Page 47 of Stolen Kisses

"Besides," the other one said sheepishly, "with so many of us around here, we never know if someone is truly new or they just switched their seats. I'm Alexa."

"And I'm Hazel."

I smiled. "Nice to meet you. I'm Hannah."

My phone vibrated in my purse.

"Is that your phone?" Alexa said.

"Yes," I replied, taking it out. I should’ve put it on Airplane Mode. It was probably a message from my sister or Mom. To my astonishment, it was from Chase.

Chase: How's your first day? You look adorable all focused with your headphones.

I barely bit down a gasp.

Hannah: When did you even see me?

He replied immediately.

Chase: When I was in Magda's office. I spent an inordinate amount of time there.

Holy shit, did he go there specifically to watch me?I didn't even know what to think of it.

No, he couldn’t have, but just in case...

Hannah: Well, don't do it again, because people are getting scared that their big boss was spending time in the HR office.

Chase: I didn't think about that. Then again, you have a way of capturing my entire attention, wiping away every other thought.

I stared at my phone, munching on my apple.

Don't flirt back. Don't flirt back.

But I had butterflies in my stomach, and my fingers were itching.

Hannah: Out of sight, out of mind, remember?

Chase: I knew it wouldn't work from the start.

A hot current coiled through me.

Hannah: So why didn't you say so?

Chase: Would it have changed anything?

I rocked back and forth in my seat, taking another bite of my apple, trying to calm my pulse. After a few deep breaths, I finally typed back.

Hannah: Well, I have full confidence that it’ll work.

Chase: We're off to a great start, aren't we?

Chapter Twelve

Hannah

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I hadn't worked in a new office for a while, so I forgot that there was more to it than simply doing a good job. One had to navigate office politics as well, but I was starting to learn who was friends with whom, who wanted to get whom fired, and so on. It was slightly fascinating but also made me want to run straight back to my inn. Everything was more peaceful there. But having a steady paycheck was doing wonders for my peace of mind. I was caught between a rock and a hard place.

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