“Acknowledgment.”I set the pillow aside and lean against the counter, crossing my arms.“There’s a difference.”
“Enlighten me.”
“An apology would be ‘I’m sorry I underestimated your professional capabilities.’”I tilt my head, studying him.“Acknowledgment is ‘I was wrong about something specific, and I’m adjusting my opinion accordingly.’”
“And which am I getting?”
“I already told you.Acknowledgment.Maybe.If you’re lucky.”
He laughs, and the sound does something dangerous to my pulse.“I’ll take it.”
I grab the takeout containers and take them to the kitchen.We work in comfortable silence, but there’s an energy between us now that wasn’t there before.There are still some dishes remaining, and he helps me wash them.Every time he hands me something to dry, our fingers brush.Every time I lean over to put something away, I’m acutely aware of how close he is.
When the last glass is dried and put away, I suddenly remember Joshua.I don’t know where the thought creeps in from, but my hand reaches out to clutch Caleb’s shirt.“Wait.I just remembered.Something happened today.”He turns to look at me, and for a moment, I hesitate.What if I’m wrong?What if what I saw has nothing to do with the sabotage?
“Eve?”Caleb’s brows furrow.“What is it?”
“I—When I went to the bodega, I saw Joshua outside on the sidewalk.A car rolled up, and he handed someone a flash drive.I thought he had been on the roof, so I asked him.He said the rooftop door was locked, but when I returned, Steven was coming from the roof, and he said it was unlocked.”
A shutter falls over Caleb’s face.“Are you sure about this?Was it a flash drive?”
“It looked like one.”
He studies my face and finally says, “You and Joshua are good friends, Eve.If you’re right and he’s the mole, then you would be turning your friend in.”
I look away, feeling guilty.“I trust him.”My voice is rough.“Even now, I’m sure there must be an explanation, but we’ve all worked hard on the campaign, Caleb.”I look up, meeting his gaze fiercely.“If I protect the mole, then that’s the same thing as me disregarding the blood, sweat, and tears of everyone else on the team.”
“What if you’re wrong about trusting him?”Caleb asks softly.It feels like my heart is being squeezed by a fist.Joshua and I have been friends for so long.I can’t bear the idea of him being the mole.
It takes me a moment to answer.“Then I’m wrong.There’s nothing else to it.But I thought you should know.”
He presses his lips together.“I know this wasn’t easy, Eve.”
I try to shrug but the movement comes off as unnatural.“Yeah, well…”
“I’ll look into this,” he assures me before putting his hands on my shoulders and pressing a kiss to my forehead.My mind instantly goes blank, and my hand comes to touch the spot he just kissed.“See you tomorrow.”
He leaves, grabbing his parka and closing the door behind him while I stand there stunned, my fingers lingering on the spot he just kissed.Of everything we have done, why does this kiss feel the most intimate of them all?
“So what do we have?”Ethan asks, settling into my living room armchair like he owns it.Knowing my brother, he probably does own the building.
It’s been a week since Eve told me about Joshua, and I’ve been digging into him.
Jake sprawls across my couch, examining my bookshelf like it holds the secrets of the universe.“Please tell me you have something more exciting than ‘Joshua Taylor loves his job.’”
I toss Joshua’s personnel file onto the coffee table between us.“We might have our guy.”
That gets their attention.Both my brothers look up at me sharply.
“Joshua did his bachelor’s in engineering,” I say, letting that sink in for a moment.“Then switched to marketing for his master’s.And guess what he left off his resume when he applied here.”
Ethan’s expression immediately sharpens.“The engineering degree.”
“Exactly.”I lean forward, adrenaline starting to pump through my veins.“The break-in in the Marketing Department—Nick said the guy had to have an IT or engineering background to make that jammer device.Joshua fits the profile.”
Jake sits up straighter.“And he’s been hiding it this whole time.”
“Exactly,” I say.“This isn’t just suspicious.This could be our smoking gun.”
