A new excerpt "From This Day"

Excerpt time! To background this excerpt, Katie has admitted in the hearing of her boss's lawyer that she thinks said lawyer, James, is pretty hot. And, to her mortification, James had been in ear-shot and heard it.

Here's the excerpt:

Katie double-checked they couldn’t be heard. “No, thank goodness. So far so good. I don’t think word has gotten around but then if it had, that would have been yesterday. It would be old news now. I hope.”

“Then I wouldn’t worry about it,” Camille dismissed. “Considering Jenny from Accounts said the hottest guy on the planet was that rapper who was young enough to be her grandson, you’ve got nothing to worry about.”

“Except there’s a difference,” Katie said as she hung her coat on the hook, “between some guy you’ll never meet and your boss’s best friend who you do meet. Frequently.” Katie glanced over at the closed door of Danny’s office. “However.” She smoothed her hand down her skirt. “As long as James Rutherford doesn’t come in today, or tomorrow, then I’ll be fine. The day will proceed as normal and with any luck it will be a blip that will soon be forgotten and he’ll never even remember my name.” If he even knew it in the first place, she added under her breath.

Camille was taking a sip of coffee when she suddenly spluttered. She coughed as she grabbed a tissue. “Yeah, Katie? That’s not going to happen. James is coming in today.”

“He’s what?” Katie gripped the back of her chair. “What do you mean he’s coming in today? He was in here on Monday. Why is he coming in again so soon?”

Camille beckoned her closer and lowered her voice. “You know how Danny moved out of the marital home last month?”

Katie nodded. “I heard there was a trial separation.”

“Believe me, there’s nothing ‘trial’ about it. It’s over between him and Bethany. James is coming in to iron out the details. Danny wants it kept on the downlow which is why James is coming here and they’re not doing it at the law office.”

“How do you know all this? A month ago they’re separating and now they’re sorting out the possessions?”

“Danny was on the phone when he walked through. James is coming over at ten.”

A heavy feeling began to settle over Katie and she consulted her watch. It had just gone eight-thirty. She began to chew on her bottom lip. “Okay,” she said slowly. “Then I need to be somewhere at ten. I’ll make a meeting with Derek in the roastery.”

“You can’t be somewhere at ten because Danny wants me to head down to help with the Health and Safety training for the new staff, so you’re needed up here. I’m going down at five to.”

Katie felt her heart alternately flutter with anticipation at seeing James and swell painfully with discomfort.

Camille shot her a sympathetic grimace. “I’m sure it will be okay. Once you say Hello and he says Hello, then that hurdle is over and he’ll go back to pretending we don’t exist.”

“One can only hope,” Katie said doubtfully as she shoved her bag in her drawer and glanced across at the door to Danny’s office. She could make out his pacing figure through the textured glass.

Katie took her seat, booted up her computer and logged into her email. She’d lost a good part of yesterday spending so much time in the loo in varying stages of mortification. Of pure loser-girl embarrassment.

She took in a deep breath as Justin from Accounts Receivable walked by and gave them a wave. He clutched a cup in his hand, and the smell of coffee was tantalising. She should have headed to the staff room first and made one, but she’d been too on edge. Too on edge about James Rutherford.

Coffee would have to wait.

She flexed her fingers, said the first line of the serenity prayer, failed to remember the rest, and settled down to work.

Tentative release date: May 30th.