Blurred Lines (Love Unexpectedly 1)

She just hardly ever shows it. At least at work. Oh, sure, she can be sugary sweet when she wants to be, usually when our boss is around. But sometimes she says these things, and all you can do is stare at her and silently wonder if that’s really what she wanted to say.

Eryn is sitting at her desk, so I’m towering over her, but then I tower over her even when she’s standing. Not because I’m particularly tall at five foot six, but because she’s barely five foot.

“Hey there, how’s it going?” she asks.

“Fine!” I chirp, patiently waiting for the real reason she stopped me.

“Good job on your presentation today,” she says, twirling a strand of her super-long hair around her finger.

“Thanks.” I shift my weight, wondering where the but is.

“But…”

There it is.

“I just thought you’d want to know that your slide on the first-quarter projections was a little bit crammed. I had a hard time reading it from the back of the room. I’m sure Michelle was a little disappointed, seeing as the senior VP showed up.”

Michelle is our boss, and considering she already told me the presentation was flawless, I’m not even remotely worried.

“I hope you don’t take that the wrong way,” she says.

“Oh, gosh no, it was super nice of you to let me know,” I say, already moving away. “Since we’re exchanging advice with no hard feelings, maybe sit in the front of the room next time? It sounds like possibly you’re a bit nearsighted.”

I move away before she can think up some sort of passive-aggressive comeback and make a beeline for Lori’s desk.

She’s on the phone with a vendor, so I hop up on her desk, waiting patiently for her to finish.

“We should go out tonight,” I say, the second she hangs up.

Lori’s blond eyebrows creep upward. “It’s Monday.”

“And that’s stopped you when?”

“I’m not the problem here, babycakes. You’re the one who likes to be tucked in by nine p.m. with your Ovaltine on weeknights.”

I hold up a finger. “Lance’s girlfriend didn’t go out on weeknights. But single Parker could definitely go for a couple cocktails.”

“Count me in,” she says, her voice slightly wary. “Is there an agenda?”

“Picking up boys,” I say, kicking my heels slightly against her desk drawer.

“Damn, Rebound Parker moves fast,” she says approvingly.

Rebound Parker. I like that.

“But, sweetie,” she says, flicking my knee with her fingers. “You’re not going to go dive-bombing into another relationship, right? You need time.”

“Fret not, dear friend. My needs are more…carnal.”

Her blue eyes go wide at that. “You’re looking to get laid?”

“Definitely. Well, eventually,” I amend. “But I’ve been out of the game awhile. I figure I need a few practice rounds, remember what it was like to flirt.”

“Honey, with looks like ours, we don’t need to flirt. A bit of lip gloss and a tight shirt, and they’ll be begging to take us home.”

I smile at Lori’s immodesty. I’ve always thought of myself as decent-looking, but Lori’s gorgeous and she knows it. She’s got long silky blond hair and these super-light-blue eyes that she accentuates with perfectly applied dark eye makeup. Adding insult to injury, she’s tall and lean and has amazing fashion sense.

“How about Whitehall Tavern?” I ask.