Chapter 18 #2
He finally looks up, that lazy grin playing at the corners of his mouth. “After how hard I worked last night, I think I’ve earned a free lunch.”
What?
I glower at him. “Don’t even think abo—”
“I worked very, very hard.” His voice drops to that low rumble that makes my stomach flip. “All night long. Multiple times, if I recall correctly.” His eyes travel slowly down my body before meeting mine again. “I’d say I’ve earned some... compensation.”
He can’t be serious.
“Caleb!” Flora pulls away from her desk, looking concerned. “You came back here after the meeting? Sweetie, you should have gone home.”
Steven spins around in his chair, equally worried. “Did something go wrong? What were you doing multiple times?”
“Fixing slides,” Caleb says slowly, his gaze holding mine. “I kept having to do them over and over again. Eve’s a hard taskmaster.” I feel the heat creep up my neck. Jerk. He’s doing this on purpose. He wants to see my reaction.
“Maybe if you had done it right the first time,” I bite back, refusing to be tormented like this, “I wouldn’t have asked you to do it again.”
“And again,” Caleb mouths, his eyes laughing at me over my retort, but mostly at my predicament.
“Well, she is a perfectionist,” Flora agrees. “But you should really let the man rest.”
Caleb nearly chokes, and I resist the urge to kick him.
It’s one thing to let everyone know we’re ‘dating’ but like this?
I’ll strangle him with his own tie! When he looks at me, the intensity in his gaze makes my breath catch, but I can see him fighting back laughter at Flora and Steven’s misinterpretation.
“Don’t be such a miser,” he continues, his voice carefully controlled even as his eyes dance with mischief. “Besides, I seem to remember you being very... appreciative of my efforts.”
Flora looks at Caleb sympathetically. “Just get him a sandwich, Eve. He looks exhausted.”
“I wasn’t—” I start, my face burning.
“Yeah, just get the man some food,” Steven adds, nodding at Caleb. “He does look really tired. And don’t make him work so much. He needs a break.”
Recalling how he wouldn’t give me a break in the early hours of the day, I clench my jaw. Caleb just snickers. Putting my hand on his shoulder, I lean forward, my voice low, “You’re testing my patience.”
His grin widens. “Make sure you hold on to it.” Out of sight of everyone, he puts his hand around my waist, running it over the curve of my hip.
“Caleb,” I hiss warningly.
“You’re blushing.” His grin turns absolutely wicked. “It’s cute.”
I grab his hand and twist it. He immediately groans. “Stop being so violent, Eve!”
“Stop being a pain in the ass,” I retort before letting him go.
“Sorry.” He rubs his wrist. “But that’s a hard ask. Don’t forget my sandwich.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “Fine. Whatever. One sandwich.”
His low chuckle follows me as I head toward the elevator, while Flora calls after me, “Get him some of those energy drinks, too! He needs his strength after pulling an all-nighter!”
I grab my wallet and head for the elevator, but halfway down I realize I forgot my phone. By the time I get back upstairs, retrieve it, and make it outside, I’m about ten minutes behind schedule.
That’s when I see Joshua. He’s not smoking. He’s standing near the corner, checking his watch like he’s waiting for someone. I’m about to call out to him when a black sedan pulls up to the curb.
I freeze. The windows are tinted, but one rolls down.
Joshua leans down to talk to whoever’s inside, his posture cautious as he glances around.
I immediately step into a door’s arch, out of sight.
He reaches into his jacket and pulls out something small—looks like a flash drive—and he hands it through the window.
Something about the exchange puts me on edge. The video Caleb showed me flashes through my mind: the figure in dark clothing breaking into our office, moving like they knew exactly where they were going. Someone with access. Someone who worked here.
The car drives away, and Joshua straightens up, looking around nervously before heading back toward the building. I wait until he’s inside, then follow at a distance.
“Joshua!” I call out as I catch up to him in the lobby. “That was quick. How was your smoke break?”
He startles, his hand flying to his chest. “Eve! You scared me.”
“Sorry.” I study his face, noting the slight sheen of sweat on his forehead despite the cool weather. “I thought you went to the roof for your smoke break.”
“I did. I mean, I was going to.” He’s talking faster than usual, his words tumbling over each other. “But the roof door was locked.”
“Locked?” I keep my voice light, curious. “That’s weird. It’s never locked.”
“Well, it was today.” He shrugs, but there’s tension in his shoulders. “So I just stepped outside instead.”
“Makes sense,” I agree, even though my mind is racing. “Well, I’m heading to the bodega. Want anything?”
“No, I’m good. Already ate.” He’s backing toward the elevator, clearly eager to escape this conversation.
When? I muse to myself as I watch him disappear behind the closing elevator doors. Turning around, I then head outside, my appetite completely gone. But I need time to think, to process what I just saw, so I force myself to go through the motions of buying lunch.
When I return to the office twenty minutes later, my arms full of sandwiches and drinks I ended up getting for everyone, I almost collide with Steven coming out of the emergency stairwell.
“Steven?” I look at him in confusion. “What were you doing in there?”
“Oh, hey, Eve.” He looks slightly out of breath, his hair mussed. “I went up to the roof to video call my son. Connor had a soccer game today and wanted to show me his trophy.”
My sandwich bag slips from my suddenly numb fingers. “The roof?”
“Yeah, the view is better up there for video calls. Less interference.” He bends to help me pick up the scattered items. “Why?”
“I just—” I swallow hard, my mouth suddenly dry. “Wasn’t the roof door locked?”
Steven gives me a strange look, straightening up with a confused frown. “Locked? No. When is it ever locked? I was just up there five minutes ago.” My heart starts hammering against my ribs as the implications sink in.
Joshua lied. He lied about the roof door being locked.
Which means he lied about going there to smoke.
Which means he was doing something else entirely when he was supposed to be taking a smoke break.
Something that involved meeting someone in a black car and handing them what looked like a flash drive.
“Eve?” Steven’s voice seems to come from far away. “You okay? You look pale.”
“I’m fine,” I manage, though my hands are shaking as I gather the rest of our lunch. “Just tired. Long day.”
But as Steven heads back to his desk and I stand there in the hallway, one thought keeps circling through my mind.
What the hell is Joshua involved in?
* * *
I try to catch Caleb’s attention multiple times during the day, but every time I lean toward his desk or clear my throat meaningfully, someone else swoops in. Flora appears with color scheme questions. Steven drags him into a budget meeting. Joshua—
Joshua. Every time I see him, my stomach clenches with suspicion. But there’s no time to process what I witnessed, let alone figure out how to bring it up with Caleb without being overheard.
By five in the evening, my brain feels like mush.
The presentation is finally in decent shape, but I can barely remember my own name, much less mysterious flash drives and black sedans.
Caleb leaves a few minutes before me, and I barely register his leaving.
I’m just grateful that we managed to wrap up today’s goals and I don’t have to work overnight.
After dragging myself home, I strip off my clothes and jump into the shower. The hot spray of the shower washes away the stress of the day until I can finally breathe again. I’m barely out, wrapped in my robe with wet hair dripping down my back, when I hear a knock at my door.
I pad over and pull it open, expecting my downstairs neighbors who accepted a parcel on my behalf today. I told her I’d be back by six. Instead, I find Caleb standing there with bags of takeout, wearing dark jeans under a parka.
“How do you keep getting into the building?” I ask, stepping back to let him in.
“Nobody suspects handsome people of anything.” He winks. “Just smiled at one of your neighbors, and she let me right in.”
“Amazing how you have space in your head for both that massive ego and your functioning brain cells,” I yawn.
“It’s all about efficient packing,” he replies, brushing past me into the apartment. “Like a really attractive game of Tetris.”
I close the door behind him, shaking my head. “What do you want, Caleb? It’s too late for anything, and I mean that. I’m exhausted.”
“Same, but I bring food.” He’s already heading to my kitchen, setting bags on the counter. The smell hits me immediately—garlic, herbs, and something that makes my mouth water. That’s when my eyes land on the label of the bag.
“You went to Nonna’s?” Nonna’s is an Italian place which, for some reason, refuses to deliver.
“Yeah.” He starts unpacking containers while I bring out the plates.
“Why? It’s on the far side of the city.”
He shrugs. “Yeah, but you like it, so I thought it’d make a nice peace offering.”
I can smell my favorite chicken parmigiana, and my stomach rumbles. “Peace offering for what?”
“To let me hang out at your place. I heard you telling Flora about Nonna’s.” He shoots me a quick grin. “Thought you’d have a hard time turning down food from your favorite restaurant.”
I open a bottle of white wine and pour two glasses. “Clever.”
“I certainly thought so,” he chuckles. “And I was right.” The thought that he drove an hour to get food I like makes something warm unfurl in my chest.
“Let’s watch a movie,” he says, plating the food.