Rae tossed her controller on the coffee table and flung her hands in the air. “Owned!”
The final score blinked back from the large screen TV, taunting and backing up her exclamation. She'd beaten Scott at a video game. She couldn't believe it. Sure, it was Tetris, but still. It was the principle.
“Not,” Scott said.
“Yuh-huh.” She giggled. “Guess I'm not a noob after all, noob.”
“Oh yeah?” Scott lunged forward and tickled her.
“Ack!” Her giggles squealed through the condo. She fell back on the couch, leather creaking beneath her as she tried to get away. Her shirt slid up her stomach, exposing more of her flesh the more she resisted. His palms were warm against her skin. The more she squirmed under him, the more her body reacted. She paused, aware of how close he was.
He’s good looking. But he’s not Zach. The clashing thoughts caught her off guard and refused to leave. What was she thinking? Scott was perfect. The kind of guy she should be with instead of one who used excuses like closure to get laid.
Scott’s weight on top of her, the smirk on his face, his hands on her bare skin, it was enticing. The thought was new, but seemed right. Perfect even. So why didn’t it make her pulse race? Because she was overthinking things. She squirmed under him, more to rub against him and draw herself back into the moment than to get away. She gave him a teasing smile. “Meanie.”
Scott rested his forehead against hers. “Payback's a bitch.” His hands slid under her shirt, fingers lightly brushing her skin as he resumed the teasing torture.
“Oh, you asshole.” Her protest was broken up by laughter. She twisted, driving closer, searching for that spark they should have. The soft musk of his body wash left her lightheaded, but it wasn’t the same.
A loud pounding interrupted them. Both of them froze, Scott's gaze locked on hers.
She stared back, a frown replaced her amusement. She ignored the whisper of relief trickling through her. Why was this happening between them now? No, that was the wrong question. She should be wondering why she couldn’t get into it. Why it hadn’t happened sooner. “You should probably get that.”
The doorbell rang, followed by another round of pounding. He stood. “Yeah. I guess so.”
What kind of random visitors did he get on a Saturday afternoon? As soon as the question crossed her mind, she had awkward flashes of the Friday she’d gotten into town, and watching him served with the letter that might as well have been a death sentence.
Her gut flipped when she saw a FedEx guy in the doorway.
“Letter for Scott McAllister. Can you sign?”
Scott reached for the digital clipboard. “Sure.”
The man in purple studied the signature for a second. “Last name?”
“McAllister?”
“Great. Thanks.” He handed over the envelope and was gone.
Scott’s frown deepened when he looked at her. She’d righted herself and watched him with concern.
She smiled, but the expression faded again quickly. It was just a coincidence, right? A random delivery that had nothing to do with bad news? The DM logo glared at her from across the room. “I'm starting to think you shouldn’t take any more overnight letter deliveries.”
He raised an eyebrow and then shook his head. He flopped down on the couch next to her and dropped the envelope into his lap. The soft overhead lights glared off the stark white card stock.
The silence sank in, a heavy buzz growing in Rae’s ears. Finally, she nudged his arm with her shoulder. “You have to open it sometime. It’s just a letter.”
He nodded but still didn’t move.
She didn’t blame him. Even her gut churned at the idea of what might be in there, and she wasn’t one of them. After the week of downs they’d had, she wouldn’t want to see what the parent company said either. She took the letter from his lap and yanked the pull strip. The tearing sound echoed in the emptiness. She dropped the contents into her hand, and the embossed letterhead glinted in the light.
It took willpower not to read it herself, but this wasn’t for her. She handed the short stack of papers back to Scott, then tucked her hands into her lap.
He muttered as he read and had his phone out within minutes.
She rose. “I should go.”
He tugged her wrist, and she dropped back onto the couch. “This won’t take long. Hey,” he said into the phone. “You get this?”
She hovered at the edge of the cushion, not having to ask who he was talking to. So awkward.
Scott set the phone on the coffee table. “At least they're still paying us.” His joke sounded forced. “I mean, the suspension is only temporary, right?”
“For now.” Zach’s voice echoed from the speakerphone. “You haven’t shown the layoff list to anyone, have you?”
Rae’s back went rigid. Now was definitely her cue to leave.