POV: Maya
Nathaniel brought her coffee. He got her order exactly right on the first try. She felt nothing.
Maya sat at her desk at Aldridge & Associates. The new succulent—not Ramona, she had left Ramona with Sophie, a different one, a smaller one—sat on the corner of her desk. The gardenias were gone. She had thrown them away on Sunday. She had watched the white petals fall into the trash and she didn't cry.
The coffee appeared at 8:15 AM.
Nathaniel Cross stood beside her desk. He was thirty-three, warm, funny, with brown eyes that crinkled when he smiled. He was wearing a blue sweater that made his shoulders look broad. His brown curls were messy and he had an easy smile.
"Black, no sugar," he said. "Right?"
"Right."
"How did I do?"
"Perfect."
He grinned. "First try."
"That's
