Chapter 4 #3
“Thanks.” She gave him the number and in less than a minute, she had all the information she needed.
“Anything else I need to know about living here? Anything funky with the appliances or anything like that? When I moved into my apartment, the property manager told me not to use the back left burner on the stove, not to run any two small appliances at the same time, and that I could only take a ten-minute shower because that’s all the hot water I’d get.
So…” She shrugged. “Anything like that here?”
He looked mildly horrified.
“Milo?”
“Oh, uh…no. No. There’s nothing like that here. Everything’s practically brand new—the appliances, the plumbing, the electric. Everything here is safe. You’ll be safe.”
Smiling and more than a little relieved, she thanked him again.
“For what?”
“You totally put my mind at ease.” And then, for some reason, she hugged him.
Like wrapped herself around him and hugged him.
He went completely still and didn’t hug her back, and Nora just figured he wasn’t a hugger. No biggie. When she pulled back and smiled, he no longer looked horrified, but if she didn’t know better, she’d swear he was blushing.
“Oh, and I really should thank you for this morning.”
He frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Well, that was your chance to get me in trouble with Slater, and you didn’t. So…thank you.”
He glanced away for a moment before looking at her again. “Believe it or not, I don’t go out of my way to get you in trouble with Slater. Or with anyone. The truth is, you kind of had a point last night and I was just too…” Pausing, he groaned.
And it shouldn’t have sounded sexy, but it did.
“Too…?” she prompted.
“I was embarrassed, okay? I had completely humiliated myself on the flight and then falling in the lake and…it was just a lot for me. And my ego.”
She didn’t know him well enough to know if this was a big admission, but it felt like one.
“For what it’s worth, I get it. I haven’t exactly been nice to you.” She snorted. “I’ve kind of been a major bitch.”
He didn’t correct her.
“I made some assumptions and I shouldn’t have. That’s on me. But when we landed and were walking on the dock, I was really just enjoying talking to you.”
“Seriously? Then why did you…?”
“I didn’t shove you,” she said wearily. “It was a playful nudge, and you lost your balance!”
“You know, you get defensive way too easily.” His lips twitched slightly as he said it.
“I could say the same for you.”
“Yeah, well, I know why I get defensive. I’ve spent a lifetime getting beat up by jocks and bullies and people who thought I was an easy target because I used my brains instead of my fists. What’s your excuse?”
“Honestly? I don’t have one. Not like you. I didn’t have any issues in school or when I was growing up. But if we’re being honest, part of my issue is just with guys who are just…you know…like…big jerks.”
He already started to bristle before she could explain.
“Before your head explodes,” she began, “what I meant is that I’ve been around a lot of men on these kinds of jobs—the hikes and tours and whatnot. And there’s been a lot of harassment that I’ve had to either just shake it off or get physical to fight them off. I broke one guy’s nose.”
His eyes went wide.
“And I got fired,” she added. “Yeah, that one was a huge lesson in how unfair things were, but Slater swooped in and helped me land another gig so it all worked out.”
“Holy shit, Nora,” he said, suddenly sounding concerned. “Why would you keep doing this then?”
“Because I love it and I refuse to let anyone force me to quit just because some guys don’t know how to behave.
And it’s not just guys on the job; it’s in my personal life too.
It seems like those are the kind of guys who are attracted to me.
Trust me, I’m not the one choosing them.
And I don’t always see the red flags right away.
So I guess I react first and get the facts later, so…
sorry. It’s very obvious that you’re not like that.
You’re a successful man who taught himself to code before he learned to drive.
And at 14, you were reverse-engineering chat encryption protocols—and I have no idea what that is—just to see if you could.
And you dropped out of MIT after one semester and still launched a company that now powers encrypted infrastructure for over three hundred Fortune 500 companies. ”
“You read the Forbes article,” he said simply.
Nodding, she went on. “And from everything I’ve seen, you’re more than capable of taking care of yourself in all the ways that count.
Who cares if you don’t like to fly in a small plane or hike?
” She shrugged. “I’ve hung out with and dated guys who are adrenaline junkies like me, and yet they can’t do anything for themselves. ”
He chuckled. “I know the type too. I’ve gone on several excursions with the guys and even though we typically just stick with the five of us, we’re sometimes around other groups and it’s a little embarrassing how some guys act.”
“Exactly. I’m sorry I painted you with the same brush.”
They were quiet for several moments before Milo spoke. “If you weren’t doing this sort of job, what would you do?”
“Good question. I honestly don’t know. But…” She didn’t finish the thought. He was technically one of her bosses, and if she said she wasn’t looking to do this for much longer, she might be out of a job sooner rather than later.
“But…?”
“Who knows what I’d do? This is all I know, so it really doesn’t matter. Anyway…I should go. My break’s almost over and I’m kind of hoping the afternoon flies by so I can go into town and grab my stuff.”
“Why don’t you wait for the weekend and do it?”
“I don’t know. I’m just excited about the whole thing. Plus, I’m leading a tour group on Saturday, and I’ll be gone most of the day.”
“What’s the tour?”
“We’re doing a family-oriented day hike. It’s going to be fun. Easy for the kiddos.”
“Do you lead that alone or do you have an assistant?” he asked casually.
“Why, do you want to come and check it out? I think you’d enjoy it.”
His eyes went wide. “Um, no. No, that wasn’t what I was getting at. I was just asking.”
It was crazy to be disappointed. He’d already admitted that he wasn’t the outdoorsy type, so why would she even think he’d be interested?
“Oh, well…if you ever wanted to try hiking, I take a lot of the beginner groups. We do educational hikes and learn all about the flora and fauna, we do wildflower hikes, and, of course, the bird-watching ones. You’re always welcome.”
All he did was nod.
“Well, enjoy the rest of your day and I guess I’ll be seeing you around a bit more, neighbor,” she teased before walking away.
She’d gone no more than ten feet when she felt the urge to turn around. And when she did, she noticed that Milo was watching her. Smiling, she waved and then watched as he nervously turned around and walked in the opposite direction.
Maybe he wasn’t so bad.
If anything, he was kind of cute.