111. Nate Waller

ONE HUNDRED ELEVEN

"Mr. Waller?" the summer intern sticks his head into my office.

"Yeah?" I manage not to sigh. Clearly this kid is never gonna just call me Waller.

"There's someone on the phone for you. Her name is, uh"— he looks at the note in his hand— "Hannah Utley."

I lean forward in my chair. "Put her through."

The second my phone rings, I answer it. "Hannah?"

"Hi, um, Waller?"

"It's me. Is something wrong?" I can't keep the edge of panic out of my voice. Maddox is my best friend, and if something happened to him…

"No. No, I promise, Maddox is fine." She reads my mind.

I heave out a breath and sink back into my chair. "Fuck. I'm too young for a heart attack."

Her laughter sounds as stressed as I feel. "Sorry, I wasn't thinking. Should've opened with Maddox is alive and well."

"No, no, you're good." I wave her off even though she can't see me. "That blockhead will outlive us all. So, if it's not Maddox, what's up?"

We only met the one time, over dinner this week, but by the time we parted ways, I knew I liked her. And I knew Maddox would marry her.

"Well, I don't really know how to ask this…" She still sounds stressed.

I'm back to sitting upright. "For the sake of my cardiac health, please just ask it."

"Okay." Her exhale scratches across the phone. "Do you still have that position open?"

My brain mentally blinks at her question. Position?

"The job? Here?" I ask, finally remembering her résumé that's still in my desk somewhere.

"If not, that's totally okay. I just thought I'd ask," she rushes out.

"Why are you asking? Did Maddox do something stupid?"

Hannah's laugh is more natural this time. "No, it's, well, I got fired today."

My eyes widen. "Maddox fired you?"

Her scoff is instant. "No. And he's going to lose his shit when he finds out. But I can't have him just rehire me."

I shake my head even as she says it. "Yeah, best intentions and all that."

"Exactly." There's a pause. "Maybe it's dumb of me to reach out to you for those same reasons. If the spot is even still open, people might assume I got it because I'm dating your friend. Even though, I have to add, I'm more than qualified."

It's my turn to laugh. "I know you are. I was gonna call you in for an interview before I realized who you were."

"You were?"

"Yup." I tap my fingers on the desk. "But then I called Maddox, and he told me I couldn't hire you. But that was when he was still—" I cut myself off, not sure how much I should say. "But if you're no longer working for him…"

"Considering I just got escorted out of the building, I think it's safe to say I no longer work at MinneSolar." I can hear her smile. "So… is the position still open?"

I grin. "The position is still open."