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She’d done it once in her life, she could do it again.
Just under three years now she’d lived in Paradise Place. The name made her smile when she’d heard it and she hoped it gave her a little bit of paradise in her life.
She didn’t have any relationships other than those of her coworkers. She kept as much distance as she could there too.
She went out with them now and again, but she didn’t confide in them. She didn’t confide in anyone.
It was better this way.
“I suppose it could be said I was doing the same. I lived with Rob for the past few years. Prior to that, I was in Brooklyn for a bit in a cramped studio. That’s when I went into the office daily.”
“I bet you didn’t care for that,” she said, grinning.
“Living in Brooklyn or going into the office daily?” he asked.
“I’m going to say both.”
He laughed. “You’d be right. But I did it because it was my first job out of college and who doesn’t want to work for the government?”
“Most people,” she said, laughing.
“You’re probably right. It’s the only place I’ve worked.”
Interesting. “Not everyone stays with their first job.”
“It’s not really my first job, just first employer,” he said. “I’ve moved around a lot in roles or departments. Not everyone is cut out for what I do.”
“And what exactly is that?” she asked.
“I’m an analyst, as I said before. It’s boring. I write code too, but for the most part, I work alone and stare at a screen,” he said.
“Yep, boring. But there is something out there for everyone. I’m going to go out on a limb and say you’re pretty darn smart.”
He flushed adorably and looked down at Sammie who was napping in the shade for the moment. “Not head of the class smart. I’ve got a knack, you could say.”
“Where did you go to college?” she asked. She knew asking so many questions would lead him to do the same, but she was fine with that. It went back to the fact that the more she talked about herself the less someone felt the need to look.
“MIT. I was recruited for my job.”
“Oh,” she said. “Fancy. Did you have to go through any type of training for it? You know, like they talk on TV about Quantico?”
“Do I look like someone that needs training like that for my job?” he asked. “I sit at a desk.”
She laughed. “Very true. Wasn’t sure if you got a gun or not. Had to carry one?”
“How about a loaded pen?” he asked. “No to the gun. No reason. I’m not in the field or anything like that. I never have been and have no desire to be. I’ve seen what it can do.”
Crap. Nothing like bringing up past memories. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
“Don’t be sorry. We can’t hide what happened in our lives. I can’t pretend it doesn’t exist. Some would say I ran, but I’m not so sure it was that.”
She knew she wanted to flush over his comment about hiding things in their lives but turned and looked at Sammie instead. “Starting over,” she said.
“That sounds better. Anyway, I was in the office for a few years. A tiny cubicle in the basement of a building. If my mother complained about my white skin before, it was nothing to not getting sunlight back then. At least in my house I’ve got windows.”
“I’d feel trapped like that,” she said. “I need to see the outside. I need to know I can walk out when I want to.”
“You spend a lot of time outdoors when you can, don’t you?”
