White-Hot Hack (Kate and Ian #2)(32)

“Hey,” Ian said, looking up like he was bored. Kate scribbled away on her notepad as if she were too busy to even look up.

“I’m pretty sure I have this room reserved.”

Ian tapped on his keyboard. “Is your name Colin?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re actually in 3A next door. You’ve got the room from noon until one.”

“Okay. Thanks. I could have sworn I booked this one. Sorry to interrupt.”

“No problem.”

“You have the reflexes of a cat,” Ian said after Colin left.

Kate laughed. “I’m also quite bendy.”

“Trust me. I thank your Pilates instructor every day for that.”

“I have to meet Ashley in the cafeteria. Do you want me to bring you back something to eat?”

“Thanks, but it’s time for me to start raising my profile. I think I’ll go for a nice long stroll. I’ll hit the vending machine in one of the break rooms.”

She kissed him again. “Okay. See you in an hour.”

She spotted Ashley standing in the cafeteria line and joined her.

“So, what’s his name?” Kate asked once they’d carried their trays to a table and sat down.

“Tristan.”

“What department does he work in?”

“Marketing.”

“What else do you know about him?”

“That’s it.”

“That’s it?” Maybe Ian had rubbed off on her because Kate found Ashley’s lack of due diligence somewhat confusing. “How long have you been timing your arrival to coincide with his?”

“I don’t know. A month or so?”

“Do you know if he has a girlfriend?”

“I’ve never seen him with anyone. Sometimes I walk by his table at lunch, but he’s always with his coworkers. Just guys.”

Kate looked around the cafeteria. “Is he here now?”

Ever so nonchalantly, Ashley looked over her shoulder and did a quick visual sweep of the cafeteria. “I don’t see him.”

“Maybe we should think about maximizing your potential for a little more interaction.”

“That sounds good. I’m really tired of stopping at Starbucks every morning.” Ashley unscrewed the cap of her lemonade. “Do you have a boyfriend?”

Kate was supposed to say she was single, but how could she help Ashley if she couldn’t even claim a boyfriend of her own? “Yes.”

“What’s his name?”

“Steve.” Wait, no. Steve is my dad. Oh, God.

“Where does he work?”

“NASA. He’s an astronaut.” Where is this coming from? No wonder Ian had cautioned her about providing too much backstory. “He’s away at training right now. At Cape Canaveral.”

Seriously, Kate. Stop.

“Wow. That’s really exciting. How did you meet him?”

Kate laughed. “I was on vacation in Florida and I literally crashed into him on the street. We’ve been together ever since.”

Ashley’s forehead creased in confusion. “So it’s a long-distance relationship?”

“For now. I’ll be moving there soon. That’s why I’m temping. I don’t want anything too permanent.”

Ashley sighed. “I wish you were staying. I need all the help I can get with Tristan.”



After lunch, Kate told Ashley she wanted to grab a bottle of water before she went back to work. They walked into the break room, and Ashley nearly crashed into the back of Kate who’d stopped suddenly because Ian was sitting at the table eating potato chips, surrounded by women. He paged through the newspaper while five adoring sets of eyes tried to cover up the fact they were staring at him.

Kate hummed as she fed quarters into the machine and pushed the button for water.

“Is that “Close to You” by the Carpenters?” Ashley asked.

“It is. Good ear.”

“Oh, I love that song.”

“Me too.”

A few more people filed into the break room, patiently waiting their turns for the microwave or for space to open up at the table. Reluctantly it seemed, the women gathered their trash and headed back to their desks, casting wistful glances at Ian. Kate kept one eye on him as she and Ashley stood there chatting.

She listened as he leaned toward the man sitting across from him. “Who’s the tall blonde by the coffeepot?”

The man glanced over his shoulder at Kate. “I don’t know.”

“Man, I wish she was wearing a skirt. I bet her legs go on for miles.”

“Dude. Keep your voice down. You can’t say things like that.”

“Why, is the sexual harassment policy here pretty strict?”

It was all Kate could do not to burst out laughing because Ian had not lowered his voice at all.

“What? Yeah. I mean, I’m sure it is.”

“That’s good.”

The last thing Kate heard as she and Ashley left the break room was Ian wondering aloud about her bra size. “I bet she’s a 34C. I have a really good eye for these things.”



“Do the potato chips taste better when you’re surrounded by your harem?” Kate asked when Ian returned to the conference room.