Page 16 of Maxwell

“I’m not.”

“What are the chances? What happened? She didn’t freak out on you, did she?”

“Nah, she was actually pretty cool. Answered all my questions and showed me around, like she was supposed to.”

“She wasn’t pissed or anything?”

“Nah. She was fine.”

There was silence on the other end of the line as Jayson digested what Maxwell had told him.

“That’s unusual but good, right? You don’t have to worry about drama at your new job. Unless she’s one of those quiet psychopaths and is biding her time.”

“Don’t jinx me.”

“I’m just saying, man. Women can be tricky, and you know that. I guess you’ll see how things play out over the next few weeks, but if she’s really cool, maybe you could... hit it again?”

The same thought had crossed his mind, but Jasmine didn’t seem remotely interested. “I’ll have to see. I am working for her father.”

“True, you gotta be careful. Things can go left real fast.”

“You know all about that, don’t you?” Maxwell asked.

Jayson groaned. He’d lost a paid internship in college after sleeping with the boss’s daughter.

“Don’t remind me,” he grumbled. “Well, I’m glad to hear you had a good day, and hopefully Jasmine doesn’t turn out to be a stalker or undercover psychopath.”

Maxwell changed lanes to get around a truck. “I don’t think she’s either of those. I’m sure I’m safe.”

“Cool. I’ll check in with you later this week. Maybe we can go hit a club this weekend?”

“Sounds like a plan. I’ll catch you later.”

After they hung up, Maxwell replayed the conversation in his mind, tapping his thumb on the leather steering wheel. He didn’t for one second believe that Jasmine was a quiet psychopath. Not that he was clairvoyant, but she didn’t give off those vibes. The only vibes she gave off was that she honestly, really didn’t care that he’d left after they had sex, and she didn’t care that they now had to work together.

Her attitude bothered him. It bothered him a lot.

Chapter Seven

“Don’t panic,” Jasmine mumbled to herself as she peered at her phone and walked briskly toward the community room, where thirty-three students and their parents patiently—or impatiently—waited.

The New Year, Healthy Youth workshop for tweens should have started fifteen minutes ago, except Dr. Park, who was supposed to come in on her day off to lead the event, had not yet arrived. Jasmine couldn’t reach her, and the doctor hadn’t reached out, either.

Everything is fine, she told herself, trying to stay positive.

She had put out the snacks, which seemed to have temporarily distracted the attendees, but baby carrots, granola bars, clementines, and cucumber-lemon-infused water could only go so far. Pretty soon the kids and their parents would become restless and agitated.

The hum of conversation spilled from the open door as she approached, but one of the parents stepped out aggressively and blocked her from entering. A man of average height, he rested his hands on his hips and furrowed his bushy eyebrows. “Excuse me, but when exactly are we going to get started? It’s...” He checked his watch. “It’s three forty-six. The flyer said the workshop starts at three-thirty.”

“You’re right. We’re running a little behind, but we’ll soon⁠—”

“A little behind? When exactly do you plan to start?” he asked.

“Very soon. Excuse me one second. I need to take this call.” Jasmine put her phone to her ear even though no one was calling. “Hello?”

She rushed away, and when she had turned the corner and was out of sight, she stopped and hit redial, trying Dr. Park for the third time. Like before, the phone rang a few times and went straight to voicemail.

“Hi, Dr. Park, this is Jasmine again,” she said in a low voice. “The workshop should have started fifteen minutes ago, but obviously we can’t start without you here. If you could give me a call, let me know where you are and how much longer you’ll be, I could stall our guests. Please, call me. Right away. Thank you.”