“Acrophobia,” she deadpanned. “I am afraid of heights.”
I couldn’t tell whether or not she was joking. I couldn’t even tell if she believed I was actually her new partner of if she was planning on chucking me down the elevator shaft, still screaming about limp pasta.
A full minute ticked past, and neither of us moved, spoke, blinked, breathed, or even dared to have a pulse. No one wanted to be the first to break the silence until, without a word of warning, a genuine smile lit up her entire face.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Della. I am, in fact, Madison Montgomery.”
A silent sigh of relief relaxed my shoulders as she rose and offered her hand for a shake. My guess about her stature was right, because the woman was just as slender and delicate as I was. To call her pretty would have been a massive understatement, because she was absolutely stunning, with sheets of ice-blonde hair and dark blue eyes that could pierce right through a person.
I shook her hand firmly and even went so far as to offer her the hint of a smile, one that was returned, much to my surprise, in full force.
“I’ve been waiting for a new partner for seven weeks,” she said as she settled down in her chair and gestured toward the one across from her. “When Roger took off, I was left high and dry, without a bit of backup against these corporate dogs.”
Roger? It was impossible not to hear the supreme scorn with which she said his name. I folded my legs and leaned back in my chair, mimicking the natural poise I saw in front of me. “I take it this Roger is on a hit-list somewhere.”
Her blue eyes narrowed to icy slits as she answered, “You have no idea. I already called his landlady to tell her he’s been running a meth lab in his apartment. This morning, I considered informing his parents that their darling son caught a raging case of syphilis from a male hooker.”
The beginnings of our newfound dynamic settled into place as I held up a dismissive hand that seemed to calm and refocus her all at once. “Let’s forget about Roger. He’s a thing of the past, and there’s nothing more he can do to or for us now, right? Why don’t you tell me about our most pressing cases?”
I must have found the magic words, because Madison’s lovely face glowed with a manic gleam I recognized from my own mirror. She gladly reached into her desk, then dropped a deafeningly thick stack of papers in front of her. “I’m so glad you asked! Where should we start?”
Chapter 7
For the next four hours, we perused every case, covering the details about every client, and reading every memo anyone at Cross Enterprises had ever written or received. She was a lightning-fast teacher with zero patience and a brilliant mind, but I hadn’t risen so far and so fast in my field for nothing. By the time lunch rolled around, the two of us had things well in hand. We had already developed a strange sort of shorthand, and were even considering make an impromptu visit to one of London’s premier steel corporations when an alarm violently shook her phone.
“Oh, shit.” She paused, frustrated that our forward momentum, glaring down at the fancy little device. “It’s lunchtime.”
My eyebrows lifted slowly into my hair as I leaned back with a faint smile. “You actually set an alarm for lunch?”
“For all meals, actually.” She shrugged flippantly, then slid the gadget back in her bag and stood. “I know most people don’t forget to eat, but I get too caught up in my work. The company doctor walked in here a few months ago to find me ten pounds lighter, screaming on the phone in German
, absentmindedly nibbling on a houseplant.”
My wide eyes swept the office but came up blank.
“It’s not here anymore. Would have been better with a bit of salad dressing.”
A wave of laughter shook through me, but I kept it carefully under wraps. “I see.” My eyes danced as I imagined it. “In that case, shall we seek some proper nourishment? Of course, if you’d like to take your chances with the chow mein...”
“Cute,” she snapped with a rueful grin. “Very cute. And I was kidding about the plant. I would never eat a plant in my office.”
I laughed. “I totally knew you were kidding.”
I didn’t.
Together, we abandoned the office and headed back down the elevator to the main lobby. I had yet to see my own office, but Madison assured me it very much resembled hers. To be honest, I’d been so preoccupied with meeting her that I barely had time to notice. In fact, I didn’t even realize how hungry I was till her phone reminded us that it was time to eat.
It was a high-pressure, fast-paced job, but I loved it already. Madison completely exceeded every expectation I had and then some. Not only was she as sharp, fast, and driven as I was, but she also happened to be adorably, legitimately crazy. I sensed it wouldn’t be long before the two of us became friends.
As the elevator doors whooshed open on the ground floor, I turned to her wearing a curious grin. “If you’re afraid of heights, why did you work so hard to get to the sixtieth floor?”
“Because it’s the best,” she replied without pause. “What else would I do?”
Yep, fast friends. I just know it!
The sounds of the lobby rushed into the elevator, flooding my already over-saturated senses. I followed Madison through the bustling crowd, to the sidewalk outside. In a lot of ways, London was a lot like New York, with the same hordes of mindless pedestrians and busy worker bees wandering the streets.
I stepped back to avoid a large family of tourists before turning back to my new muse. “What’s good to eat around here?”