Wicked as Lies (Wicked & Devoted 3)
“That’s all I can ask. Anything else we’ll figure out as we go.”
“Sounds good.” Zy snatched up the paperwork and finished the last of the coffee in his cup, wishing he had more.
“Dismissed. Get the hell out of here and start thinking about ways to make our clients safer.”
“You got it. Thank you,” he called as he left the office.
As he approached the coffee bar, tucking the paperwork under his arm, he found Trees stirring a little powdered creamer in his brew. “How did it go?”
“Good.” He refilled his mug and gulped half down, the fresh caffeine hitting his bloodstream feeling like pleasure. “Edgington doesn’t seem like a dictator.”
“He’s not, but he can be a hard-ass.”
No surprise there. Any boss worth their salt could be. “I gotta pick up some crap from Aspen, then I guess I’ll be doing paperwork today. What about you?”
“Reports for my last couple of jobs. I’m behind.”
“Sucks. I’d rather be out in the field.” Zy got itchy behind a desk.
“Same, buddy.”
After topping off his mug, Zy set it and the envelope on his desk, then headed to the front of the office. Aspen sat there, scowling at the computer screen in front of her, shoulder-length hair now wrapped in a messy bun and held up with a pencil.
“Hey,” he greeted, trying not to startle her.
Her head snapped up, and she lowered the lid of the laptop before plastering on a chipper smile. “Hi. I’ve been trying to get everything ready for you, but your computer is giving me fits. It will just be another few minutes. I’ll bring it to you.”
Given what Trees had said about Aspen’s abilities, he didn’t think that was a good idea. “Don’t worry about that. I’ve got it.”
“No, really. Let me. I need to fix this mess I made so I can learn how not to do it again.”
If she was only going to fill in here for another couple of weeks, why? “Seriously, it’s no problem. I’ll have it done in a few.”
“Please. This is so frustrating. If I figure it out, I’ll learn something.” She huffed. “I’m not stupid.”
“You’re not,” Zy placated, but if the woman wasn’t good with this kind of machinery, maybe she’d be better to take a step back. “But I have a lot of experience. How about you let me help?” He rounded the desk to stand beside her chair.
Aspen slammed her hand on the laptop lid. “I need to do this.”
The woman looked ready to cry, and Zy didn’t want to create drama on day one. “Okay, I’ll just stand here and whisper hints. How’s that?”
The woman let out a breath, looking as if she’d like to object. But when she studied him, she closed her mouth again. Yeah, he wasn’t budging, and that probably showed. “Fine. If you’ll just give me a minute to get back to the beginning…”
“Absolutely.” He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall behind him. “Let me know when you’re ready.”
“I’d do better if you didn’t hover.”
Wow, she was touchy. “I’m not hovering. And I’m not judging, either. Just hanging out, looking at Trish’s pictures.”
“Tessa,” the woman automatically corrected.
“Yeah, that’s what I meant.” He lifted a silver-framed snapshot of a trio of smiling girls. Some embossed Greek letters underneath told him these might be sorority sisters. The brunette on the left was pretty, as was the redhead on the right. But the blonde in the middle with the sparkling green eyes and the fuckable mouth shoved his heart against his ribs with a thud. Man, he’d love to meet her.
He set the photo down, and seeing Aspen’s still suspicious glare slanted his way, Zy chose to pluck another photo off the desk. In this one, the blonde wore a white sundress and reclined with a fluffy gray tabby, both with their eyes closed, almost nose to nose. She looked happy in this picture. Peaceful. Gorgeous.
“You should probably put that down. I don’t know if Tessa would appreciate anyone messing with her pictures. I’ve tried to avoid touching them for just that reason.”
Tessa was the blonde?
“Have you met her?” He gestured to the woman in the photo.
Aspen shook her head. “Only talked to her over the phone. But I wouldn’t want my stuff touched.”
Yet she felt free to mess with his computer? Screw this. Time to end the standoff, snatch the machine up, and fix it himself. But another framed picture on the far wall caught his attention. A dude with sandy hair and a matching goatee stood beside the gorgeous blonde, wearing a cocky smirk, his arm hooked around her shoulders.
This must be Tessa’s husband. And in Zy’s view, she could have done better. This guy looked a little smarmy. A little shifty, too. But whatever. Maybe Mr. Tessa was a great human being and a supportive husband. It just sucked that the first woman Zy had felt a jolt of attraction to in forever was taken.