The Interview by Caitlin Ricci Read Free Book Online Page A

quirkiness had him hooked.
    Adam had been running on autopilot when he’d seen her cramp up and without hesitation had gone to her rescue. His background as a trainer and sports physiologist, and years of working with the public, had made it easy to peg her as a novice runner who had probably just plunged right into her workout without warming up, something he would have to help her avoid in the future.
    He pondered that startling thought for a moment. Yes, he acknowledged, he wanted to see more of Tori.
    A lot more.
    Her question earlier about his age had Adam revising her own upwards a bit. Women in their twenties or even early thirties wouldn’t be concerned with that sort of detail, at least not from the get-go. So he figured her to be at around her mid-thirties, although she hardly looked it. She had an innocent, slightly absent look about her he guessed would have many casual observers dismissing her as a young airhead. But Adam could sense the offbeat, random questions were most likely a sign of a very active mind at work.
    She made it safely back to Adam and set the drinks down on the low table with a relieved smile. “Great table, thanks for snagging it.”
    The best part was that it was a loveseat all the way in the back of the café, which afforded them some privacy. She sat squarely in the middle of her cushion, and Adam let his leg loll over into neutral territory, prompting a raised eyebrow.
    “So what do you do when you’re not out running?” he asked lightly. He was surprised at the scowl his question caused. A cute little line deepened between her eyebrows. “What’s wrong?”
    Tori sighed. “Oh, nothing. My career is just a sore spot with me right now.”
    Adam grimaced inwardly. Oops. With the current economy, maybe making small talk about occupations wasn’t the brightest idea. “Were you laid off?” he asked sympathetically.
    A surprised look crossed her face—her mouth making an ‘O’. “Oh. No, nothing like that. I’ve been pretty lucky.” She picked up her mug and sipped from it. “I’ve been working for a pharmaceutical research company for the past, um…” She paused, glancing up at him, and cleared her throat. “Well, a long time. And one of the company perks for my division is that you get a paid sabbatical every five years. Mine have piled up.” She shrugged casually, but her frustration was evident. “So I kind of had to take one.”
    Adam laughed at the disgruntled look. “They made you take a sabbatical against your will?” An image popped into his head of Secret Service-looking men in suits and dark glasses, their arms crossed, refusing her entry into her office. “So you’re here on vacation?”
    She looked a bit sheepish. “Well, no. I live near here.”
    Adam tried to puzzle out the reason for her hesitation. “So are you going anywhere exciting? How long is your sabbatical?”
    “Three months. And no, I didn’t plan anything.” She shifted uncomfortably. “I’m just going to hang around here.”
    He leaned closer until he could almost see himself reflected in her amber eyes. “Why?” She had a face he could read like a book even on short acquaintance, and she was definitely hiding something.
    “Why what?” she evaded.
    “Why didn’t you plan anything?”
    Her lips compressed, and suddenly she burst out, “Because I didn’t think they’d actually do it! Okay? They locked me out, revoked my codes. I can’t even get into my own lab or office, much less access my work online. I still can’t believe it.” She hopped to her feet, and for a moment, Adam thought she was going to storm out, but she only walked over to the caddy and grabbed some napkins before coming back. Throwing all but one down on the table, she started methodically shredding one into long strips.
    “Mental health break. Ha! Said I’d reached ‘maximum capacity’ when I accrued my fourth sabbatical, and I hadn’t used vacation time in years and… Oh shit, well, I guess you