Page 15 of Yes & I Love You (Say Everything 1)

His eyebrows went up.Well, then.

Jasper: Now I’m scandalized. Tell me everything.

Hollyn: *GIF of Tina Fey zipping her lips*

Jasper set down the phone, grinning but totally confused. In person, Hollyn acted like she could barely tolerate him. On text, she was a different person. And hell, she’d sent a GIF of one of his improv idols and could play along with a joke.

He needed to be careful. He could walk past a nice body, a pretty face, or a sexy smile, but funny women were his kryptonite. The last thing he needed was to hook up with someone at work and then have to serve her coffee every day after things were done. Because he definitely wasn’t looking to date anyone. He only had one love interest right now, and that was getting his career back on track. Relationships were too much of a distraction for him. He fell hard and fast. Made impulsive, life-altering decisions based on simple infatuation. He’d learned that the hard way.

He looked back down at his phone and smiled. That didn’t mean a little flirtmance couldn’t be entertaining. He grabbed Hollyn’s coffee cup and a pen.

* * *

Hollyn came back to her office from the bathroom, where she’d been kinda, sorta, most definitely hiding from facing Jasper, and found a cup of whipped-cream-topped coffee on her desk. She picked it up and laughed. Jasper had drawn a face on the side with a monocle and mustache. A proper gentleman coffee.

A bolt of satisfaction moved through her. She’d done it. She’d talked to the guy. So what if it’d required an anxiety pill this morning and a mostly text-based conversation? She was still here. She’d survived.

Cal and Mary Leigh were going to be so proud.

Though now she had no idea what to do next. She scrolled through her phone and decided on a GIF of a giraffe with a monocle and mustache and a thank you. She hit Send.

That was a start.

“Since when do we get desk-side service?”

Hollyn turned around, realizing she hadn’t shut her door behind her. Andi had poked her head in, and she pointed to the coffee. “New guy delivers?”

Hollyn nearly fumbled her phone. She tucked it in her pocket and attempted a casual shrug. “I guess?”

A mischievous look lit Andi’s eyes. “Or maybe the hot barista only delivers toyou?”

Hollyn shook her head. “No, it’s not like—”

Andi walked inside Hollyn’s office uninvited and plopped into the armchair. “It’s not like he’s adorable?”

“I didn’t say—”

“Ha. Gotcha. You’re totally blushing.” She grinned. “You should go for it. He seems nice. I could get a friend to run a background check on him for you. You know, make sure he’s on the up-and-up.”

Hollyn still hadn’t fully processed that Andi was chatting with her like they were old girlfriends catching up. Her heart was beating fast, and she could feel her cheek muscles trying to tic. She picked up her coffee to have something to do with her hands. “I’m good. Did you need something?”

Andi smiled, seemingly unperturbed by Hollyn’s abrupt question. “Well, sort of. First, I wanted to stop by because how crazy is it that we work three doors away from each other and I didn’t know your name? I felt like such a dick yesterday.” She made a face. “I get so wrapped up in my own stuff sometimes that I get tunnel vision, you know? So I wanted to fix that.”

Hollyn stared at her, a weird emotion rippling through her at the thought that someone had cared about not knowing her name. She sat on the edge of her desk, her fingers doing their four count against her thigh. “It wasn’t a big deal. I hadn’t exactly introduced myself.”

“Still, it’s not cool. I got an office here because I wanted to be surrounded by other creative people and make friends and learn from them.” Andi cocked a thumb toward the door. “Have you seen some of the stuff people are working on here? Especially some of the women?”

Hollyn shook her head and sipped her coffee, trying to quell her tics, which took all her concentration. She ended up getting whipped cream on her nose.

“Just scroll through the building directory and read some of the bios. We have some kick-ass ladies here. And what are we doing for each other?” she asked.

Hollyn swiped at her nose. “Uh…”

“We’re walking by each other in the hallways, saying inane shit like ‘cute top’ or ‘good morning’ or ‘what’s that weird smell in the break room?’—which, by the way, whatisthat weird smell in the break room?”

Hollyn’s lips parted. “Um—”

Andi flicked her hand. “Doesn’t matter. My point is, we’re wasting opportunities everywhere.”