Outside the Lines (Rebel Hearts #1) by Emily Goodwin Read Free Book Online

here and we hang out all the time,” I lie right through my teeth. Ninety-nine percent of them are online. Okay, fine. Ninety-eight percent since I count Ser Pounce as a friend. Hanging out on forums and talking over games is pretty much the same thing as hanging out in real life though. Who is she to judge?
    Calm your tits, Felicity.  
    “Do you still talk to anyone from high school or college?”
    “Not really. Just my best friend Erin.”  
    “Erin?” I can see her tip her head. “I don’t remember her.”  
    “Too bad. She’s pretty awesome.”  
    Mindy giggles. “High school was so long ago. And that’s good you’re liking it here. So funny to think we both ended up here!”  
    “Hilarious,” I say dryly. Hilarious in a way that this is proof the universe hates me. I scoot closer to the computer.  
    “Are you married?” Mindy asks. She can clearly see the lack of a wedding ring on my finger.
    “Nope.”  
    “Oh. I got married young, a few days after I turned twenty-one. I just couldn’t say no!” She laughs like it’s actually funny. “So you have a boyfriend then?”
    “Nope.”  
    “Ah, must be nice to do whatever you want then.”  
    “It is.” I yawn and wish I’d stopped for more coffee. I’d downed my second cup on the way here. Why did Mindy still feel the need to put me down in a passive-aggressive way? Mom would tell me it was some deep psychological issue and she was actually insecure. While I did believe that, I also believed some people were just assholes, and Mindy fit that bill.
    The front door opens, and an older couple comes in to buy a painting. Mindy gets up and greets then, then disappears into the gallery.  
    Adios, bitchachos.  
    I work in silence for a while, and figure out pretty fast that the computer is loaded with cookies. The problem isn’t a virus, but a computer so old it belongs in a museum. I can’t even install the new protection they bought. I run a few updates and look around for the bathroom. That coffee goes through me fast. I tap my nails on the desk, hating that I have to ask Mindy where the bathroom is, though it’s not like she doesn’t use it herself.  
    The couple comes back to the front, and Mindy rings them up using an old-fashioned looking register. I hear her say the painting will be delivered tomorrow morning since it was too big to fit inside their car. They write her a check for over a grand and leave with smiles.  
    “Are you done yet? Did you get rid of the virus?” Mindy asks before the door closes behind the old couple.  
    “You don’t have a virus,” I tell her. “The issues you described can be fixed with updating your computers.”  
    “Can you do that?”
    “Not on this one. There isn’t enough memory to support the update to the newest version of Windows.”  
    “Can’t you fix it?”
    I put on a pleasant smile. “Yes, in theory. This whole computer is really old though. I think it’d be better in the long run to consider a new one.”  
    Mindy purses her lips. “That’s up to Ben. He’s very stuck in his ways.”  
    Without seeing Ben, I assume he’s older. And probably gay. This gallery is way too chic to come from someone straight.  
    “The register is slow for credit cards too,” Mindy adds.
    That’s a whole other issue. “I don’t think this building is wired for high-speed internet,” I say. “Upgrading can help with that too. Really, you gotta stay current with everything to get the fastest speed.”  
    “I’ll let Ben know.” She smirks. “And I’ll let him know you weren’t able to do what he hired you to do.”  
    “Well, he hired the company to create a state-of-the-art site that is only compatible with a new operating system.”
    Her lips go into a thin line. “I’ll let him know.”  
    I don’t move, assuming she’s going to go talk to him now and then I can be on my way and find a damn bathroom. My bladder is not happy right now.
    “I guess I’ll have him call