Natalie twisted her fingers together as Steph gave her a rundown on what Sam had pitched to the board so far, the two of them huddled in the corridor outside the Wildfire conference room. It was hard to hear anything past the voice in her head reminding her that in her haste she’d forgotten to put a bra on under that hoodie and PJ top.
“Nat.” Steph snapped her fingers. “You listening?”
She started. “Sorry. Just—nervous.” At least half the people would be on the conference room’s big-screen TV, teleconferencing in from various locations across the country. It’d be difficult for them to assess her attire from the screen. Still . . . “Are you sure the hoodie’s alright?”
Steph shrugged. “Sam told them he was calling you in unexpectedly to talk about it.”
Nevertheless, it was difficult not to compare her wardrobe to Steph’s sleek black pants, heels, and silk top.
Steph nudged her arm. “He likes you, you know.”
Natalie blinked. “Who?”
“Sam. I told him to ask you out.” A smug smile accompanied the words.
A door closed nearby. Natalie lowered her voice, brain scrambling. “I—he—um, but he’s my boss.”
Steph waved the concern away. “I told him you were fine with it. You can thank me later. You don’t want people getting the wrong idea about you and Jem.”
“Me and Jem?” Her voice jumped an octave.
“Exactly. It’s ludicrous. But there’s your history, you’re there all the time . . . Sam might get the wrong idea.” She raised her eyebrows at Natalie. “You’re single and quite the catch. You need to act like it.”
Act like it? She’d be lucky if she could tie her shoes in front of Sam now. And in five minutes she had to walk in there and give this presentation.
She pretended to flick through the notes in her hand while turning the thought over in her head. Could Sam really be interested in her? A thrill tickled her nerves at the thought. No man had spared more than a passing glance at her since Jem, despite what the movies said about being single and in your twenties. And Sam was . . . well, Sam. Australian. Genuine. Warm. Talented. Australian. Passionate about the very field she wanted to work in.
And Australian.
Okay. She could do this. She straightened her shoulders and entered the board room. Most board members were still out on a short break, but a woman in smart skinny jeans and a form-fitting gray blouse occupied a chair on the edge of the room.
Kimberly.
Natalie’s stride faltered.
Kimberly shot her a smile. “Hey.”
Natalie pasted her smile back on. “Hi. I didn’t know you were coming.”
Kimberly shrugged. “I wanted to hear about your idea. Sam’s been really enthusiastic about it. And I like to see how other people pitch. It’s not my strongest suit.”
Steph joined them. “Kimberly’s being modest. She pitched business ideas back in LA all the time, and her pitch to this board was terrific.” To Natalie: “Did you know she worked with start-ups in Silicon Valley?”
No, she did not. And wasn’t that just a great confidence boost? She gave a feeble, “That’s awesome.”
Kimberly shrugged it off. “It was Mom’s company. But this is what I want to do.” Certainty filled her voice.
Like the job was already hers.
Board members filed back in. Kimberly nodded to the front of the room. “Break a leg.”
Natalie walked to the front of the room on wooden limbs.
Sam strode through the door, all broad shoulders and flannel. The man’s vibe could be summed up as “preaching lumberjack.” He sent her a thumbs-up and took his seat.
Natalie gripped her notes.
God, please help me.
She took a deep breath. Okay. Professional mode. She clicked to her first slide, and her brain slipped into its groove.
Ten heart-pounding minutes later and she was done. She exited the room, head high, legs wobbly. Leaned against the wall. She’d done it. The rest was out of her hands.
A door quietly opened and closed. Sam joined her in the corridor, a smile stretching from ear to ear. “That was fantastic!” He offered his hand in a high five.
She slapped it with a relieved laugh.
He gestured to the room. “I’ll be tied up here for another hour or two, but are you hanging around? Celebratory lunch?”
Natalie hesitated. Was this a date? Did she want it to be? What exactly had Steph told him?
Snap out of it, Natalie. It’s just lunch.
And lunch with an attractive single man never hurt.
She smiled. “Sounds great.”