Page 12 of Interception

One of my colleagues ducks into my office.

“There’s a delivery for you at the front desk.”

“Thanks, Josie. I’m sure it will arrive with the rest of my mail.” I have so much to get done today, I don’t have time to chat.

“It’s not a work thing. You need to go get it.” She’s wiggling her eyebrows at me, and to be honest, I just want to lock my office door and dispense with the cryptic clues.

“Sure, I’m busy right now. I’ll swing by the front desk and pick it up when I have time.”

“Why do you have a bug up your ass today, girl?”

“I don’t. I just have a shit-ton of work to finish.”

“Okay. Why don’t we go out for a drink after work? Maybe you can fill me in on what’s going on with you… and with Faith?”

“I’ll take you up on the drink, but you’re shit out of luck when it comes to Faith. You know I’m not selling her out. She gets in enough trouble without me making it worse.”

“Fair enough.” She disappears, leaving me to break the back on my workload for this week. I’ve been a little distracted with everything that’s been going on, but my clients won’t wait for my personal problems.

An hour later, I get a text from Faith.

Faith: Did you get anything nice today?

Me: What? I’m at work.

Faith: OK. Will you come over this weekend?

Me: Where are you going to be?

Faith: Still at Coop’s.

Me: Why don’t you come spend the weekend at our place? You know you have a room, right?

Faith: Hunter wants me to keep a low profile until everything calms down. Please, please come here for the weekend.

Me: No can do. Talk soon.

I put my phone on silent and throw it in my purse. I love Faith, but I’m not going back to Coop’s place. This job is kicking my ass, but for some ungodly reason, I thought it would be a good idea to become an accountant. Could I find a less sexy profession?

When my brain is scrambled, I remember there’s a mystery package at reception for me. I wander down the hall, stopping to make myself a much-needed coffee. As I round the corner, I can feel my cheeks flush at the sight of the reception desk. Why didn’t Josie tell me to come get this package because it’s embarrassing as hell? That would’ve gotten my ass out of my office a heck of a lot faster.

The receptionist gives me her brightest smile as I walk up and grab a giant balloon phone, weighed down by a box. Jesus, this is what Faith was talking about when she messaged me earlier. I’m going to kill her.

“Gift from someone special?” I don’t even make eye contact as I clear her desk of this monstrosity.

“Nope. Practical joke.” I drop my gaze to the floor and hightail it back to my office. There’s a card attached to a brand new iPhone box. Are you shitting me? This guy can’t take a hint.

I rip the envelope and expect some smart-ass note from Coop, but there’s a small part of me that’s a little disappointed when I flip open the card and see that it’s not from him. It’s from Faith. I am going to kill her for this.

I gave Coop the number of this new phone. If you change your mind and want to talk to him, you can switch it on and probably find a few texts from him already. What’s the worst that could happen?

Faith x

She’s relentless, I’ll give her that. As for Coop, I doubt he’ll be messaging a random number. I try to leave it alone, but my intrigue gets the better of me. The phone is fully charged when I switch it on, and sure enough, there’s a message from one of only two numbers programmed into the contacts—Cooper Danford. Expecting some digital-age equivalent of a love letter, I’m not prepared for the message that awaits.

He’s such a jackass. A stupid, funny jackass!

Chapter Four

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