“I damn sure hope not. I’m taking her out for sushi and cocktails. Hopefully a little dancing if I can talk her into it. She’s been moping around missing your ass, and to be honest, it’s killing my vibe. A little trouble would be fun.”

“Show her a good time—but not too good, yeah? I’d like my girlfriend returned in one piece.”

“Girlfriend, huh? About damn time you started claiming her.”

Oh, I’ve claimed her in a proper manner. Trust me. “You two behave. Mostly.”

“We’ll try,” Magnolia says, her voice warm with laughter.

“Love you, favorite.”

“Love you too, big guy.”

I set the phone down, a stupid grin tugging at my mouth. She’s halfway across the world, but it doesn’t matter. I don’t need proximity to know she’s mine.

Chapter 7

Magnolia Steel

The last half hour of work before quitting time always seems like a crawl, but not today. I’m buzzing with so much energy I can barely sit still.

I’ve just left a meeting with Gabby, Sophie, and Whitney—one that confirmed what we’d all been sensing. The Aussie team is struggling.

Soul Sync Australia had a rough week. Matches fell apart. Feedback was brutal. And Gabby, never one to let a problem fester, decided that we’re not sitting on this. She’s sending part of our core team back to Sydney to stabilize things before the situation gets any worse.

Back to Sydney.

Back to Alex.

The thought alone makes my heart stutter. I can barely focus, already counting the minutes until I can call and tell him. We’ll soon be on the same side of the world again—and this time, nothing is pulling me away.

Shoving back from my desk, I grab my phone as I hurry toward Violet’s office. She looks up as I push the door open without knocking, raising a brow at my not-so-subtle entrance.

“Well, well. To what do I owe the pleasure of Hurricane Magnolia blowing through my door?”

I drop into the chair across from her, unable to sit still. “Gabby’s going to send us back to Sydney. Australia is floundering.”

Realization dawns across her face, her lips parting. “No way.”

“Yes.”

She lets out a breath, leaning back in her chair. “Wow, Mags. That’s––” She shakes her head, forcing a smile. “That’s great. I mean, it sucks for me because I’ll have to live without you again, but––”

“You’ll survive,” I say, snapping a rubber band at her arm, wearing a wicked grin.

“Oww.” She picks up the rubber band from her lap and tosses it back into the holder like she’s filing it away for future revenge.

We sit in the moment, the excitement buzzing between us. Violet is less than thrilled about my return to Sydney, but she understands it. She knows how much this means to me.