“I was thinking about you more than speaking, I guess.” I blink several times, quickly, then slap my cheeks to knock the cobwebs loose. If that doesn’t sound like flirting, I don’t know what does. “I’m at the office, preparing for our meeting tomorrow,” I clarify, in my most professional voice.
“I thought that was your car in the lot.” Benjamin huffs a laugh, almost embarrassed. “I was working late too, saw your car, and thought I’d take a chance that you’d like to work late, together. I’m kind of right outside your building.”
He’s here?
Now?
I peer through my office door toward the front of the building while Benjamin continues, “I do some of my best thinking while driving. It was chance that brought me your way.” He sounds nervous, which makes me giddy.
Is the man named “One to Watch” five years running worried about what I think of him?
“I actually know that about you,” I say, then hurry to explain. “I read an article about you…okay, I’ve read lots of articles about you, but this one explained how you like to ‘drive down the ideas.’ I tried it, hoping to get some Bancroft level inspiration, but I’m more visual. I need to move things around in CAD and see the effects of the changes.”
“You know, if you wanted, you could let me in and we could have this conversation face to face. Not that I mind standing out here or anything.”
“That, sir, is a solid point,” I say, then drop my head into my palm.
Dear God. Send help. Yours truly, Mina Blake.
I push out of my chair and hurry for the door, sending a stack of papers on Tad’s desk into the air. I slow my pace as they float to the ground like confetti for a celebration I didn’t know was happening. Nathan’s words from weeks ago echo in my head.
Easy now, Hot Mess. Don’t hurt yourself trying to impress the guy.
My infatuation with Benjamin seems to annoy him, though everything about me seems to annoy him, so I’m not sure it’s that big of a deal.
I restack Tad’s papers, then make my way through the quiet building. Wouldn’t you know, Benjamin’s right where he said he’d be, leaning against the wall, messenger bag resting on his hip, looking more handsome in the dimly lit entrance than he has any right to. He lifts a hand when he sees me and I turn the lock, pushing open the door and stepping aside as a muggy blast of air hits me in the face.
“Hey,” I say, brushing flyaways behind my ear.
Benjamin’s smile softens. “Hey.”
He steps inside and the door closes behind him. Suddenly the meditative quiet takes on a life of its own, swirling between us and highlighting that I have no idea what to say or do from here. I’m standing next to a legend.
A legend who drove by my office late at night, saw my car, and stopped because he wants to work with me.
And this is after I met Collin and Harlow West. Actually had drinks in their house.
My life is the coolest right now…and I have Nathan to thank for it. I guess even villains can’t be all bad all the time. I inwardly grimace at the joke. Nathan isn’t a villain. I should stop thinking of him that way.
Benjamin glances around at the interior of Fuller Design and I try to see it through his eyes. The empty reception desk with the vining plant trailing off the edge. The scripty logo on the wall behind. The handful of cubicles leading back to the offices. I’ve been happy here, but knowing he works out of his home studio instead of for a firm makes me very aware of my modest place in the design world.
“This doesn’t look like the kind of place that inspires the design magic you’re capable of.” He looks pleasantly unimpressed as he leans over the reception counter and peers at the mess Gina considers an organizational system.
I hold out my hands like a realtor showing a home she knows is beneath her client’s standards. “Well, see, my magic happens back there. In my office. Not to brag, but I have a door and everything.”
Benjamin straightens. “Fancy.”
“Follow me and prepare to be amazed.” We head for my office, and I’m acutely aware of him behind me. My heart flutters for a moment, and I silently curse the timing of things. Why couldn’t the man I’ve been crushing on forever show up at my office, out of the blue, in the middle of the night, when he didn’t think I was dating our rich client?
We step into my office and Benjamin makes an approving face. “Now, see? This? This is where magic happens. I loved this space the first time I was here, and I love it even more now. You’re smart with your design, Mina. It shows.”
I beam at the compliment. I tried to make the space as inviting as possible without overwhelming the design concepts I present to clients. Clean lines. Clean surfaces. Comfortable seating. Though tonight, my desk is strewn with sketches, fabric swatches, and notes on Nathan’s build, with several others I’m working on neatly stacked in the corner.
“Wanna talk about the ideas you’re trying to drive down?” I ask, steering the conversation toward a professional tone. “Got some groundbreaking designs keeping you up?”
He chuckles, a sound that warms the room. “If I’m honest, I couldn’t wait until tomorrow to see you.”
Benjamin looks at me, a flicker of something in his eyes—a question, an invitation. My heart races, unsure of how to navigate this unexpected tension.
While I’m trying to figure out what the hell is going on, Benjamin realizes what he said and hurries to clarify.
“We’re good together,” he adds, like that makes it all better.
In any other situation, this would be a dream come true. But I’m supposed to be dating Nathan, which makes this kind of a problem.
I step back, palms lifted. “Look, I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression…”
“I mean, professionally. We’re good together professionally.” Benjamin chuckles nervously. “I couldn’t stop staring at the preliminaries for Nathan’s build and they’re good, Mina. Really good. Do you know how many arguments I’ve had with designers about load bearing walls? They never take things like that into consideration. But you do. You and I make quite the team. I had to get in the car to settle myself down, saw you were here, and well, you know the rest.”
I am such an idiot. Of course Benjamin Bancroft wasn’t here to hit on me. Why in the world would I jump to that conclusion? And why does knowing he’s here professionally make me feel relieved? All this fake flirting with Nathan is messing with my head. I’m seeing things that aren’t there. Feeling things that don’t exist.
“Do I get to see these magical plans?” I ask.
Benjamin pulls a laptop out of his messenger bag, opens it on the desk and I literally gasp when I see the visual representation of our brains coming together. These designs are only preliminaries and they’re damn near perfect.
“I’m not even going to have to argue with you about the staircase placement!” I meet his grin with wide eyes. “That literally never happens.”
“I extended the living room by a few feet to make space for one more window,” he says, tapping the screen, “maximizing natural light in the morning as per your suggestion. That meant the stairs fit better here…” Another tap.
