Chapter 1

My phone rings before I even get my headset on. “Tech support.” I’m a little out of breath because I’m running late again and my boss Cecile is glaring at me from her cubicle, as if I don’t know what time it is. “This is Noah. May I help you?”

Through the phone I hear a girlish laugh. “Late again?”

It’s Becky, Joel’s girl, and I grin as I log onto my computer. “Five minutes.” I’m loud enough that Cecile can overhear. “You want to talk to Joel? He’s still in the lobby, I think. See? I’m not the last one in today.”

Becky laughs again. “Actually, you’ll do fine.”

“Gee, thanks.” I try to sound hurt, but she’s got an infectious laugh, and I can’t stop smiling. I can see her in my mind, sitting behind her desk four stories up. She’s the receptionist for the development department—Joel calls it the Dark Side, though I’m not sure why. “I feel so loved.”

“No, really. There’s this new kid here and he’s having problems with his computer.” Lowering her voice, she adds, “If he comes out here one more time and asks me something, I swear I’ll strangle him. He’s a certified PITA.”

If Becky thinks he’s bad, the kid must be awful. “PITA?” I glance up as Joel walks into the room. Pointing at my headset, I mouth, “Becky.”

A short partition separates his work space from mine. He leans down so she’ll hear him and shouts into my mouthpiece, “Hey honey!”

“Pain in the ass,” Becky explains. “Hey babe! Tell him I said ‘hey back.’”

“She says ‘hey back,’” I tell Joel, and he laughs as he sits down. “Well, if you think he’s a pain, why do you want me to talk to him?”

“Because he’s driving me up the freaking wall,” she says as if through clenched teeth. “He can’t get his connection right, he can’t log into the network, he can’t even get Word to load up…the kid’s computer illiterate, I swear. Whoever hired him should be shot.”

“I’m sure he’s not that bad….” Already I don’t like him. This is a software company, for Christ’s sake. If the guy can’t find his way around a PC and this is only his first day, I don’t think he’s long for the job. “And he’s in development?”

Behind me Joel cups his hands to his mouth and makes slow, deep breathing sounds à la Darth Vader. I ball up a piece of paper and chuck it over the partition at him, but he bats it away playfully.

“He’s in documentation,” Becky explains. “Fresh out of college. He’s here to do the website, but they want him up to speed on the programs and he can’t even get the damn computer to work.”

I groan. “So you’re calling me.”

“You aresupport.” I hear the smile in her voice. She’s just happy to pass him on to someone else. “His name’s Jared. You still want to give Joel the call?”

I consider it when I hear Joel doing his damn Sith impression. “Luke,” he intones. “I am your father.”

Let himdeal with the new guy. But I’m not like that. With a dramatic sigh, I concede. “I’ll take it. You owe me dinner, sister.”

“Chinese tonight,” she promises.

Does that count? She was going to bring in take-out for Joel and me anyway. She gets off at five but every now and then Joel manages to talk her into coming back with something good to eat around seven or so, when we break for dinner. Tonight it’ll be the Chinese buffet down the street. Before I can ask, she puts me on hold.

“What’re you doing talking to my girl?” Joel wants to know.

I cover the mouthpiece and joke, “Trying to steal her away from you.”

Joel laughs—he knows he has nothing to fear from me. Becky’s nice but I’m not into girls. Right now I’m not into much. I listen to the canned hold music through my headset. It’s been months since I last went out with a guy.

Mostly it’s my schedule, working three to eleven Wednesday through Sunday…how am I supposed to meet anyone that way? I’m too tired for the clubs when I get home and the weekends are shot with my job. I need someone I work with, and I’ve thought this time and time again, but there’s no one here I’d want to hook up with when I’m not at the office.

Joel’s staring at me, demanding more of an explanation. With a shrug, I tell him, “She’s transferring me to some new kid in documentation who can’t get the computer to work right.”

“Sounds like a personal problem to me.” Joel winks.

I’m glad I didn’t give him the call.

Suddenly the music cuts off and I hear a defeated male voice in my ear. “Your name is Noah?”

He sounds cute. Young, too. Then again, they allsound cute over the phone. “Yes, I’m Noah.” What did Becky say his name was again? “Jared, is it? How are you doing today, Jared?”

He sighs. “Awful.”

I suppress a laugh. “First day, eh? Becky says you’re having problems with your computer.”

“Becky?” he asks.

“The girl at the front desk?”

“She hates me,” he mutters.

This time I do laugh, I can’t help it.

“She does! I know she does. I keep bothering the hell out of her.”

Aww. I like him already. “So what’s wrong with your system?”

“It hates me, too.”

God, this childish act is just adorable. I can almost see him in my mind—fresh out of college, did Becky say? And hired for the website. Probably wears inch-thick glasses and watches Star Wars…wonder if he knows he’s on the Dark Side, but I don’t want to ask him because then I’ll have to explain it and I don’t really think I can because it’s a Joel-ism I’m not sure I fully understand myself.

When I don’t reply immediately, Jared mumbles, “I’m not an idiot, I swear. I’m just not having a good day, I guess.”

“You only have a few more hours.” I assume he gets off at five with everyone else who isn’t tech support. “Let’s see if we can get your computer working before then okay?”

He sighs, relieved. “Okay. Noah, right? You’re the nicest person I’ve talked to all day. I love you already.”

I laugh at that. Did I mention he sounds cute? I definitely have to ask Becky about him.