Texting With the Enemy (Digital Dating #1) - Marika Ray Page 0,2

I had an excuse to walk by her desk. Her always messy, totally haphazard and scattered desk.

“She does work for us,” I confirmed. I’d stepped away from Mom’s table, moving nearer to where Chad had El in his arms, and I was marveling at the strange uncomfortable feeling rolling around inside me as I watched them together. El was smiling that wide happy smile that I’d seen many times before, the one that made me feel like maybe she knew something about the world I hadn’t figured out yet.

“She’s about to get Chadwicked,” Lincoln observed.

My stomach turned over at the thought and I regretted that last tiny glass of Chenin blanc. I didn’t like thinking of her with Chad. He was too slick for her, too much of a player. El was a nice girl. Kind of a crazy mess, but a nice girl.

I knew she didn’t think I was very nice at all, unfortunately.

“Could you just help Mom?” I asked him, turning away from him and from the dance floor as unwanted memories of my most recent interaction with El flew to the front of my mind.

She’d interviewed for a sales position, and since I was the director of sales now that Dad was gone, I’d been the one she had to talk to. I didn’t understand why she’d want to be in sales in the first place. She was genuine and sweet, the kind of person who lived her life right out in the open, messy bits and all. To be a good salesperson, you had to be buttoned up, pulled together. And you had to keep whatever insanity was boiling over inside you covered up, tucked away. Sales was about appearances.

So when I had tried to explain to El why I didn’t think she’d be a good fit in sales, I’d managed to insult her multiple times in the process, which was not what I’d hoped to do.

I’d actually thought maybe I could convince her what an amazing accountant she was and tell her how much we needed her to stay there. And then I’d thought maybe I would ask her to coffee or something. But by the time she was leaving my office, I was pretty certain she hated me.

No, beautiful carefree El Watson and I would not be having coffee together. Not now, not ever.

2

Isabel

* * *

“I should kill you for making me wear this bra,” I muttered, trying to wiggle and tug just right to get the girls to settle into the strapless bra that was currently trying to stab me in the ribs. Bras without the harness straps were for girls with a C-cup or less. That was, like, a golden rule or something.

“You’ve got the goods, you need to show them off. You’ll thank me when Mr. Forever notices you today,” Ashley said as she stood patiently by the back bumper of her car waiting for me to get my outfit to cooperate.

The snort I gave her was not feminine. “You mean when he falls eyeballs first into my cleavage and forgets my name? No thanks.”

“You’re always saying those guys you date don’t take you as a real prospect. Show them you’re more than just a female friend they can rely on for really tasty chocolate chip cookies.”

“Or for doing their tax returns for free every year,” I grumbled, reaching back into the car for my crossbody bag. It cut across my boobs and made them look like well-shaped missiles in this bra.

Ashley came around and laced her arm through mine, tugging me away from the safety of the car and into the mob of people lingering around the wine festival. I figured I should probably be attending simply to support the company I worked for as an accountant, but Ashley had visions of me finding a suitable boyfriend amongst the posh wine-drinking set. According to her, it was either this or sign up for online dating if I wanted to be married and spitting out children by the time I turned thirty. I thought that as my best friend, she was just supposed to listen while I complained about a lack of suitable dates, not actually do anything about it. Ashley thought differently.

“Listen. You’re the full package: the body and the brains. Let’s find you a man who appreciates that kind of double threat.” Ashley pointed to a guy standing at a bar set up off to the side of the dance floor that was currently hopping with gyrating bodies. My