Nerd Girl(24)

Mia shook her head in defiance. “This is MS. People do it all the time. We work so freakin’ much, where else should we be expected to meet our future spouse?”

“Who else do you know who met their spouse here?” Vivek asked.

Mia contemplated and thought out loud. “Brian Blaine and Willa Comstock met here,” she said proudly, happy that she came up with an MS couple. “Now granted, they both ended up leaving the company due to their inter office scandal …” she continued, her voice hushed.

“There was also Rob Crocket and Jessica Newton,” Vivek added. “They were peers. They’re now married.”

Mia nodded in enthusiastic support. Amy gave me another sympathizing look.

“I don’t think I could do it,” I replied. “Everyone would be in your business. If I ever did, I would totally keep it private.” I had to cover my bases. Should the opportunity for me to date someone in the office ever come up, I didn’t want anyone to remember this conversation and call me a hypocrite.

I tried not to look too guilty. Why I felt guilty, I’m not sure, since nothing had happened yet between Ryan and me. And if something were to happen, the likelihood of him knowing these people was probably really slim. The Redmond campus had over fifty thousand employees; it was like a little city. Megasoft even had its own exit off of the freeway.

“So, let’s hypothetically pretend that everyone here at this table was single. Who would you consider dating from the office?” Vivek was asking everyone, but looking directly at me.

“You guys, give her a break!” exclaimed Amy. “We’re going to scare the poor girl off.”

I laughed. Amy was obviously the voice of reason in this group. “I’m good.” I smiled at Amy and gave her a look of gratitude for her willingness to step up for me, even though we both realized it was a hopeless effort. “Thanks anyways, though.”

Vivek stuck his tongue out at Amy, implying she was being a poor sport. Amy glared back.

Mia was concentrating, trying to think of a list of attractive men at MS. “Ryan McGraw! Now he is hot. Of course, he’s not a realistic dating option. He’s too high up the food chain. That would just be way too weird and inappropriate.”

The name Ryan piqued my interest. Sheesh! Was I going to be distracted every time I heard the name Ryan? Will that name ever not mean something to me?

Amy nodded in agreement. “Yes! He is yummy. I’ll agree to that one.”

“Hey, I thought you were on my side?” I implored.

Amy shrugged with an apologetic look; apparently she just couldn’t help it.

Vivek nodded. “Yup. Totally agree. He’s hot.”

I decided to play their game. I was curious anyways. “I’ve never seen him before. I’ve heard of him though. He’s the GM of the US sub, right?”

Amy nodded. “He’s the VP. You’ll see him at the All Hands meeting on Friday. I saw the agenda in Catherine’s office this morning.”

“He’s not married,” Mia said with a sly smile. “No ring on his finger.”

Man, Mia was a piece of work. She seemed to know the dating and marital status of all the men she worked with. She reminded me a little of a dark-haired Tinker Bell, with the mischievous attitude to boot.

“Whoever lands him,” she continued, “is one lucky girl. Not only is he a total hottie, but Kyle told me he’s super cool. Kyle said he was really personable and approachable.”

“Hot, successful, rich, intelligent, and hot; did I mention hot? What’s not to like?” Vivek said with a salacious smile accompanied by a double eyebrow raise.

“Speaking of Kyle,” Mia interrupted, slapping her hand to her forehead. “He’s a cutie. And the sweetest thing about him is that he has no idea how sexy he is.” Mia had already moved on to her next target, and thankfully one I knew.

“Yup. I know him and I totally agree. He’s definitely cute,” I agreed.

Amy nodded with me and added, “He’s totally sweet, and nice, too. He’s got to have a girlfriend, though, don’t you think? Guys like him are never single.”

“No, he’s available,” Mia said confidently. “My boyfriend and Kyle are good friends. I would totally go for him, but I’m taken already.” She grinned and shrugged. Well, that explained why she wasn’t chasing after these men herself. I don’t even know the guy, but more power to the man who could handle someone like Mia.

“What about you, Julia? Are you single? Amy’s right; we never really asked you that question, did we?” asked Mia.

“Um … Yes,” I said cautiously. I was a little nervous at what ideas this disclosure might give Mia.