Page 36 of Isolated (Harper Security Ops #21)

Iris

When the knock came at my open office door, I let out a small shriek as my hand flew to my chest.

I’d been in the thick of it, working diligently, and had spent so many days not having any interruptions that I’d been caught off guard.

Brett was standing in the doorway, looking like he wanted to crawl somewhere and hide. “I’m sorry.”

I could barely hear him. “It’s okay.”

“You… You wanted to see me?”

Nodding, I stood and waved him over. “Yes. Please, come on in. Would you mind closing the door behind you?”

Brett’s moves were tentative, but that really wasn’t anything new. He’d always been shy.

I lowered myself to my chair again and gestured toward the one on the opposite side of my desk. “Have a seat. ”

Nervously, he sat down. “Can I… Can I ask what this is about?”

Smiling, wanting him to feel as comfortable as possible, I nodded. “Yes. I have a project I’m working on, and I need your assistance.”

He rubbed his hands down his pant legs. “Uh, okay. Is this for a campaign?”

“It is. I’m not going to bog you down with details. I’ve spent some time this week working out some ideas, but I need your help to develop one key aspect of it. If you can make it happen, this would be huge.”

Brett swallowed roughly. “I can try. What exactly do you need?”

I let out a sigh of relief.

This was precisely what I’d been hoping for.

Brett was one of the software developers at Mono Mark Solutions.

Since I wanted to be able to put forth my ideas on the Horizon Solutions project, I needed to be as discreet as possible.

Brett was one of the only software developers I’d be able to use to accomplish what I wanted without needing to worry about anyone else finding out. He was quiet, but he was good.

So I went on to tell him exactly what I needed him to do without giving away too many details. He had enough to complete the task, but he didn’t know everything. I didn’t even mention what campaign I was working on.

When I finished sharing as many of the specifics as I believed were necessary for him to develop what I needed, I asked, “So, what do you think? Can you make it happen?”

With his gaze focused on the ground, his eyes darted back and forth. I could only assume he was running through it all in his head, confirming he’d be able to pull it off. Eventually, he cleared his throat and said, “Yeah. Yeah, I think I can make it happen.”

I smiled at him. “That’s excellent. You’re really doing me a huge favor here, Brett. And for what it’s worth, if we get this account, I’ll be sure to mention how crucial you were in helping to pull this off.”

He fidgeted with his hands as he squirmed in his seat. “I… I appreciate that. Thank you.”

“Of course. Hard work deserves to be rewarded.” I hesitated for just a moment to allow that to sink in. “How long do you think it’d take you to get this done?”

His eyes narrowed as he considered his response. “A week. Maybe sooner. I’ll have to fit it in between other projects I’m working on.”

I nodded. “Perfect. That’s completely fine. Do you have any questions for me?”

Brett shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

“Okay. Great. If that changes, please come and see me. The only thing I’m going to ask is that you keep this between the two of us. It’s a bit of a surprise I’m working on.”

A flush crept over his cheeks. Brett was so uncomfortable around women, I wondered if he’d ever had a girlfriend. He smiled awkwardly. “I can keep a secret.”

I didn’t doubt that was the truth. He rarely approached anyone here at the office, which was one of the big reasons I’d felt confident about having him help me.

I returned the smile, though I didn’t feel nearly as awkward about it as I was certain he felt. “Thank you. I owe you. ”

After clearing his throat, he asked, “Is there anything else?”

“No. I think that’s everything for now.”

With a nod of understanding, Brett stood and moved to the door.

When he opened it, he looked back at me, and his cheeks flushed again.

I offered a friendly smile in return. And as he walked out, I couldn’t miss Nova standing there with a sinister look on her face.

She kept her eyes pinned on me for several beats before she took off in the opposite direction.

I rolled my eyes and got back to work.

Before I knew it, lunchtime had rolled around. I left my office, feeling the most energized I had in a while.

Then again, today was Wednesday.

It was entirely possible I was feeling so wonderful because I had plans to spend time with Landen tonight.

I couldn’t wait to see him. It was strange to me how I’d gone from seeing him only during our gym sessions four times a week without any of the kissing we did afterward, and each one of those encounters felt like a gift.

Now it almost felt like torture, because I hated having only that short time with him.

Tuesday morning felt like it had been so long ago.

I walked into the lunchroom and spotted my friends. Ignoring the stares and whispers that had become commonplace whenever I walked into a room around here these days, I made a beeline for them with a smile on my face and sat down.

“Alright, Kasey, so, how’d it go?”

Yesterday, during lunch, she’d told Steph and me that she was going out on a date with a guy she’d met while picking up a birthday cake for her mom. Even though she hadn’t yet had any luck with her new system, she was still accepting all invites for dates in hopes she was going to find the one.

For the first time since I sat down, I realized Kasey had a huge bag of potato chips in front of her. Seeing it, I had a feeling I knew how last night’s date had gone for her.

“Awful.”

My shoulders fell. “Really?”

She nodded. “If things keep going like this, I think I might just throw in the towel. I’m exhausted.”

“Don’t give up,” Steph urged her. “You have to keep trying.”

“Yeah, I agree. He’s out there, and the only way you’re going to meet the guy who’s perfect for you, who’d do anything for you, is if you are open to meeting him.”

Kasey closed her eyes and let out a frustrated groan. “I hate this.”

Steph asked, “What happened with the guy from last night? What was his deal?”

Before responding, Kasey popped a couple of potato chips into her mouth. She seemed to be in no hurry to share whatever the gory details were. “Technically, it wasn’t really his fault. Honestly, everything seemed perfect. He was handsome and had a great job. But it turns out, he’s a single dad.”

“Okay. Is that a bad thing?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe it shouldn’t be, but I got myself all hyped up over this guy, thinking I’d finally met a great one, and out of nowhere, he drops that on me.”

“Well, it is kind of important for him to share that,” Steph reasoned .

Kasey nodded. “I know. I mean, I’m glad he did so he didn’t waste my time. It’s awful, because everything else was perfect about him.”

Steph and I exchanged glances.

“What does that mean?” Kasey asked.

I returned my attention to her. “It doesn’t mean anything. It’s just that, well, are you giving up on a guy who might be great because he has a kid? It is one kid, right?”

“Just one,” she confirmed. “There’s not necessarily anything wrong with it. I’m not angry with him or anything like that. It’s more about me. I don’t think I’m in a place where I want to be a mom. Not yet, anyway.”

“You’d just be dating.”

“Steph’s right,” I chimed in. “You’re not becoming a mom overnight.”

Kasey chomped down on more chips. “I know. But what if I continue to date him, and I wind up liking him a lot?”

I smiled at her. “That’s a good thing.”

She sighed. “Yeah, but what if he has baby mama drama? What if… What if I’m awful at being a stepparent? I just wanted to find a guy. I didn’t want a kid thrown into the mix. And I just don’t think it’d be fair to him or his daughter.”

I couldn’t say I didn’t understand her logic.

The reality is that I don’t know what I’d do if I wound up in her situation.

Landen was a great guy. The best ever. And if he continued to treat me the way he was treating me now, I couldn’t see myself ever wanting to give him up.

But I wondered how I’d feel about being with him if I learned he already had a child.

It’s not that I didn’t like kids or want some of my own one day.

It was just that dating was difficult enough.

A child added another element, and I couldn’t begin to speculate about how I’d react if I’d been in Kasey’s shoes.

“You have to do what you think is best for you, Kasey. If this leaves you with concerns, you can’t ignore them.”

“Thanks, Iris. That makes me feel better.”

“So, what about you?” Steph asked. “How are things with your guy?”

Beaming, I declared, “He’s coming over for dinner tonight. I haven’t seen him since yesterday morning at the gym, and I feel like I’m losing my mind.”

“I remember it being like that with Sam when we first got together. Actually, it’s still kind of that way now.”

“Okay, I’m going to cry in my chips,” Kasey pouted.

I sent an apologetic look her way and figured it was best to just shift the conversation to a different topic. “So, my sister hates me.”

That did the trick.

I spent the rest of lunchtime talking to my closest friends about the situation with Eleni.

They were just as dumbfounded as I was about it.

Nothing that I’d shared with them stuck out as a possible explanation for why my sister had stopped talking to me.

But where Flora had relayed Eleni’s message that she didn’t want me to continue to contact her, Steph and Kasey urged me to keep reaching out.

Even if she didn’t answer, at least my sister wouldn’t be able to say I didn’t care.

And I agreed with them.