STALKING ME

And that gives me enough courage to settle in and fasten my seat belt. “Here’s the thing,” I say. “I’m not getting out. So, we can keep arguing and both be late, or we can stop arguing and both get there on time. Either way, we’re doing it together.”

Nathan sizes me up, from my black flats, to my itchy gray suit, to my blond curls tied back in a ponytail, to the mutinous set of my jaw. For the first time all morning, I get the sense that he’s really seeing me.

For some reason, the idea makes my pulse speed up.

“Are you trying to tell if I’m bluffing?” I ask.

“No,” he says shortly. “I don’t gamble.”

He leans forward, meeting the driver’s eyes in the rearview mirror. “Drop me off first. There’s an extra hundred in it for you.”

“Drop me off first,” I say. “Please. I can’t be late. I can give you...” I rack my brains, “a pumpkin spice bagel.”

“You’re both going to the same block,” the driver says, in a voice that suggests his day has already been far too long.

“Oh.” I hesitate. “D