Page 5 of Fun Together
At this rate, I will never have to purchase blush ever again. “Sometimes she gets me to test things for company gift ideas.”
“Is she planning on handing out vibrators like other companies give out water bottles? Will they be company branded?”
“This isn’t funny.” It’s extremely funny, and I can’t help but smile up at him. “I should pretend I didn’t get this, right?”
He tsks and shakes his head. “I don’t know . . . Tom and I are witnesses.”
“I know Tom would vouch for me. You wouldn’t keep a secret for me?”
“Faye, you know I’d take abulletfor you.” He pauses to allow the vibrator joke to land. “But as a new member of the HR team, I don’t know if I could be involved in your deception.” He grabs the box back out of my hand. “In fact, I think I need to take this as evidence.”
I reach for the box, and he dangles it out of my reach. We’re both fully cracking up now, because the way I’m flailing to take it back from him is hysterical. I stop trying when his words register. “Wait, you work in HR?” I don’t see him as the kind of guy who enforces company policies. If anything, he’d break them.
“Well, technically recruiting, but it’s under that umbrella.”
I nod, impressed. “That’s great.” The box is still buzzing away in his hand. “We need to turn that thing off.”
“Oh yeah, wouldn’t want it to run out of juice. Although . . .” He stops to read the back of the box. “It does operate up to four hours on a full charge.”
“Stop making me laugh about this. It’s mortifying.”
He hands it back to me. “Look on the bright side. Your weekend just got more interesting.”
I wedge my fingers into the package and feel for the off switch, refusing to pull the vibrator out right here in front of him.
It’s now that I notice the only car parked on this level is my lone Honda Accord, and his car is nowhere to be seen. “Where is your car?”
“Oh, I parked on the fourth floor.”
“Why didn’t you get off there?”
“Because we were talking.” He says this as if it’s obvious, like we were chatting about the most important thing in the world and not my pathetic weekend plans. “And then I couldn’t leave a lady distressed over her vibrating box.”
I bite my lip to keep him from getting the satisfaction of getting another laugh out of me. “It isn’tmybox.”
“Mm-hmm.” He walks with me to my car. “Why didn’t you leave early like everyone else?”
I nod down to my bag in answer.
“That’s why you were working so late?”
That, and avoiding my life, apparently. “It’s complicated, but yes. What were you still doing here?”
“Trying to get a jump on things. Had a riveting orientation video about workplace safety to watch.”
I open my car door and toss my tote bag into the passenger seat. “Just wait until you get to the data security portion.”
He gives me another smile that makes my breathing do a weird thing that has nothing with coffee overconsumption, and everything to do with something surprising sparking in my chest. “It’s good to see you, Faye.” He turns to walk toward the stairs and waves to me. “Good luck on your testing!”
I wave back and get into my car, immediately resting my forehead against the steering wheel. My heart is pounding, mind racing to process the last thirty minutes. Was he just flirting with me? Was I flirting back? I attempt to ignore the butterflies emerging from dormancy in my stomach.
Really? You wake up for the first time in months, and it’s for Andrew’s best friend?
Almost as if I’ve summoned him with my traitorous thoughts, my phone buzzes with a text from Andrew.
I can come by later if that’s too early.
In all the commotion, I forgot he had even texted me.
