Page 132 of Mr. Hook-up

“I would have grabbed you a coffee, but I wasn’t sure if you’d be in the mood for a dark roast or an espresso. I was leaning toward espresso. Am I right?”

“You’re right.” I nodded toward the door I was still holding. “I’ll be right back.”

She crossed her legs, positioning her body toward me. “For the record, had you not grabbed the door handle to go inside, like you’re doing now, I would have chased you down.”

Now I was positive she recognized the moment.

I winked at her. “I know you would have.” And then I went inside the coffee shop and ordered two espressos, hers with oat milk, and I carried them outside once they were ready. “A refill,” I said, placing the new drink in front of her.

Once I sat down, her lips found mine. “Thank you.”

“Of course.”

I pushed my back against the simple metal seat and took a deep breath, bringing the coffee up to my mouth and taking a long sip. “Damn it, I needed this.”

She set her hand on my thigh. She didn’t say anything. She just left her fingers there, allowing me to feel her touch, to take in the sounds of the city while I cleared my head.

I didn’t know how much time had passed, but at some point she reached into her pocket and took out her phone. She chuckled as she read whatever was on the screen and said, “Looks like Brennon is getting desperate.”

I glanced at her just as she set her cell on the table. “Why do you say that?”

“He reached out to one of my old Faceframe colleagues and asked if she knew of any job openings in the tech space. She texted me to tell me.”

“He’s burned every bridge.”

She nodded. “No one will hire him after what he’s done.”

For such a huge industry, the circle was small. Word spread. And as soon as we filed suit against Brennon and Faceframe, he was fired, his reputation so tarnished he hadn’t been able to find employment anywhere in Silicon Valley. He was getting to the point where he was reaching out to everyone he knew to see if they could help him find something. They certainly weren’t going to put their names on the line to help a traitor and a thief.

That thought should have made me happy. Brennon was nothing but a motherfucker who had tried to take down everything Holden, Grayson, David, and I had built. But part of me felt bad for him. That he felt so underappreciated that he wanted to hurt us. That he stooped to a level as low as he had.

That instead of creating something on his own, he’d stolen our designs and software.

It said a lot about his morals and character. And now those decisions were going to affect his future, one that looked extremely bleak from where I was sitting.

I’d already let Brennon take up too much real estate in my head.

He wasn’t getting any additional square footage, nor was that topic getting another second of attention. Instead, I addressed something that would cheer me up and that would return the breathtaking smile to Drake’s face. I asked, “Has Saara gotten back from her work trip?”

“Tomorrow. We’re going to meet for drinks after work.”

“Ahhh.A night of debauchery.”

She squeezed my leg. “Not true. We can go out for a glass of wine and catch up and act like civilized, responsible women.”

“I’m sure you can, but you don’t.” I laughed, thinking of the last time they had gone out and Drake had practically crawled into my apartment, her hangover lasting a full day. “You girls hit it hard and make every meetup as memorable as possible.” I set my hand on topof hers. “It’s all right, I love that about you—and your ability to now drink as much vodka as I can.”

She glanced toward the street as though remembering the last few times they’d had a girls’ night. “Okay, so you might have a point there.”

“You know, you owe her a trip to Utah.”

She shook her head, reconnecting our stares. “I keep forgetting to book it, but she’s been giving me not-so-subtle reminders that she wants a tent with a bathtub in the middle of Moab with zero cell service.” She scrunched up her face. “You’ve created a camping monster.”

“In you? Or her?”

“Both.”

I laughed again. “Have my assistant book the trip and take the plane.”

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