Zara was currently bent over her desk doing her damnedest not to think on last night’s escapades and concentrate on the printed schedule for the day ahead. She looked up at EJ’s remark, watching as the woman threw her coat over the back of her chair and headed through Zara’s open doorway. ‘Morning to you too.’
EJ gave her a mock grimace. ‘Good morning, boss.’
‘I wasn’t supposed to be in,’ she acknowledged, her eyes dropping once more to the page, ‘but it turns out our client’s brother is now on the scene and he insists his car do the driving. He’s picking me up shortly.’
‘Oh.’
She caught the rise to EJ’s voice and flicked her a look. It wasn’t just her voice on the up, the woman’s brow had hit the roof. What had got into her?
‘Oh?’
A smile teased at EJ’s lips. ‘Well, did he happen to be involved yesterday?’
‘Yes.’ She frowned. Where was this going?
‘And is he good-looking, by any chance?’
‘EJ,’ she burst out. ‘That’s entirely inappropriate.’
As was everything we’d done together.
Her cheeks flooded, her eyes dropping to burn a hole through her desk. ‘He’s the brother of a client.’
‘And?’ The woman’s innocent tone couldn’t have been more forced. ‘I’m only saying that when you returned yesterday there was a definite air about you. Considering Shit-Bag had done such a fabulous job of ruining the morn, I was hardly expecting you to come back in such good spirits.’
‘Good spirits?’ Zara snorted. ‘Hardly.’
‘Whatever...you’re just changing the subject now.’
‘I’m not changing anything.’
‘In that case—good-looking, was he?’
Her phone rescued her, buzzing with an incoming text message. She checked the screen and her heart skipped over.
It was him.
She let go of a slow breath, trying for outward calm even as her insides went on a crazy dance. ‘He’s here.’
‘You going to send him up?’
‘Absolutely not.’ She slipped the schedule into her bag, her eyes off EJ and her overly assertive radar. ‘I should be back around three.’
‘Great,’ EJ declared, ‘and if he offers to take you out in the meantime, just—’
Zara sent her a warning look, cutting her off, and got a pouting grimace in return.
‘You’re incorrigible, EJ.’
The woman just grinned at her. ‘Not in the slightest. I’m just keen to see you back out in the field.’
‘The field.’ She rolled her eyes and lifted her jacket off the chair back, shrugging it on. ‘We’re not in school any more.’
‘True, but you know the age-old adage—all work and no play...’
She shook her head but couldn’t help the smile that crept in. ‘I’ll see you later.’
She threw her bag over her shoulder and made for the doorway.