Page 26 of The Most Perfect Wrong

I don’t even say goodbye. I just book it out of his office—his smoldering arrogance somehow pissing me off and turning me on at the same time.

I amdreadingfive-thirty tonight.

* * * * * ?* * * * *

I wait for Ryan in one of the booths that line the lounge wall. Most people have gone home by now. Since the space is designed for remote work, the majority leave around four, knowing they can finish up at home or in the café downstairs. A few hit the gym upstairs or grab dinner before coming back later.

At five-forty, Ryan finally slides into the seat across from me, his laptop landing on the table.

“Hey,” he says.

“Hey.” I attempt a small smile. “How’s your day been?” I pep talked myself all afternoon for this moment, determined to smooth things over with Ryan. I need him to like me—if we’re going to be working together, we can’t be at each other’s throats.

“Very busy.” He’s clearly distracted, his gaze flicking to his phone as he types something quickly.

“Oh.”Okay… I scramble for something to break the tension. We have to get past—whatever this is, or working together will be unbearable.

“Shit,” Ryan mutters, still looking at his phone.

“Everything all right?” I ask.

He stares blankly at his phone for a moment longer. “Yeah,” he finally says, putting it down. “Sorry, I just realized I double-booked myself for tomorrow morning. It’s fine, I’ll figure it out. Should we get started?”

He finally meets my eyes, his focus shifting.

“Did Jason get you caught up on what he had for the expansion today?” he asks.

“Yes,” I say, trying to sound confident. “I feel good about it. I’m prepared.”

He offers a slight smile. “Good. Do you want to take notes for us?”

I nod. “Sure.”

“Let’s start by outlining our objectives and reviewing the budget Melissa gave us,” he suggests. “Then we can brainstorm potential cities that align with the company’s goals. Did Jason already have some in mind?”

“Yeah, he sent me a list. Let me pull it up.” As I search for the document Jason sent, I can feel Ryan’s eyes on me, making my heart race. “Here it is.” I turn my laptop so he can see.

“Okay, let’s see. San Francisco, Austin, Boston…” He looks over the rest of the list. “This is a good start. We’ll need to delegate research on these locations. We’re on a tight deadline with the holidays coming up, so I’d like to condense what would usually take six weeks into four. That way, we can start traveling to whichever city we choose by mid-December and avoid the holiday travel chaos.”

“Wait, we’re traveling? As in, you and I?” My eyes widen. I didn’t realize this was part of the expansion project. I guess it makes sense—we’ll need to find a building and establish a presence—but I hadn’t expected to be part of that.

“Yeah. Is that going to be a problem?” Ryan asks, his tone cautious.

“No,” I reply quickly. “I just didn’t know I’d be traveling. I’m just… surprised.”Oh my hell, I’m going to be traveling alone with Ryan?

We go over our timeline, delegating tasks and setting deadlines, creating a schedule for when we’ll meet to review progress and work together.

“Shit, I’m sorry. I have so many damn meetings every day. It’s going to be hard to fit this into normal work hours. I hate to make you stay late, but we’ll probably be having some long nights over the next few weeks,” Ryan says, sounding apologetic.

“That’s okay. I don’t have much going on in the evenings. I’d rather stay busy. I can stay late tonight, too, if you think it’ll help.”

“Yeah, that’d be great. Why don’t you start by creating a project plan that outlines our timeline and projected goals—something we can update as we go,” he suggests. “Meanwhile, I’ll outline a budget projection based on Melissa’s numbers and look into potential real estate partners in each city. Then we can compare notes and decide on the best approach.”

I nod, opening my laptop again. “Sounds good.”

After a few minutes of silence, Ryan glances at me. “Don’t you want to spend time with your fiancé?” He raises his hands in mock innocence. “I’m asking, genuinely.”

I pause, unsure how much I want to share. I guess a little chit-chat won’t hurt. “He’s a lawyer, so he works a lot. He’s on track to make partner. He rarely gets home before I’m in bed.”

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