Nerd Girl(35)

I decided to skip breakfast. I didn’t have much of an appetite, most likely the result of my nerves. Instead, I headed for Café Vita, located on the main bus route. I wasn’t much of a bus rider, so I needed to double check the routes that would get me to Westlake and Denny. Thank God for mobile phones and the internet. It was 9:30 by the time I got my coffee. I needed to hurry if I was going to catch the next bus.

Like a true Seattleite, I needed my daily dose of caffeine to start my day off well. That first sip of coffee in the morning was like heaven. I walked briskly towards the bus stop, coffee in hand, and thirty minutes later, I rushed into the building lobby and headed up to the MS floors. I was running a few minutes late and it was making me edgy. I searched for the conference room that Ryan booked on the meeting invite. Being late and with the caffeine freely flowing through my veins, I was a bundle of nerves. I finally saw the conference room, took a deep breath, and peeked in.

Ryan looked up and gave me a big grin, ear to ear. It was a heartwarming, sexy, adorable smile, which made me melt and my heart skip a beat. I was so in trouble. I nervously opened the sliding door and walked into the small room.

“Hi, Julia,” he greeted eagerly. “It’s good to see you again.” He stood up from his chair too fast and it fell backwards. He let out a nervous chuckle and mumbled something under his breath. Eventually, he resettled the chair, shifting it over to make room for me. He didn’t shake my hand or hug me. Rather, he awkwardly stuffed his hands into his front pockets. It warmed my heart a little that a man so normally confident and commanding appeared just as nervous as I was.

“Hi, Ryan,” I replied and smiled. I hope he couldn’t hear the loud beating of my heart, which felt like it was going to literally jump out of my chest at any moment. I was momentarily speechless, captivated by his piercing blue eyes gazing down at me.

We just stared at one another for a long moment and then both burst into laughter at the awkwardness and craziness of the whole situation. Our little fit of laughter helped me relax. I brushed by him to sit. He smelled like fresh soap and some really sexy aftershave. My pulse raced faster just being in close proximity to him.

“I’m sorry for being a little late,” I said apologetically. “I, um … had to take the bus over here.”

“Do you take the bus often or is something wrong with your car?” he asked.

I situated myself in the padded booth seat next to him. We were facing the same direction so that we could view a shared laptop and look at the whiteboard if needed. The room wasn’t so much a conference room; it was more of an office being repurposed as a meeting space. The small size of it forced us to sit close together, making it feel very intimate.

I shook my head. “No. I was out with some friends last night and had too much wine. I thought it best not to drive home.”

“Ah, gotcha.” He nodded in understanding. “I could’ve picked you up.”

“Really, it was no trouble,” I lied. Not to mention I don’t have your phone number and only recently learned your last name.

He nodded again. “Where did you and your friends go?”

“Ray’s Boathouse.”

“Nice. I haven’t been back there in a while. I take it you didn’t want to stay for the post All Hands party at Lucky Strike then?” he asked with a smirk.

I giggled at his sarcasm. “Actually, I did go. But then a few of us decided it might be more fun elsewhere.” I started to pull my laptop out of my backpack. “I take it you aren’t much of a bowler?” I teased.

“Not really,” he said, smirking and shaking his head. “Though, it might’ve been worth it to watch you.”

My head snapped up and I flushed a deep crimson. Wow. He’s flirting with me and I’m falling for it hook, line, and sinker. Before I could recover and respond with a witty comment, I saw his face falter into a frown. I followed his gaze to my laptop. He took in the sad-looking duct tape holding the battery pack together. It was starting to peel around the edges, having picked up dust and lint from my backpack.

“That doesn’t look too good,” he said, furrowing his brow. “Is it like that because of the accident?”

My mouth tightened and I nodded.

“Oh man,” he said with dismay and ran his fingers through his hair, mussing it up in an adorable way. “I owe you a new laptop.”

Hmm … even frustrated he was attractive. “Oh, don’t worry about it. I’m sure my new manager, Catherine, will get me one soon. She’s traveling right now, though, so it will probably be a few weeks.” I shrugged nonchalantly. It really wasn’t a big deal. “It looks worse than it is. It works perfectly fine.”