Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 65192 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 326(@200wpm)___ 261(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65192 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 326(@200wpm)___ 261(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
“I won’t be disappearing into computer world,” I say, deciding it’s best to come clean about everything all at once. Otherwise, I’ll be trapped here for hours, and I need to get down to the laundry room and start a load before ten, or the machines will all be full, and I’ll have nothing clean to wear to meet my new cat. Or Sam.
I tell myself I’m more concerned about the cat and didn’t lie awake half the night wondering what a person wears to a “getting to know you again so we can bang and go our separate ways” date and spill my guts to the girls. I explain about my explosive last day in the office, my completely lame severance package, and my certainty that my mother is going to try to hogtie me and drag me to medical school. “Once she’s done weeping softly in her room in embarrassment, of course,” I finish with a sigh and a gulp of coffee.
“Oh, babe,” Evie says. “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be,” I say with a shake of my head. “I don’t want anyone to feel sorry for me. Especially since there’s no need to be upset. Sam already offered me another job. He works for Paradisus.”
“You’re kidding,” Harlow says, sucking in an excited breath. “They’re that giant tech company with the heart or gold,” she tells Evie. “The one that designed Best Nest.”
“I know,” Evie says, with a roll of her eyes. “I may be tech averse, but even I’ve heard of Paradisus. They’re supposed to be an incredible company to work for.”
“They are,” I confirm. “One of the top ten worldwide. They’re opening a new game design division and want to hire me to lead a team. I’m going to interview with the people heading up the project sometime this week. If I decide to take it, I’ll be making way more money, have tons of bennies, and be able to move to London if I decide I’m tired of working remotely and want to join the rest of the people in the office.”
Harlow’s lips turn down at the edges. “Oh. Wow. That’s…great.”
I frown. “Then why do you sound like I just told you my vintage clothing collection was incinerated in a fire?”
She winces. “I know. I’m sorry. I’m also too hungover to hide my emotions. I’ll just miss you, is all. It’s totally selfish and I’m sorry.”
“I’m sorry, too,” Evie says. “Because I feel the same way. I’m so happy for you, of course, but I’ll miss you so much if you move to London. We’ve never been that far apart.” She draws her knees tighter to her chest as she adds, “And my inner romantic really wanted you and Sam to make good on your bargain, realize you’re perfect for each other, and fall madly in love.”
I stick out my tongue, gagging silently. “Gross.”
“It’s not gross!” she maintains. “It would be like a rom-com movie come to life.” She turns to Harlow. “They made a bargain when they were seventeen, and the only people not getting laid at coding camp. They decided if they were both still virgins on their twenty-fourth birthdays, they’d meet up and…help each other out.”
Harlow’s brows lift. “Oh, really. Interesting. And weird. Why twenty-four? Why not twenty or twenty-five? Some nice, normal round number?”
“Exactly,” I reply over the rim of my coffee, beginning to regret all this purging of my soul. “Why be normal? Also, twenty-four is auspicious in numerology. It symbolizes a shit ton of stuff, including openness to adventure and new experiences. And twenty-four is not quite halfway to thirty and is therefore a much less mortifying age to lose your virginity than twenty-five.”
Harlow seems to take this explanation at face value, but Evie drops her knees to the floor and leans her forearms on the table, her expression sharpening as she says, “It’s also the number of love and romance. And don’t tell me you didn’t know that, or I’ll have to rethink my opinion of you as an honest human who can be trusted to tell me when my overalls have gotten so covered in paint it isn’t cute anymore.”
I hide my face behind my mug as I mumble, “Yes, fine, it is, but that doesn’t matter. Sam and I are just friends. He came to offer me a job. That’s it.”
Harlow nods. “Well, obviously. If he’s going to be your new boss, banging would be a conflict of interest. And probably against company protocol. I doubt they’re keeping Paradisus such a nice place to work by allowing bosses to hire and bang their subordinates in the same week.”
I almost blurt out that Sam won’t be my boss, that’s he’s with another division of the company, but take a drink of coffee instead. Withholding information isn’t lying, and it will be easier to deal with Sam and my friends being in the same room if they don’t know we’re hanging out solely to get comfortable enough to fuck and run.