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TAYLOR
Why had I insisted on meeting him at the party? I’d told myself it would be easier to come separately. But now, as I entered Ultra Bright Technologies alone, I wondered if arriving solo had been the best idea. I’d hopped a rideshare here, no problem. It was entering this place unaccompanied that was the tough part.
Ultra Bright Technologies was a small company with just a couple dozen employees. Most worked out in the field, but the office was packed now. I didn’t know if these were employees or clients or a combination of both. All I knew was I was standing awkwardly by the tree.
“Taylor!” Harley called out. As she continued toward me, though, she tilted her head. “What are you doing here?”
I’d headed home after work, fully prepared to face my roommates, but neither of them had been home. That had given me the extra space I needed to get ready. It also kept me from having to explain to either of them where I was going.
But I should have prepared an explanation, anyway. I’d known all along Harley would be here. This was her dad’s party. I’d been so anxious about getting changed and grabbing a rideshare here that I’d shoved thoughts of my roommates out of my mind. But now it became clear as day that I’d have been far better off telling her what was up at home than running into her at her dad’s party…with a date.
“What are you doing here?” Harley asked.
She stopped a few steps in front of me. She looked beautiful in her bright red slinky dress and matching red shoes. She’d upped her fashion game lately after falling in love with her dad’s rival, a guy who owned a competing company called Holly Day Lights. She was also going to work for that rival starting Monday morning.
“It’s a long story,” I said. Wasn’t that the truth? “I was invited by one of your dad’s associates.”
“Who?”
She turned to look behind her, and that was when I saw him. He was standing, talking to a group of guys, but his eyes were on me, that intense stare melting my heart.
“That guy?” Harley turned back around. “The one staring at you? He’s a friend of my dad’s.”
“So I heard.”
Her eyes narrowed as she stared at me. She was waiting for an explanation.
“He’s trying to replace my job with his stupid tablet,” I said.
That probably wouldn’t make much sense to her either, but it wasn’t like I had a lot of time to explain. Jonah had disengaged from his group and was walking this way.
“Is there somewhere to hang my coat?” I reached for my lapels with trembling fingers and awkwardly started pulling off my coat.
“I’ll take it.” Harley gave me another look before rushing off, coat in hand.
That left me standing there alone, feeling like I was under a giant spotlight, as Jonah walked straight toward me. Harley had done that on purpose—giving me alone time with him rather than waiting around to greet him. That matchmaker-ish move told me she knew there was more to this than business.
“You’re beautiful,” he said.
The words weren’t what got to me, though. No, it was the way he was looking at me. That was what went straight to my heart. It was as though no one else in the world mattered.
But these types were good at that. Pleasure Valley Playboys, my roommates and I jokingly called them. Carly had come up with that term. She was the most cynical of the three of us, while Harley was the biggest romantic. I fell somewhere in between the two extremes. But even I knew not to fall for the charms of a guy like Jonah McStay.
“I’ll grab you a drink,” Jonah said. “What would you like?”
A Cosmopolitan was my favorite, but I knew at events like this, drink options were usually limited. “A sweet white wine would be great.”
With a nod, he headed over to the bar, leaving me to stand awkwardly at the tree. Was I supposed to follow him? Start mingling alone? I only knew two people here, and one had disappeared with my coat. I spotted her father talking to some guy who looked really important. Standing awkwardly at the tree was far preferable to forcing my way into conversations, but I made my way into the room, trying to look at home as I passed empty desks.
I felt eyes on me and glanced over at a group of four guys dressed way too casually for a party like this. I was guessing they were on the tech team—the type who only socialized when it was absolutely necessary.
“Zinfandel’s the sweetest they had,” Jonah said, walking up to me with a plastic cup. “Is that okay?”
I nodded and happily took the cup. A little alcohol was just what the doctor would order for my nervousness. Dr. Maloney would recommend it if I asked.
“This party sucks.” He looked around and turned back to me. Then he closed the remaining distance between us, moving his mouth close to my ear. “What do you say we blow this popsicle stand?”
Popsicle stand. Those two words stuck in my head, mostly because I was in such shock over what was happening. All I could do was nod as he reached out and grabbed my hand, pulling me through the door and straight to the elevator.
