Page 45 of Decoding Emma

Marching out of the kitchen, I flopped down on the sofa and turned on the TV.I needed to re-build my walls.The last thing I needed was a man in my life.

Chapter Nineteen

Asher

When Emma walked into the office on Monday, I could tell she had shut down.Damn, I had hoped she was now comfortable enough to get past at least some of her defenses.I had my work cut out for me, if there was any chance for us.

“Good morning, Emma.”

“Morning, Asher.”She put her bag in the desk drawer and took her seat.

I took mine next to her.“I’d like us to go to R&D today and have them start testing the app.”

She nodded and blushed.“Can’t they test it without us there?”

“Yes, but there’s a focus group coming in this afternoon, and I want to get their feedback as well.”

“I’d forgotten the company uses focus groups.”

“Yes.It helps R&D decide what toys and implements our clients want.And evaluate some of our new products.”I watched her face.She wasn’t giving much away, but I could read the confusion in her expression.“Have you never dealt with focus groups?”

“Not me, personally.Some of the companies I’ve worked for use them.”

“You’ll see it in action this afternoon.”

“Okay.I am glad most of the R&D coding headaches are done with.I’d like to work on the app for finance this morning, while you look over the code for HR.”

“That works.”The focus group wasn’t due until one, and we’d probably be done by three-thirty or four at the latest, based on the last couple of meetings I’d sat in on.

I pulled up the code for HR and started running it.Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Emma.

She seemed intent on what she was doing.The finance app should be one of the easiest.They didn’t want a lot, just a way for the employees to clock in and out, schedule vacation or PTO days, and to update what they were working on.There was extensive security, but it should integrate well.

Plus, Lucas wasn’t sure what else he needed right now.He was busy trying to find a forensic accountant who could help him figure out what was happening with the company Fantasies, Inc.wanted to acquire.It was going to be a lot of work for him, and I wanted to build something that would help him and his team until he figured everything out.

***

The reminder for lunch popped up on my screen.Three hours felt like three minutes.

“Lunch time,” I said.

“What?”Emma frowned at her screen.

“Emma.”I patted her shoulder.“Time for lunch.”

“It is?”She blinked, then seemed to come back to the present.“What time is it?”

“Eleven-thirty.”

“I don’t go to lunch until twelve-thirty.”

“We have to be in R&D at one.Lunch, now.”

She sighed.“All right.”

I understood her frustration.I hated the real-life interruptions when I was in the zone.

“You probably don’t want your stomach growling during the focus group.”