Emma vs. The Tech Guy by Lia Fairchild Read Free Book Online Page A

this big should have been followed up with a confirmation. I’ll deal with him later. Second, I needed to figure out what the hell had happened. Calming myself, I theorized that the email probably got delayed. Given our current technical atmosphere, that was entirely possible. I got out, grabbed my robe, and bolted to my laptop. It had already been on, so I clicked on my email. As I scrolled through the new messages, my heart raced in anticipation. I wiped the beaded water off my face when I came to the end of the list. Nothing !
    Sure, there could have been any number of reasons why I didn’t get Mason’s email. Most of them didn’t spell tragedy. But the semi-closeted, type A, control freak side of me took over sending me racing to my room. As I dressed, I convinced myself everything was fine. Most normal people would simply worry about it when they got into the office the next day. I sat on the couch, stared into oblivion, and let that sink in to see if it would stick. Unfortunately, I’m not most normal people so I found myself doing something I might regret. I let out a cleansing breath before glancing at the clock: ten after ten. I dialed a number and cancelled it instead of hitting send. “Crap!” I shook my head, dialed the number again, and paused over the send button. Two seconds later, I hit the button.
    “Guy? This is Emma. I need a favor.”
     

Chapter 6
     
    Regret and humiliation crept in and made themselves right at home when I opened the door to the office to find Guy already there. “Wow, you got here quick,” I said.
    “Yeah, I was just a few blocks away at Cherokees.”
    Whoa, that was a long happy hour! “You guys were still there?”
    “Karaoke night.” He shrugged boyishly, and I once again pictured him on the stage singing, wooing the crowd as he did Jayne—and everyone else, for that matter. At least his hair seemed to have a purpose for once.
    “Oh, gosh, I’m so sorry I made you leave.”
    “It’s no problem, really. So what’s up?”
    “I feel silly now that we’re both here, but Mason emailed me the final cover on the redesign earlier today, and I didn’t get it.”
    “Did you ask him to resend it?”
    I answered with a head tilt and a what am I ? look.
    He smiled an apology and I relayed what Mason’s text said, trying not to sound completely paranoid.
    “I know I should’ve waited until tomorrow, but I didn’t want to take any chances.” Not to mention I was dying to see the damn thing, but I didn’t want him to see my ridiculous obsession.
    A smile I couldn’t quite read spread across his face.
    “I know, pretty stupid, huh?” I darted my eyes away for a second, but they crept back to him on their own.
    “Actually, no. You really care about this magazine, don’t you?”
    “Of course, I do.”
    “And you really seem to love what you do.”
    I nodded.
    “I get it,” he said, though his eyes appeared to be reading me like the foreign side of assembly instructions.
    “I’ve put everything I’ve got into turning New You into something relevant. Something that’ll stand out and make people take notice. This redesign is my baby and ….” I faded when I felt his eyes peering into me.
    “Don’t stop,” he said taking a step toward me. “I admire your passion. I wish I had something like that in my life.”
    “Thanks. I’m sure a lot of people don’t see me that way. I know I can be a little … over the top sometimes.” Did I just say that? Why did I find the need to evaluate myself in front of him? And why did I suddenly worry what everyone thought of me? The staff saw results and they respected me for it. At least I was sure Adam and Jayne did. Didn’t they?
    “I know my uncle really appreciates you. Thinks you’ve done an incredible job.”
    Compliments had always been my kryptonite, sucking the life force from me. I turned away and headed towards the server room. “Should we take a look? Maybe you can make it back to the