AllFreeNovel
Share Us
A light laugh bubbled out of me. “You’re welcome. And don’t worry about the weird. I don’t mind it.”
“Then you’re always welcome to come sit in and watch us work, if you’re into that.” He patted my shoulder before I could sputter out a response. “Have a good night.”
The following day, Adam stopped at my desk just before it was time for my lunch break. “Hey.” He pushed a small succulent in a vibrantly painted pot toward me. “This is an apology.”
“Hi.” I picked up the tiny pot and fingered the green leaves. “You don’t owe me an apology, but thank you. This is really cute.”
“Like you.”
His brow lowered, and he leaned on his elbows, bringing his face closer to mine. I’d gone home last night sure I’d been imagining his interest in me. Then I’d chalked up the possibility that he might have been flirting with the fact that I was the only available woman around. There was Iris, of course, but from what I’d seen on the internet, she was most definitely taken.
And here he was again, bringing me a plant and calling me cute. This evidence was undeniable.
“Thank you. Again.” My giggle was wobbly and nervous. “All of this is unnecessary.”
He cocked his head, shooting me a crooked grin. “Let me decide that. I was a pushy ass last night when you just wanted to get home. The fact that Callum had to speak up really hammered that point home. Don’t let me off the hook.”
“Then I accept your apology and this adorable succulent.” I placed it beside my computer and flashed him my best smile. My lips barely trembled. “It’s already brightening up the space.”
He grinned wide, pleasure seeping into his crystalline blue eyes. “Again, like you.”
That made me snort a little laugh. “Holy granola, such lines, I swear.”
“I’d never use lines on you.” His long fingers tapped the surface of my desk. “I know I’m probably going to get you in trouble if I keep standing here talking to you, and I don’t wanna do that, but I’d like to hang out with you. There’s a party I’m going to Friday night. What do you think?”
My eyebrows raised. “Think about what?”
He laughed. “What do you think about coming to the party with us? I know you said your commute is long. I’ll send you home in a car service when you’re ready. Or, you know, you could crash at my place.”
I sucked in a sharp breath. At the invitation. The implications. All of it. “I wasn’t expecting that.”
“Is that a yes? Callum’ll come too for your protection.”
I rubbed my lips together. My first instinct was to say no. I had obligations. And wild nights of partying weren’t something I did anymore. Okay…well, I’d never really done them, but even less now. But it didn’t have to be a wild night. And he was promising a car home. I was definitely ignoring his sleepover invitation. It wasn’t even close to being an option. My great-aunt Jenny was always telling me I was allowed to be young. That Ishouldbe young. But still…
A party with Callum Rose.
“It’s a maybe.”
With a wide, triumphant grin, he backed away from the desk. “You’re rad, Wren. Just sayin’...”
“That wasn’t a yes,” I rushed out.
He held his hands up. “I didn’t hear no, so I’m taking it as a win. See you later, cutie.”
He sauntered to the elevator with a skip in his step, his whistle echoing off the lobby walls. I definitely hadn’t said yes, and if Adam knew the reason I’d said maybe, he probably wouldn’t have been whistling.
Natalie appeared out of nowhere a minute later, nearly shoving me out of my seat. “Go to lunch.” She picked up my succulent, rotating it around in her palm. “Cute, but make sure not to clutter up your desk. Not a good look.”
“Don’t worry.” I grabbed my purse from the drawer where I’d stashed it. “I won’t. See you in an hour.”
She covered the desk for me every day, and every day, she acted like the most put-upon person on earth. I had decided not to let it get to me and took my full hour even if I didn’t need it.
I’d packed my lunch but stopped at a café a block from the studio to buy a mocha. Though it was winter, the sun was shining bright, and the temperature was just warm enough for me to sit on a bench in the park and people watch while I ate.
The line for coffee was longer than expected. After I’d been waiting a minute or so, the hairs on the back of my neck rose as someone got in line behind me. I glanced over my shoulder and nearly swallowed my tongue when I locked gazes with Callum.
I whirled around to face forward out of instinct, but I couldn’t just pretend I hadn’t seen him. He was right behind me. Probably closer than he should have been. If I hadn’t been wearing a scarf and coat, I might have felt his breath on my neck.
