A hand slammed onto the top of Kamree's desk, making her jump out of her skin. "Hey!"

Her heart pounded. Until she looked up at the person. "Adam!" She threw a crumpled sticky note at him. "What's your problem?"

The handsome record producer grinned down at her. His white teeth contrasted nicely with the caramel color of his skin. "Gotta stay on your toes, Kamree."

Kamree snorted, a soft exhale from her nose. "Sure, Adam. And what type of business brings you all the way up here?"

Adam put a hand over his chest. "Kamree, I'd climb this tower every day to see you if I could."

The words made her laugh. Adam was engaged to a cute, brown-haired receptionist downstairs. His devotion to her could never be denied, but he still liked to joke around. His fiancée had never had a problem with it. "Okay, Romeo. Get yourself together."

Adam stuck his thumb toward Daxton's office. "Is he there?"

"Yeah." Kamree glanced down the hall, her eyes staying on Daxton's door. He'd been quiet when he came back from lunch, barely saying a word to her. She hated to say it, but it made her worried. "He's been weird since he came back from lunch."

Adam tapped the desk once with his hand and then stepped back. "Time to let the best friend figure it out."

"Thanks, Adam."

"Sure thing."

Adam headed down the hallway, closing the door to Daxton's office with a quiet click. Kamree tried not to be nosy, but as the minutes passed, she couldn't help glancing down the hall again and again for Adam or Daxton to come out.

"Snooping?"

Kamree's eyes flickered to Becca. "No."

"Yeah, okay."

She sighed and went back to entering her boss' expense report into the computer. Daxton usually got weird after his mother visited or they went to lunch together. Almost like she took the wind out of his sails. Which sucked because Kamree enjoyed hanging around the relaxed, somewhat goofy Daxton.

Around three, Daxton finally came out of his office. Adam had come and gone, giving Kamree and Becca a wink as he left.

Kamree's fingers paused over the keyboard. "Hey." She reached for the sticky note she'd kept next to the phone. "You okay?"

Daxton had a somberness about him. Right now, he was covering it with a pathetic excuse for a smile, but Kamree could tell something was off. "I'm fine." He played it off. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"No reason." Kamree inwardly shrugged and handed him the small note. "Here you go, Mr. Cavenaugh."

Daxton looked it over, then back at her. "This is all the people who left a message?"

Kamree nodded. "There were three. Mr. Jefferson, Mrs. Feringer, and a Mr. White."

"Thank you. Although I don't remember asking you to hold my calls."

Shit. She messed up. Her face began a slow burn. "Mr. Cavenaugh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean—"

"It's alright, Kamree. I'm just messing." Daxton crossed his arms and leaned on the tall desk. A smile curved the corner of his lips. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Daxton glanced over at Becca and then back. His fingers found the cuff of his white shirt and messed with it. "Hey, what are you doing tomorrow night?"

Kamree sat back in her chair. "Why?" Whatever it was, she'd have to decline. There would be no chance she'd leave little eight-year-old Paisley at home by herself. Did he want her to stand in at one of his functions? Becca did that sometimes for Daxton's father.

"We can't hang out outside of work?" Daxton turned to Becca. "Becca, tell her to hang out with me. You can come too."

Becca glanced up like she hadn't been paying attention. She so was. "Huh? Oh, I don't know. I don't want to intrude."

"You won't be." Kamree spoke up. "Because I won't be able to make it. I've got a family commitment." She sent Daxton an apologetic look. "Sorry, Mr. Cavenaugh."

Daxton's lips thinned, showing disappointment, though his words revealed differently. "Not a problem."

Awkward silence. "Well, I better get back to my work."

He walked away, taking the tension with him. Kamree sighed when he finally left, grateful for the relief. It felt like a creature was gnawing at her chest, right where her heart was supposed to be.

"Look what you did," Becca accused. "You've crushed our boss."

Indignation worked up. "I crushed him?" She fiddled with an escaping black tendril of hair. "It's not my fault. I can't afford to be spontaneous."

"I know you can't." Becca said, "But at least take the time to try before you break him."

"Try?" What did that mean?

The question completely sobered Becca. Kamree could see it even from her peripheral vision. Becca's back straightened in her chair, like she prepared for battle. "There are people in this world willing to help you out, Kamree. I can watch Paisley if you want to go have a night to yourself."

As it was, she already felt completely in debt to Becca for picking Paisley up from school and dropping her off at her neighbors like she was going to do today. Asking for more would push the envelope.

Besides, it was Kamree's job to watch over Paisley. Becca didn't have children. She didn't understand. "Thank you, but I'm okay."

"Hey. We're friends, aren't we?"

"Of course." Kamree looked down and away from Becca, instead training her attention on the pink sticky note she'd begun ripping to pieces.

"Friends do things for friends." Becca stated. "As your friend, I don't mind doing things for you."

But Kamree minded. To her, being in someone's debt slowly enslaved you to them and eventually they asked for it in return, often in a bigger sum. She'd seen it a lot. Through other relationships around her. Through her own father. She refused to let it happen to her.

"Okay?"

Kamree sent Becca her best fake smile. "Okay."

Becca's phone rang right at the end of her shift. "Hello, Cavenaugh Productions, main office, Rebecca speaking. How may I help you?"

Kamree clicked away at her keyboard, putting the notes from one of Daxton's last meetings together in a long, organized, bulleted list. Her ears waited for Becca to reply to the person on the other line in that slightly false cheery voice she usually had when dealing with clients.

It never came.

"Oh my Creator, are you sure?" Becca's face had paled drastically.

Kamree wrenched her fingers off the keyboard. Her chair spun in Becca's direction. Becca herself had already gotten out of her chair and leaned over the desk so as not to stretch the phone cord. Her eyes were wide. Worried. "Okay. Okay, I'll be there. Yes. Alright. Call me. Bye."

"Everything alright?" Kamree made herself ask. Though the question had already been answered.

"My grandma got into a car accident." Becca fumbled around her desk for her purse and some file folders. "I told my mom she was getting too old to drive. I have to go."

"Oh my Creator, okay. Go. I'll tell Mr. Cavenaugh. Call me if you need anything."

"I will. Thank you." She practically sprinted to the elevator.

Later, Kamree would realize that Becca's leaving put her at a major disadvantage. How would Paisley get picked up?

Damn.

~

Mr. Cavenaugh's door had to be the most intimidating door in the entire building. It stood tall, black, and sleek at the very end of the hallway. She'd been inside the wide expanse of the room and looked out the floor-to-ceiling windows when she came to be interviewed. The interior looked not much different from Daxton's office, so she really didn't know why it gave her sweaty palms and made her mouth go dry.

Her knuckled rapped softly on the wood. No answer. She knocked harder.

"Come in."

"Mr. Cavenaugh?" Kamree poked her head in, spotted him seated at his desk, and cautiously entered.

Mr. Cavenaugh was a tall, sturdy businessman with broad shoulders and a touch of grey in his deep brown hair. The many aspects of Mr. Cavenaugh came out in Daxton, except for personality. Appearance wise, they could have been brothers. In fact, Mr. Cavenaugh had aged nicely, and if Daxton were to follow in his footsteps, Kamree could see him becoming more handsome with age.

Personality wise, Mr. Cavenaugh didn't have the same humor as his son. Not that he wasn't nice, more like he did not see the need in making a joke to lighten the atmosphere. The man knew how to be serious. And he did it well.

Mr. Cavenaugh cast his eyes in her direction briefly before scrawling some writing on the paper in front of him. "Yes? Kamree, is it?"

"Yes, sir." Wow, he remembered her name. She shifted her weight to her other foot. "Mr. Cavenaugh, I apologize for the interruption." Her voice did not come out as strong as she'd liked. "Rebecca just received an urgent call and has a family emergency."

At this news, Mr. Cavenaugh glanced up. "How upsetting." The answer came out in such a way that it made Kamree worry if he was even fully understanding the situation. It was a hollow answer lacking emotion.

Kamree cleared her throat and continued. "Sir, I have no problem covering for her for the rest of her shift or however long she needs."

"Oh, that will not be necessary. Call up Danielle on floor eight and have her bring in a temp." Danielle was one of the producers downstairs who always had her arms deep into the business.

Kamree bit her lip and forced herself to push on. "Sir, I was also wondering if you'd allow me to leave briefly to pick up my sister from school."

Mr. Cavenaugh's posture remained upright as he leaned back in his chair. "I do not like my assistants to put their personal business before their professional."

The words stung her chest. She couldn't even pick up her sister from school? What a—

"However," Mr. Cavenaugh added. "I will make an exception this time."

Relief loosened her entire frame. "Oh, thank you, Mr. Cavenaugh."

"Next time, either have her parents pick her up or find someone else. I will not let this be a common occurrence."

"Okay. Thank you again, Mr. Cavenaugh."

He said nothing, even as she slid out the door and back down the hall.