Weight Expectations: Cipher Office Book #1

by M. E. Carter

  “Wait, what? What does rice have to do with me leaving?”

  I huff. “Keep up, man. I need a recipe for cauliflower rice. I have a craving now. Does Google work on this thing?”

  He bats my hand away just as I reach for the touchscreen. “Unless you want to end up flying off this machine, I suggest you stop pressing buttons on a machine you don’t know how to work.”

  “Excuse you,” I announce indignantly. “How do you know I don’t know how to work it?”

  “Because I just watched you spend ten minutes making sure it was plugged in before I turned it on for you.”

  Rolling my eyes at his haughty assessment, I argue, “Maybe I watched you close enough that I learned.”

  “Doubtful. It took you three weeks to figure out the one that had a big bright “on” button flashing in your face. I’ve already wagered you’ll never figure this one out.”

  My jaw drops and I crinkle my nose. “With who?”

  He points behind me, and I glance over my shoulder to see Tabitha giving me a smug grin and waving her traitorous fingers at me. “Benedict Arnold!” I shout, but I doubt she hears me. The person next to me on their own treadmill does, however, and shoots me a dirty look. “Sorry. Not you.”

  “Now that we’re on the same page,” Abel continues as if he didn’t just shatter my friendship with the smoothie lady. I’ll show her. Today, I’m ordering from someone else. See how she likes it when her friends turn on her. “What are you talking about me leaving?”

  “Abel. Look around you.” He does. “All these women are running faster than they were five minutes ago, and it’s all to make you notice their boobs.”

  “Hmm.” He looks more amused than he should. Is that a flirty smirk I see? “That might not be a bad thing.”

  “Uh, not if you want to keep your marriage alive. It might be best to avoid the gym bunnies. And that cougar over there.” I point her direction. She’s definitely older than the rest of them, but the blonde hair, fit body, and Double D’s remain the same.

  “Oh, yeah. About that. I’m getting a divorce.”

  “What?!” Shock doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel. I’m stunned. So much so that I immediately put my feet on the steel edges of the treadmill so I can stop walking and focus on this conversation. It has nothing to do with my lack of motivation. Nope. Not at all. “But, when? Why? I mean, none of that is my business. But you seemed so happy.” And he did. Anytime his family came up in class, he always talked about how much he loves his little girl and how proud he is of his wife in her modeling endeavors.

  His demeanor changes slightly. He doesn’t look defeated, exactly. But now that he’s told me, I definitely see a difference. There are circles under his eyes, and he doesn’t carry himself as confidently as he did. I could also be making it up in my head, simply because I know what’s going on, but I don’t think so. I think I’ve been so wrapped up in my own drama I missed the subtle changes. Now I feel terrible.

  “I was happy. We both were. Or so I thought.” He leans in a little closer, so no one overhears but I don’t miss Nosy Rosy behind him turning her head to get a better eavesdropping angle. “She got a really great job offer in New York and said she couldn’t pass it up.”

  I gesture like I don’t understand and step back onto the machine, careful not to fall. “Uh huh. So, she goes on a business trip like normal people. I don’t get how this leads to divorce.”

  “Apparently, her agent said she would have more success if she lived there and could go on last minute auditions.”

  “I call bullshit.”

  “Yeah, well, considering her agent is already her new boyfriend, I would agree with you.”

  For the umpteenth time since I’ve gotten here, my jaw drops open. Under the circumstances, though, I close it quickly. “I’m so sorry, Abel. That’s horrible. What a shock.”

  He shrugs and quirks his lips to the side in sort of a half-smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “At least she left Mabel with me. That’s the only good part to the story. It’s a lot harder being a single parent now, but millions of people make it work. I can, too, right?”

  He has a good attitude, but I still feel bad for him. It must totally suck to be blindsided like that by the person you thought you were going to be with for the rest of your life. At least his classes are going to fill up once the grapevine starts spreading this tidbit around. Because you know all the single ladies are going to show up trying to turn Abel’s eye.

  Well, damn. I have a hard enough time doing his class without fresh eyes on me. She ruined everyone’s life with her immature choice, didn’t she? Now I’m pissed off at his ex, too.

  Abel reaches over and suddenly the treadmill is going faster.

  “Hey!” I grab the handles to help balance myself. “What are you doing?”

  “No more distractions. Time to get your butt moving.”

  Narrowing my eyes, I purse my lips in response. “You could at least be a little nicer in your grief.”

  “HA! It’s my excuse to make you work harder.”

  I sigh dramatically. “Is it too soon to say I hate your ex, too?”

  A huge smile crosses his face. There’s my Abel. He may have been knocked down, but he’ll get up again.

  Crap. Now I have Chumbawumba running through my head.

  “It’s never too soon to loathe her. But it’s too soon to get off this machine so keep going.”

  I flash him a dubious look. “You think I can figure out how to turn this thing off?”

  “I have faith in you. Come find me when you’re done, Rian. We have work to do.”

  Abel turns and saunters out of the room, his swagger on full display. I’m sure he’s making a show of it now that he realizes this new location is full of fresh meat, as proven by all the eyes following him as he leaves.

  I have a sinking feeling as so many heads crane at once to watch and sure enough, my premonition is confirmed when sparkly headband loses his balance, falls, and flies backward off the machine.

  At least I’m not the only clumsy one.

  Chapter Twenty

  CARLOS

  “Have you checked Funko Dunko? No? That’s the one I told you about last week.” Rian types as she’s on the phone, not missing a beat. “I’m sending you an email with the link now. Don’t disregard it this time! You could’ve been searching interesting baby patterns for days instead of stressing about it.”

  Yes, I’m eavesdropping. No, I don’t understand half of the conversation Rian’s having. But that doesn’t stop me from listening in as she talks to Quinn. Somehow, she ended up answering his random call last week about some ridiculous issue. I’m pretty sure he was following up on some new hire information, but considering the conversation in front of me, I never really know anymore.

  Anyway, when Rian accidentally intercepted his call, she was able to talk him off the ledge about making yarn fire retardant or something. Then they started talking wool. Then, they started talking patterns. And now he calls her line directly when he needs help figuring out what Janie’s looking for and how he can make his wife and her knitting friends happy.

  She is truly the greatest hire I’ve ever made. Even Nancy keeps saying what a godsend Rian is for answering his calls. Not that any of us mind.

  Okay, fine. We all mind. Mostly because none of us ever know what the hell he’s talking about if it’s not related to the business, nor do we know how to help him. It makes me feel a little guilty for not trying harder as he spirals more and more into insanity, but Rian’s got it completely under control. Well, mostly.

  “Do I need to email Janie instead?” Rian threatens playfully, then throws her head back and laughs at his response. “Well, you didn’t tell me it was a surprise! Listen, I know you’ll probably miss the email and pretend it went to spam or something…” She pauses and smiles. “Yeah, you will. Don’t lie to yourself. Anyway, when I have some down time, I’ll do a quick search and see if I can find what you’re looking
for. I’m positive there are knitting patterns for baby beards. I might even find one that doubles as a binky holder.”

  What the…? You know what? I don’t even care that much about what she’s talking about as much as the fact that it’s keeping Psycho Quinn off my back so Bossman Quinn and I can get some work done.

  We’ve got “Gabriel the god” hired. Teresa’s nickname, not mine. A few others are in the works. The insurance nightmare is fixed, thanks to Karen putting two and two together. Quarterly taxes are being processed. And Rian will be up and running by the time Janie pops. The only thing we haven’t figured out yet is the architectural part of Rian’s job.

  Janie is an anomaly because she’s always done double duty. She managed the accounts and made recommendations, yes. But with her architecture background and aptitude toward visualizing spatial design, she was also able to recommend very specialized packages for our clients. That’s just not a strength Rian possesses, and to be honest, Janie isn’t your average, everyday person. Basically, she’s a genius in an awkward, clumsy package, which is why Quinn is so head-over-heels for her.

  I wonder, briefly, what that must feel like—to be in love with someone like that. Does she take his breath away, in a very literally sense? Does she make him want to be a better person? Does he stare at her like a creeper from across the room like I’m looking at Rian?

  No. Nope. Nu-uh. That’s not what I’m doing here. I’m merely paying attention as my employee talks to the president of the organization.

  “Okay. Okay.” I can tell she’s starting to wind down the conversation. It’s a good thing, too. I really do need to find out when she plans to get with Janie to go over the current accounts. “I promise it’s no big deal. I’ll find some great stuff that they’ll love. Okay. Call me if you need me. Okay, bye.”

  She hangs up the phone, the smile still on her face. Either she’s really good at faking her interest in this topic, or she genuinely enjoys talking to Quinn. I have the overwhelming need to find out which it is.

  “Hey.”

  She looks up and smiles brightly at me. “Hey!”

  Gesturing at the phone, I say, “Quinn?”

  “Yeah. I don’t know why you guys are so weird around him. He’s so much fun to talk to.”

  That’s the first time anyone has used those words in a sentence about Quinn in the last couple of months, so I assume she’s either trying too hard to fit in or has a bat-shit crazy streak of her own.

  “Oh, come on.” She nudges me with her foot. “I’m serious.”

  I hold my hands up in a defense pose. “I don’t doubt that at all.”

  She laughs lightly. “Give him a break. He’s not mean or demanding. He’s scared shitless.”

  I sigh because she’s right. “You’re right. When he doesn’t have a screw loose, he’s an amazing boss who really trusts his employees to get the job done.”

  Rian nods vigorously. “And?”

  I look back and forth quickly, trying to figure out what she means. “And what?”

  She waves her hand at me. “Give me more. What else do you like about Quinn?”

  “Really?” I deadpan. “We’re gonna play the I Love Quinn game?”

  She smiles and it hits me straight in my gut. There’s genuine happiness on her face, and I put that look there. It’s an oddly satisfying feeling.

  “Of course, we are. He’s a big ole teddy bear, and you’d be good to remember that.”

  I roll my eyes and then drop my chin to my chest. “Fine. He’s kind and generous, and his butt looks great in a suit. Are you happy?”

  She barks out a laugh and that’s another sound I like hearing a little too much. I need to get control of this and quick.

  “Yes. Thank you.” She reaches over and pulls up the calendar linked to her email. “By the way, since I know you’re about to ask, again,” she takes on with a playful smirk, “I emailed Janie and I’m going to meet with her on, um… Tuesday next week to make sure everything is squared away with the current accounts. Will that work for you?”

  I furrow my brow. “Yeah, but you’re going to their home? I thought Quinn didn’t want anyone over there.”

  An amused sound comes from Rian. “Janie vetoed that real quick. She wants to go over everything in person to make sure I really know the accounts backward and forward. Plus, it helps that I’m the only one around here who will humor his baby craziness, so he has a fondness for me,” she adds with a shrug.

  “A fondness, huh?” I smile at her and realize…this feels an awful lot like I’m flirting with her. But I’m not, right?

  Flirting is sultry smiles and licking my lips and small touches, isn’t it? Laughing and smiling… not the same thing. Maybe? Either way, I’m liking Rian more and more. Almost too much. No, definitely too much. I don’t need this kind of complication. And I don’t need to lead her on.

  She turns back to her computer, which is good timing because I know my face just fell with the realization that I’m playing with fire. I need to get out of here. Quick.

  “It’s hard not to have a soft spot for the person who knows how to get specialty yarns. If I show up with that binky pattern, he may just adopt me—” Rian begins but gets interrupted when Nancy opens her door. It seems like she’s always interviewing someone these days.

  Out she comes behind her interviewee—Rebecca from the gym.

  When we went over her resume, I had no idea this was the same Rebecca that likes to use the suspension bands at the gym. The same Rebecca that gives subtle glances and chest stretches to gain the attention of her fellow workout partners. The same Rebecca who is also subtle and timid in bed, as I found out not too long ago.

  It was just one night. It wasn’t earth-shattering. It was just mindless sex. A way to scratch the itch. A good lay. Scratch that. It wasn’t even that good. She’s a bit like a dead fish in the sack, but honestly, sex is never really bad for men. Not like it can be for women. As long as we finish, there’s nothing really awful about it. In this case, it just wasn’t something I had a desire to do again with her.

  Needless to say, though, when Rebecca walked in for her interview, I was shocked to see her because I never, ever hire someone I’ve hooked up with. Maybe that’s one of the reasons shallow relationships are best. I don’t accidentally dip my, um, toe into my applicant pool.

  Rebecca struts out of Nancy’s office looking like she knows she nailed the interview and the job is hers. Nancy, on the other hand, is wild-eyed and making a slashing motion across her neck. Nancy always has a game face so the fact that she doesn’t can only mean one thing—Nancy wants Rebecca out of this building immediately and banned from the premises. This is not good news for our receptionist search, nor for my vetting skills. I need to pay better attention. It feels like I’m losing my touch.

  Unaware of the gestures being made behind her, Rebecca makes eye contact with me and approaches at a rapid pace. “Carlos,” she says breathily once she’s standing inside my personal space, completely ignoring the fact that we’re at a place of business and her very obvious advances are inappropriate. But I’m so thrown off by my thoughts about Rian, I’m practically frozen in place. “I’m so happy to have run into you now that I’m done. Nancy was just lovely.” She looks over her shoulder to give Nancy a saccharine sweet smile. Nancy’s smile looks a lot more forced. Turning back, she puts her hands on my chest. “I’d love to—” A quick lick of her lips so her intentions aren’t mistaken. “—catch up. How about some coffee?”

  The vibe in the room completely changes. Or at least, in this area of desks. I can practically feel Rian’s eyes watching my every move wondering how I’m going to respond. I shouldn’t be considering how she feels about this situation, because it shouldn’t matter at all, but I am and that pisses me off. Somehow, I’ve developed a crush on Rian and it’s clouding my ability to do my job right. I was too busy staring at her across the room like a prepubescent teenage boy with no game than complete a thorough enough check on Rebecca to
make sure she wasn’t the loose woman from the gym, who may or may not have a screw loose. And I’m too keyed up to remove Rebecca’s hands from my body, even knowing all eyes are on me.

  So now, I’m in a predicament. I need to get Rebecca out of the office, and I need to get away from the woman I suddenly realize I may have feelings for. I can only see one way out of all these messes.

  “Sure,” I respond, hearing a small gasp come from Rian. Not exactly what I was hoping would happen, but what choice do I have at this point? “I’ve got a little bit of time before my next meeting. Care to join me now?”

  Rebecca bites her bottom lip seductively, and I’m no longer sure how I ever found that attractive. Her lips look slick and wet and sticky. I can only imagine getting whatever that crap is all over my face if she tried to kiss me.

  “Lead the way.” Her voice takes on a sensual quality that also sounds fake, but there’s no turning back now. Not that I want necessarily to. I’ll play it off later and tell Nancy it was the fastest way to get Rebecca out of the office. I just won’t mention it was also the fastest way to get away from Rian as well.

  Reaching my hand out, I gesture for Rebecca to pass me. As she does, she stops and looks at Rian quizzically. “I’m sorry, but do I know you?”

  Rian’s face is devoid of any emotion as she says, “No.”

  “Hmm.” Rebecca’s head bobs once to the side. “I guess you just have one of those faces.” Then turning back to me, she winks and heads toward the elevator.

  I follow behind her, mechanically putting one foot in front of the other as I lead her to the elevators, out the front door, down the street…

  I’m only half-listening to her yammering on about some random celebrity gossip and the latest plot line to her favorite firefighter show. I should be putting more effort in, just to be polite, but my thoughts are too busy swirling with confusion of my feelings for Rian.