short now. It had never been so close to being mine before and I was terrified of such an opportunity slipping through my fingers.
The only thing that would be worse than losing partner would be to see Jon hand the title to Ethan. The thought almost made me throw up.
I set my empty glass down and glanced wearily at my desk. There was still so much work left to do and the scotch hadn’t given me the pep I’d hoped. I needed coffee.
So bare foot and beginning to feel the first hints of fatigue, I padded out of my office and down the rows of other offices toward the break room. I passed Ethan’s office. He’d left the lamp on that sat on his desk. I shook my head at his ineptness and carried on to the break room.
As soon as I stepped through the open archway into the dark break room, I walked right smack into someone. I stumbled back. He cursed as hot coffee spilled down his front and mine.
I swore loudly and peeled my soaking-wet and piping-hot blouse away from my chest. “Would you look where you’re going?” I barked, teeth clenched as the burning sensation on my skin faded away.
“Sorry,” he said.
And then I realized it was Ethan. “Oh.”
“Oh,” he echoed, flicking on a light. His eyes darted up and down the length of me. He arched an eyebrow at the sight of my bare feet before dragging his sharp blue gaze back up. “Staying late to swoop in and try to steal partner from me like a little bare-footed vulture?”
I scoffed. “Steal partner from you? How can I steal something that’s already mine, Ethan? I mean really.”
“Has anyone ever told you that cockiness is an ugly trait?”
“Has anyone ever told you that I don’t care?”
He rolled his eyes before staring morosely into his nearly empty coffee cup. He set it down on the counter to my right with a tired sigh. When his attention snapped back to me, he was all fire and ice again. “I don’t think anyone is under the impression that you care about anything besides your career, Kathryn.”
“And here I was, thinking I’ve been woefully misunderstood this whole time.”
“You’re not complicated enough to be woefully misunderstood.”
Damn him. He was quick. Always had been.
I snorted and slipped past him, stepping over the spilled coffee between us. “You’re such a gentleman, Ethan. As always.”
He turned and glared after me as I started making fresh coffee. I didn’t offer him any to replace the stuff he’d just spilled all over the floor due to his clumsiness.
“You’d better pull it together before the Christmas season, Kathryn. Nobody likes a Scrooge.” Ethan made for his office but paused to call over his shoulder. “See you tomorrow, sunshine.”
I grumbled under my breath and willed the coffee to brew faster. “Unfortunately.”
Chapter 4
Ethan
Dana reached for her glass of red wine and we toasted to what we were grateful for, the wine itself.
It had been a long day. Bumping into Kathryn and spilling coffee all over us both had been the icing on the cake. When I remembered at nine thirty that I was supposed to meet my sister, brother, and sister-in-law for a drink tonight, I’d hurried out of the office and left Kathryn in her cave where she belonged.
I wondered if she hung upside down from the ceiling like a bat once the rest of us went home.
Dana, my sweet gracious sister, had forgiven my tardiness when I arrived fifteen minutes late. Our brother, Eli, and his wife, Casey, were running behind too. It was a bit late for all of us to get together but we tried to do this weekly or every second week when we were able.
This bar, Steamworks, was our go to. It was just around the corner from the JDR offices and about a hundred feet from the sky train, so it was easy for everyone to get home afterward if they’d had one too many. I only planned on having one. I had a big day at the office tomorrow.
Dana raked her fingers through her dirty-blonde hair. It had the same disheveled coarse texture as my hair, and her eyes were the same shade of blue as mine. She licked her lips after sipping her wine and rested her elbow on the table. “This is nice.”
“Malbec is always a good choice.”
“I meant seeing you, not the wine.” She smiled. The corners of her eyes crinkled and I wondered when that had happened.