He tapped his head against the glass.
A knock sounded behind him. He lifted his head and turned. Cora stood in the open doorway, bag over her shoulder and hair pulled up in a messy ponytail. “I’m going to head out. I’ve made some progress tonight on getting the email system ironclad, but I’m starting to see double.”
Ren checked his watch. Almost eight. “Wow. I thought you’d already left. You trying to get Employee of the Year in week one?”
She leaned against the doorjamb, looking both exhausted and adorably mussed in her dark skinny jeans and wrinkled white men’s dress shirt. “Maybe. Is there a prize involved with that?”
“Totally. An annual subscription to the Fruit of the Month Club.”
“Sweet! I’m all over that. I’ve always wanted monthly fruit.”
He laughed. “Seriously, though, no one’s expecting you to work this late.”
She shrugged. “I know. But I realize how much is at stake. It’s not my neck on the line, but I feel like I’m holding a ticking time bomb and I’m the only one who can disarm it. You don’t go home at five when you’re the bomb squad.”
He blew out a breath. “I hate that this has put so much pressure on you, but I can’t tell you how much it means to both of us that you’re going above and beyond. You’re a superhero.”
“Shh. Don’t blow my cover.” She gave a mock look of exasperation and hitched her bag higher on her shoulder. “And I really don’t mind. Beyond wanting to help, puzzles drive me crazy until I figure them out. Any members report emails yet?”
He tucked his hands back in his pockets. “No. We sent out a second alert, but I’m sure not everyone has checked their email yet. People tend to sign up for our game with their non-primary email.”
She nodded. “Well, at least it’s still looking like I was the only one who got doxxed. We may have caught him at the start of whatever he was planning and minimized the damage.”
“Please let that be the case,” he muttered.
“I know. Fingers crossed. But in the meantime, I’ve closed up the holes and added a few more layers of security. We’re back online for the weekend as of an hour ago. The email system is still offline, but members will be able to play again and messaging is back up. You and Hayes will also get a personal alert anytime the admin password is changed or if it’s accessed during non-work hours. I’m hoping we can get all components back online before next week.”
“That’s good news, at least. Thanks.”
“That’s what you pay me the big bucks for.” She gave him a brief smile. “Well, I?
?m going to get out of here. Have a good weekend.”
He glanced back out the window and then to her. “Hey, I need to head out, too. Why don’t I walk you down? It’s late. I’d feel better if you didn’t do that alone.”
She shifted from one foot to the other. “Ugh, I hate that I have to worry about that. But yeah, thanks.”
He grabbed his laptop and slipped it into his bag. “I hate it, too. But honestly, I could use the company. I’ve been locked in this office all day racking my brain, trying to figure this shit out, and I feel like I’m chasing my tail. I may have to install padded walls if I don’t get out of here soon.”
She lifted her brow. “Maybe you’re hallucinating and I’m not an actual person.”
He smiled. “No, then you’d be wearing a Princess Leia outfit. All of my hallucinations involve that.”
She sniffed and touched her hair where her Leia buns would be. “No way. I am so a Han Solo.”
He laughed, happy for a little levity after such a shitty few days. “You’re right. What was I thinking? You have hot space cowboy written all over you.”
Her lips lifted at the corner. Like she didn’t quite believe him. He’d noticed that was her go-to when he attempted any type of flirting. Dismissal. Like she thought he was fucking with her. But he couldn’t tell if that meant she wasn’t interested or if she just assumed he flirted with everyone.
Okay, so he was a notorious flirt, but with her, he actually meant it. He liked that he made her a little nervous, but that she wasn’t afraid to stand her ground and spar with him. She’d been a bit of a wreck when she’d first come to the office but that hadn’t prevented her from negotiating terms with him about the job. And she’d been a beast this week under a monumental amount of stress. Not to mention she’d learned about Hayes’s background and had tackled it head-on, asking Hayes up front what the deal was instead of whispering behind his back to get the story from others. It was the same combo that had intrigued him at the party. Bold and tough but with this underlying core of vulnerability. It captivated the hell out of him.
He suspected Cora had a lot of tightly locked doors that were dying to be opened.
He grabbed his car keys from his drawer, headed toward the door, and flipped off the lights. “Ready, Han?”
“Yep, let’s blow this joint.”
He grinned and lifted a brow. “Interesting choice of words considering our first meeting.”