“I trust you,” Eleanor said. “Oh, and I’d like to make that spare office a spot for parents. I need a place to use my breast pump.”

“Of course,” I said, excited about the idea. “A place for the breast to rest.”

Oh god. I clenched my teeth, cringing at my ability to always say too much. “Sorry, that came out all wrong.”

Eleanor laughed. “Actually, it was just right.” She gave me an approving look. “On that note, I need to get home before I have to lie down on the floor here. Great to meet you, Franny. Thanks for taking this on.”

She leaned in toward me, grabbing my elbow affectionately. “For taking us on,” she said.

“I appreciate the opportunity, truly.” I offered her a wide smile that instantly felt too eager, but it was too late to rein it in.

Hayes walked with her to the elevator, discussing some client that was blowing up his inbox today. I busied myself on my computer, typing in notes from our conversations.

Then there he was again, clearing his throat to interrupt me. “There’s one other thing I want to show you.”

I followed him over to a door that he had pointed out earlier, and when he opened it, everything changed.

When you live in New York City, there’s a magical feeling you get whenever you run up the steps out of the subway, spin through a revolving door out of your office building at the end of a long day, push open a window to let in the spring scent of blossoms. There’s a split second where the city hits you, greets you, slobbers a kiss on your face like a puppy. It’s a jolt, and a shock, and then you move on. But there’s a part of you, somewhere, that marvels at it every time.

Stepping onto this roof was like that: an inhalation of breath, a moment of wonder.

“Wow,” was all I said, bringing a hand to my eyes to shield them from the orange sunset sitting on top of the Jersey City skyline. “This belongs to you too?”

He nodded, and I could see it in the creases of his eyes, which even outside were still a color too dark to read: He was marveling at it all too.

“Can we use it?”

He nodded. “We should, right?”

“God, yes. This is amazing.”

“We have no budget for it, so we’d have to do it on the cheap,” he said.

It didn’t have a ton of room, nor was it especially beautiful—just the raw concrete of a rooftop and then a wall that ran around the edge, hitting just above my waist. But in the city, outdoor space was more valuable than gold. Their office was gorgeous, but this was a jackpot.