Perfect Pairing by Rachel Spangler

woman in front of her. Her clothes still looked perfectly pressed, and only one small strand of blond hair had fallen from the tortoise shell clip at the back of her head. She supposed the little imperfection would qualify as disheveled for Quinn, but Hal wished for more. She wanted to see her with her hair down and the buttons of that white shirt open.
    â€œHey,” Sully said from the doorway. “Why the serious faces?”
    Hal stepped back and Quinn’s hand dropped.
    â€œJust talking a little business,” Quinn said calmly.
    â€œHow’s that working out for you?” Sully asked, hopping to the ground and making room for Ian to join them.
    â€œNot as well as it could be, but I’m ever the optimist.”
    â€œYeah,” Sully said, “you strike me as a real Mary Sunshine.”
    Ian laughed, breaking the tension, and Quinn shot him a classic older sister look of annoyance.
    â€œI guess we should be going,” she said.
    â€œUs, too,” Hal added quickly, thankful for the escape exit. “I assume I’ll see you around?”
    Quinn frowned. “That fell just shy of the invitation I was hoping for.”
    â€œBut you’ll take it and make it what you need, won’t you?”
    â€œWhat we need Hal.”
    The hair on her arms stood on end. “I don’t need anything.”
    â€œMaybe not.” Quinn smiled. “Or maybe you just don’t know it yet.” With that Quinn strode off.
    â€œWell that was interesting,” Ian said, “and she’s my ride, so maybe I’ll see you guys later.”
    â€œBye,” Hal said.
    â€œI’ll talk to her,” Sully added with a wink.
    â€œOkay, bye.” Ian awkwardly waved the hand that was still clutching his sandwich, then loped off to catch Quinn.
    Once they were out of earshot, Sully turned to stare at Hal.
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œWhat do you mean ‘what?’” She punched her in the shoulder. “What was that?”
    â€œI don’t know.”
    â€œIt sounded like foreplay. ‘Taking’ and ‘making’ and ‘needing.’”
    â€œIt was business talk.”
    â€œWith her hands all over you?”
    â€œHand, singular,” Hal corrected. “On my shoulder.”
    The touch had been entrancing, or maybe her eyes had frozen Hal. It certainly wasn’t the business proposition that captivated her. It’d been a long time since a woman had sparked more than a passing interest, but Quinn wasn’t offering any part of herself. She wanted Hal’s skills in the kitchen and maybe her name recognition, but neither of those things were for sale. The sooner she made that clear, the sooner Quinn would move on . . . they all moved on.
    â€œThere’s nothing there, man. She’s a shark, a pretty shark, but one with big teeth.”
    â€œAll the better to eat you with,” Sully said.
    Hal shook her head. “We need to stay away from her. Got it?”
    Sully gave a noncommittal shrug, and Hal turned back toward the truck. “What did you mean when you told Ian you’d talk to me?”
    â€œI may have offered him a job.”
    â€œAre you kidding me?”
    â€œWhat? You said we needed some summer help, and he jumped right in today.”
    â€œSo you hired him? Without clearing it with me?”
    â€œNo, I told him we had a job opening he would be perfect for, and I said I’d talk to you.”
    â€œWe don’t know anything about him.”
    â€œHe’s some sort of a computer wiz, full scholarship at UB. You know he’s got to be good with numbers. He does computer programming and stuff on the side.”
    â€œThen why would he want to sling sandwiches?”
    Sully shrugged again.
    â€œWhat did you tell him?” she asked suspiciously.
    â€œI may have mentioned it’s a great way to pick up chicks.”
    Hal stared at her.
    â€œWhat? It is. He could work the window and give