How the Light Gets In (Cracks Duet #2)(16)

“No, no, that’s a great idea,” Dylan replied and my nervousness evaporated. “Are you sure it’s not too much trouble? I don’t want to put you out.”

“Of course it isn’t. I’d only be sitting at home, scrolling mindlessly through Facebook otherwise.”

“You’re on Facebook?” he asked, sounding both amused and interested.

“Yep. What kind of self-respecting sad case with no social life would I be if I wasn’t?”

“You’re none of those things,” he chided. “And I ask because I’ve actually tried to look you up on there a few times but couldn’t find you.”

Hold up. Dylan was on Facebook? Not only that, he’d tried to find me? Now that was far more interesting. I’d tried to look him up on there, too, but had no luck. I wasn’t going to tell him that though.

“Oh, that’s probably because I go by E. Flynn instead of Evelyn,” I explained.

I heard typing in the background, but didn’t think much of it until Dylan asked, “Who’s the bloke with the pipe?”

He sounded baffled and I laughed out loud, because he was clearly referring to my very dapper profile picture. “That’s Evelyn Waugh. He wrote Brideshead Revisited. I couldn’t find a decent picture of myself, so I decided to look up the most famous person with the same name as me. Now I tell everyone I was named after him. It’s confusing, because anyone who knows my mam knows the woman hasn’t read a book in her life.”

Dylan laughed softly. “You are so odd.”

“And by odd you mean inspired?”

“That is exactly what I mean,” he confirmed with a smile in his voice. “Also, I just sent you a friend request.”

My phone buzzed then pinged in my ear, announcing I had new notification. “Hmm, not sure if I should accept.”

“And why’s that?”

“I kinda suspect you’re one of those people who vague-books all their petty personal grievances.”

Dylan chuckled. “Well, how else am I supposed to let people know to watch their backs because I finally discovered who’s my friend and who’s my enemy?”

I barked a laugh. “You see. I don’t have room for that drama in my life.”

Dylan’s fond tone spread a warmth through my chest. “I’ve missed talking with you, Evelyn.”

I was silent a moment, not sure how to reply. In the end, I awkwardly ignored what he said entirely, “Do you like Asian food? Yvonne took me to this place that does amazing noodles.”

“I love it. Come over around seven and we’ll eat.”

“Right, see you then,” I said and hung up. I set my phone on the countertop and questioned what I was getting myself into. A night out with Yvonne and Conor was one thing, but sharing a meal in the confines of Dylan’s office was something else entirely. I’d felt so disappointed when he had to cancel. It made me realise how excited I’d been to spend more time with him.

I wore my hair in a ponytail, alongside some jeans and a long-sleeved top when I made my way to Dylan later that evening. It was chilly out, so I wore my long winter coat and a scarf, too. I didn’t want to dress up and give Dylan the impression I was after anything other than a friendly, platonic meal with an old friend.

Thankfully, there was no Laura to greet me at the door when I arrived, just a handful of staff closing up for the evening. I nodded to one of them, and Dylan must’ve told him I was coming, because he didn’t stop me from heading upstairs.

I gave a quick knock on his office door and waited until I heard him call, “Come in,” before I stepped inside. Dylan sat at his desk, his laptop open and his phone plastered to his ear. I shot him a friendly smile and held up the bag with the food. He smiled back warmly and gestured for me to sit.

I removed my coat and scarf, then began opening the noodle containers while Dylan finished his phone call. When he finally hung up, he rubbed at the space between his eyebrows and let out a weary breath.

“That smells amazing.”

I pushed a container towards him. “Stressful day?”

“You could say that. Oh my God, these are delicious.” He paused to savour the food then continued. “Laura ordered several hundred units of the wrong scent from our factory in California. E.V. is our most popular product, but we’re completely out of stock until the new order arrives. I might’ve lost my temper a little with her over it,” he admitted, sounding regretful.

“Oh,” I frowned. “Is she okay?”

He rubbed his jaw. “She cried. It was . . . uncomfortable.”

Man, now I felt bad for her. I’d never cried in front of a boss before, but there had been times when I’d come close, so I definitely empathised. Then again, she and Dylan didn’t have the most conventional employer-employee relationship, which sort of added a whole extra layer of awkwardness.

“Did you apologise?”

“Yes. Then I suggested she take the rest of the day off, which is why I had to cancel our dinner.”

“Big softie.”

“Tell me about it. I should’ve just told her to chin up and get on with things.”

“That might’ve made her cry more.”

“Which is exactly why I didn’t do it. Anyway, let’s not talk about work. How are you?” He lifted another forkful of noodles to his mouth and ate.