Chapter 289

• The afternoon is chaotic. For the first time, I’m glad of my assistant Rosalie’s lingering presence; I don’t get a second to think.
• Jake is in his office with just as much going on as me; I’ve walked in there a dozen times with files and notes, and he seems to be shedding clothes each time. He’s sitting with his shirt pulled out, unbuttoned at the collar, and his sleeves rolled up. His usually styled hair is ruffled and messy, and his tie and jacket are strewn across his couch. His shoes are lying in the middle of the floor, a sure sign he’s stressed.
• I pick up his tie and jacket, hang them neatly on the hooks behind his door, and push his shoes under the edge of his desk with the toe of my stiletto. I move all the papers he’s been through from the left side of his desk, pile them neatly into an open box file, and then lay out some contracts he needs to sign before sending them down to Legal. He smiles up at me briefly, leaning back so I can move the papers in front of him before signing them while propping his cell to his ear.