Page 22 of Take It Offline

It’s annoying how adorable he is, and I’m smiling before I can stop myself.

“If I promise to try the pie, will you let me get back to work?”

“Sure.” He winks. “Now eat something.”

I roll my eyes, but I do as he says and shove a bite into my mouth.Dammit, it’s incredible. I make a note to tell Amy about PJ’s.

Beside me, Charlie waits for a response, but I don’t want to give him the satisfaction.

“You can get back to work now.”

“I think the phrase you’re looking for is,thank you, Charlie. You were right. This pie is as delicious as you are.”

I’d rather kiss Roberts’s feet than tell Charlie he’s right.

Affecting my best glare, I say, “How about,shut up and let me work?”

He laughs as he returns to his own desk, where I can see he’s hiding more pie. “Oh,” he adds, “and send the damn email already.”

I’ve never seen Charlie stressed until today. It’s disconcerting.

Operations can’t seem to function without him.

First Trevor appears, complaining about a review deadline, then Kush, pleading with him to push a project through, even though it doesn’t follow any of the format requirements. At least that request came with an invite to lunch next week. After that is Sheldon, Ingmar, and a slew of others whose names I don’t catch.

Engineers appear at all times of the day to complain—the system is infamous there, which is fun to hear repeatedly from four feet away—and while Charlie is nothing but friendly when they’re around, his shoulders continue to bunch and tighten as the day wears on.

Maybe I’ve been too hard on him. He did apologize.

I’m used to seeing him in action, not… behind enemy lines like this. It’s taking some getting used to.

It’s clear he works out. It’s stitched into the line of his jaw, his hands, even the ease of his walk. Like he knows where he’s going, and heaven help anyone who gets in his way.

For a moment, I watch him through the break between our screens. His sleeves are rolled up, exposing his toned forearms and a set of black leather bracelets. It’s a habit he saves for when a task needs his undivided attention.

Now that I’ve started, I can’t stop noticing small details about him. The way he always stretches his back at two p.m., hands lifted overhead and ending with a little groan. How different his “I win” smile is from his “I’m trying to win you over” one. How much brighter his eyes are in a navy pinstripe.

It’s messing with me.

“So,” I say, letting the word hang between us. My curiosity is piqued, practically seeping from every pore.

Charlie doesn’t look over, but the slow curl of his smile tells me he’s listening. “So.”

I trace the letterCon my keyboard. “You and Amy.”

Charlie stills his fingers over the keys. His smile deepens, showing off a dimple I want to hate but can’t.

“Something you wanna know?”

Yes.“No.”

He catches me watching him, and my heart jumps into my throat. “We had a couple dates about a year ago, but it didn’t work out.”

Relief washes over me, which is ridiculous, because I don’t care.

I stare down at my computer. “It’s none of my business.”

“How about you?” he asks.

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