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A / N

Okay y'all, we're establishing...something.

x Noelle

  

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(the one with the frying pan)


MONDAY MORNING HAD me in a flurry of activity again.

Jessa and I had a meeting with the bank to take on a new loan for Sereinn, which was then followed by a ridiculous shouting-match in the main office. Someone had slept with someone's boyfriend, which was a drama only further fuelled by another someone (Heather Fisher) who thrived on gossip. There'd been all kinds of name-calling and cat-fighting and hair-pulling, while the rest of the employees got out their phones to record the whole damn thing. I'd marched down to the kitchen, grabbed a frying pan and threatened to thunk them all over the head with it.

Everyone returned back to work pretty quickly after that.

I'd then trudged back to Brielle's office and thunked my own head on the table. Honestly, it was like I was back in high school again—with all the petty drama, office politics and girls who tore down other girls to make themselves feel better.

Brielle would handle this perfectly, I knew. One frosty look and a mild threat to have them all fired, and they'd return to their desks like perfect little lambs.

At that moment, the intercom buzzed. Stifling a groan, I felt around for the button and pushed it. "Yeah?"

"Darce, it's the front desk." Jessa sounded hesitant on the other end. "It's...um, I believe it's Mr Callaghan from Hale & Co."

"What?" I shrieked, and nearly fell off my chair in shock. Shit. Odds were, everyone in the office had heard me through the intercom. "I'll be right down!"

I smoothed my palms on my skirt and got up to leave. On second thought... I grabbed the frying pan and shut the door behind me. It was impossible not to notice the stares from the other employees. Heather, in particular, looked like she was about to pee in her seat from all that excitement.

I brandished the frying pan and smiled in satisfaction when she looked away.

Miles was waiting by the administration desk outside, and his eyebrows rose when he saw me. "In the middle of lunch, Evers?"

I blushed and lowered the pan. "No, just...fighting fire with fire."

"With a frying pan?"

"That's the only way to do it." Unable to help myself, I gave him a brief once-over. He'd worn the same coat down to his knees today, but I knew from his form-fitting suit the other night that he was all lean muscle underneath.

Not for the first time since we met, I was struck by just how many years had passed. The Miles from before had worn faded shirts and cargo shorts all the time. He'd smiled freely, laughed frequently, and was indiscriminately kind to everyone. Even those who'd given him hell.

But this—this was the Miles that he had become. Styled hair, polished shoes, expensive leather briefcase. This was the Miles I knew he would be, the one that I wanted him to be. I'd seen so much potential in him back then, but now that he'd become just what I wanted...

It was as though the years had turned him into a colder man in exchange for the boy's smiles.

I took a deep breath and quashed the nostalgia down. "So what're you doing here? Did you need something?"

"No," he said simply. "But I'm guessing you do."

"What?"

"The files, Evers. Surely you haven't forgotten about them?"

I had. My eyes widened and a flush sprung to my cheeks. "Oh, right! Um—" I flicked a glance towards the office. "They're on my desk, I think. I'm not sure, actually. If you could wait here for just a while..."

He nodded. "That's fine."

"Okay, one minute!"

Before I could embarrass myself any further, I ducked back into the office, frying pan and all. The other employees swarmed me with questions the moment I stepped back in, but I ignored them and made a beeline for Brielle's private office.

Jessa followed and shut the door behind us. "What're you doing, Darce?"

I didn't look up as I rummaged through the pile in search of the files. "Miles agreed to have a look at my research."

"It seems like you're enjoying his company more than you should. Have you forgotten that Hale & Co. is our rival?"

"I haven't forgotten. But Miles isn't our rival. And I really think I can get through to him."

Without waiting for Jessa's response, I grabbed the files and hurried out. Miles was exactly where I'd left him, and I held the files up with a hesitant smile.

"They're just...research. They're probably not even very good, and your company won't think much of it—"

"It's fine," he cut me off. "I'll have a look at them."

"Thank you." I beamed at him. It was nice of him to uphold his end of the deal when I'd clean forgotten about it. "Would you like to have a look around?"

His eyebrows rose.

"Not the main office, I'm afraid that's out-of-bounds to non-employees. But you can have a look at the resort, if you want."

He stared at me for a moment, before he nodded. "Sure."

"Great! I'll just leave these here so you won't have to lug them around." I handed the files to the two employees at the front desk, ignoring the wide-eyed looks they gave me, and turned back to Miles. "Come on."

He followed me into the elevator. "Bad form, Evers."

"What is?"

"Do you go around showing Sereinn off to every competitor that comes your way, or is this just a one-off?"

I winced. "I never really thought of it like that. But it is just a one-off. I don't think I've ever shown any non-employee around the place before."

We stepped out into the lobby, where I showed him around the check-in area. Welcome pedestals had replaced the traditional front desk; and the rooms were in the adjacent buildings. Sereinn had the usual services of most beach resorts—a concierge, dry cleaning, porter services and more; along with several amenities that the resort had become well-known for.

"Our café's pastries are supplied by Caffeinated—the diner run by Brielle's husband," I explained, as we passed the first floor. "We have a bar, that's popular too—but which bar isn't?—and that's the restaurant."

I shot Miles several surreptitious glances through the tour. He didn't say much, save for the occasional question, but his sharp eyes seemed to miss nothing. I felt his gaze on me whenever I stopped to speak with a fellow employee, and I couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking.

Did he like this place? Hate it? Why was I so eager for Sereinn to win his approval even though it wouldn't even matter if it did?

After showing him the sundeck, we headed to the place where I felt most at home at. "This is operations," I said, waving a hand at the door. "It's where my parents work. So did I, before I temporarily took over Brielle's job."

Miles stared at me. "Charles and Bridget work here?"

I smiled when I realized that he still remembered my parents' names. "Yes. And Ean too, sometimes. He works as a lifeguard here when he's not on duty at the beach. He always says it's stupid to guard here because the pool's too shallow to even drown in, but the pay's too good to pass up."

"And your parents?"

"Dad works closely with the suppliers from food and beverage, while Mom does the same for housekeeping. And I work with services—the spa, pool, rooftop..." My eyes widened and I made an impulse grab for Miles's hand. "I can't believe I forgot to show you the most important thing of all!"

"Are you always this handsy with your competitors, or is this also a one-off?"

I simply grinned at him. "You have to see this. You'll love it, I promise."

We took the elevator again, and I bounced the balls of my feet through the ride up. I noticed him glance at me, his lips twitching in clear amusement, even though he said nothing. As soon as the doors opened, I stepped out and spun around so I could face him.

"Here it is!" I said, with a grand flourish.

He frowned. "Here what is?"

"The rooftop garden! I made this place myself. I mean, I didn't build it or anything, but the layout and design—that's all me. It's my favorite place in the world."

Miles followed me into the garden at a stately pace. It was still cold outside, but the sunlight was bright enough to bathe the rooftop garden in a pleasant warmth. A light smattering of snow covered the small fir trees and the dusty path ahead; while the pavilion glowed from the soft orange lamp that hung from the ceiling. The pond had iced over since, and the butterfly koi that were previously there had been moved to a tank.

"I thought your favorite place was the beach," he said at last.

"It was. But I figured out a long time ago that it wasn't really the beach that I loved. Just the familiarity of it. And this—" I stepped into the pavilion and sat down on the closest bench. "—this is my new familiar."

Miles leaned a shoulder against the nearby column and watched me with those solemn grayish-blue eyes I'd so often dreamt about. How many times before had we been in these same positions—where he'd just been content to listen to what I had to say?

Nostalgia swept through me and I let out a slow breath. "Sometimes, I like to sit here and think about...well, everything," I confessed softly. "I think about my family and how we won't be together forever. I think about my job and wonder whether this is really it, or if I could have something more. I even think about my future, because everyone else my age seems to have life figured out. You think that, someday, life's going to fall into place and just make sense. But you don't know when it's going to happen, or if it'll ever happen. I think about things like that; and I always, always, think about—"

you.

The word froze on the tip of my tongue, and I bit it back before I could say anything more.

Miles's eyes bore into mine. "About?"

I shook my head and forced a bright smile onto my face. "Nothing. Nothing at all."

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