The office is quieter than usual, the low hum of the AC blending with the occasional click of a keyboard. Most of the team has already left for the evening, leaving a handful of late-night stragglers. I keep my head down, working on updates for the Portland projections, but the weight of Danny’s presence seems to settle over me like a storm cloud.

I hear the soft click of the main door. My heart stutters, my pulse spiking before I even look up.

Danny.

He’s leaning against the doorframe, ...