[Hazel]
I straightened my shoulders. No way was I going to let him ruin the best day of my life. Not today. Not when I was riding the high of finally touching a dream I’d chased for so long.
He stepped forward slowly, hands buried in the pockets of his tailored slacks, a soft, deliberate smile playing at his lips—like he hadn’t kicked me from his office without mercy just a month ago. His expression was there, but it was unreadable—somewhere between nervous and composed. I hated that it still made my chest tighten. I hated how I felt like failing a task when I couldn’t decode his expression. I hated how my old habits kicked the moment I saw him.
“Come on, Hazel,” I muttered in my head. “You’re not his secretary anymore. You don’t need to read him. If he wants something, he can bark. Or
