Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 56180 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 281(@200wpm)___ 225(@250wpm)___ 187(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56180 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 281(@200wpm)___ 225(@250wpm)___ 187(@300wpm)
“It’s more than smitten,” I interrupt. “She’s a good person. If you told me I had to bet my fortune one way or the other, I’d bet on her not being involved. I know how that sounds, but it’s the truth. She’s got a good heart.”
“And you know all this after a few days in Vegas.”
“Yes.”
“It’s not my place to tell you how to live your life, but please, Luke, for your own sake, be careful.”
Chapter Fifteen
Sera
The next morning, I arrange a meeting with Graham. He’s been difficult to work with since we came home, locking himself in his office, refusing to talk to the rest of the team. He had a lot riding on NeuroDrive’s showcase. Our part in the AI was going to be significant for the department. After the cancellation – and considering what Ellie is going through – I don’t blame him for being depressed. But this can’t wait.
He grunts when I knock on his office door. He looks tired, bags under his eyes. Above his desk there’s a photo of me, him, and Ellie at an amusement park.
He stands, trying to plaster an effortful smile on his face. “You wanted to see me?”
“Yes, I…”
In the reflection of the recently cleaned photo frame, I can see Graham’s three large computer screens. Two of them show news articles about NeuroDrive, and the third shows an email… with the heading: We Need To Do MORE!!!!!!!!!!
“I wanted to talk about…” I murmur, sitting opposite him, my head spinning as I put pieces together.
Graham was adamantly against me spending time with Luke, showing an interest in my love life he had never shown before. Of course, I didn’t have much of a love life before Luke, so maybe that’s not so odd. But now that I think about it, he seemed awkward leading up to the trip to CES too. I thought he was anxious for it to go well, but what if I’m wrong? That email is sending off alarm bells.
“Sera?” he says, with that familiar impatient look, seeming as if he’s burying a lot.
“The Peterson report,” I say, referencing another piece of work that has nothing to do with Luke. “Do you still need it by the end of the day?”
He frowns. “Yes, of course.”
“Okay, that was all.”
“That was all?” He says pointedly.
“Yes, sorry. I just wanted to be sure.”
I return to my desk, taking out my phone and texting Luke.
Sera: So, it seems I will need to break into my boss’s office to learn the truth.
I return to my work but keep my phone nearby. About an hour later, it lights up.
Luke: Sparkplug, what are you talking about?
Sera: Something has… well, sparked my suspicion, you could say. I hope I’m wrong, but I won’t be able to leave this alone until I know for sure.
Luke: You’re like a dog with a bone.
Sera: Is that a compliment?
There’s a smile on face as I reply, wishing he were here, wishing those few magical days in Vegas could have lasted forever, relive them like Groundhog Day so that we’d never have to face any of this.
Luke: I’m worried for your future kids ha ha.
Sera: Is that why Mr. Mysterious, the oh-so-busy CEO, found time to respond to me? To talk about kids?
Even with the world falling apart, flirting with him feels good. It’s like a soothing spell that somehow makes all of this better.
Luke: I never talk about having a family.
Sera: Is that because you don’t want one?
Luke: It’s because I’ve never found a woman I’d want to have one with… but I’ve always wanted a family. How about you?
Sera: I’m the same. I’ve always wanted one in a vague sense… in a ‘what if’ way, but I never let myself fantasize about it TOO much. Before Vegas, the idea I could have chemistry with a man seemed unbelievable.
Luke: We had more than chemistry, Sparkplug. We had the whole lab.
I smile again, wishing he were here so badly. We shouldn’t be talking about kids or anything like that. Nothing good can come of it.
Luke: Why are you sneaking into your boss’s office?
I ignore his message, chaining the topic instead,
Sera: Aren’t you scared to have kids considering you had a crappy childhood? I remember you said you grew up in foster care.
Luke: I’d make it my mission to never repeat the mistakes of the past. I’d give them the childhood I never had.
Sera: That’s how I’ve always thought about it, too.
My cheeks glowing warmly as I reread my message, my heart pounding. To say that I miss this man would be a gross understatement. It goes beyond missing. It’s a physical ache.
Luke: Then we have more in common than I already knew. But I won’t torture us by stating the obvious.
Sera: Please, don’t. Don’t talk about how neither of us ever thought we’d have a family, but now we’ve found somebody who wants the exact thing we do.