CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Nikolas
“You sure she’s not mad?”Mike asked when I slipped my phone into my pocket.
“I’m sure. She understood. Okay, do you need anything else before I head home?”
“Nope. Helping me get ready for bed was a huge help. I’ve emailed my boss at the lab and told him I’ll be useless for a few weeks, aside from paperwork. Waiting to hear back from him.”
I walked around Mike’s living room and picked up the trash from the tacos I picked up for him on our way home from the ER. “Hey, I’ve got a bottle of water and your next two pain pills set out on your nightstand since you can’t open the bottle. I’ll stop in for lunch when I get a break.”
“Thanks, man. I appreciate that. So you didn’t say much about your dinner. Did you tell her she’s the one you’re interested in?” he asked from his perch on the sofa.
“No, I messed up. Her ex, Ethan, was there, and I got flustered. I tried to put him in his place after saying somethingignorant to her, so I kissed her hand and basically told the guy to go away.”
“Wow. That’s impressive. You hate confrontation. I mean, the hand kissing is kind of lame, but telling him off. Go, Niko!”
Scowling, I dried my hands and walked back to the living room. “I’m sorry I came and bailed your butt out, ingrate,” I grumbled. “And I’ll have you know the hand kissing was not lame.”
“If you say so,” he said while cackling when I sneered at him.
“I messed up. I made up a name when Leyla pushed me for one.”
“Who’d you tell her it was?”
I paused. “Pam.”
He twisted his neck toward me with a grimace. “Pam? Who’s that?”
I scoffed. “A made-up woman, remember? Are you even listening?”
“Right, right. Sorry, the pain pills they gave me are still making me loopy. Dude, what you need to do now is create shock and awe.”
I wasn’t sure what he meant, and before I could ask, he eyed me closely. He added, “You didn’t take any embarrassing videos of me while I was drugged up, did you? You know, like those reels I send you when people come out of anesthesia?”
I raised one eyebrow and answered, “Oh, you mean like you telling the doctor that he reminded you of Gandalf and then proceeding to spout offLord of the Ringsquotes? Nope. Sure didn’t.”
His mouth opened and closed as I grabbed my keys and headed to the door. “Hey, send me the video! I might go viral,” he said cheerily. “Oh, and good luck with Pam!”
Shaking my head, I locked his door and walked to my car. If anyone could go viral, it would be Mike.
The next fewdays brought disappointment with the lab's progress. One of the smaller projects my team was working on had hit a snag.
“Niko, this new botanical extract is reacting badly with a preservative or UV filter,” Marshall said, leaning over the table.
“And you said you’ve tested it three times?” I asked, checking over the notes.
“Yes, but it’s the first time using this supplier.”
“Let’s get the supplier on the phone and see what we can find out. The answer is there. We just can’t see it yet. Thanks, Marshall.”
He let out a heavy sigh and headed for his office to place the call. The rest of the day went by quickly, and when I walked to the elevator at five thirty, Leyla walked up beside me just as the door opened.
“Hey, fancy meeting you here,” she said with a smile.
“Hi.” My heart did somersaults at the sight of her.
“How’s Mike doing?” she asked, pushing the button.
