Page 33 of The Valentine Agenda

"Just need some coffee," he muttered, escaping to the break room. But even here, she invaded his thoughts. The coffee station reminded him of how she always remembered everyone's preferences—not because she had to, but because she actually cared.

"This is not happening," he told his reflection in the chrome coffee machine. But his reflection looked disheveled, uncertain. Un-James-like.

"Rough morning?" Mike appeared in the doorway. "You seemed distracted in there."

James straightened his tie, trying to recover his usual polish. "Just tired."

"Right." Mike's eyes narrowed. "Nothing to do with the fact that you checked your phone six times when someone mentioned community outreach?"

"I did not—" But he had. Because the words 'community outreach' made him think of Hannah, of how her whole face lit up when she talked about helping others, of how she moved through rooms, of how she was breathtakingly…

Beautiful.

"Damn it." The words escaped before he could stop it.

"Want to grab drinks after?" Mike offered. "That new place on 52nd—"

"Can't." The response was automatic. "There's a... thing. At the building."

Mike's eyebrows rose. "A thing?"

"Community... something." James couldn't even pretend it wasn't about her anymore. Because everything was about her now. The way she made every space feel warmer just by existing in it. How her simple, practical clothes somehow looked perfect on her. How her entire presence made him feel...

"You're in trouble," Mike said, not unkindly.

James stared at his reflection in the window. His tie had been loosened hours ago, now hanging defeated around his neck. The top two buttons of his shirt were undone, the crisp white cotton wrinkled where he'd pushed up his sleeves. His hair was a mess from constantly dragging his fingers through it.

Everything about him looked completely undone.

"The board's waiting," Mike prompted.

Right. The board. His presentation. His perfectly ordered world that suddenly felt completely meaningless because it didn't include the sound of Hannah's laugh or the grace in her movements or the way she made everyone around her feel seen and valued and...

“You can finish it,” James said abruptly. "I have to go.”

"The meeting's not over—"

"I know." But he was already gathering his things, unable to sit through another hour of pretending he cared about quarterly projections when all he could think about was whether Hannah was teaching her students about weather patterns today, if her eyes would light up when she explained the difference between cumulus and nimbus clouds, if she would be smiling.

In the elevator, his reflection stared back at him with accusation: he wasn't just noticing Hannah anymore.

He couldn't stop thinking about her.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Hannah

Hannah was adjusting the thermostat in the community room when she sensed James enter.

Despite everything, she was still attuned to him. Still knew when he was in the room. Still felt alive at his presence and slightly dimmed in his absence.

"Hannah."

She didn't turn around. "The volunteer schedule is on the bulletin board. Mrs. Chen handles the sign-ups."

"That's not—" He paused, and she could practically feel him gathering himself. "Would you have dinner with me?"

Now she did turn, finding him standing closer than she'd expected. He looked... uncertain. It was an unfamiliar expression on James Park's face.

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