Zach appeared next to Lilli's desk with his messenger bag over his shoulder. How could one man look yummy in so many different ways?

"Lill, it's after five. Walk with me to the station."

She wanted to. Jillian would. Her fictional character would suggest stopping for a drink before going home. Lillian was not Jillian. Her mind sounded like a kid's book. Did Zach realize the characters in the story he loved were Jack and Jill?

"You're smiling. Is that a yes?"

Lilli focused on Zach and not Jack and Jill tumbling together, obviously not down a hill.

"I want to clean this up." Her desk was cluttered, and she thrived on organization. Leaving with the mess would ruin her morning.

Zach nodded. "Have a good night, then."

She waved, but her attention was on her desk. If Zach and Lill took a tumble, Lill would break something other than her crown. Her heart. Jack broke his crown. What's a crown? She should have asked Cody.

When Lilli walked through the door, Ainsley looked at her funny. People on the train probably were too. She couldn't stop smiling. As unprofessional and unexpected as it was to have Leo's kids at work, Lilli loved every minute. Apparently, Anita Browning's daughter was at work every day. It was obviously different, but the first day of her internship was probably not her first day in the Dwyer Mitchell offices. She didn't want to think about Olivia.

"What?"

Ainsley shook her head. "You were smiling, but then you went off into la la land and frowned. What did Zach do?"

Lilli smiled again. "I had a great day."

"You didn't choke in front of Creamy Dreamy."

"No, I didn't choke. Leo brought his kids to work. I hung out with them."

"You hung out with kids. Why were they at work?"

"New nanny starts Monday and I don't know." She dismissed it as a onetime thing. "They were really cute. Riley had a pissy attitude, but she loved Zach."

"And you weren't jealous?"

"She's ten. He was really sweet with her. The more I get to know him, the more I see he's the total package."

"Because he likes kids?"

"Well, yeah! Oh, and I found out his girl has connections."

Ainsley laughed. "With the mob."

"No, her mother is married to Dwyer and works for the agency."

"So creamy got his job through her or knows how to choose his friends. Either way, he's a good person to know."

Lilli nodded. Zach was a very good person, and he would help her career, too. She walked to the kitchen for some cheap wine. Ainsley already had a glass.

Lilli sat down and said, "What are you doing? I have a ton of reading. I didn't get much done today."

Ainsley shrugged. "I'm bored. What do you want to eat?"

"Wine. I had pizza for lunch. The kids were a helpful distraction. I ate in front of Zach."

Ainsley giggled. "You love to eat. What's this Leo guy like?"

"Older. I don't know his story, except he moved to Boston and is moving into his house tomorrow."

"So he has two kids. Why didn't they go to work with his wife?"

Lilli thought for a moment. "Good question. I don't think he has a ring."

Ainsley sat up. "Since you like his kids, you should try to make Zach jealous."

"No way! I'm not playing games at the office. I'm a professional."

Ainsley snickered, but Lilli ignored her. Leo commented about her and Zach. Just because people like Nancy thought they should be together didn't make it so.

Ainsley went to the kitchen to find food. Lilli would eat a snack later. First, she wanted to look at Shania's story. It would be easier to let her down on Friday afternoon, so she would have the weekend to get over it. Lilli hoped the receptionist had stronger skin than Chelsea, but she shouldn't judge, because she struggled over feedback about Office Secrets that was negative. Obviously, she didn't know what it was really like to work in an architect's office. She read plenty of stories about publishers and could point out all the errors, but in the end, it was fiction. Matthew was lucky, with fantasy anything was possible.

She had another sample to read, before Shania's. By the third chapter, the potenial fell short. The inconsistencies were piling up. Glad to put it down, she picked up Shania's with some trepidation. Déjà vu.

As she read Shania's query, she hadn't expected a young adult novel. Lilli eagerly went from the summary to the sample pages. Shania had a pleasant voice. Ann taught Lilli to listen to the author's voice. If the voice on the sample pages felt uncomfortable, it was the quickest way to dismiss a submission. A good agent could help make a good manuscript great, but the voice affected the entire story.

She read and made notes, but her gut told her Shania might have something. Lilli wrote fun romances, but Shania's story was serious. Lilli wouldn't know if it was too serious until she read the entire manuscript.

The story was about a black girl who attended a predominantly white high school and explored diversity and prejudices. When the character dated a white boy, her family had issues with the relationship. The color line was murky, but the theme of parents wanting what they thought was best or easiest for their children crossed all races and ethnicities.

The theme of Shania's story was eye opening to Lilli. When she looked at the receptionist, she thought of her as young and immature as Chelsea. They both got drunk at the party. If Lilli needed to describe her, she would use her skin tone, but she never considered if it was hard for her to be the only person of color in their small office.

By the time she finished, she knew she would not make Shania cry. If only Leo wasn't off, he was the one who she needed to show the story to. The girl may act immature, but she was mature enough to take her life experiences and write about them thoughtfully. Lilli felt a chill of excitement.

Could she have made her first big discovery? If only it wasn't a YA book, or she could get Zach to forget about Office Secrets. Leo had said he would help Lilli reach her goal. Maybe she could take on Shania as her own client or jointly with Leo. The young adult market could become one of her areas of interest. Not children's books. She should google the meaning of crown.

It was after ten, when she finished reading the chapters. "Hey, Anise! I think I found a story.... Anise. Read this. I can't put it down."

Ainsley looked confused. "What?"

"Fess up. Who are you texting?"

"No one. It's just some fun. Don't worry. What did you say?"

"I think I found a viable story."

"Really? Good for you. I hope Creamy goes for it."

Lilli frowned. "It's YA, so let's hope Leo does. He told me he would help me. Maybe he'll let me work with him."

"Hey Lill, if someone asked Zach if you were beautiful, what do you think he would say?"

"He'd laugh and say something nice about my personality or my work. Why did someone say you were beautiful?"

Ainsley shook her head. "I was just wondering."

Lilli smiled at her friend. "You are."

"You are too, and I bet Zach thinks so."

Zach would probably be interested in Ainsley. She and her petite body. She complained about her boobs, but all men like breasts. Ainsley and Violet looked alike. Lilli and her sister sort of did too. Zach's friend loved Violet, so Zach would probably like the same type. He liked Jillian who was modeled after Ainsley.

"Ainse, he stares at me like I have two heads half the time."

"Or maybe it's because he can't take his eyes off you."

Lilli laughed as she shook her head. "It's late. I'm going to bed. Are you staying up?"

Ainsley put down her laptop. "Nope. I'm done."

Lilli had a strange feeling Ainsley had her own male interest.

If you like please vote 🌟

A/N In the summary of this story, it says don't give their secrets away. Hopefully, you picked up on the big secret after this chapter. The huge clue is Lilli has deleted her Tumblr app. All along we keep learning about how Lilli doesn't do social media. Any questions?