, there’s a spark, one I try to tamp down as quickly as it flares up, but his gaze holds steady, as if he’s daring me to deny what’s simmering between us.

And damn him, there’s no surprise to see me, just an irritating flicker of... anticipation? I can’t tell, and it pisses me off.

“What the hell are you doing here?” The words are out before I can stop them. I grip my notebook, knuckles turning white as I will myself not to throw it at his stupid, infuriatingly handsome face.

Jake’s brown eyes hold mine and he doesn’t even flinch—just leans back in the chair, the barest hint of an apology in his gaze. “Morning, Kelly,” he says, as if we’re old friends bumping into each other at the grocery store.

My eyes narrow. “What are you doing here?” I repeat.

Jake gestures toward the contract with a small shrug, as though it explains everything. “My company won the bid.”

My heart pounds in my ears, a rush of disbelief surging through me. “You have got to be kidding me.”

He shifts slightly, rubbing the back of his neck in that familiar way. “I didn’t know you were part of this when I put in the bid. In fact, I’m pretty sure you hadn’t even started in this role. But I guess we’ll be working together.”

He offers a tentative look, his words delivered with all the emotional weight of discussing the weather. Classic Jake, alwaysstraight to the point, always bulldozing over the messier parts of life.

For a second, I stare at him, speechless. I open my mouth to fire back, but before I can, the door swings open, and the mayor strides in, an assistant following behind her with a plate of pastries and a pot of coffee.

“Good morning, my new A-Team!” she says brightly.

I snap my mouth shut, my anger slamming into a wall of professionalism. The mayor glances between Jake and me, oblivious to the emotional minefield she’s just stepped into.

“Wonderful to see you both here.” She sets a folder down on the table with a satisfied look, her auburn hair in short, neat curls around her face. “Jake mentioned on the phone that you two know one another.”

“Just barely,” I reply. “We know each other from around town. Many years ago.”

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