Page 3 of Best Mistake Ever

“I got the call right before the fire alarm,” he says as he sits down behind his desk and glares at me once again, strangely enough, staring directly at my lips.

I don’t say a word in the heavy silence; I just sit in one of the two chairs across from his desk and wait him out.

After several long moments, Mr. Crawford says through his clenched teeth, “Apparently, you’re the only one who can fill in for Lily on such short notice.”

He says this like he can’t believe there’s no one else on the planet who has experience answering calls, scheduling meetings, and taking notes during them.

That’s when it dawns on me why I’m up here in his office instead of out on the street in handcuffs.

“You want me to fill in for Lily?” I ask in surprise.

“Yes.”

“For how long? Like until you find someone else or…”

“Her maternity leave is only for seven months,” he replies. “There’s one month until her due date, then six months after the baby’s birth. Since you’re already familiar with her responsibilities, it seems…a waste of time for you to train someone else.”

“Right. Sure. That makes sense,” I agree, nodding a little too fast. “So, this temporary fill-in job would be full time? For seven months?”

“Yes.”

“With benefits?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, wow,” I whisper.

I came up here expecting to lose my part-time position and instead, I’m being offered full time, working as the administrative assistant to the CEO.

“Well? Do you accept?” Montgomery asks. “You would start immediately, obviously.”

“Of course, yeah, I would absolutely love to accept,” I say while squirming in my chair. “It’s just, there’s something I need to tell you, something that may change your mind.”

“I’m on the edge of my seat,” he grits out as his gaze flicks from my eyes to my lips again.

The man must have some serious dental issues from all his teeth clenching. And what’s with his obsession with my lips?

Taking a deep breath, I blurt out the truth. “It was me. I’m the one who set the breakroom on fire.”

I squeeze my eyes shut, unable to endure the fury that’s no doubt taken over his handsome face.

“I know.”

My eyes fly open. “Huh? You know…what exactly?”

“I know it was you who started the fire.”

“How…what…”

Reaching into the interior pocket of his suit jacket, he pulls out…a cigarette lighter. Not just any lighter, but a pink, translucent one with Hello Kitty on it. “This yours?” he asks.

“Why…why would you think that’s mine?”

“Several reasons. The firefighters found it on the breakroom counter next to the roll of paper towels that caught on fire, beside a candle and an empty cupcake wrapper. There’s also security footage of you entering and leaving the breakroom alone. And even if you hadn’t just admitted that you started the fire, there’s still some pink icing on the corner of your mouth.”

I swipe my tongue along my lips and taste more of the sugary icing. Montgomery watches the move in what I assume is disgust.

Oh, so that’s why he’s glowering at my mouth in such an odd way.