Page 112 of Nothing to Do

“Which system is it?”

“I have no earthly idea.” Everyone was looking at her. “Uh, I’ve got to go.”

“Every company worth anything has a Dysaic system. Is it a Dysaic system?”

“Is it a—I don’t know.” How would she know that? She lowered the phone to address Anika. “Is our new security system Dysaic?”

“Yes, why what does—”

“Yes,” she said into the phone. “What does that—”

“Give me twenty minutes.”

And the line cut off. Huh, okay. Twenty minutes for what?

“What did he say?” Anika asked like she’d known who was on the line. “Who were you talking to?”

Okay, so maybe she didn’t.

“My boyfriend, he’s into this tech stuff.” Slight—not-so-slight—understatement. “Foldable phones, improved voice interaction, and we’ll want to research miniaturization and self-charging.”

“All of this is good.” Anika nodded at the others until they got their laptops up and going. “See what you can find out. Look for anything we might use to impress the client. Slap it all together in a five-minute presentation. We’ll piece together the highlights. Revland wants progress and to see something by the end of business.”

Not asking much, was he?

“When is the meeting?” she asked. “With the client?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know. We’ll find out more later.”

And she’d been stressing Anika might be unimpressed with her work? The woman hadn’t even looked at any of it. Okay, not something to stress about. Putting aside what had been to focus on what would be was much easier.

They worked for a while, she didn’t know how long until her phone chimed. A message.

His way up? That was Zane. Wait, twenty minutes, had he meant…?

She leaped up. “Uh, I have to nip out for just a second.”

Why would he come all the way there? Hurrying from the room, she didn’t have a clue how to get him through security if her pass didn’t work. He didn’t need to be there, unless he meant…

She got to the reception the same second the elevator doors opened to reveal her guy in cargo board shorts and a rumpled shirt over a tee-shirt.

Pausing there, memory warmed her lips. “You look a little out of place without the ocean behind you.”

“Reliving the good times,” he said, bypassing security and the reception desk to head straight for the glass entrance.

If he expected her to beep him through… Without any contact or specific movement, the scanner beeped and let him through without hesitating for a beat. He didn’t even do anything, he just… walked.

“How did you do that?” she asked when he stooped to kiss her.

“It’s my system, babe.”

“It’s your—oh…” Now she got it. And that clarity brought her joy. “Will you fix it?”

“Shouldn’t take long if it’s correctly installed.” He glanced back at the security gates. “This is not the newest model.”

“Yeah, Mr. Revland never springs for the most up to date anything. He waits until the old models are on sale.”

“Do you want the newest model?”

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