Page 51 of Spies without a Face
I keptmum at the Network about my upcoming date with Austin. If they knew, they’d prod me with relentless questions. But they knew something. I could tell by the way they asked innocuous questions about my plans for the weekend or whether I’d seen Austin lately, among them.
When Lucas played Blondie’s “Atomic” and nonchalantly asked if I liked Blondie, I knew they knew.
“Conference room, everyone,” I said, echoing my earlier statement after they’d set me up with Austin at the Danger Zone.
When we were all seated in there again, I eyed each of them. “What do you know?”
“Nothing.” Nova shifted in her seat.
I fixed my gaze on Lucas, who appeared to be wrestling so hard to suppress his smile, I thought he might burst like a squashed blueberry.
“Lucas?” I asked.
“Okay. We know you’re going out with Austin on Sunday.”
I arched a brow. “And how do you know this?”
“Because we’re now buddies, thanks to you.” He gestured at me. “And buddies talk.”
I blinked at him. What had I done with introducing these two? Was it like opening a—okay, I was going to use my name in the dreaded reference—Pandora’s box?
“Can youtryto keep my private life out of your conversations, please?”
“Why?” Cassandra asked. “You could double-date with Lucas and Zoe. Wouldn’t that be fun?”
“That would be,” Zoe, of all people, said.
I pursed my lips and closed my eyes. “I’m at least a decade older than all of you and your boss. Double dating would be completely weird.”
After we’d all gone back to our offices, I settled into my desk chair with a sigh. No wonder I’d avoided dating for so long. Drama galore.
Yet, my thoughts often drifted to going out with Austin, and I couldn’t ignore the excited flush that rose from within.
Maybe I was looking forward to it more than I wanted to admit.
CHAPTER18
PANDORA
“How can you not like seafood? I thought lob-stah and clam chow-dah was in every New Englander’s blood?”
I sat across from Austin at an outdoor picnic table at the Harpoon Brewery right on the Boston waterfront. It was situated close to the outdoor pavilion where the concert was. We’d come into Boston early to allow plenty of time for traffic, parking, and a quick bite. When Austin suggested a seaport restaurant, I’d asked to go somewhere, anywhere, else, and proposed this venue on the water.
“Never liked it. Sure, I can eat a piece of white fish especially with lemon, butter, and breadcrumbs. But anything with shells or slimy insides?” I shuddered. “Blech.”
We shared appetizers and each tried a beer on tap. Since I was getting more comfortable around him, conversation went more smoothly. A bonus was that so far, I wasn’t soaked in beer or dessert.
After we finished, we walked over to the venue and found our seats on the concourse. Austin had gotten us table seats, so we were able to relax behind the crowd as we watched the opening band, The Damned.
As they played, the crowd got into it, including us. We stood to see the stage better, and Austin sang along to some songs like “Eloise” and “Alone Again Or.”
The sun began to set. The darkening sky with twinkling lights on the water shifted the ambiance to a more romantic tone.
Or maybe it was due to the shifter beside me.
After The Damned left the stage, I turned to Austin. “They were fantastic. I thought I only knew a few of their songs but recognized many more. Now I want to hear more.”
“Yes, that was a great set,” Austin agreed. “I was thrilled to see them on the ticket as I’d never seen them live.”
