“There’s a problem with the system in building five. It’s a fucking mess.” Cooper dragged his hands down his face and sighed. “I need you to go over there and fix it ASAP, before my dad comes this afternoon. He’s been in panic mode over all the technical changes I’ve made around here, and I don’t want to give him more reason to dig his heels in.”
Holt stood. “On it.”
“Oh, I have a question, too.” Cooper said. His brown hair was messy, as if he’d been running his fingers through it all morning long. “Before you go.”
“Yeah, boss?”
Cooper shuffled through some papers. “Are you bringing anyone with you to the party tonight?”
“Sir?”
“To the company dinner we’re throwing.” Cooper cocked his head. “Don’t tell me you forgot. I sent out reminder emails last week.”
“Of course he didn’t forget,” Gordon, the man he’d gone drinking with last night, said from behind him. He looked even worse off this morning than he had the last time Holt had seen him. His brown hair was standing on end, just like Cooper’s. And he looked like shit—like he hadn’t slept at all. “He just wasn’t going to go. Said so last night.”
“Everyone has to go,” Cooper said. “It’s a company event.”
Gordon pressed his lips together and set a file on Cooper’s desk. “So you told me. Don’t worry. I’ll be there. Here’s the VanGuard file.”
“Thanks. Since you’re at work this morning, I see you didn’t leave with the princess after all,” Cooper said, frowning.
“Nope. So it’ll just be me.”
Holt cleared his throat. “I’m not bringing anyone, either.”
“Great, I’ll let Kayla know.”
“Kayla is here, so you don’t have to let her know anything,” she said from the doorway, her long, wavy hair falling down her back.
Cooper perked up, his shoulders straightening at the entrance of his fiancée. “Hey, babe. What brings you here?”
“Wedding stuff,” she said, smiling. “I was looking at dresses down the road, and thought I’d stop in and see how your day was going so far.”
“Better now,” Cooper said. If possible, he brightened up even more at the mention of their upcoming wedding. Around her, Cooper seemed like a totally different dude. “Did you find the dress?”
“The likelihood of that happening on the first try is one in eight,” Kayla said, a soft smile on her face.
Cooper nodded. “So you found it?”
“I totally did.” Kayla’s face glowed beautifully as she turned his way. “Hi, Holt. Gordon.”
“Hi,” Holt said, shoving his hands in his pockets.
Gordon cleared his throat, watching the two of them with his fists tight at his sides. For the first time ever, he could sympathize with the feeling. He wasn’t sure why, but he could. “I’ll leave you guys alone.”
“Me, too,” Holt said quickly, following Gordon’s lead.
“Building five,” Cooper called out. As the door shut behind them, Holt heard him say, “Lock the door.”
The door lock latched, and Holt looked at Gordon. The other man shrugged back at him. “Don’t blame him. If I had someone like her here, I’d lock my fucking door, too. Speaking of which, I heard you met someone last night. Who is she?”
Shit, news travelled fast around here. “No one you’ll ever meet.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m not looking for someone who meets my friends.” Holt stared him down. “We talked about this last night. Were you listening to me at all?”
“Every word.” Gordon shrugged and checked his phone. “But that was before you met her. Sometimes when you meet someone, the right someone, that all changes.”
“Uh…” Holt leveled a look on Gordon, the weight of the other man’s words sinking to the bottom of his stomach like an anvil for some unknown reason. Gordon’s ink seemed to stand out more today, because he was pale. Apparently, this princess of his had really fucked with his head. Another reason Holt didn’t want anything to do with love. “Not happening to me. But is that what happened to you and your princess?”
“Yeah, but it doesn’t matter. She’s gone now.”
And with that, Gordon walked off, his shoulders stiff.
That’s what love did to a man. It made him miserable. Why anyone would ever willingly put himself through that shit was beyond him. Cooper laughed in his office, and Kayla joined in. They sound pretty happy to me, whispered a small voice in the back of his head. Holt ignored it, shrugged, and headed for building five.