Page 12 of My Favorite Mistake

Regardless of what he did, she’d treat him as nothing more than a new colleague at a new job. There would be no harping on their history because, after all, he’d made it clear their time together was meaningless. Therefore, their shared history might as well not exist.

4

Frenchmen Street, New Orleans

Spots were swimming in Connor’s vision, and blackness began closing around his periphery just as he reached the doorstep of the label. He pitched forward at the waist, throwing off his backpack and clutching his knees as he dragged in oxygen.

Fucking humidity.

The hot, damp air filled his lungs, but it was so thick he may as well have been breathing water. It took him a good, solid minute before he caught his breath enough to stand upright, grab his pack, and push open the front door. Gloriously dry, cold air conditioning blasted his face upon stepping inside, and his vision blackened again, but he managed to stay upright.

“... going on, Connor? Come meet… our new…” a voice he knew was Jimmy was saying, although he couldn’t hear much of it because high-pitched ringing always accompanied the blackness. Connor looked in the direction of Jimmy’s voice, maintaining a neutral expression as he waited for his senses to return.

Jimmy gripped Connor’s shoulder. “Can you even hear me?”

Connor wiped his face with the hem of his shirt as his vision came back and the ringing slowly faded. “I’m standing right here, ain’t I?”

“Yeah, well you got that blank look on your face.”

Connor blinked the last of the blackness away and forced his mouth into a wide, yet patronizing grin. “How’s that?”

“You’re lucky you’re pretty.”

Connor framed his face with his palms as he batted his lashes. “Shucks, Jimmy. You make me blush.”

“You’re a hot mess, son.” Jimmy shoved Connor’s shoulder, turning him toward the front room.

An attractive, brunette woman about Brennan’s age stood up from one of the desks and approached them. Connor’s gaze immediately fixed on the woman’s shoes, which were classy, but also total fuck-me heels; shiny and a perfect match to her creamy bare skin, connecting her dainty feet to even daintier ankles and slim, yet shapely calves. The perfect calves led to beautiful knees, half-covered by a slim, gray skirt, which hugged the curve of scintillating hips and a nipped-in waist that was accentuated by a thin, white cotton blouse. And Connor was going to be in trouble if he didn’t drag his mind out of the gutter.

“Connor, this is our new digital marketing lead, Liza Hardin.”Liza Hardin.That was damn close to— “Liza, Connor Deneau. Manages our artists and repertoire.”

Liza offered a hand featuring perfectly manicured nails, and Connor glanced at her face. “Hi, Connor. Pleasure to meet you.”

Her espresso-colored hair fell in cascading waves around her smiling face, and as soon as his hand connected with hers, the lightheaded sensation assaulted his brain again.

No.

Fucking.

Way.

“Hey,” he managed, shaking her hand. “Likewise.”

He dropped her hand, and she clasped her palms together at her waist. Her hazelnut eyes focused on his for a moment as an expression blanched her features, as ifshe knew too, and then she glanced at Jimmy.

“She’s gonna be putting together a marketing plan this week, revamping our website, and going over our distribution, and mostly figuring out how to get us out of the stone age,” Jimmy went on. “We’re gonna take her to the shows, and I need you to familiarize her with our people. Show her what we’ve been doing, and she’s gonna fix it all. Right, Liza?” He slapped her shoulder, and she flinched, rubbing her arm and offering Jimmy an amused smile.

“That’s right.” Her gaze briefly cut to Connor’s face and then back to Jimmy’s. “Lots of work to do.”

“Yeah you right.” Jimmy placed his hands on his hips and turned to stroll across the entry way back to his desk. “For God’s sake, Connor. Go shower. You reek.”

The center of Connor’s forehead ached from a tightly-furrowed brow, and he released it as he took a step backward and slung the pack over his shoulder. He cast a glance at Liza’s face, and her throat bobbed as she offered a small nod and smile and turned away to return to the desk.

With her back to him, he took in the sight of her dark hair sweeping the small of her back. He could practically feel its silken strands, as if it had only been yesterday that he’d last tangled his fingers into it, and this was a big fucking problem.

She sat at the desk and began typing on a sleek, slim laptop, pausing to drag and click with a mouse and peer closely at the screen. She picked up her phone and tilted the screen toward her, and then clicked the mouse again. “Jimmy, I just shared the calendar with you. You should’ve gotten an—”

“Yep!” Jimmy hollered from the other side of the house. “Look at that! Wow, this is crazy.” He chuckled. “Shit, Connor. I’m gonna be keeping serious tabs on you.”

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