Page 43 of Code Name: Michelangelo

“Brand, sorry to call so late, but I wanted you to know I decided to stick around for a couple more days.”

“Oh?”

“If it’s all right with you and Penelope, I’d like to push up the meeting with Sundance and Flick so I can be there. Also, shortly after we left, I received a call from your father.”

“Bloody hell,” I said out loud without intending to. “My apologies.”

“Before I say anything more, are you aware of the reason for his call?”

“I am.”

“Good. I figured you’d be. We need to discuss the implications of what he and I spoke about.”

“I have no intention of altering my plans,” I assured him.

“I didn’t anticipate you would. Would you and Penelope be available to meet tomorrow morning?”

“Meeting with Doc tomorrow morning?” I asked.

“Of course,” she responded.

“Good,” he said, overhearing her. “Zero nine hundred work?”

“Ask if he wants to meet here,” she offered.

“I was going to make the suggestion myself. Tell her I said thanks. See you then.”

“My apologies. I should’ve put the call on speaker, to begin with.”

“It’s okay. I could hear him. So, um…”

“Ready to talk about the kiss?”

She shook her head and laughed. “I’m not sure I’ll ever be ready. I mean, I will, eventually. I was going to ask if the meeting is impacted in any way by the letter.”

“My plan is to proceed as if I hadn’t received it.” I motioned to where it once again sat on the table in front of us. “Earlier, Richard mentioned my job with K19. He asked if it was what I really wanted to do. I walked away without answering him, but it is what I want to do.”

“I’m glad. I mean, I would’ve understood if you didn’t. Except you said you did, so?—”

I put my fingertip on her lips. “There’s something I want to do more, except I’m not allowing myself to until we talk about it.”

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Okay. We can talk.”

“When you proposed we be friends only, at least for now, you hesitated to respond when I asked if we could kiss.”

“I remember.”

“Do you still feel the same way now as you did then?”

“It was only yesterday.”

“I’m aware, but that isn’t an answer.”

“What I want to do right now is call the whole thing off and ask you to move your things from the fifth floor to the fourth.”

“But?”

“You know my history.”

---