LOVE IN CONTRACT

a's

ecked my notebook an

had already l

eter than usual. Just silence and

l and always busy by morning. Lily usually left not long after her, her school a lit

behind me and pa

e looked modest, quiet and

et, the café wa

nd that made everything loo

le sat by the window, cups in their hands, moving sl

ked there

because the café was close to home and fle

ng softly against the road, le

I caught myself thinking abou

ot there. Phone ringing,keyboard tap

someone called fr

ied, forcing ener

nd barely had time to turn on m

everyone. Confe

second. Then chairs scraped, pe

the head of the table, tablet in hand. She

o it," she said. "La

lways sounded wor

creen behind her lit up with nu

d well. Some pl

cross the room. "We can

ed his throat. "What exac

mply. Stronger. Storie

heels clicking soft

hing to back it up. I want facts. I want impact. I want something

le

ntinued, "I want he

d nervously. "

Nina replied witho

to me. I straightene

ay

es

said. "Clean work. Solid writi

urled up und

" I said

you can deliver. All of you can. But this week?" s

ing ends

she says. "B

ations starts immediately like not

notebook when I

ay

ook

anding by the table, arms crossed

back s

and si

ulls out a chair and sits, re

quiet latel

n working

a short no

quickly, then closes it again lik

"You don't exaggerate. And you don't

work always make me uneasy. The

en says, almost casually, "Have

sits be

CEO?" I ask, n

es

t. "Not really. The

ts a little, not

hat every

eady. "Some people

t in the world," she repli

e. I don't a

refully, "and your source isn't solid, it

. "Which is why I'm

s back s

an look. Or you can find someo

od

me," she adds, "it

st

t's

s my di

own and opened my laptop again.

names. Deleted them.

I sto

d no ideas. It was the fact that I w

ne vib

'm starving and m

ll early enough but my

here a

Come before I start

, shut my laptop

and sugar. Sophia is behind the counter when I walk in, sleeves r

and her fa

was about to text you,

air opposite the counte

come." She shoot

How's work? You look like your

had," We had

ans. "Nina

r nothing," Sophia says. "Wh

ronger headlines an

on me. "You're think yoo hard. Tha

he mention

ws lift immed

n Ha

Once. Then

Ryan

es

t a whistle. "

. "She didn't assign it

phia replies. "Nina doesn't

cup. "That's w

my face. "Do yo

hat kind of clean usually means either nothing at all.

slowly.

you. Does it even make sense to look into some

ly. She thinks first, the way s

tious," she says. "But I don't think

gether. "That's wh