by Louise Clark
Mainly because those hot looks he kept sending her way were stirring things within her that hadn’t come to life before. Cody Simpson was a computer scientist, a mathematician whose life was dedicated to finding a logical answer to every question. To Cody her Beacon ability would be both irrational and impossible. He wouldn’t see it as a special, magical, gift found in very few people and closely guarded so that it could not be abused by those who might wish to change the past, and in turn, the present and future.
As she pondered his invitation she looked up at him. He raised his brows and smiled. His eyes were the vivid blue of the afternoon sky. His expression said that he really would like her to say yes, but he wasn’t going to pressure her. Faith liked that. She liked the way that sexy little smile played about his lips, how that errant lock of hair fell on his forehead, and the look of the body-hugging t-shirt and jeans.
But she had to remember that his world was not her world. It took a very special man to trust a woman who was a Beacon. A man who was imaginative and flexible. One who was willing to accept all sorts of strange events. Her mother had married a civil engineer, a man whose life was dedicated to taking dreams and giving them an enduring reality. He should have been able to cope with the indefinable that was a Beacon’s life, but he couldn’t, and his family had suffered because of it.
Faith reminded herself that Cody Simpson worked in the applied sciences field, just as her father did. Though Cody made her heart beat harder and had her senses rioting, that wasn’t enough to create a strong or lasting connection between their two worlds. “Cody, look…um, thank you for the invitation, but…you know, I don’t think it’s a good idea to mix, um, private life and, ah, work life. So, you know, right now I’ll say, um, no.”
He studied her for a few moments. Faith squirmed under his intense glance, shuffling her feet like an inexperienced teenager.
After a minute he smiled. “Timing,” he said, “is everything and mine stinks. Clearly I need to reassess.”
Disappointment washed over Faith. It wasn’t until she was in her car heading home that she realized that Cody hadn’t taken no for an answer. Like all good scientists, when he’d reached a roadblock he’d just stepped back to take a hard look at it before he tried another method of dismantling it. Cody didn’t see her refusal as an ending, but as a temporary barrier that could be swept away.
The thought that Cody might ask her out again sent a pleasurable tingle racing through Faith’s body. While her mind might tell her that dating Cody Simpson was not a good idea, her body was urging her to go for it.
Chapter 10
“The picnic was fun, wasn’t it?” June handed Faith a printout of the staffing schedule for the summer vacation period. “Did you enjoy it?”
Faith scanned the printout, not really paying attention to June’s small talk. “Sure, it was okay.”
June laughed. “Don’t let Ava hear you say that. She’s been asking everyone if it was the greatest picnic they’ve ever gone to. She’s not really into lukewarm praise.”
That caught Faith’s attention. “I can see where Ava is coming from. She and the executive secretaries did a terrific job.” She tapped the paper. “This is excellent, June. Can you post it in the staff room?” She handed the paper back to June, expecting that she would take it and go back to her workstation.
Instead, June lingered. “I was a little surprised by some people.”
Faith sat back in her chair. Evidently June wanted to unburden herself of something and she wasn’t about to do it quickly. “That’s the purpose of the picnic and the Christmas party. We’re supposed to discover each other in a non-work setting. That way we’ll become closer and work more effectively as a team.” She stopped, grinned and added, “At least that’s the theory.”
June looked at the staffing schedule. “It’s an interesting idea. Do you buy into it?”
Good question. Faith wasn’t sure she did, but then again, sometimes it worked. She’d seen a different side of Cody Simpson on Saturday, and she’d liked what she’d seen. Did that mean they would be able to work together more effectively? She doubted it. “I discovered that some of our staff members are interesting people who I like very much.”
“Like Cody Simpson?”
Faith hesitated, then said carefully, “I suppose.”
“He’s really good looking, isn’t he?” June said, a rather dreamy expression on her face.
“I suppose,” Faith said again, deliberately noncommittal.
“If he asked me to go out with him, I would,” June said.
Faith suppressed a petty desire to snap, forcing herself to smile instead. “And I’d wish you good luck and a good time.” Standing up, she escorted June to the open door of her office. “I didn’t accept Cody’s invitation, June, so if you are interested in him, go for it.”
June muttered something incoherent that sounded like, “No, I wasn’t…I just…” before Faith firmly shut the door behind her.
Inside her office, Faith leaned against the closed door. She shut her eyes and breathed deeply. June had been digging for information because Cody had made his request for a date very public. She was curious and in her way had been complimenting Faith on her good luck in attracting a great looking guy. That was all.
Okay, she admitted it. She’d overreacted. But why?
Probably because June had touched a sensitive spot.
With a small sigh, Faith straightened. Stupid, stupid, stupid! She was the one who had refused his invitation. She made the decision to stand apart and she had to live with it. She drew a shaky breath, blew it out, then inhaled again, more deeply this time, before she walked to her desk. It took a long time for her to get back to work, but she did.
She almost made it through the day without a computer glitch. It was three-thirty when one of the clerks—not Angela, this time—asked for help. Faith checked out the problem and discovered it wasn’t a simple one based on operator error. Nor was it one she had an easy answer for. She would have to phone Cody.
She went back to her office, her mood suddenly light and playful. Although she was not willing to start a relationship with Cody she wanted to see him again. Maybe Ava was right—getting to know a person would make working together easier. As she dialed Cody’s number she imagined the sound of his voice as he answered the phone, visualized him tucking the receiver between his shoulder and his cheek so he could continue to work on his keyboard, thought about what she’d say to him.
The phone rang. Once, twice, a third time. At the fourth ring his voicemail activated. “This is Cody Simpson. I’m not at my desk right now. Please leave a message…”
Completely deflated, and absurdly disappointed, she gave her name and stated the problem. She hung up with a distinct click. What did she expect? The man never answered his phone.
After sending him a follow-up e-mail with more details, she went back to work, but when the office cleared at 4:30 and she’d had no response from Cody she decided she would take a stab at fixing the problem. She didn’t want to start the next day with a non-working computer. She was still there at five o’clock when Ava wandered by, her purse over her shoulder and a coat hung over one arm.
“Faith, what are you doing?” Ava’s expression was as disapproving as her tone.
Faith silently cursed her bad luck. “Trying to fix this computer before I go home.”
“I thought you’d realized that the computers were Cody Simpson’s responsibility?” Although Ava must be heading out, she had planted herself firmly beside Faith’s chair and had apparently set down roots.
“I did. I do,” Faith said. She stared at the screen. She’d just spent another half hour getting nowhere. Ava might be annoying and unreasonable, but this time she could be right. Computers were Cody’s specialty, so sorting out this glitch was his job.
Ava pulled a chair from one of the other desks. “This wasteful behavior has got to stop, Faith. You’re a valuable member of our team, but you are not using your time ef
fectively trying to do work you know nothing about.”
Good point, Faith thought. If you tossed in the added stress levels, you had a really good argument. Still, she had one better. “Someone had to repair the computer, Ava. Cody wasn’t at his desk and hasn’t picked up the voicemail I left.”
“But you haven’t fixed it. What if you made the problem worse? You should have waited for Cody to come down.”
Ava’s words stung, but there was absolutely nothing Faith could say to defend herself. “Ava, I—”
“I understand Cody asked you to go out with him at the picnic.”
Faith shot Ava a cautious look. “Where did you hear that?”
“You refused.”
“That’s up to me.”
Ava put her hand on the back of Faith’s. “If the invitation was issued as the beginning of a personal relationship, the decision would, of course, be yours. However, this was a business invitation, wasn’t it, Faith?”
Faith looked at Ava’s hand where it rested on hers. The gesture should have been comforting, just as Ava’s gentle tone should have been. Neither was. “Look, Ava—”
“What harm is there in going out with him?”
Ava sounded so reasonable. How could Faith explain that dinner with Cody Simpson was much more likely to be personal than business related? Ava saw what she wanted, heard what she expected. “Ava, there’s no harm in my refusing to go out with him. I just don’t…”
“Don’t is a negative word,” Ava removed her hand so she could wave her forefinger at Faith. “If you think more positively the issues will resolve themselves.”
Faith had a vision of Cody looking down at her, those blue eyes of his warm with amusement. Her insides melted at the memory. This was all so unfair! She wanted to go out with Cody. If she’d been a normal woman she’d have jumped at the chance to spend time with him.
The problem was, she wasn’t a normal woman. She was a Beacon. Dates were out of the question. Frustration made her snap, “Great. Tell Cody that. In the meantime, I’m going to head home and leave this problem for him to solve tomorrow.”
Ava stood when Faith did. Instead of leaving she followed Faith to her office. Her annoyance was clear in her voice as she continued to press her point. “Think about what I’ve said, Faith. Accept his invitation.”
Faith logged off her computer and locked her desk. “As to that, Ava, I can’t. He asked and I refused.” She threw her purse over her shoulder and headed for the door.
“Then you must ask him out,” Ava said, hovering beside Faith and getting in her way.
Her hand on the light switch, Faith stared at Ava. “You want me to invite him out?”
Ava nodded.
The main door to the suite slammed. Both women froze.
Ava frowned. “The cleaners come every other day. This is not one of their scheduled nights.”
Quiet footsteps sounded in the bullpen. Faith’s heart pounded a fast, heavy beat. Gathering up her courage, she walked out of her office to accost whoever had entered after hours. Ava stayed in her doorway, near her phone, offering support and little else.
The footsteps neared. A large male form appeared out of the gloom of the interior office lit by little other than the reflected glow from the windows in Faith’s open office.
Faith’s heart slammed into overdrive. “Who is it?”
The shadowy form coalesced into a good-looking male in jeans and a t-shirt. “I just picked up your e-mail. Which unit has the problem?”
Faith felt her knees go weak with relief. “That one,” she said a little shakily. She pointed out the one she’d been working on a few minutes before.
Cody frowned. “What’s up?”
A moment ago he’d sounded all business, but now his voice offered the promise of protection and the warmth of concern. Though Faith had been thinking of ways of carving him up into little pieces a mere half hour before, now she found herself softening as she made haste to reassure him. “It’s late. I didn’t know there was anyone else left in the building.”
Relaxing, he smiled that sexy little half-smile that darkened the blue of his eyes and made every look a caress. “Neither did I. Usually I’m on my own by this time.” Footsteps dragged his gaze from Faith’s. His eyes iced as he looked over her shoulder. “Hello, Ava.”
“You gave us quite a start, Cody.” The expression on Ava’s face was decidedly unfriendly.
Faith was reminded of her sister’s description of the two of them being tyrannosaurs doing battle and she had to resist a very strong urge to scuttle back to the safety of her office.
The feeling only intensified as Ava hitched her purse higher on her shoulder and shifted the coat more comfortably on her arm. “Remember what we were talking about, Faith. I’d like a report in the morning.” She nodded to both of them, then said good night and marched away, her head tilted in a defiant manner.
Cody watched her for a minute before he sat down at the ailing computer. “That woman constantly amazes me.” He shook his head. “Okay, remind me what went wrong and any details you can think of.”
As Faith filled him in on the problem he set to work. She perched on the chair Ava had recently vacated and watched him. She liked the way his thick dark lashes framed those vivid blue eyes, the quiet intensity with which he worked. Her gaze traveled lower. His fingers were blunt, the nails pared short. They moved over the keyboard with the ease of a pianist. She could imagine those hands on her skin, stroking her. The caress would be gentle, but sure, just as his touch on the keyboard was sure. A prickle of heat burned across her skin and she had to look away.
“Okay, I think I’ve got it,” Cody said.
He leaned back and stretched. It had taken him ten minutes to solve the problem. Maybe Ava was right. Waiting for Cody to help was a more effective use of the company’s time, even if he didn’t show up until three hours later.
As he logged off, he said, “Call me tomorrow if there are any more problems.”
Faith looked at him dubiously. “What’s your schedule look like?”
He shrugged. “The usual.” Amusement gleamed in his eyes. “Are you trying to tell me diplomatically that you don’t believe that I’ll be around to troubleshoot?”
She laughed. “Now that you mention it…”
He rubbed his chin. “Unfortunately, you’re right. I only check my messages from time to time.” He looked at her, then apparently came to a decision. “If you need me and I’m not in my office, try two-oh-seven. That’s where I hang out when I need quiet.”
“Two-oh-seven.” Two-oh-seven was located on the inside of the building and had no windows. Originally, it had been used as a storage space, then, as NIT grew, it had become a small workspace area for casual staff. Come to think of it, she hadn’t heard of anyone putting a temp in that room in a while. Cody must have taken over the workspace for his own use. She realized that he was giving her the key to his privacy and that he trusted her not to abuse it. “Cody, about the picnic…”
He leaned back in the chair. “Changed your mind?”
“Well, you see…” She wanted to say yes, but she knew, for her peace of mind, she should say no. Then there was the pressure Ava had put on her tonight. She didn’t want to say yes to a date with Cody because Ava had told her she must. She wanted to say yes because he was a thoroughly attractive man. Which was why she had to say no.
His gaze caught her. It burned into her, hopeful, encouraging. Good sense told her she should retreat and say, no she hadn’t changed her mind. The trouble was, when he smiled at her like that, she couldn’t do it. “Yeah, I have.”
“Good.” He caught her hand and held it between his. His thumb caressed her palm, sending shivers down her spine. “I’ll pick you up at seven on Friday.”
Faith almost said sure, fine, any time. She knew she was in deep trouble when a man’s touch was enough to make her forget who she was. Seven was when Uncle Andrew usually showed up. That was just what she needed, to have Uncle Andrew
materialize in front of Cody. “No! Friday doesn’t work for me. How about Thursday at seven?”
Cody flashed her a wicked smile. “All the better. Okay, it’s a date.”
Thursday came with a flutter of nerves and pleasurable anticipation. Faith wasn’t sure what she expected from the evening. She’d been playing out possibilities in her mind ever since Monday and her ideas fluctuated wildly between co-workers talking politely about work to a flirtatious conversation that led to sexually charged kisses on her doorstep. She figured Ava would definitely go for the polite co-worker scenario and, while part of her liked the security of that image, another part, the part that was turned on by Cody Simpson, much preferred the evening that ended in a hot, passionate kiss.
She was running late on Thursday afternoon, but she figured she had enough time to shower and change and still be ready before Cody reached her doorstep. Heavens knew why he wanted to pick her up at home, instead of meeting her somewhere after work. Or better yet, working late and going somewhere straight from the office. However, since he was picking her up, she also had to straighten the living room so she could ask him in when he arrived.
Glancing at her watch as she raced in the door she noted that it was five-forty-five. Still time to manage all the things she had to do and be ready on time. She dumped her purse on the table in the hall, slipped out of her shoes and ran into the living room. She was organizing the week’s newspapers into a pile when a male voice said, “It’s about time! Where the devil have you been?”
Faith screamed and jumped. The papers went flying, then floated majestically down to land strewn across the living room floor. Her hand clamped to her mouth, she turned.
She knew whom she’d see. “Andrew, what are you doing here? It’s only Thursday.”
Andrew stood with his hands on his hips, temper flaring in his eyes. “George Strand is to come from Boston town for the week’s end so tomorrow evening Mary Elizabeth will have to dance attendance upon her papa, instead of walking out with me. If I am to see her this week it will have to be tonight.”
