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Too bad I already ate my emotional slice today. I could really use another comfort cake right about now.
In front of me, Klein disappears into the lair. He pops out again before I get to the doorway. “T’s not here yet. Lights and his PC are off.”
The perplexed look on Cal’s face is wholly adorable. His big, wide eyes sparkle, and his plump lips make a perfectOshape. He’s as mercurial as can be.
“No way. He’s been here before me every day since I started,” I muse while checking my watch. “It’s after ten.”
From the way people talk, and based on what I’ve seen in my few weeks here, Tomer’s always the first one here and the last to leave.
“This is a first. I’ve never beat him to the office.”
“He seemed preoccupied with Violet last night. She’s probably a mess, so I guess it’s not surprising that he wouldn’t want to leave her alone.”
Cal checks his phone, shaking his head. “He didn’t text. I’ll message him to make sure he’s okay, but maybe it’ll only be the two of us today.”
Easing fully into our shared workspace, I set my purse and laptop down. “I’m going to get some coffee. Do you want some?”
“More coffee, Mia? Have you Freaky Friday’d with Sawyer?”
His teasing, so familiar and comfortable, loosens the tension between us like a coil unfurling.
“First, I love how you know that movie. Second, I’ll be guzzling java all day after the long andpleasurablenight I had.”
There’s smugness in his features, and he shrugs. “I guess each time you get another cup, I can pat my back for a job well done.”
“As you should.” I caress his shoulder on my way out, letting my fingertips linger.
His soft chuckle instantly improves my mood. Perhaps he released some of his angst. He’d been bottling it up for a while, so he must feel lighter with it out in the open.
At least it’s clear where I stand with him. And to be frank, I’d have expected nothing less from such an honorable man. Always honest and never misleading. That’s Cal in a nutshell.
In the break room, I run into Sue.
“Good morning, Mrs. Mason,” I chirp.
“Ugh, speak for yourself,” she grumbles, sidling up to the counter beside me with her coffee mug cupped in her hands, extended toward the pot.
Once I’ve poured mine, I fill hers too. “Rough night or rough morning?”
She pulls the creamer out of the fridge. “Both.”
“Oh? Why is that?”
“Good manners dictate I don’t respond with the real reason in this case. But I’ve never been good at lying.”
My giggle bubbles its way free from my throat. “Something go wrong in the bedroom with Lionheart? Don’t worry. It happens to lots of guys after a certain age.”
The second the words leave me, I long to shove them back in.
Her cheeks take on a rouge hue, and she covers her mouth. “No, it’s not that. We were having a lovely evening… in the bedroom. And then his phone rang.” She widens her gaze, and her blue orbs hurl accusation at me.
My shoulders fall. “Oh shit.”
“Yeah.” She sighs. “After he left, I couldn’t sleep. So I started painting, and the next thing I knew, it was after two. He burst through the door, dropped his keys on the floor when he saw me painting and got all riled up. Threw me over his shoulder and carried me off to bed.” She leans forward and lowers her volume. “He gets a little aroused when I paint without pants on. For some reason, my thick thighs turn him on.” She shrugs, and the blank look on her face makes me want to crack up.
Sue’s so damn cute, quirks and all.
After sipping my coffee to see if I’ve achieved the perfect creamer-to-coffee ratio, I add another small pour. “So you were up late, I take it? And then tired this morning?”
