Zach hated to dress in a suit on a Saturday, but it would be expected. At least Olivia would keep him company. She had been his plus-one more time than he could count. He could count on her for JJ's wedding, although with a little luck, his brother could swing a weekend off.

He took the orange line with plans to Uber home. His friends teased him about taking the T, but he was still waiting for David Baldacci to walk through the door before he took Ubers or paid for parking garages everyday. Besides, he wanted a drink or two after his long week. The bar had a trendy chrome and black decor. The high ceilings made the acoustics awful. He was glad Lilli hadn't picked a place like it for Ann's party.

"Hey stranger."

He turned and smiled at Olivia. She gave him a quick hug. "I was told it was a small gathering for the wedding party to meet."

"Did you want to pick out your bridesmaid? Let me guess, you want the tallest." Olivia teased him. Olivia was average height.

"How's NYC?"

"Fine. Did you know the lease is up on the Boston office at the end of the year?"

Zach felt confused. "What does that mean?" They wouldn't move Leo just to close it.

"They are discussing a bigger suite. You need your girl to be ready if it happens."

She didn't mean to coordinate the move. That would be Olivia's job. He stood up straighter. "She will be."

Olivia laughed at him. "Still crushing?" He felt his neck get warm.

JJ appeared. "Zach and Livvy. So, are you still obsessed with those legs in your office?"

"She's his assistant now."

JJ patted him on the back. "You dirty dog." Zach wanted to defend himself and Lilli's honor. JJ changed the subject. "Congratulations are in order. I heard you have a new client. Were you cutting your teeth on that negotiation?"

"Just doing my job. Has your old man put you in charge of legal?"

JJ shook his head, smirking. "I'd have to kill Dex first." He was referring to Josh Roche, who was older and more experienced than JJ.

A pretty blond approached and put her arm around JJ. Violet said, "Are you boys playing nice?"

JJ replied, "Always."

She reached up and Zach bent so she could kiss his cheek. "Hi Zach. It's been too long." She turned to her fiancé. "James, why don't we see Zach more?"

"Because he is home lusting over..."

Zach cut him off. "So Violet, where's my bridesmaid?"

"Sorry Zach. My cousin Harper is married. I thought of giving you my sister, but she's single and desperate. You don't need the annoyance. Harper's right over there.

She pointed to a tall brunette with her arm around a guy her same height, at least in her heels.

Olivia said, "She reminds me of someone."

Zach screened the room. A woman talking to an older couple caught his attention. She was looking at him, but quickly looked away. Something about her looked familiar. She reminded him of Jillian, which was exactly the way he pictured Ree.

You're going crazy.

"Who's the girl at six o'clock talking to the couple?"

Violet had flitted away. JJ said, "Violet's sister."

"That must be why I thought she looked familiar."

JJ said, "She works at Roche-Sumner."

Zach laughed. "Did you get her a job?"

"Nope. She was already there before I met Vi."

Violet was right, she was too short for him. He loved legs, and he also didn't want to go through life bent over with a sore neck.

Olivia stayed by his side as he spoke to people he knew. He met Harper and her husband. Not only did he have the married bridesmaid, but she was also expecting.

"Cheer up, maybe you'll have a date by then. If not, you always have me." Olivia put her arm around him.

Anita approached. "Hello you two."

"Hi Mom." Olivia smiled at the poised woman.

"Zach, you look well. I heard you signed Cunningham."

Feeling modest, he deflected. "I think my assistant charmed him."

Kurt Dwyer put his arm around his wife and smiled at his stepdaughter. "The girl's impressive. She reminds me of Livvy."

"I'm hoping to help her like Ann helped me."

"I'm keeping my eye on both of you." Zach panicked. He would kill Olivia for telling his uncle about his feelings for Lilli. "I expect great things from you."

Zach relaxed, but again Violet's sister was looking at him. She glanced down at her phone. He debated speaking to her, but she kept to the perimeter of the room. She limited her interactions to the older guests and Troy. Violet had a talent for matching her wedding party based on appearances. Troy was medium height and blond. They teased him for being a male slut. It was odd Violet wasn't worried about putting him with her little sister.

Olivia smiled at him and he glared at her, glad he didn't have a sister. She sipped her lemon drop martini and laughed. "You're so touchy. I haven't seen you like this since Jane."

Olivia didn't like Jane. Zach never understood why, even when Livvy tried to explain she wasn't good enough for him. At the time, he thought she was too good for him. He changed his mind when she left him. His heart started to heal the day Lilli joined the agency. Was he shallow?

"I concede. She wasn't right for me after all."

"At least, I like Lilli, although she gave me the look." Olivia rolled her eyes.

"What look?"

"The one that women give me when they think we're together. They study me to see if I'm good enough. It's hard being friends with a perfect male specimen."

Zach laughed. "I'm far from perfect. Just the other night, I ate cereal for dinner in my boxers."

"The right woman would eat cereal right next to you."

"Captain Crunch?"

As he said it, he knew Lilli would. She ate bagels and pastries and other things most women were afraid to look at. What had she said about her roommates and her hips or thighs? It didn't matter, because Lilli's hips were perfect and he couldn't think about her thighs without getting hard.

Olivia's eyes widened. "Oh my God! You're thinking about her, aren't you?"

He could feel heat in his neck. "Why are you so mean?" Deflection.

"Just make your move. Get it over with."

"I don't even know if she likes me." He frowned. "She does things and I end up feeling responsible."

"What things?"

He frowned as he recalled. "I don't know. Like spilled her coffee down the front of her."

Olivia smiled. "You fluster her."

He shook his head. "I think I intimidate her. She says she intimidates men, but she thinks it's because of her height."

Olivia laughed. "You discussed it, but you didn't mention how you feel?"

"She was complaining because no men approach her when she's out. It's baffling. Sometimes I feel like we're friends, but other times I don't think she even likes me."

Olivia laughed. "You need to figure it out on your own." Olivia's eyes narrowed. Something behind him caught her attention. "Don't turn around, but isn't that her?"

"Her?"

"Her. Her."

"Lilli? Here?" He turned and their eyes met. Lilli broke their gaze first and looked at Olivia. She lifted her chin and smiled before she turned her attention to the same guy she was with before.

Lilli looked gorgeous in jeans and brown boots, which almost reached to her knees.

Violet appeared. "My sister Ainsley's roommates."

Zach said, "That's why she looked familiar!"

"You know them."

Zach nodded. "Is that your sister's boyfriend?"

Violet shook her head. "If she was dating a guy that good looking, she'd make sure I knew. He could belong to either roommate, but my guess is the girl. He looks like he would prefer Lilli and not Rhys."

Lilli mentioned she had a roommate, but not two.

Olivia leaned into him and whispered, "Aren't you going to say hello?"

His feet felt like they were stuck in cement as he walked across the room. He felt like he was heading towards a firing squad with eight eyes on him.

His mouth was dry, so he took a sip of liquid courage. "Hi Lilli. This is a surprise."

"Zach." His name sounded like it was stuck in her throat. "You know James Sumner?"

He nodded. "We've been friends since we were kids." He turned to her friend. "You're Violet's sister."

She stuck out her hand. "Ainsley Douglas. My friends crashed this party and were just about to get a drink."

The other roommate said, "Crashed. We came to rescue you. I thought we were going?"

Ainsley said, "Rhys, hush." She turned to Zach and smiled sweetly. "Lilli needs some wine. Lill, go with Zach and get a drink."

As he led Lilli away from her friends, Zach looked across the room, and Olivia winked at him. "Red or white."

Lilli looked down at her blue sweater. "Better make it white." He smiled, thinking of the coffee and her wet shirt. "I should go. I'm not even dressed appropriately. Rhys is right. We were just going to pull Ainsley out."

Zach frowned. "Were your friends planning to pull you out of Ann's reception, too?"

Lilli blushed, and he felt warm all over.

Zach didn't know what he would do once he led her away from the gathering in a corner around the bar. He was a bundle of nerves and she laughed. Hearing she researched his bio, he moved closer. Zach kept thinking of Jack, but Lilli was worried about Olivia.

Before he knew it, she was ready to go. Zach wanted to stop her, to tell her to stay. Instead, he frowned. “I’ll see you on Monday, Lill.” 

What possessed him to lean over and kiss her forehead? It was stupid, but Jack had done the same in Office Secrets.  He returned to Olivia who laughed at him. "I thought you were my friend," he seethed.

She continued to laugh until Anita walked over and told her it was time to go.

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