Chapter 2

Sloane’s pov

The email hit my inbox before I even unlocked the office the next morning. Short-staffed for the rest of the month. Jordan out with a family emergency. Priya already maxed on hours. That left the spring showcase planning on me and the new placement.

I read the message twice. Then I set my coffee down hard enough that a little spilled over the rim.

Rina arrived seven minutes late again. She walked in with the same loose knot in her hair and a fresh coffee, looking entirely too pleased with herself for someone who still hadn’t learned the schedule.

“You’re pairing us,” she said the second...