Free Level Up by Cathy Yardley Page B

herself.
    Her email pinged, and she opened it.
    Happy birthday!
    From Ani, she thought, with a smirk. Thank God she'd just sent the Oaxacan chocolate this year. Two years before, Ani had sent her a stripper. She somehow doubted that Adam would appreciate a dancing, nearly naked "cop" in the living room.
    Unbidden, she suddenly thought of Adam, wiggling around half-naked to an electronica beat, and burst into a giggle that surprised her enough to clap her hands over her mouth. She doubted the guy could dance. He just didn't seem the type.
    But the half-naked bit...well, she'd already seen that .
    He was wiry, not really bulky, but he had some definition. His chest was nice, especially when her chest was pressed up against it. His legs had the ropy strength of a long distance runner, and his arms were strong.
    Her cheeks heated, quickly followed by the rest of her.
    Now she certainly wasn't giggling.
    She'd go talk to Stacy, see if she'd like to grab lunch later, maybe talk about the situation at the bookstore, and the game. It certainly beat staying in her cube for her birthday lunch.
    She walked down the hallway and started to turn the corner, only to find Adam already there. He was whispering something to Stacy, and she was giggling, then giving him a hug. "You are the sweetest," she said, her blue eyes shining.
    Tessa froze, and her stomach went into free fall.
    Guess she already has lunch plans , Tessa thought, feeling strangely numb. Before they could notice her, she backed away, heading back to her cubicle with single-minded determination, all appetite gone.
    She plunged back into working on the Mystics  game for the rest of the morning, feeling soothed by the repetitious nature, by immersing her brain in the details of the game, rather than...well, whatever she was feeling.
    She was so engrossed in her work, it took her a second to pick up her phone when it rang.
    "Hey, it's Hailey, from the bookstore. Are you busy? Or can you talk for a minute?"
    "No problem. I can talk."
    "I just wanted to thank you," Hailey said. "Not just for volunteering to do something to help the bookstore. Kyla said you were really supportive of her drawings, and she could really use the boost. Once Cressida heard about it, she started feeling more confident. She's got hope that she'll get to stay. And standing up for Rachel in the restaurant--that took guts."
    Tessa squirmed, embarrassed. "It was nothing, really. You would've done the same, I'm sure.""
    "Actually, I've been primed to kick that guy's ass since junior high," Hailey said. "But I promised Rachel I'm not going back to jail."
    Tessa laughed, then realized Hailey wasn't, and stopped abruptly.
    "Say, what are you doing for New Year's Eve?" Hailey continued, unfazed.
    "Getting this game together," Tessa answered, looking over her notes. "Adam's right. This thing is going to be a bitch to pull off for just two people."
    "All work and no play," Hailey said. "You coming to the party?"
    "What, you're having a party at the bookstore?"
    "No, actually," Hailey replied. "Stacy's family is throwing a costume party. They do every year. Stacy used to hate it, so we go for moral support. Kyla does a lot of cosplay and makes the most fantastic costumes for us. And this year, we're going to be handing out some flyers for the bookstore. Wanna come?"
    "Uh...I don't know..." Tessa stammered. Dressing up? Hanging out with a bunch of strangers? She felt a little nauseous just at the thought of it.
    "There will be lots of guys there," Hailey said, with a persuasive note in her voice. "Rich boys, sure, but plenty of eye-candy."" She sounded enthused, then stopped short. "Oh, I forgot, you and Adam..."
    "Are not a couple," Tessa said, more emphatically than she needed to, thinking of Adam's expression, Stacy's giggle. She needed to stop this crush right now. "Seriously. That kiss was just to piss off that asshole, Harold."
    And the second kiss was an accident. An aberration.
    "Okay," Hailey said, sounding