Page 65 of Fool Me

A warning creeps up my spine, making my palms damp and my stomach churn. This is too bold a move for Canyon. My instincts tell me he’s nervous about his chances and he should be, but I prefer him being blissfully ignorant to having stalker-like tendencies.

Squaring my shoulders, I head for the door, determined not to spare him a glance.

“Harlowe,” he tsks. “Try not to look so tense, they’ll think you’re nervous.”

Do not engage. Keep walking,I coach myself. But when I pass him and he whistles, I whirl on him.

“Damn, princess, that skirt was a good call.”

My face flushes hot, and the bite of my fingernails digging into my palms holds me in place. I refuse to take his bait and let him see how much he’s getting under my skin. I turn back and reach for the door, pretending to be unaffected. “Not today, Canyon.”

His slimy laughter follows me through the door, but I don’t miss a step, going left instead of right, making a beeline for the bathroom.

Hands braced on the sink, I glare at myself. “Get your shit together, Corbin,” I tell my reflection. “You can’t let him win. He doesn’t get to take anything else from you. Never again.”

I watch myself in the mirror, forcing myself to relax, to take deep breaths and let it go until I force the tension out of me. Then I leave everything that Canyon said to me, every ounce of doubt, on the floor of that bathroom, and leave it behind to claim what’s mine.

By the time the two-hour interview is done, I’m mentally and physically drained. I walk back out to my car with peace of mind knowing I did everything I could, and confident I’ll move on to the next steps.

There is no other option. I refuse to believe that they’ll be able to ignore what I know in my heart—that I’m the more capable leader. As a former nurse, my medical knowledge has far more breadth than Canyon’s, and I would bleed out for this team before I would fail them or run from my mistakes.

It’s a relief to be done with the first step. All I can do now is focus on preparing for the practical exam next week and the final round of interviews before I go to California for the wedding.

Getting into Phantom takes more effort than it should in my skirt and heels after the last two hours, but I manage without flashing anyone, or making a fool of myself. Instead of turning on the car, I tip my head back and enjoy the silence, but it doesn’t take long until I’m reaching for my phone to text the one person I want to talk to.

Harlowe: All done.

Atlas: You feeling good?

Harlowe: I never want to hear the sound of my own voice again.

Atlas: A world without your words isn’t one I want to live in. Come over tonight and we can celebrate.

Harlowe: Celebrate how?

Atlas: By silently watching a movie together. Something funny and mindless.

Harlowe: Will there be food?

Atlas: There are burgers from Perdition Ranch in my fridge.

Harlowe: Consider me there.

Clicking out of the thread with Atlas, I pull up my best friend’s name and call her. It’s not until the phone is ringing and I’m backing out that I realize I wanted to talk to Atlas before her.

That’s never happened before. Vivi is my ride or die. Even with her living in different states and being engaged to Xavier, she has always been my first call.

“Hello, earth to Harlowe. Are you there?”

Shit. “Yeah, sorry, I’m here.”

“That’s it? Your interview was today. Tell me everything and don’t spare a single detail. I want to hear exactly how much ass you kicked.”

I shake off my shock and say, “Not so fast. Tell me how you and my favorite little guy are doing.”

My best friend lets out the most contented sigh. “Haze is perfect. God, I love him so much. Sometimes it feels like I might burst from how full my heart is.”

I hum, my happiness for her lifting my spirits. “I can’t wait to meet him.”

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