Page 45 of Hired By the Enemy
“I think your gym sounds like a great idea,” I say quietly. “And I think you have all the skills to make it work.”
His expression clears. “Really?”
“Yeah, definitely. How did you come up with the idea?”
Liam shifts over on the pillow so we’re face to face. “I had this client who’d been in a car accident and lost the lower part of her arm.”
We lie there, facing each other, our legs still intertwined, asLiam tells me about his client, Colleen, and how she was too self-conscious to go back to the gym after she recovered. And how he realized there needs to be a safe space for people after they’d recovered from illness and injury, where they could work out and not feel ashamed because their bodies were different.
As Liam talks me through his idea, his face becomes more and more animated, and I see a side of Liam I never have before. I’m familiar with cocky-jock Liam, and I’ve recently become acquainted with sexy-and-fun Liam, but this caring and kind side of him is new to me.
Something shifts inside me.
Deep down, Liam is a good person. A really good person. How did I miss that fact growing up?
Chapter Eleven
Matthew
The next morning, I’m in my most important meeting of the week. It’s the meeting where I’m presenting a key part of my vision for the next five years to my colleagues. It’s a topic particularly close to my heart.
Unfortunately, I don’t feel at my full capacity mentally today. That’s what happens when you don’t get enough sleep because you’re up nearly all night talking to your nemesis-turned-fake-boyfriend-turned-bed-partner.
I couldn’t believe it when I realized it was four a.m. Liam and I had talked for so long, our conversation drifting from his plans for his gym to my business to some of the crazy stunts we pulled as kids. Did I ever think I’d be lying naked in bed with Liam Jamieson laughing about the time he put slime in my locker and I retaliated by getting his email account to spam everyone in the school with recommendations for penis enlargers?
Not in this version of reality, anyway.
But the Liam I thought I knew and who he actually is aretwo very different people. How did I grow up next door to the guy and not really know him at all?
I try to guide my brain away from Liam to what I’m doing. Work. My company. My presentation.
Standing in front of my colleagues, I can’t help feeling I’ve made a mistake waiting until the last day of our retreat to give my presentation. Because I don’t think it’s just my imagination that all my colleagues are staring longingly out the window to where the pool beckons invitingly.
“A quick meeting is a good meeting, right guys?” Paul says with a grin.
Shit. I haven’t even spoken a word, and already Paul is undermining me.
My stomach swirls.
“Ah…so today I’m going to talk to you about an initiative I think is really going to help the company going forward.” My voice comes out high-pitched, and I pause to clear my throat before I start talking through my idea about eco-rewards, a feature where users generate reward points for carpooling or using electric vehicles. I put a lot of time and effort into the PowerPoint slides, and I’ve practiced my presentation several times. But my voice sounds brittle, my sentences disjointed. I can’t seem to get into a flow.
It doesn’t help that my colleagues don’t seem particularly engaged. Henrietta’s examining her nails and Raj stares out the window. The only person who seems to be hanging off my every word is Paul.
“I’m a little concerned that we’re veering too far out of our lane,” Paul interrupts me when I’m three-quarters of the way through my presentation.
I blink at him. “What do you mean, out of our lane?”
“Well, we’re a parking app, not an environmental agency. I’m all for incorporating environmental considerations, but let’snot forget we’re trying to make it easier for people to park cars, not save the planet.” Paul spreads his arms along the back of his chair and throws a smirk around at our colleagues.
My heart races, and I fumble for the keyboard.
“Uh…if you wait a few slides, I can show you some of the data showing electric vehicle owners wanting to get recognition for their environmental conscientiousness.”
I quickly flick forward to the slide I want.
Paul raises a skeptical eyebrow. “Of course the do-gooders of this world want recognition. But when you have as many years experience under your belt as I have, Matthew, you realize that chasing fads is not a reliable business strategy. You’re going to have to trust me on this one.”
Shit. His words are cooked in condescension.
