“Okay. Hope to see you Saturday.”
Steph waved as she scurried toward the elevator.
The interview door popped open, and the male applicant departed, looking despondent. His had been the shortest interview yet. Laurie’s heart pounded in her ears, knowing she had to be next. She willed herself to calm down as her inner voice spewed more doubts at her.
Don’t get your hopes up. There were seven other applicants. Even with Branson Knight as your friend, you probably won’t get this job.
I’m not getting my hopes up. I’m doing this interview for experience.
You are so lying! You’re counting on this job, already. You got three new leads yesterday, and you didn’t follow up on any of them.
Shut up!
And if you get the job, what are you going to do about you-know-who?
Double shut up! Jarrett will be my boss if I get the job. He’s the head of the Limitless division. I won’t have to deal with Finn at all.
Laurie had been working hard not to think about Finn Anderson, the hunky billionaire who, like Branson, was one of the four kingpins of Phantom Enterprises, the multi-billion-dollar technology company that developed electronics hardware and software and video games, among other innovations.
You can’t avoid Finn forever. He works in this building. What’s going to happen when you run into him? That mouth of yours is like a loose cannon.
I’m a professional. I’ll smile and say, “Good morning, Mr. Anderson. How are you, today?” I won’t engage. No in-depth conversations. No discussions about anything weightier than the weather.
Ms. Grumpy Face appeared, her eyes settling on Laurie.
“Laurie Fields?”
Laurie steeled her nerves and pasted a cool, collected smile on her face. She stood, tugged her skirt into place, and began the long walk across the lobby, her wobbly legs protesting like she was moving toward the death chamber.
What’ll happen when Finn presses your buttons? You’re not going to lose your temper? You’re not going to tell him off in front of everyone and get yourself fired?
Her brain flooded with memories of heated sarcastic exchanges between her and Finn. It seemed they couldn’t agree on anything, or maybe he was purposefully contrary. She pictured herself delivering a satisfying response to put the man in his place. Then she tried to imagine herself biting her tongue when he goaded her with some chauvinistic comment. Impossible.
The problem with Finn was he knew exactly how attractive he was. With that blond hair and strong jaw and sizzling blue eyes, he probably thought he was a gift to women. A tinge of an English accent made him even more charming. No, not charming… arrogant. Every conversation they’d ever had ended with Finn making some remark that infuriated Laurie so much she lost control.
I’ll have to avoid Finn at all costs. That’s my only hope.
Gripping her portfolio to stop her hands from trembling, she followed the woman into the office. At the end of a long conference table sat all four Phantom Enterprises partners, including none other than Finn Anderson.
Good luck with that avoiding thing.
Shut up!
Finn’s stomach knotted. As Laurie walked into the room, he rose to his feet, mostly in response to Cole Miller’s prodding elbow, but he kept his eyes glued to the resume on the table in front of him. As much as he would’ve delighted to see the shock in Laurie’s eyes when she spotted him in the room, he’d turned over a new leaf as far as she was concerned. In the past, he’d flirted and teased mercilessly, but it was like playing with fire. If Laurie got this job, he would see her all too often, and he could easily get burned.
Finn could never make the mistake of becoming involved with a woman, knowing the pain he would cause when he left her a young widow. Living with cystic fibrosis meant dealing with certain realities and one of those was a short life expectancy. At thirty-three, he was only four years away from the average age of death from CF in the States. So far, Finn had successfully guarded his heart, and he had to keep his resolve firm.
“Laurie, come in and join us,” said Cole, in his customary Texas drawl. “I’m sorry you had to wait so long.”
Finn glanced up in time to see her deep brown eyes widen before she looked away. He couldn’t detect the blush on her golden-bronze skin, but he knew it was there. She probably expected him to spar and tease with her, and he was sorely tempted to do it. He could smile for days from the memory of one verbal match. But today he was going to keep himself under total control. He would be completely solemn, serious, and professional during the interview. And when the meeting was over, he would make certain Laurie didn’t get the job.
It was a selfish thing, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to handle seeing her on a daily basis. She was the kind of woman he liked—sharp, witty, and outspoken—and thus, the kind of woman he avoided. Maybe he could get her a job at another company, so he wouldn’t feel guilty.
“Come down here and take a seat.” Jarrett Alvarez touched the back of the chair beside him. It didn’t escape Finn’s notice that his buddy was more enthusiastic in greeting Laurie than the other seven candidates. Jarrett continued, “I don’t think I’ve seen you since Branson’s wedding.”
Branson responded with a face-splitting smile. He’d been ridiculously blissful ever since he got together with Stephanie and constantly urged Finn to join the ranks of happily married men. Finn had attempted numerous times to explain why that could never happen, but Branson lost every last vestige of common sense when he fell in love.
“Stephanie says hi. She and Ellie miss you a lot, and so do I.” As usual, Branson turned his head and appeared to be looking straight at Laurie, even though both of his eyes were prosthetic. Finn still marveled at his practiced ability.
“I talked to Steph a few minutes ago.” Laurie walked about halfway down the length of the conference table and stopped, shifting from one foot to the other like she wasn’t sure what to do. “I’m not avoiding you guys, Bran. I’m just super busy, working two part-time jobs. Gotta pay the rent.”
Bran’s head shook from side to side, as his brows furrowed. “You know you could live in the apartment free.”
“This isn’t the time, Mr. Knight.” Her lips pursed in disapproval, and she folded her arms, still standing at a distance. Finn knew from conversations with Branson that Laurie had moved out when she finished her degree. Yet she was still close friends with Bran and his wife and family, so Finn wondered why she stood so far away.
“Well, I hope you’re coming to dinner on Saturday,” Branson insisted, his jaw jutting forward stubbornly.
“I’d love that, but I’ll have to see how I’m feeling in a day or two.” A trembling hand darted up to push her hair behind her ear. “I just came back from visiting Mom, and she called today to tell me she could have a cold. I wouldn’t want to put Ellie at risk.”
Nervous dread swirled in Finn’s stomach as he fought the urge to flee the room. This time, it wasn’t his attraction that put his body on alert, but the knowledge that cystic fibrosis made him so susceptible to lung infections that a common cold could be life-threatening.
“I didn’t realize Mr. Anderson would be here, or I would’ve warned you.” Her eyes locked with his, full of sympathy and regret. Of course, having been the nanny for Branson’s stepdaughter, who was also afflicted with CF, Laurie was hyper-aware of the dangers of infection. “Should I go?”
“Stay.” The word popped out before Finn could stop it. What was he thinking?
With a sharp nod, she slid into the chair where she was standing. “I’ll sit back here, just in case.”
