Adam frowned. That was true, actually.
"Are you going to clubs or meet ups? Got a dating profile? Anything like that?"
"No." Adam hadn't considered going the online dating route. The thought made him wither a bit inside. "I mean, I met Casey by chance. If the right person comes along, I'll know."
"We're forgetting he lives with a girl," José said.
"No, he lives with Tessa," Fezza said. "There's a difference."
"Hey, not one word. She's a great roommate," Adam said quickly. "She pays her half of the rent on time, totally helps out with her part of the chores--" which was more than he could say about Casey, in the year they'd lived together, "--and she's quiet."
"That's how most serial killers are described," Fezza muttered.
"She's awesome."
"Then why don't you date her?"
Adam burst into surprised laughter. "Me? Date Tessa?" He shook his head. "No way."
"Dude, face it: unless you ask out a pizza delivery girl who comes by Fezza's house, there's no way in hell you're going to start dating any time in the near future," José said.
Adam felt anger and self-righteousness--okay, maybe just the booze--burn in his stomach. "Trust me. I can get a girlfriend."
The guys looked at him, grinning. "Bet on it?" José said.
"You're on," Adam said. "I'll bet that I can get a girlfriend before we replace Mac on the engineering team."
"Deal," Fezza said as they shook on it. "You sure it's not going to be Tessa? Because that might be cheating."
"Not in a million years," Adam said. "Never going to..."
He stopped abruptly when he heard her clear her throat. He glanced over, only to see Tessa standing in the doorway.
He felt a blush flood his cheeks. Oh, God.
"Tessa," he said, feeling like a total asshole. "Sorry. Um...didn't know you were going to...uh..."
"Can I get you a drink, milady?" José said, swooping to her side. She quickly took a step back. She'd known José for years, after all. Give the guy an inch, and he'd take your underwear.
"I just wanted to stop by and, um, hang out." She seemed to be blushing a bit, too.
"We've got some food in the kitchen," Adam said, bounding up. "I can get you a drink that isn't going to melt your face off, too."
He ushered her into the kitchen. Her expression was pensive. He wasn't sure what to say. "I'm sorry," he finally said. "I didn't...I mean, we were just talking..."
"I know," she said. "I had no idea."
He wished the ground would just swallow him up. "It didn't mean anything," he said. "I just...well, I didn't think that you were interested. You're not interested, are you?"
"Are you kidding?" Her eyes went round. "I'm completely interested."
Now it was his turn. He felt his eyes pop wide as he stared at her, speechless for a second. "You...are?"
"I've wanted this for a long time now," she said.
"Why didn't you say anything?" Oh, God, what was he supposed to do with this?
She shrugged, and her amber skin heated with a dusky blush. "I guess we just don't talk that much," she murmured. "Why would you know?"
"So, since..." He did the math. "February? When you moved in? You were interested then?"
"Even before then."
He ran his fingers through his hair, utterly distracted. This could be really, really bad.
"What?" Her chin went up, and her brown eyes sparkled with anger. "Do you not think I'm good enough?"
"No! Absolutely not," he said. "I think you're amazing."
She smiled, a little smile. Kinda a cute smile, he thought, before shoving the thought aside.
"But I didn't...I mean, I just..." He was slaughtering this. "I didn't know you were interested in me that way."
She blinked at him. "What?"
"I mean, I didn't even think you wanted to be my girlfriend."
Her mouth dropped open. Oh, God. Red alert! Red alert! Danger!
Then, suddenly, she started laughing.
"I don't want to be your girlfriend, you idiot," she said, around a chuckle.
"You don't?"
"No." She rolled her eyes. "I want Mac's job. I want to be on the engineering team."
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Table of Contents
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
SNEAK PEEK: LEVEL UP
The Surfer Solution Page 27
