Page 2 of Reaching Gavin

“It’s okay.” He dismissed my shock with a wave of his hand. “It’s been two years. I miss him, but I know he’s watching out for me.”

Two years? It didn’t take much mental arithmetic to recount where I’d been two years ago. I’d been fresh off my text break-up with Danny and hitting the bars with my best friends and a couple of fake IDs. As much as I wanted to ask him why he hadn’t told me, I knew the answer. Why update an ex-girlfriend who couldn’t even break up with you in person?

“We should get together sometime,” I said guiltily, thanking him one more time for the drink as I took off. I dumped it in the first garbage can I saw. That was where I belonged: in the garbage. Now I had to find a new drink, so I wouldn’t have to repeat that interaction every time I went for coffee—if I could bear to face him again.

Maybe I could face Danny again if I was clear that I wasn’t interested in anything more than friendship. Then we could hang out. A friend might be exactly what he needed. Not that he didn’t have any. He’d always been the guy surrounded by buddies. Probably because he was the guy you could call to help you move or paint a room or mow your lawn. Danny was possibly the world’s last nice guy. I was still considering how I could make it up to him when I entered the lobby of NorthWest Investments for the first time.

I had completed my interviews over the phone and on campus, which meant I’d never seen the offices before. Given what I knew about the business, I’d expected a cramped, cubicle-ridden studio. The owners of the group weren’t much older than me. The CEO wasn’t even thirty. Despite the fact they’d been buying up neglected Seattle landmarks and restoring them, I hadn’t expected there to be real money behind the operation. Everything from the floor-to-ceiling windows, polished marble floors, and the gleaming bank of elevators proved me wrong. I’d been excited to cut my teeth working in public relations for a start-up. Standing here, I was elated—and nervous. This internship was obviously a much bigger deal than I had thought. I allowed myself a moment to let it soak in. It wasn’t a real job—not yet. But it was the closest I’d ever come to one.

Shouldering my bag, I started toward the reception desk before skidding gracelessly to a halt as a man stepped into my path. Running into Luka had felt like a bad omen. Catching up with Danny had left me reeling. But the last person I wanted to see, in the last place I wanted to see him, waited for me inside the NorthWest Investments lobby.

Trevor, the most recent catch that I’d released, held up his hands in surrender. He’d made a similar gesture when I’d caught him with another woman last Christmas. The vulnerability didn’t jibe with the rest of him. He’d talked a big game and his ability to romance had completely blinded me to his bad behavior. In my book, he would always be Señor Douchebag.

My mind began to race. What was he doing here? Had he followed me? Maybe I’d gone to the wrong place. I double checked the door and saw that I was exactly where I was supposed to be. Then the pieces began to click into place. I’d applied for this summer internship last fall during the dark period when we’d still been dating. Fury burned through me as I realized what had happened.

He’d applied for the same internship. I didn’t remember there being two openings, which meant he’d purposefully put himself in direct competition with me—while we were still dating. I’d thought his cheating was bad, but apparently, he could, and did sink lower.

“Let me explain,” he began, but I walked past him. Trevor followed me to the reception desk.

I did my best to block out his lame excuses as I checked in with the man behind the counter.

“Hi George,” I said, reading the nameplate on the desk. “I’m here for the internship program.”

George’s lips twitched as he assessed the situation. We had to look pretty ridiculous: a slimy dude throwing out every clichéd excuse in the book and the ex-girlfriend trying to ignore him. I probably had steam coming out of my ears. “What’s your name?”

“Cassandra Hart,” I said sweetly.

“Mr. North will be here for the intern orientation in a moment. If you’d like to take a seat…” he trailed away. No doubt, he knew that I’d rather spend that time skewering my fellow intern.

Turning, I calmly walked toward a sitting area, but before I could take a seat, Trevor hit me with, “We need to clear the air.”

“Really?” I whirled on him. Dropping my voice to a low hiss, I decided to do just that. “You are unbelievable. You stole this internship from me.”

“You’re here, too. I hardly stole anything.”

He had a point, but I wasn’t about to concede that. “You did this deliberately. I have no idea why—and God help you—if it’s to try to win me back. Let me be clear. You and me? We’re over. So, if this is a pathetic attempt”—

“It’s not,” he stopped me.

That threw me. “Well….good. Because if you screw this up for me, I will cut off your balls and feed them to the seagulls.”

Trevor’s face darkened, but before he could respond, we were interrupted by a polite cough.

“I guess we’ll start with the sexual harassment policy.”

We both turned to the source of the low, masculine voice. I squared my shoulders in a bid to look confident, but my cheeks burned. The heat ratcheted to an inferno when my eyes landed on him: Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome in a tailored suit. His black hair was tucked behind his ears and his electric, blue eyes studied me. Judging by his scowl—the only thing marring his gorgeous face—he didn’t like what he saw.

My knees buckled slightly and I took a swift step forward to catch myself. It took me a second to find my voice, but when I did, it was strong and clear. “Mr. North?”

He tilted his head in acknowledgment and my heart sank. Given his age, he couldn’t be more than a few years older than I was. I’d hoped he might be another intern. Or a secretary. Or a bizarrely nosy stranger. Anyone but the CEO of the company.

“Call me Gavin,” he offered. “I assume you two know each other.”

I nodded and caught Trevor doing the same.

“We’re old friends.” The lie slid easily out of Trevor, and Gavin’s eyebrows shot up. Gavin North obviously had a more finely tuned bullshit detector than I did. Still, he didn’t call him out. Trevor stepped forward before I could recover. “I’m Trevor.”

I hated that he introduced himself first. Thrusting my hand out before Trevor could, I said, “Cassie. I mean, Cassandra.”

Gavin looked back and forth between us before shaking my hand as if making a decision. Two overly eager interns determined to best the other. He chose me, grabbing my hand in a firm grip. Sparks flew the second our skin touched, and I stifled a gasp. He was hot and I was wound tight, it was a terrible combination. I drew away, hoping he didn’t see how flustered the contact had made me. But when our eyes locked, his were stone cold. Too cold. Either he already hated me or he’d decided to keep his distance. Maybe I wasn’t the chosen one after all. Considering the threat I’d been leveling at Trevor when he walked in, I wouldn’t blame him on either count. The butterflies in my stomach turned into a swarm of pissed-off bees.

“If you two are finished”—he didn’t wait for us to respond—“allow me to welcome you to your first day at NorthWest Investments.”

The chill in his voice did nothing to stem the sickening anxiety I felt over my actions. I forced a smile, wondering if my first day would also be my last. By the time I got home that evening, I wished it had been.