The thick file Erica had given me to study had made itself at home on my desk, small portions of the legal mumbo-jumbo stacked and scattered all around. My desk was quickly beginning to resemble Erica's messy one, color coordinated sticky notes and all.

After the post-Jesse-encounter chills had finally dissipated from my body – I'd extinguished them with long gulps of hot coffee – I had immersed myself in my new job, reading over page after page and jotting down notes when I saw something that sounded extra important. I wanted to be as fluent on the subject as possible when it came time for the meeting. Erica had made it sound like a partnership with Integrity could be Advantage Republic's ticket to the bigtime. I hoped, for Jesse's sake, that it would be. He'd been working so hard, building up his company from the very bottom and trying to make a name for himself. I wanted to see him succeed in his ambitions. He deserved it, and so did Erica.

Throughout the morning, Aly would poke her head in to check on me and see if I needed anything. The second time she'd dropped in, we'd ended up chatting for a good forty-five minutes about everything from the horrible box dye jobs we'd done on our hair in high school to what our future aspirations were in the business world. The more I talked with her, the more Aly reminded me of Haley, and it made me more excited to introduce them to each other.

While I worked, my mind wandered off and on, thinking about how far I'd come from The Bradley Chronicles and my former dreary-at-best career prospects. My life had changed so drastically from Dallas to Minneapolis to where I was now, and I couldn't stop smiling at that realization. I felt like I'd conquered some huge life challenge – I'd slayed the beast and come out on top despite the odds never being in my favor. I could physically feel a change, like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders.

I knew I still had a long way to go. I needed to start saving up money again and planning for my future. I also wanted to continue on with my list of goals I'd been adding to since the night I'd met Jesse. Over three years, I hadn't checked off very much, but the list had grown quite a bit. Now that I would have the financial wherewithal to do more traveling and experience more of the things on my list, I was hoping to pick it back up shortly after my probationary period was complete.

I was just finishing up my notes on section three of the monster Integrity file when my phone startled me away from the blurring words in front of me. I blinked a few times and yawned, surprised by how long I'd been reviewing the paperwork when I saw that it was after three o'clock.

I hope you're not in the middle of something, because I'm on my way! The text from Haley read.

I frowned at the screen for a second before remembering that we'd talked about her stopping by after her shift.

A cringe crept over my skin when I heard Jesse's muffled voice down the hall. He was on a conference call with his door open and I could barely make out bits and pieces of the conversation. I'd heard Integrity Investment Group mentioned and assumed the call was in regards to our upcoming Los Angeles meeting. I crossed my fingers that Jesse would either leave the office before Haley arrived, or still be busy with work so that I'd have an excuse not to introduce them yet.

Don't get me wrong. I had nothing against Haley and Jesse shaking hands. It was the possibility of Haley blurting out something along the lines of "you should date my best friend!" that I wasn't particularly fond of. I loved her with all my heart, but her overly enthusiastic personality was notorious for getting us both in trouble, and I wasn't mentally prepared to handle the questions Jesse would have following that ordeal.

I knew he recognized me by the way he'd looked at me, and I was relishing in the fact that he had yet to say anything about it. Not knowing how I should handle the awkward situation whenever it would arise, I was hoping to keep the infamous airplane encounter packed away for a while.

Just finishing up some paperwork, I texted back and began neatly rearranging all the loose papers I'd spread around throughout the day. I wanted a clean, organized workspace when I came to the office the next day. Okay, maybe I was a little O.C.D. about things like that...

While I waited for Haley to show up, I started making a list, brainstorming what changes I wanted to make to my office to make it feel more like my space.

There would be no changing the furniture. It was perfect the way it was. Whomever Advantage used for interior design had a great eye. Each office was uniquely different and aesthetically pleasing. It gave me a warm, fuzzy feeling to think about, and I found myself smiling at the company letterhead on my notepad.

There were various things I wanted to modify or add to my office, though. The first of which being a coffee creamer overhaul. French vanilla was just fine, but I liked a little more pizzazz in my cup. Admittedly, I was a year-round pumpkin spice girl, but in addition to the cliché flavor, I also loved caramel, butter toffee, coconut, and cinnamon. Variation was key and I planned to showcase that in my mini fridge.

Other additions to my office would be framed photos with family and friends, a whole lot of books, some canvas wall art that Haley had gotten me for my birthday, and a menagerie of little trinkets and décor to fill the gaps in my shelves.

By the time Nancy called to let me know Haley was in the lobby, I was already in another world, daydreaming about how I would decorate my office for fall or the holidays. Visions of sugarplums were practically dancing through my mind. I shook my head at my eagerness, telling myself I needed to reign in the enthusiasm. It was only my first day. I shouldn't get too emotionally invested until my probationary period was over and I knew that my job was secure.

My heels clicked against the shiny floor on my way to retrieve Haley. She'd just gotten off work, still dressed in Mickey Mouse scrubs with her colorful hair pulled back into a pony. I didn't miss Nancy's questioning glance as we passed by. Haley's hair did tend to turn heads.

Pride coursed through my veins when I propped open the door to my office and lead her inside. It felt like I was unveiling a work of art to my best friend and it only made me happier when I saw her eyes bug out at my spectacular city view.

"This is incredible, Vanessa!" she grinned, running over to the windows and taking in the sights like an excited little kid. "I can't believe this is your office! I wish my office was this cool!"

I remembered when Haley had first shown me her office at the medical center. It was about half the size of mine and the windows were tiny with a view of the main road and some trees. It was how you'd expect a physical therapist's office to look, but it was pretty nice, considering. It was certainly bigger than the one she'd always complained about back in Saint Paul. That room had been like working out of a closet and I was glad to see her have something much nicer and more accommodating.

"Oh, hush. I love your office. It's cozy." I shook my head with a smile, joining her at the windows.

The streets were bustling below. You could practically hear the horns honking and commuters cussing all the way up there – or maybe that was just my imagination.

"It may be cozy, but it doesn't have this view," Haley said, her eyes still wide as she pulled me into a one-armed hug. "I'm so happy for you. My best friend is going to do big things and travel the world!"

I shrugged and tipped my head side to side, not wanting to get my hopes up. "That's the goal anyway."

"Sounds like some of my goals," came an all-too-familiar male voice behind us. "A girl after my own heart."

I froze like a damn statue for a split second before Haley and I turned to see Jesse in all his Armani-clad glory leaning in my doorway. He had one leg crossed lazily in front of the other and his right side rested against the doorframe, his arms crossed over his chest. He wore his typical handsome smile that caused an instant eruption of butterflies in my stomach – damn him and his attractiveness. I hadn't even heard him walk down the hall! He must have the stealth of a jungle cat.

"You must be Jesse," Haley's grin widened so much, I was sure it made her face hurt. "I'm Haley Cabello, Vanessa's best-friend-slash-roommate."

She was almost too eager to introduce herself to my welcoming boss, and I was praying like crazy that she wouldn't blurt out something to embarrass me while they shook hands. Why couldn't his phone call have lasted another ten minutes?

"Very nice to meet you, Miss Cabello," Jesse said in a voice that would charm anyone.

For a split second, I thought, maybe Haley would be so charmed by him that she'd dump the idea of setting me up with him and just date him herself. That would certainly make things easier on me. I wouldn't have to juggle the complexity of a secret romance with my boss.

But then I remembered that if that were the case, Jesse would be coming over to our apartment at least once in a while for a "fun night in" with my best friend, and that was enough to make me choke on my own saliva. I'd walked in on one too many of Haley's "fun nights in" when she was dating Dr. Scott. After we moved in together in Minnesota, he'd made regular trips up to visit her, even considering opening a private practice in Saint Paul at one point. Ultimately, the combination of long distance and their busy schedules had been a relationship killer. But not before I'd had the misfortune of walking in on them and having to sanitize our kitchen counters and dining table, post-fun-night-in. I cringed at the thought of going through that again – especially with Jesse.

A twinge of jealousy bubbled up and I blew out a heavy breath, reminding myself that I had nothing to be jealous about. Why was I even entertaining the idea of Haley and Jesse together? That would never happen. Haley was, shall we say, picky when it came to her choice in men, and Jesse didn't sound like her type, at least not from where I stood.

"Likewise," Haley returned his smile and turned back to look at me.

I hoped Jesse couldn't see the animated expressions she was flashing me, silently egging me on to make a move. Not going to happen, I thought to myself.

"What brings you by?" I managed, trying to make normal office-appropriate small talk, but Jesse's piercing eyes were practically daring me to walk the scandalous line.

I tried to appear busy with work, sauntering back over to my desk and finishing up neatly restacking each section I'd separated in the Integrity file. Based on the look on Haley's face, she knew I was trying to avoid anything that didn't pertain strictly to business, and she was surely judging me for it. I knew I'd get an earful as soon as we left the building.

"I just wanted to see how things are coming along in preparation for the big meeting," Jesse said diplomatically, his tone and body language both suddenly much more business-like.

I looked down at the paperwork I still needed to review. It was hard enough just reading over all of that fancy wording, but trying to retain all of it in my head was a chore all its own. I wasn't about to let Jesse know I was struggling with it, though. He and Erica had both made it clear that they were taking a risk on me since I was obviously not qualified enough for the position. I couldn't let anyone know I was having a tough time. Holding on to this job was too important.

Faking a confident smile, I patted the taller of the two stacks. "Everything's going well. I'm making notes for the meeting. Is there anything else you need me to do ahead of time pertaining to this?"

I surprised myself with how professional I sounded, and in some way, it boosted my confidence.

Jesse nodded, seeming pleased with my response. "That's good to hear. I might need your help on a few other details. I've been on conference calls with Integrity's chairman off and on all day. It sounds like their board of directors is trying to change some of the details we'd previously agreed upon, so that may cause us some trouble going into the meeting. I'm going to try to correct things here before we leave, but I don't know how well that will work out. It may be one of those situations where I have to sort it out with them in person."

I slowly nodded, digesting the significance of his words as he spoke. "Oh... That's a little complicated. Let me know if I can help in any way."

"I will," he said as if he was promising something extra sweet, and I involuntarily shuddered at the sultry undertone.

Was there something he wanted my help with that didn't involve work, I wondered shamelessly, a light blush creeping up my neck.

"Not to butt in, but what meeting are we talking about?" Haley's voice shattered whatever trance my boss and I seemed to have fallen into.

She looked extremely confused, her forehead crinkled up and her brows drawn together.

I started to answer, but Jesse beat me to it. "Vanessa is going on a business trip with Erica, who is our C.O.O., and myself. We're trying to inaugurate a partnership with an investment firm in California to help our business grow. So I'll be stealing your roommate for five days starting Friday."

Haley's eyes lit up with what I knew to be salacious thoughts and I dreaded the flood of teases and taunts that were sure to follow once we left the office. She'd probably jump on a wild fantasy about the zero-chance possibility of Jesse and I sharing a hotel room in L.A. I wouldn't hear the end of it until I was leaving the J.F.K. runway, and then she'd surely continue pestering me about our business endeavor for a good three weeks after I got back. Haley looked as excited as a stockbroker when the Dow Jones skyrocketed.

"Oh, that sounds exciting!" she chirped, a slight bounce in her step, and we exchanged a look that told me she was going to bombard me with her wild ideas as soon as we were out of earshot.

Jesse returned her smile, but he was looking at me – nearly staring a hole through my body. "It's very exciting. I just hope it all works out."

I got the feeling that he was talking about something else entirely...

Feeling a bit flustered, I was about to change the subject when Erica knocked on my door, letting herself in.

"How come I wasn't invited to this party?" she joked, glancing around the room at the three of us. "Hi, I'm Erica Hernandez, the chief operating officer."

She introduced herself to Haley, who complimented her A+ office attire. Erica definitely had great taste in wardrobe.

"Is something up?" Jesse asked her and she grinned.

"I was trying to find you to tell you that I just got a call from Kacey and she told me that Alex and Kate are getting married in three weeks!" Erica borderline squealed from the exciting news.

I remembered her talking about the girls in one of the photos in her office. Kacey and Kate were two of them, if my memory served me correctly.

"We're invited and we can bring a plus one," she continued with beaming eyes, obviously very happy for her friends, and gave Jesse a friendly nudge on the arm on her way out. "You, mister, need to find a wedding date!"

And with that, she was gone, parading back to her office.

For some unknown reason, the mention of Jesse having a date to a wedding left an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. I tried to shake off the discomfort and get back to business, but once again, I was cut off before I could say anything.

"If you can't find a date in time, I'm sure Vanessa wouldn't mind," Haley connived in a humorous tone. "She's single, you know."

Kill me now.