Love Bytes by Dahlia DeWinters Read Free Book Online Page A

them, stalling for time.
    She waited.
    Francis slid his glasses back on and stared at her with an expression of such hopelessness that she was taken aback. Guilt trickled through her but she remained steadfast. Francis could give her that geek-puppy look if he liked, but she knew he could do so much better. She was saving him from himself with her refusal to take their relationship further. However, she should apologize for being so abrupt.
    “Francis, I—”
    The office telephone rang and he snatched it up, turned away from her. “NorthStar Tech, Francis speaking.” He paused. “Hi, Cammi, is everything straightened out?”
    Whatever he wanted to discuss with Cammi—with an i —from the design school, she didn’t want to hear. Violet left the office.
     
    ****
     
    Francis tossed the handset into the cradle and ran both hands through his hair. Leaving his desk, he strolled to the windows that looked onto the front parking lot. His cell phone buzzed behind him, but he ignored it. Right now, his total concentration was on how to keep Violet on a permanent basis, software success or no software success.
    He had been taken with her impetuousness and her determination and her intelligence from the first time they’d met. Thrilled when she had approached him with this partnership, by the time they had gone to Atlantic City he had been half in love with her.
    If he closed his eyes, he could taste the fudge she had eaten as they walked the boardwalk, playing hooky from the evening keynote speaker in favor of enjoying the salty ocean air. Thursday night was the start of the weekend, she’d told him, and given the crowds on the boardwalk and on the beach, she’d been right.
    On the way back to their (separate) rooms, they’d discovered the hotel bar was having a happy hour where drinks were free for guests. Several other convention attendees, who were also ducking out of the convention dinner, asked him to come in and have “just one drink.” Not one to turn down a good glass of Dewar’s, he sweet-talked Violet into coming with him.
    And, he sighed, the rest was history that they were both struggling with now, but that was going to end. He didn’t know what was going on between the two, but coffee shop Joe might want to stick to his caffeinated blends.
     

Chapter Nine
     
    Francis dropped a white Party City bag on her desk. Violet poked the bag with her finger but didn’t look inside.
    “What’s this?” She looked up at him, eyebrows raised.
    He made a gesture at the bag. “The bag’s right there. Open it.”
    With another questioning glance at him, she pulled the handles apart and peeked in the bag. A huge smile spread over her face and she squealed. No matter how small the gift, a cup of coffee, or a new pencil sharpener, she greeted them all with enthusiasm.
    She stuck her hand in the bag and lifted out a fistful of green apple Jolly Rancher candies.
    “Oh, my God, Francis, thank you so much!” She jumped up and gave him a kiss on the cheek, her eyes shining. “How did you get them all green? Do they sell them separately? You know I tried to find them like that, but I gave up because you had to buy this huge box and even then they weren’t separate and…” She paused to take a breath. “You’re a magician, I swear, Francis. How did you do this? Thank you!”
    “You’re welcome.” Pleased and slightly embarrassed with her absolute glee, he crossed over to his own desk and sat down, a vague ache in his chest. He busied himself with clicking through the new emails of the day as she filled two candy dishes on her desk.
    “Don’t tell me you went to Party City and got these?”
    “I did.”
    “I didn’t know they sold them by color.”
    “They don’t.”
    “I smell a story, Francis. Give it up already.”
    He blew out his breath and sat back in his chair, grinning. “Okay. Here’s the deal. I got an email that Party City has this sale on their candy.”
    Violet snorted. “You’re on the