Chapter 1

Eight years as a director, and overnight I was a receptionist.

The whole company was waiting for me to cry, but I was busy enjoying the fact that I got to leave at six.

Then my brother came back from a business trip and found me serving coffee in the lobby.

The files in his hand hit the floor, and his wife went white on the spot.

*****

The day I got transferred to the front desk, the whole floor kept sneaking looks at me while I packed up my things.

I had given this company eight years. I had started out as an ordinary marketing specialist and worked my way up, one step at a time, to Director of Strategy.

I had managed a team of more than thirty people, and the projects that went through my hands added up to several hundred million dollars, at the very least.

Then a single transfer order shoved me all the way down to the front desk in the lobby.

I knew the signature on it. It belonged to Vivian Shaw, the chairman's wife.

When Diane Porter, the HR manager, slapped the order down on my desk, she couldn't keep the satisfaction out of her eyes.

Diane smiled as she corrected herself. "Ms. Hale. Oh, sorry, I suppose it's just Tessa Hale now. Starting tomorrow, you report to the lobby. You can pick up your uniform from Admin."

I looked at the sheet of paper and didn't say a word. The floor went quiet for a moment while everyone waited for me to cry, or make a scene, or start throwing things.

I folded the order and slipped it into my pocket. "Who do I see about the uniform?"

Diane blinked. "Admin. Ask for Megan."

"Got it." I stood up, picked my mug and my little succulent up off the desk, and tipped my chin at the coworkers who were still staring. "Show's over, people! Nothing to see here."

The second I walked out of the office, the floor erupted into gossip behind me.

"They actually did it? The Director of Strategy, sent down to the front desk?"

"Who did she cross?"

"I heard Mrs. Shaw signed off on it herself."

"That's it. She's done for."

In the elevator, I couldn't help laughing. It wasn't a bitter laugh, either. I honestly found it funny.

Vivian had been married to my brother for three years, and she still had no idea I was her husband's sister.

When I was hired, I went by my mother's last name, Hale. My brother, Grant Shaw, spent most of the year on the road, so nobody at the company ever connected me with the chairman of the board.

I had never wanted to lean on my brother, either. For eight years, every step up had been my own.

But Vivian didn't know any of that. All she knew was that a young female director at the company was a little too close to her husband.

When Grant sent me a check in a holiday card, she thought it looked suspicious. When he glanced my way a couple of extra times at the company holiday party, she decided something was going on.

And when he spent ten minutes in my office the month before, on his way out of town, her whole world came crashing down.

What we actually talked about for those ten minutes was my brother reminding me to eat on time and not to stay too late at work. He sounded exactly like our mother, and I almost threw him out.

But to Vivian, those ten minutes were ironclad proof of an affair.

So when Grant left for a month-long trip overseas, she made her move. With one transfer order, she pinned her supposed rival to the lowest rung she could find.

I stood in the elevator and straightened my collar in the blurry reflection on the doors. If it had to be the front desk, then fine.

There would be no overtime, no meetings, and no KPIs hanging over my head, and I'd be out the door at six sharp. To be honest, after eight years of this grind, I had been dying for a chance to coast.

The next day, when I showed up in the lobby in my front desk uniform, I could feel everyone who walked by looking at me. Some looked sorry for me, some looked thrilled, and some were only there for the show.

The other receptionist was Annie Brooks, twenty-three and fresh out of college, and when she saw me walk up, her eyes went as big as saucers. "Wait. You're really Ms. Hale?"

"Not anymore." I set my succulent down on the front desk. "Just call me Tessa. We're partners now."

Annie could barely get the words out. "But you're a director."

I corrected her. "Former director." Then I noticed that the front desk chair was even softer than the one in my office, and the back sat at exactly the right angle.

I leaned back and nearly groaned out loud. It was a seriously good chair.

Annie was still looking at me with pity written all over her face.

I pointed at the computer screen. "Is this system hard? Show me how it works."

Ten minutes later, I had the visitor log down. Twenty minutes later, I had figured out the conference room schedule. Thirty minutes later, I had brewed the coffee I'd brought from home and propped my phone on a stand to stream a show.

Annie watched all of it with her jaw hanging open.

At nine-thirty, Diane came downstairs with a cup of coffee and slowed down as she happened to pass the front desk. She was doing it on purpose.

She drew out every word like she was savoring something delicious. "Well, Tessa, how are we settling in?"

I didn't even look up. "Pretty good. This chair's more comfortable than the one I had upstairs."

Diane's smile froze for a second. She had probably been hoping for a miserable face, or at least someone grinding her teeth and holding it in. She hadn't expected me to look so genuinely relaxed.

Her smile looked forced. "Good. If there's anything you don't understand, ask Annie. Front desk work is a little different from being a director, after all."

What she meant was that no matter how good I had been, these days I was the one who fetched the coffee. I made a noncommittal sound and went back to my show.

Diane hovered for a few seconds, realized there was no fun to be had, and left.

Annie leaned in and kept her voice down. "Tessa, you're really not mad?"

I pulled out one earbud and looked at her. "Mad about what? I get off at six now. No late nights writing proposals, no drinks with clients. This is ten thousand times better than being a director."

Annie looked at me like I was a lunatic who had finally found inner peace.

I didn't explain. My brother would be home within the month, and when he got back, this whole circus would wrap itself up. Until then, I planned to enjoy my paid vacation.