Page 47 of Caught A Vibe

Mike, my warehouse manager, is the only one on the call who holds his tongue, but he might also have us muted while he watchesStar Trekreruns. It’s a fifty-fifty shot. He usually doesn’t tune in until he needs to.

And just like that, my carefully crafted agenda for this meeting flies out the window. No one tells you this is a hazard of working with friends.

“What happened to ‘stays in Vegas’?” I glare at Nicola.

“I don’t know. You tell me why he didn’t stay in Vegas? How long is he staying? How long has he been there? More importantly, why are we only finding out about this now?”

It’s a fair question. This group of people are more than my colleagues. They are my people, my inner circle, the friends who are family. They took a leap of faith with their finances and careers to come open this business with me. Why hadn’t I been more open about Dash?

I peek over my shoulder to confirm that he has his fancy headphones on again before I reply.

“At first, we hooked up in Vegas, and I thought it might turn from a one- into a two-night stand. And then everything went sideways and we scrapped that plan.”

“He’s Anonymous,” Nicola blurts.

“He didn’t tell you his name? Hot!” Emmie leans closer to her screen as if we’re sitting across from each other at a bar and the story is about to get good. I smile and long for the day G&T nights are a thing we can do again. Girl talk and gin and tonics are now forever linked in my mind. I do owe them the story, even if I don’t have a bubbly beverage to ease its flow.

“No. He’s the Anonymous who broke the story.” Nicola corrects her.

“Oooooooh, that’s even hotter. Hold on.” She grabs a lime seltzer water and pours it into a fancy glass and takes a sip. “What? I’m on the clock. It’s the best I can do.”

“G&T call!” Zarah chimes in and disappears from the screen.

“Keep it sober! We are not done with this meeting!” I plead. Everyone except Mike ducks off-screen to grab their bubbly water of choice. It gives me a chance to compose my thoughts. This was not how I anticipated this meeting going. Jen sits down last. She cut an actual lime and is squeezing it over her beverage.

“Okay. Keep talking,” Jen says, taking a bracing sip.

I really love my friends.

“That’s exactly what we did. At first I thought he was just following up and keeping track of the story. But we kept talking and texting, and it turned into more.”

“I still don’t understand how he ended up on your couch,” Zarah prodded.

“We were on the phone every night, since he was in San Francisco and I was between New York and here. So when I missed a call because I was sick, he drove down here to check on me.”

“Swoon!” Emmie squeals.

“Yeah, his roommates bailed and he was headed down here to find a place, but he stayed to take care of me. And with everything else going on, it’s been hard for him to leave.”

“Which is why you didn’t tap any of us for help?” Jen asks. She’s not judging, but I can tell she’s hurt.

“In the beginning I couldn’t even keep my eyes open, let alone think to call anyone. By the time I was aware, I didn’t want to risk any of you catching this, and he was already here and exposed.”

“Do we need to come roust him out of there? He’s been there almost two months at this point,” Jen points out.

Two months. That reality hits me in the chest. Has it really been that long? What is time anymore? It feels like he moved in a week ago.Two months…It’s probably time for us to have a conversation about his sleeping arrangements. “Not yet.”

“Hmm, he must be takingexcellentcare if you’re okay with him disrupting your space,” Zarah observes.

“Two words.” I lean closer to the screen and my friends mirror me. “Foot. Rubs,” I whisper.

My friends do not disappoint. Falling off chairs, fanning themselves, chugging bubbly drinks, they cut up and make me laugh in the best way. All except Mike, who is still staring slightly off-screen, confirming that whatever is happening to Spock and Kirk is far more interesting than the rest of us. It feels so…normal. Lately, every bit of normalcy feels like a gift.

“His, ahem, foot rubs are excellent at shutting my brain off. I think I’ll keep him around.”

“If you decide against keeping him around, you can send him my way,” Emmie teases. “What I wouldn’t give for some quiet brain nights.”

Touch is one of her love languages, which, along with her engineering degree, makes her an excellent fit to run research and design.

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