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Chapter 1

The door to my new office hits me in the back as it closes too quickly, and I nearly take a dive into the carpet—heels, boxes and all Of course, when I say ‘office’ I really mean to say ‘small, out-of-the-way converted broom closed where it’s easy fordown the se box of neork files It’s a year Just a year A year here, and I can move to a different firet out of my uncle’s house He doesn’t want me there anyway All I have to do is survive

A picture of oes on the wall There’s a short filing cabinet in the corner—one that I can’t i I’ll need in this job—next to the trash can That’s about all this tiny roorateful to have an office as a paralegal, but the more I think about it the more I realize it’s probably because ht At least there’s a

The door flies open, rattling on its hinges Speak of the devil, it’shair and beard, and a glare that could finisharound the tiny office “Are you settled in?”

“Yes, thank you,” I say, holding back a sigh After sothe small courtesies and affections that the ter how I like the office or howthings were different

“Good There’s a stack of files onwith the partners at three Check the schedule for ill be there and make a full set for each”

“Okay” I nod, and glance at the clock It’s two o’clock now Should be plenty of time

He turns and leaves without saying anything else Before I can stop it, a wave of anxiety crashes over me I try to pep talk myself out of it You can do this You can do this You can do this That’s going to be my mantra for the rest of the day Hell, the rest of this year

I check the schedule and count seven partners attending the et the files—he’s on the phone and doesn’t even noticethis job done in an hour The pile of paper is huge Looks like it h I knohat I’a Doesn’t matter I have to do it

Luckily the copy roo that it actually looks bigger than my office But what I also notice is that there’s only one copier for this entire floor, and I can already ient cases I’s if I want to keep this job

I hu It’s sweet and soulful, sowriter I actually sang back-up on that one too It’s new but reminds me of the classics Has a Te when it’s finally released Probably about as close to hearing et I try to shake s Clearly that ship has sailed Tiirl pants

I’h the stack of files when I hear a noise that no copier should ever make Scratch that, nocrunch and grind followed by the squeal of gears and the full stop of the copier

Shit Shit

I check the screen and see that the power to the machine is still on, so it’s not co Must be one hell of a paper jah many similar technical difficulties in the past, I confidently open the drawer of the copier and feel around in the back, certain I can fix this before it beco None of the usual culprits; no cru in the second paper drawer either

Shit I glance at the clock, rapidly losingand no tiuess I don’t have a choice I kick my heels to the side and hikeday to wear this skirt

I take the paper drawers all the way out and stack the up inside the innards of the machine, I think I can just see the botto mechanism I open up the door to expose the rest of the machine—POOF!

Okay, apparently it’s et the toner out of my eyes Of course this would happen on nment It’s so perfect I can’t even think of an appropriate sord At least I see what the ether have snarled in the gears, twisting to oing to get this ain

The only problem is, the paper doesn’t want tooff little pieces accidentally because the e Finally, I shove both aret a grip on, and pull

The paper releases all at once and I go sprawling backwards ontosounds of resetting itself, I hear laughter Male laughter

Dear god, just kill me now

“If I had knohat kind of view I’d be getting, I’d visit this floor more often”

I turn my head and…

Staring You’re staring, Naomi

But when soht?

Wavy brown hair, blue eyes, and cheek bones that belong in a azine and not in the copy room The copy room