today? “Is that why you’re skulking outside my class—Danny
can’t find his email send button?”
He stood up to walk with her, ignoring the pointed lack of
invitation. “Nope. But since I’m here, I figured I could
deliver the message. Got another
one, too—the meeting with the suits is set up for Thursday, 10 a.m.”
There had to be something on her schedule then. “I’ll let you know if I can make
it. Might be busy.”
“It’s one of the open windows you gave me.” His voice was still casual, but his
mind was coiled and a little annoyed. “I’ve got ten busy businesspeople all organized to show up, so it would
be handy if you could make it.”
Lizard debated. Hard. And then decided it was probably time
to grow up and stop making his life difficult just because he tangled her
insides. This was business, not
personal—and it wasn’t his fault her insides still got stupid
sometimes. “Fine, I’ll be there.” A terrible thought occurred to
her. “Do I have to wear a suit?”
The picture of her in a suit—a really sexy red
one—that flashed through his mind was totally unnerving. He grinned and angled left onto the
sidewalk. “Nah. They expect somebody to look like a
grown-up, but that’s my job. Everyone else just has to sound smart. Danny will likely be in ratty jeans and a Grateful
Dead t-shirt, so you’ll have to work at it some if you want to be the most
underdressed person in the room.”
Dammit, he was laughing at her. Inside his head, but still. And they were almost at the Patty Shack, which meant he was
steering her in more ways than one. Growing up had its limits. “Are you done with all your messages now?” She shifted her monster backpack between them, attempting to
roadblock his herding efforts. “And I don’t have time for food.”
He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, backpack and all, a
casual and very effective vise. “We’ll get takeout and go to your office. I’ll show you the new web interface and then leave you to
slave over your maps in peace. You
want one patty or two?”
Resistance was futile, especially now that she could smell
burger fumes. Her stomach, always
the traitor. “Two. And you could just email me the web
thing. I’ll figure it out.”
“I could.” He
grinned and placed his order. “But
I’m not quite done with you yet.”
Lizard answered the Patty Shack guy on autopilot. Josh’s mind had suddenly shrouded in a
way that made the discomfort in her belly breed like bunnies. A mind probe got her nowhere, and
digging any deeper was the kind of thing that would probably make Grammie smite
her from heaven.
He took her hand and headed over to the waiting area, out of the
way of the main line. And then
made her squirm in silence as he chatted casually with some cute kid who
apparently lived down the street. An old lady walked by and beamed at them.
It wasn’t what it looked like. Panic inched up Lizard’s throat. She grabbed their separately bagged orders and shoved one in
Josh’s hands. Maybe she could
ditch him on the cute kid. “Gotta
go—email me the link.”
He exchanged some kind of secret-code handshake with the kid and
caught up to her in two strides. “I’m starving. You got any
ketchup at the office?”
Screw this. She
stopped dead in the middle of the sidewalk and nailed him with her best badass
stare. “What do you want, Josh?”
His eyes suddenly did something she’d never seen
before—they looked uncertain. “I was going to leave this for later, so that business and personal
stuff didn’t get tangled. But
that’s bullshit, because they’re already all mixed up.” He shoved his hands in his
pockets. “Come to the beach with
me tonight. I’ll bring some music,
we can have a fire, talk a little.”
There was no mistaking what he meant. The words might
can’t find his email send button?”
He stood up to walk with her, ignoring the pointed lack of
invitation. “Nope. But since I’m here, I figured I could
deliver the message. Got another
one, too—the meeting with the suits is set up for Thursday, 10 a.m.”
There had to be something on her schedule then. “I’ll let you know if I can make
it. Might be busy.”
“It’s one of the open windows you gave me.” His voice was still casual, but his
mind was coiled and a little annoyed. “I’ve got ten busy businesspeople all organized to show up, so it would
be handy if you could make it.”
Lizard debated. Hard. And then decided it was probably time
to grow up and stop making his life difficult just because he tangled her
insides. This was business, not
personal—and it wasn’t his fault her insides still got stupid
sometimes. “Fine, I’ll be there.” A terrible thought occurred to
her. “Do I have to wear a suit?”
The picture of her in a suit—a really sexy red
one—that flashed through his mind was totally unnerving. He grinned and angled left onto the
sidewalk. “Nah. They expect somebody to look like a
grown-up, but that’s my job. Everyone else just has to sound smart. Danny will likely be in ratty jeans and a Grateful
Dead t-shirt, so you’ll have to work at it some if you want to be the most
underdressed person in the room.”
Dammit, he was laughing at her. Inside his head, but still. And they were almost at the Patty Shack, which meant he was
steering her in more ways than one. Growing up had its limits. “Are you done with all your messages now?” She shifted her monster backpack between them, attempting to
roadblock his herding efforts. “And I don’t have time for food.”
He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, backpack and all, a
casual and very effective vise. “We’ll get takeout and go to your office. I’ll show you the new web interface and then leave you to
slave over your maps in peace. You
want one patty or two?”
Resistance was futile, especially now that she could smell
burger fumes. Her stomach, always
the traitor. “Two. And you could just email me the web
thing. I’ll figure it out.”
“I could.” He
grinned and placed his order. “But
I’m not quite done with you yet.”
Lizard answered the Patty Shack guy on autopilot. Josh’s mind had suddenly shrouded in a
way that made the discomfort in her belly breed like bunnies. A mind probe got her nowhere, and
digging any deeper was the kind of thing that would probably make Grammie smite
her from heaven.
He took her hand and headed over to the waiting area, out of the
way of the main line. And then
made her squirm in silence as he chatted casually with some cute kid who
apparently lived down the street. An old lady walked by and beamed at them.
It wasn’t what it looked like. Panic inched up Lizard’s throat. She grabbed their separately bagged orders and shoved one in
Josh’s hands. Maybe she could
ditch him on the cute kid. “Gotta
go—email me the link.”
He exchanged some kind of secret-code handshake with the kid and
caught up to her in two strides. “I’m starving. You got any
ketchup at the office?”
Screw this. She
stopped dead in the middle of the sidewalk and nailed him with her best badass
stare. “What do you want, Josh?”
His eyes suddenly did something she’d never seen
before—they looked uncertain. “I was going to leave this for later, so that business and personal
stuff didn’t get tangled. But
that’s bullshit, because they’re already all mixed up.” He shoved his hands in his
pockets. “Come to the beach with
me tonight. I’ll bring some music,
we can have a fire, talk a little.”
There was no mistaking what he meant. The words might
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