Page 50 of Mismatched

Lucky for me, Milo makes an excellent personal assistant. He’s so hot to climb the corporate ladder, he makes most of my client calls, runs reports, and gets us both to all our meetings. Which has saved me so far. But I need to get my act together.

“So, Derek has come up to Denver this evening because we’re getting ready to move forward with the branch office,” Carl explains. “Obviously, he’ll be holding down the fort, doing some hiring in the Springs, but we’re going to need a couple people who can serve as go-betweens. Make sure there’s consistency across both offices.”

I sip my water. “Makes sense. We already have clients we work with long-distance in Pueblo and the Springs. It’ll help us establish a stronger connection.”

“While opening us up to a larger market,” Milo adds.

“Exactly,” Carl says, eyes sparkling.

Derek clears his throat. He’s a big, burly business rancher type. The kind who wears a bolo instead of a tie and has clearly lived here all his life. “We’re only just looking at spaces,” he says. “Probably downtown, but there’re some possibilities on the north end. The initial travel demands shouldn’t be too intense, but once we open up, there might be a lot of back and forth.”

Carl chimes in. “We’re looking into corporate housing, or maybe even purchasing a company condo.”

“Of course, whatever makes sense,” Milo says without a thought.

I’m a bit slower to jump in. Not because I’m distracted—for the first time in weeks, my full attention is on Vesper Financial. But what Carl and Derek are actually envisioning is starting to hit me. Colorado Springs is about an hour drive from Denver when the traffic and weather are perfect. It’s also possible to fly between the two cities. I travel down there periodically for the odd business trip, but this sounds more... involved.

“I know this is asking a lot as far as time commitment,” Carl says. “Which is part of the reason we’re approaching you two first, since neither of you has a family.”

My chest shouldn’t sting when he says that, but it does. “Well, uh, Lydia?—”

“Oh, you’ve got to meet Anton’s wife. She is something else,” Carl says, grinning at Derek. “Multi-entrepreneur, expanding her business exponentially.” He shakes his head. “I hope Vesper can achieve a shadow of her growth.”

“She’s really gone to the dogs,” I mutter, knowing it’ll elicit laughter from my boss. He and Derek start talking about their pets, and I sit back in my chair. Watching Milo track their every word and gesture, waiting for the right time to react or chime in. Just the way I did when I started working with Carl right out of college.

For some reason, I don’t feel like I have the energy for it now.

I pull out my phone, schooling my face to look like I’m replying to client email. Then navigate to my texts with Lydia. According to the ovulation calculator I downloaded a few days ago, her next fertility window should start tomorrow. She hasn’t indicated she’s ready yet, which is fine. I don’t want her stressing about this—I meant what I said about focusing on the fun. But if my instincts are right and our relationship has changed the way I think it has... it seems like it couldn’t hurt to be strategic.

So far tonight, Carl’s talking more about dogs than finance.

Lydia

?? Why wasn’t I invited?

The evening would be 1000% better with you here.

Lydia

Where are you guys? Maybe Caprice and I should get a table and “bump into” you.

Elway’s.

Lydia

Oh, blah. More wines than desserts.

I chuckle. Sometimes Lydia can be delightfully predictable.

Go out with me tomorrow? I’ll buy you dessert anywhere you want.

I mean, if you’re feeling better?

Lydia

Thought you’d never ask.

I am starting to feel like I’ve read every scientific fact and old wives’ tale about conception on the internet. For example, I know Lydia’s in her most fertile window the week right after her period. But one of the many sites that confirmed this also suggested eating fresh pineapple to hasten implantation, or yams if we want twins. Oysters were also recommended for a variety of reasons. There is some evidence to support her staying still for ten minutes after sex, to help the sperm find its way inside her uterus. And I read conflicting reports that if she orgasms right after I come, her cervix will suck up my semen. But I had to stop when I found an entire site devoted to ovulation and the lunar cycle. Even I’m not ready to go there quite yet.

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