Page 11 of The Revenge Game

But then he moves his cup to his left hand and stretches out his right.

“Drew Smith.” His handshake is brief and brisk, but I get a fleeting impression of warmth and smooth skin before hewithdraws. “I just joined the IT department as a help desk technician.”

“Nice to meet you, Drew. It’s great to have another American in the company. Where are you from?”

Drew’s shoulders stiffen. “Oklahoma.”

“Go, Sooners,” I say.

He just stares at me for another long moment.

“I don’t follow football,” he says finally.

“I’m from Texas. I think I’d be disowned if I didn’t follow football,” I say.

“Oh. Right.”

Before I can attempt to recover the conversation, Cheryl bustles over to us in her usual efficient manner.

“Is Justin looking after you? Showing you where everything is?” she asks Drew.

“Yes, he helped me navigate the minefield of choosing a mug,” Drew says.

“Don’t ever touch Marleen’s mug,” she says.

“Yes, Justin informed me of that.” He raises his eyes to mine, and there’s something in his expression that I can’t read.

“Anyway, we better head back to the IT department. Hopefully, Xander has arrived, and I can introduce you to him,” Cheryl says.

Drew nods.

“Bye,” I say. “I’m sure I’ll see you around.”

“Bye.”

He turns away, clutching his mug carefully with two hands, and my heart continues to pound.

Because that’s apparently what my heart does. It likes to remind me exactly how I feel about cute nerd boys who listen to me talk about mug politics and use a coffee maker competently the first time.

And my eyes like to reinforce the message, lingering on Drew’s back as he and Cheryl head out the door.

When they’ve disappeared, I make my own cup of coffee and try to reply to Dave’s conversation about the Sports Direct account as we head down the hallway, but my mind is preoccupied.

I make it back to my desk on shaky legs.

Taking a sip of my coffee, I stare out my window at the London skyline, where the glass towers fade into the pewter sky, their edges softened by the gloom.

I’m about as far from Texas as I can get.

But one thing I’ve learned in the past three years is that no matter how far away from home you travel, you can’t escape yourself.

Chapter Four

Andrew

My heart is still pounding when I make it back to my office, clutching my cup of coffee.

Justin still didn’t recognize me.