“Could be a mixture of both.” Cole pointed out as the doors opened, and he let her step in first. “But yeah, I didn’t feel right keeping that from you anymore.”
“Are you still following me?” Evie asked, appreciating that he wanted to start their friendship on an open, honest note.
“Not really. Only a few times since you moved into the tower.” He shook his head and pressed the button for the contractors’ quarters, then completed the fingerprint and retinal scans. Evie pushed the button for her apartment and did the same as the doors closed. “But now that it’s out in the open, if you ever have to leave the tower and Thorn, Nissa, or Tommy can’t go with you, just tell me. That way, I don’t have to be sneaky about it.”
“You shouldn’t have to drop everything to pick up groceries with me,” Evie pointed out. “But yeah, I’ll let you know when I leave from now on.”
“It’s only until we’re all comfortable that you can defend yourself.” He gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder as thedoors opened on his floor. “Then you’re free to wander the city alone again.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Mascot
After a quick shower and a change into a pair of black dress pants and a white blouse, Evie found herself back in the elevator, heading down to floor eighty-two for her first full day of work. When she stepped off, Lana looked up and smiled broadly.
“Morning, Evie! How was the self-defence training this morning?”
Evie returned the smile, finding Lana’s bright mood infectious. “I think it went about as well as it could have.” She shrugged as she stopped in front of the reception desk. “I’m not a fighter, like at all, but they seem to have come up with a plan that’ll work for me. Plus, watching Nissa take Thorn down is always amusing.”
Lana giggled. “I bet. The first time she brought Cole down, he was in shock for the rest of the day. Not because she’s a woman, but because of how fast she did it. He said one second he was throwing a punch, and the next he was lying on his back with her foot on his neck. He’s still not sure what happened.”
Evie laughed. She could see Nissa through the glass wall of her office behind Lana’s desk, working at her computer, and the slight smirk on her face told Evie she could hear every word. “Yeah, that sounds about right.”
“Do you have plans for lunch?” Lana asked, switching topics so quickly that Evie had to blink and think.
“No…” Evie frowned slightly, trying to remember if she’d made plans with Thorn or Tommy. “I’m pretty sure I don’t, and if I do, I can change them if you want to eat together.”
Lana nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, Cole and I found the cutest little café attached to a bakery a few blocks away. We can walk down and eat on their patio since the weather’s supposed to be gorgeous today.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Evie smiled. “But I’d better get to work, so I’ll see you at twelve-thirty?”
“Works for me.” Lana gave her another bright smile and waved as Evie headed toward the hallway that led to her and Tommy’s offices. “Looking forward to it!”
“Me too.” Evie smiled over her shoulder, feeling like she’d accomplished something important. Humming to herself, she continued toward Tommy’s office, wanting to discuss the next steps for integrating HELIX into his and Thorn’s apartments. But Aaron was inside with him, so she caught Tommy’s eye and nodded toward her own office to let him know she’d be there when he was finished.
Since Tommy had told her she could change whatever she wanted in her office, Evie started by inspecting the space. It didn’t take long for her to realize she needed a large storage cupboard for her folders, binders, and ever-growing collection of stationery. As much as she enjoyed graphic design, nothing beat sitting down with a sketchpad, a good pencil, and room to spread out.
Needing the ceiling height, she found a measuring tape, pulled her computer chair out, and climbed onto it. She had just stretched the tape upward when a sharp knock on her door and the sound of someone clearing their throat made her jump. The chair rolled at her sudden movement, and she immediately crouched so she wouldn’t fall.
“That’s not very safe.”
“It’s perfectly safe as long as you don’t make sudden moves,” she replied, pushing her hair out of her face as she eased into a sitting position. She looked up and met Aaron’s eyes, hearing the hint of defensiveness in her own voice.
“Yes, because you almost didn’t eat it just then.” He leaned against the doorframe and smiled lazily, his baby-blue eyes dancing with amusement.
“Well, you scared me.” She frowned, not liking his smug tone. “Can I help you?”
“Nope. Tommy asked me to let you know he’s free,” he said, glancing around her office with open curiosity before straightening and stepping inside. “And I wanted to apologize on behalf of my wife and myself for the little disagreement you and Thorn walked in on earlier. Not exactly a great first impression.”
“I wouldn’t worry about it.” She shrugged as she collected her laptop to bring with her. “I don’t believe in using first impressions to judge people. My first impression of Thorn was when he kidnapped Tommy, sooo…” She let the sentence trail off and gave him a small smile, appreciating that he wanted to acknowledge the awkwardness and was hoping they could move past it.
“True.” Aaron chuckled. “That’s good to know.” He hesitated, clearly unsure how to phrase whatever came next. “Look, I know Paula can come off a little… prickly, but she’s honestly great once you get past her general abrasiveness. It just takes some patience and understanding.”
“I can be patient and understanding.” Evie wasn’t entirely sure how long she’d need to be patient and understanding, especially since Paula didn’t seem any warmer toward Cole, and they’d worked together for almost a year. “I’m not exactly the most socially advanced either, so I get it.”
“Good.” Aaron’s smile returned, and she could see he was genuinely pleased she was willing to give Paula a chance. “I’d hate for the company mascot to hate us.”
“Company mascot?” Evie narrowed her eyes, irritation flaring immediately. She could tell he hadn’t meant it as an insult, but it still stung, making her feel like he didn’t take her seriously. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing bad,” he said quickly, holding up his hands. “It’s just that Tommy, Thorn, and Nissa are clearly very fond of you, and it’s rubbed off on Cole and Lana. Paula and I prefer to wait for people to prove themselves before we form our opinions.”
