Page 17 of Insidious

I wait until he’s out of earshot.

“Thanks,” I murmur under my breath.

Isaac doesn’t respond immediately. He just keeps eating like he didn’t orchestrate the entire thing, but I can feel his eyes on me.

“You’re staring,” I mutter, not looking up from my sandwich.

His gaze doesn’t even flicker.

“How would you know? You are trying to burn a hole through that poor sandwich,” he says but I know what I know. Then he changes a topic

“You nearly welded the bracket upside down today.”

“I fixed it,” I say, trying not to sound defensive.

He leans back, still nailing me with his unblinking blue stare.

“They don’t have a company rule on dating colleagues, you know.”

The way he switches topics makes my head spin.

“Are you trying to ask me out?” I finally stammer.

“And if I was?” he asks with a chuckle.

The sound catches me off guard. Isaac is like a machine most of the time.

“Most people would say I am too intimidating,” he says.

“You’re not intimidating,” I reply.

One thick eyebrow lifts slightly.

“What am I, then?”

I shrug, forcing my attention back to my tray, even though I can feel him watching me. I cannot help the smile that sneaks in.

Sexy. Smoking hot. But I don’t say any of those things.

“Bossy. Single-minded. Maybe a little sneaky. You are trying to get me to go on a date without asking me.”

Another soft husky laugh.

And despite who he is and who I am, I don’t move away.

He grins like he just won an award because he knows I am going to say yes.

Before I am ready to let go, darkness settles again.

Then voices inch closer.

“… she squeezed my hand,” my mother whispers.

“Did she?” Manon asks softly.

“Yes. I am sure she did.”

Hope flickers through the words. I try to move again.