“It’s a tell,” he corrects.
I let that one go. No point arguing what he’s already set his mind on.
Behind the counter, the guy calls out Derek, Charlie, and Kate.
He looks at the writing on the side of the cup with a confused look on his face. “Panini?”
He sets all four cups on the counter and slides them down.
“Thank you,” Roberto says as he steps forward with a charming smile.
I press a crisp bill into the tip jar and wink at Lexi, who blushes again.
“Done?” Roberto asks dryly.
“I am,” I say and walk ahead of him with two drinks in my hand.
Chapter Six
Elena
The office gym sits two floors below the lobby, tucked behind a glass door with a keypad and a sign that says STAFF ONLY in block letters. It’s not fancy, but it’s clean.
Rubber flooring. Two racks, a row of dumbbells, a cable machine that sticks on the top plate if you don’t coax it, four treadmills, two rowers, and a few mats stacked in a corner. The mirrors make it look bigger than it is.
I swipe in, let the door shut behind me, and grab a towel. It’s later than I wanted. The energy of the office died about an hour ago, but a building like this never really sleeps. People in theoffice working late into the night, cleaners moving down the hall, security roaming the building.
Two people are running on treadmills with headphones in. No one I know. Good. I just want a little bit of quiet.
I’m in a black racerback tank, high-waist leggings, and the sneakers I keep under my desk for days when I can’t sit still. Hair up. No jewelry. I toe a bench into place and start with the bar. The metal digs into my palms in a satisfying way. I let my brain check out and my body take over.
I try to leave Luca on the other side of the door. It doesn’t work. He follows me in, gets in my mind, and under my skin.
I rack the bar and sit up. Breathe. Shake my arms out.
This is ridiculous.
I lie back down and lift again. The memory of the lobby is crystal clear, the way all things are when you’re giving them too much attention.
We came down in the elevator—me, Chen, and Caterina. The doors opened, and there he was. Waiting with a coffee cup in each hand. Roberto next to him with a neutral face and two of his own cups.
Roberto handed one to Caterina, but Luca’s extra was for me. He didn’t say anything or make some gesture. Just held the cup out and said, “For you.”
I had no idea how to react, so I did what anyone would do: I took it.
Our fingers brushed when I did, and I know for a fact it wasn’t an accident. Just a brush.
Enough to short my brain for half a beat.
I recovered quickly. Of course I did. I nodded, said “Thank you,” in the same voice I would use for anyone who held a door open. Chen took one step closer, and that was our sign to go.
We were out of his line of sight within twenty seconds, into the corridor toward the stairs. Chen took the cup carefully and disappeared down another hall.
But not before I saw the label that said “Large latte, double shot.”
My order.
Then I was annoyed. Annoyed at the entire situation. That he got it in the first place, that he found out my favorite, that I couldn’t drink it. That I wanted to.
