Nerd Girl(29)

She started listing off people. “My boyfriend, Matt, my roommate, Courtney, and … Oh!” Her eyes grew wide. “Kyle Warren,” she said as casually as possible. It wasn’t hard to see through her motives; she suddenly appeared extra buoyant and giddy.

“Mia...” I warned, eyeing her nervously. “I have to work with him, remember?”

“Uh-huh, sure.” She grinned and nodded at me.

Shaking my head, I had to laugh at her feigned innocence. If I was going to go out with her tonight, then I insisted on some rules. “Okay, if I go, you have to promise me not to push him on me or vice versa. Got it?”

“I will do my best to behave,” she said sweetly. She walked away to turn in her bowling shoes, probably trying to make a quick escape before I could change my mind.

“Oh, you’re so in trouble,” Vivek muttered as he walked past me to follow Mia.

“Tell me about it,” I mumbled.

Mia was a force to reckon with all bundled up in her petite package. I sighed and trailed after the both of them.





I followed Mia in my car to Ray’s. It was almost 7:30 and the traffic had finally died down. Ray’s was located on the waterfront on the far west side of Ballard, a small city directly north of Seattle. It used to be affectionately described as the “place for the almost dead and newly-wed.” Nowadays, it was becoming more of a hipster town, with a growing list of eclectic restaurants and shops.

Tonight, Ray’s was packed with people waiting for a table on the back deck. As I walked into the upstairs bar area, I waved to Mia, who was waiting with another guy I assumed was her boyfriend, Matt. I saw Kyle, but no one who looked like she could be a Courtney. Without Courtney in the mix, Mia had more ammunition and opportunity to coax Kyle and me together. I sighed before walking up to the little group at the bar.

“Julia!” Mia shouted over the noise. She linked one of her arms around the arm of the man standing next to her. “Julia, this is my boyfriend, Matt.”

“Hi, Matt, it’s nice to meet you,” I said, smiling.

“Nice to meet you too, Julia,” Matt replied with a warm smile and kind eyes. “Mia’s told me a lot about you.”

I’m sure she has.

Matt was the brawny, rugby player type. He towered over Mia, probably a good foot taller than her. It was a little odd to see such a big guy dating such a petite woman like Mia. They were certainly cute together, though. Matt was big, but he wasn’t afraid to show his adoration and affection for Mia, which made me smile.

Mia turned to Kyle, who was standing on the other side of Matt. “And you guys know each other already, right?” she asked, looking between Kyle and me.

“Hey, Julia,” Kyle said with a great big smile and gave me a friendly hug. “It’s good to see you again. Congrats on the new job, by the way.”

“Thanks,” I replied cheerfully.

“Courtney’s not going to join us. She’s not feeling very well,” Mia said much too enthusiastically for my taste.

No one seemed too disappointed except me, and I smiled and nodded to hide it.

The cocktail waitress approached and asked if we wanted any drinks. Matt and Kyle must have arrived a while ago, because they were already nursing beers, but Mia and I both ordered a glass of red wine.

“So, how do you guys all know each other?” I asked after our waitress scurried away.

Kyle answered first. “Matt and I were in the same frat at the UW.”

“I started dating Matt about four years ago,” Mia chimed in. “That’s how I met Kyle.”

“I was working for a small marketing agency at the time and they did some work for MS,” Kyle added. “Mia knew I was looking to change jobs and that’s when she told me about a position in the US Sub. I’ve been with MS for about two years now.”

US Sub. Ryan. Focus on the conversation at present, Julia.

“So basically, Kyle totally owes me,” Mia put in, grinning and elbowing Kyle in the ribs. Elbowing people seemed to be a signature move of Mia’s.

“That I do,” Kyle agreed and smiled back, lifting his drink up to her before turning his attention to me. “How was the first week on the job?”

“It was good,” I said slowly. “I think.” I paused to process through my hesitation. “I’m a bit overwhelmed at the moment. Catherine gave me a whole list of to-dos while she’s gone. She’s visiting APAC and EMEA for the next couple of weeks.”

“Give me the CliffsNotes version of what she wants you to do,” Kyle suggested. “Maybe I can help.”

I gave Kyle a quick overview of the jobs Catherine had tasked me with: