Hesitating outside Corban’s office, I mentally cataloged a list of valid reasons to go in. All work-related. None of them having anything to do with the fact that he felt like a magnet, constantly pulling at me. We’d be bringing test subjects into the motion capture lab soon, which gave us plenty to discuss. That was the only reason I needed to see him.
“Hey.” His face lit up with a smile when he saw me, and he pushed his keyboard away.
That smile. It made my insides feel all squishy. And I was not usually the sort of girl to get squishy insides.
“Hi. Do you have a few minutes? I thought we could review the study protocols.”
“Sure. Have a seat.”
I winced as I lowered myself into the chair. Our training runs were getting longer, leaving me with an excess build-up of lactic acid in my leg muscles.
“Are you okay?”
I smoothed my skirt over my legs. “Yes, fine. Just a bit sore.”
“From what?”
“Running. My girlfriends and I decided to train for the Soggy Seattle Half-Marathon.”
“Yeah? Have you done one before?”
I shook my head. “No. We’ve been running together for quite some time, but this is a new challenge. And my friend Sophie made things more competitive when she bet another group of runners that we’d finish before them.”
“Why did she do that?”
“They engage in typical mean-girl social behaviors.”
His expression grew serious. “They’re mean to you?”
I shrugged. “They try to be, but they no longer have the power to hurt my feelings.”
“Still, that’s not okay.”
“Apparently Sophie agrees with you. Their meanness was the catalyst for her challenge. She bet them five hundred dollars that our finish times would beat theirs.”
“Wow. Well, if you ever need a running buddy, I could go with you.”
The corner of my mouth twitched in a smile and my heart did the strangest little flutter. “Thank you.”
“Anytime.”
Something on his desk caught my attention. Off to the side, almost hidden, was the penguin figurine I’d left to tease him. It sat next to another one of similar size.
“I knew you liked penguins.” I pointed to the pair.
His sheepish grin and little shrug sent a pleasant tingling through my stomach. “Busted. They are my favorite animal.”
“Why?”
He picked up the two penguins. “They mate for life. Some species do, at least. They pick a partner and stick with them, year after year.”
Why did he have to be so adorable? He was making it very hard not to climb over the top of his desk and launch myself at him.
“Their ability to find their mate in a sea of other penguins is rather heartwarming,” I said. “As is their dedication to protecting their egg together.”
“Yeah, exactly. It sounds cheesy, but I’ve always wanted to find my penguin.”
My heart fluttered and if I’d have been standing my knees would have gone weak. Which was so strange. Thankfully, he continued, preventing me from saying something ridiculous like I’ll be your penguin, Corban.
“The problem is, I’m not a penguin.”
“Of course not. You’re a human.”
He grinned again. “No, I mean my animal equivalent. I’m more like a duckbill platypus.”
“Why a duckbill platypus?”
“It’s obvious, isn’t it? They’re the most socially awkward animal on the planet.”
I was about to say that I didn’t think he was socially awkward at all—and if he was, maybe I was too—when something behind me caught his attention.
He stood, his face lighting up with a big smile. “Hey, Molly.”
Both my heart and my stomach continued their reactions, only they shifted from flutters and tingly butterflies to a startling—and very unexpected—rush of panic.
Corban’s sister.
His twin sister. A family member he was close to and, for reasons I couldn’t fathom without further analysis, a woman I very much wanted to like me.
Wiping my suddenly sweaty palms on my skirt, I stood. Corban was already hugging her in the doorway. He stepped back, revealing a pregnant woman who looked like a female version of him. Her brown hair was cut in a cute bob and they had a similar nose and mouth. Her features were more feminine, but the resemblance was impossible to miss.
Her eyes landed on me. “Oh, hi. I’m Molly, Corban’s sister.”
“Sorry,” Corban said. “This is Hazel. She’s, um… we work together.”
I firmly ignored the way his introduction—we’d done a lot more than work together—made my heart sink a little. How else would he introduce me? This was fine.
Molly kept one hand resting on her very pregnant belly and reached out to me with the other. We shook, which gave me the second I needed to find my voice.
I had no idea why I was so nervous.
“Nice to meet you, Molly. Congratulations.”
“Thank you.” She smiled brightly and rubbed her belly, then stepped aside, gesturing over her shoulder. “This is my friend Paisley.”
My smile faded as a jaw-droppingly beautiful woman stepped up beside Molly. Her blond hair hung around her shoulders in the sort of flawless waves that looked effortless, but I happened to know took a great deal of expertise to get right. She wore a stylish white shirt with high-waisted slacks and her makeup highlighted her best features—which, to be honest, were all of them.
This was Paisley Hayes? His sister’s best friend? The girl he’d had a crush on back in high school?
“Hey, Paisley,” Corban said.
His voice was nonchalant, like he’d expected to see her. Which made me wonder why. I hadn’t realized he still saw his former crush on a regular basis, but her presence here with Molly and his unfazed reaction seemed to indicate that he did.
I quickly told myself this was fine. Again.
Until Paisley’s attention turned to Corban.
It felt like watching a scene unfold in slow motion. She angled her body so she was aligned with him—classic physical mirroring. Her lips parted in an open-mouthed smile and even from a few feet away, I could see her pupils dilate. Her gaze swept up and down and her tongue wet her lips.
“Hi, Corban.” Her tone was just seductive enough to indicate interest, but not so flirtatious as to be obvious to the casual observer.
But casual observer I was not, and I could see her intentions as plain as day.
She wanted him.
I hated her.
The heady rush of jealousy was so fast and so unexpected it practically stole the breath from my lungs. I watched with horror as Paisley approached Corban, threw her arms around his shoulders, and hugged him. He hugged her in return, giving her an awkward pat on the back while I dug my fingernails into my palms.
She dropped her arms but didn’t move more than a few inches away. “I hope you don’t mind me tagging along for lunch.”
“No, I don’t mind.”
My eyes darted to Molly. Was she supportive of this? Had Paisley asked her to set her up with Corban? Was Molly playing matchmaker with dreams of her brother marrying her best friend?
It was hard to say. Molly had her phone out and appeared to be texting someone rather than watching Paisley unabashedly throw herself at Corban.