Jilly briefly looked toward the ceiling, but tapped the rim of her cup against Kate's. "All right, I promise. But the problem here is that because you're in love, you think everyone should be in love."

"Everyone should be," Kate agreed without hesitation. "Falling in love doesn't mean you're relinquishing all control or losing your independence." She reached out and squeezed Jilly's hand. "It doesn't have to be that way, Jilly. I used to think that, too-until I met Ben. There's a big difference between compromising your dreams and ambitions, and sharing them with someone. You'll understand when you meet the right guy."

Looking at Kate's earnest expression, at the happiness that shone from her in almost visible rays, Jilly felt a pang of something resonate through her that she couldn't put a name to. Envy? Want? Probably. Who wouldn't want the sort of love Kate had with Ben?

"Well, until the right guy toddles along, my time and energy are focused on my career. And winning the ARC account would be a major coup."

"Speaking of which," Kate said, scooping more fried rice onto her plate, "I wonder what Matt Davidson will say when you land the account."

An odd tingle, no doubt indigestion brought on by the mention of Matt's name, fluttered through Jilly. "He'll probably claim in that infuriating, superior way of his that he could have landed the account in half the time, and with a better campaign. He thinks he's 'all that' because he brought in a big account while I was out with the flu. He's the most arrogant, ambitious, annoying, cutthroat, doesn't – give – a – damn – about – anyone – but – himself person I've ever had the misfortune to meet."

Grrrr. The mere thought of Matt Davidson raised her hackles. He'd earned her enmity right from the beginning when he'd waltzed into Maxximum and promptly landed Strattford Furniture, an account she'd worked on for weeks.