Page 54 of Mistlefoe
“Oh.”
“So, what are you going to do now?”
I pull at one curl and twirl it around my finger. “Nothing, I guess.”
“What?” Rachel drags the word in disappointment. “You mean to tell me there’s a hunk of a man you’re into, and you won’t take a bite?”
“Rachel, please use that amazing brain inside your beautiful head. If you were him, would you give me a chance after I consistently treated you like crap for two years?”
“Oops, that’s a conundrum.”
“And that’s on top of my less than stellar trajectory with men.” She knows all about it. Dates I ditched because I’d rather be studying or working, and then them ghosting me inreturn. Or worse, in high school, where I couldn’t even find someone to go to prom with me because the popular kids got everyone thinking that the janitor’s daughter was gross.
“Forget the past.” Rachel waves a hand. “What matters is that you pounce on Conor before someone else does.”
“I’m sure he has his pick of women—he’s like everyone’s biggest crush at headquarters, you know that. Why would he choose the most prickly girl of the bunch?”
“Maybe because he kissed you like he was going to die if he didn’t give it his all?”
I roll my eyes. “He’s an athlete. I’m sure if it had been Kaylee instead, he’d have gone all out too.”
“You don’t mean that.”
“I half do and half don’t.”
She snorts. “I don’t see him looking at Kaylee the way he looks at you.”
I can’t help how I lean forward. “How’s that?”
“Like there’s literally no one else in the room and he doesn’t give a shit if anyone catches him watching.”
“Oh.” My insides flutter and my heart’s strumming a song I’m unfamiliar with. Something warm and sweet like a Christmas carol that is just for me. “Is… is that so?”
“Well, since I’m going to stop being your teammate soon, I have a confession to make.” I brace myself in case she’s going to say that she has a legit crush on Conor too, but instead what comes out of her mouth is, “The rest of us have a bet going over the two of you. Kaylee and I think you’ll get together at some point, but the men think you’ll never let that happen.”
I hang my jaw.
“Of course, I’m not saying this because I’d take a two-hundred-dollar cut once Kaylee and I win, but just so you understand that you don’t have to walk on pins and needles around the office if you decide to pursue something with him.Which you should, in my opinion.” She caps this off with a big grin.
“Richard too?” I feel my face scrunch up in mortification.
“I’m afraid he and I were the originators of the bet.”
I groan and throw an arm over my face like the picture of drama. “Kill me now.”
“What I’m saying is, there are no obstacles in front of you other than yourself. Get your man, Sierra.”
CHAPTER 19
CONOR
“Okay, I have to admit I’m really excited about this one.” I bounce my right knee because that’s all I can do to release some of the energy coursing through my veins. Part of it is because I’m so damn hungry—I skipped lunch because I was stuck in a call, and I’m really looking forward for this taste test of the catering service to fix that issue.
The other part has no solution. Sierra and I sit together in what has to be the world’s smallest booth with only a minuscule round table in it. I get that this caterer isn’t a restaurant, so the floorspace can be minimal. But I’m 6 foot 2 and putting my arm in between us made her contort, so I’ve just taken to leaving it on the backrest. That means we’re glued together, thighs, hips, and sides. Her curls tickle my nose if I turn to the left, and she smells amazing. I’ve been breathing as deep as I can, just so I can bottle up the scent in my cells.
The biggest challenge is how she feels. We removed our winter clothes because the place is too warm, so there’s only a normal amount of padding between us. But her shoulders would be the perfect height for my arm, and she feels warmand soft in all the ways that make me think definitely not-safe-for-work thoughts.
“I hope everything’s good.” Sierra bites her left thumbnail softly. “We literally have no built-in buffer in the schedule for any emergencies.”
