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“What did he say when you said that?” I ask in response to her earlier jab.
“He asked me if I was volunteering.”
I frown at this. “And you said?”
“I’m not that desperate.”
“We’re alike then as far as dating goes. ”
Olivia raises her eyebrows. “I find that hard to believe.”
“I’m not ready to date, or I haven’t decided.”
“So you’re going to go right to marriage?” she asks, chuckling.
We continue bantering until Paul pokes his pimple ridden face into her office again, snapping, “I’m waiting! We kind of need to discuss these things before we leave tonight. I want to be ready for Monday.”
I almost ask where his manners are, but I resist.
“I’ll let you go,” I calmly say. “We can talk later.”
She nods and stands to head to Paul’s office. I don’t like his holier than thou attitude and almost feel like following them to see how he treats her behind closed doors. But I decide that it’s not the time to interfere, so I head to my office.
I spend the rest of the day, checking on figures and daydreaming about Olivia. When I was last talking with her, I wanted to reach out and stroke the soft skin of her cheek. It’s been so long since I touched a woman. I’m looking forward to spending time with her tonight. I’d like to learn more about her.
At five, I head to her office. Outside, I can see that she’s deep in her concentration working on her laptop. I knock to alert her, and when she doesn’t lift her head, I push open the door.
“Olivia, it’s five. Time to go.”
“Sorry, I can’t. Paul found some errors in some code I wrote and wanted them fixed before I leave.”
“He’s not your boss. Why are you working on the same project as him?”
“Zane made him lead. Henry and I are working under him until it’s finished because we are trying for a fall release before the Christmas rush. I can’t go.”
Anger surges through me. “Fuck that; this is bullshit. Where is that asshole?”
“He left.”
I clenched my fists. “He left? You have to stay, but he can leave?”
“He’s the lead, and it was my mistake, so I need to correct it.”
“If that’s true, then why didn’t you correct it anyway?”
“Just go without me. Maybe I can finish and get there before dinner is finished.”
“I wanted to go with you, so I can wait.”
She shakes her head. “You really should go.”
“I’ll wait in my office until six. We can still make it for dinner if we leave in an hour. Can you finish by then?”
“I have several lines to go through, so we’ll see.”
“I’ll leave you to it.”
She gives me a weak smile and nods. Even with her dejected demeanor, her smile still lights up her entire face. I leave her office with mixed emotions. Paul is a punk who is just power-hungry. I wonder why Zane made him lead when Olivia and Henry seem just as capable. I have a feeling he’s not telling me something.
