Heart-Shaped Hack (14 page)

“What do you want for Christmas?” Kate asked.

“I want you to accept my offer of another charitable donation,” he said, taking a bite of his egg roll.

“How is that a gift for you?”

“Giving makes me feel good and so does helping you. Therefore, if you let me give you money, which will benefit those in need, I’ll be happy. It’s the only thing I want. Are you really going to deny me this request on our first Christmas together?”

“How about a nice sweater?”

“I have plenty of sweaters. I’d freeze to death if I didn’t.”

“I’m still wrestling with the idea,” she said.

“Let me know when you’ve decided. But don’t wait too long.”

Kate was sitting at her desk organizing client files when Ian breezed through the front door of the food pantry to take her to lunch.

“Hi, Helena,” he said, pausing in front of her desk on his way to Kate’s.

“Hello, Ian,” she said. “How are you?”

“Fine, thanks. How are you?”

“Busy. Christmas will be here before we know it.”

He glanced over at Kate. “I keep telling Kate the same thing.”

“I’m so happy to hear that the two of you are officially dating.”

“So Kate told you?” He leaned against the edge of Helena’s desk and crossed his arms.

“Oh yes. She tells me everything. The other day she spent fifteen minutes telling me about all the underthings you’ve bought her.”

Kate wanted the ground to open up and swallow her.

“It sounds like you’re quite sweet on our Kate,” Helena added.

“Oh, I am. I am very sweet on our Kate. I mean, just look at her.”

Kate’s face was on fire, and her expression was somewhere between uncomfortable and mortified.

“Ready?” Ian asked brightly.

She put on her coat and grabbed her purse. “We talked about this,” she hissed on her way past Helena’s desk. Helena smiled and pretended she hadn’t heard her.

Ian held open the door, and they stepped outside. “Bet this frigid air feels good on those flaming cheeks.”

“Oh, be quiet,” Kate said as he laughed and reached for her hand.

“Does Helena know what an excellent lover I am?” he asked as they walked down the street. “You did tell her about the underthings.”

“I might have mentioned your Victoria’s Secret shopping habit, but I do not share intimate details with her even though she’d probably enjoy hearing them. She’s a very curious person. When I told her you were taking me to lunch, she wanted to know where you worked. I think she was worried you didn’t have a job. I showed her your website.”

After Ian told her the name of his company, Kate had googled Privasa but hadn’t learned much about it. There were no rates listed or testimonials given. No explanation of services. On the contact page she’d found only a simple form to request more information. It reminded Kate of those nightclubs that were so exclusive they didn’t need a sign. If you were allowed entrance, you’d know where to find it.

“Your website is quite stark,” she said once they’d arrived at Mattie’s on Main and been seated.

“That’s because my clients come to me by referral. I used to advertise when I started out ten years ago, but now I don’t need to. My reputation is legendary.”

“As a hacker and a lover,” she teased.

He winked at her and she melted. “I did struggle for a few years. I’m referring to getting the company off the ground, not my bedroom skills.”

“Well, you did start honing them at fourteen.”

“How old were you?”

“Seventeen. Prom night my junior year. He threw up on me later.”

He grimaced. “I promise I will never do that, sweetness.”

“So were you one of those computer geniuses who started their company in a dorm room?”

“Not exactly. In college I was all about seeing what I could hack into for my own amusement, regardless of how risky or stupid it was. But I knew before I graduated that the corporate track wouldn’t be a good fit, so I came up with a way to channel my superior hacking skills into a revenue stream. It took hard work and some extremely long hours, but I have a one hundred percent success rate in penetrating any system I attempt to hack into. If a company needs a white-hat security firm, my name is always at the top of the list.”

“And what name would that be?” she asked, leaning toward him with interest.

“Ian Merrick.”

“Your last name is Merrick?” Well, that was easy.

“No. But Ian Merrick is the name I use for my business. I got tired of trying to convince clients they didn’t need to know my full name. So I made one up.”

“Oh.” She looked down at her menu, flipping through the pages to hide the disappointment on her face.

He reached across the table for her hand. “It’s not that I’m not telling
you
my last name. I don’t tell anyone.”

“It’s okay,” she said. There was obviously a reason behind his reluctance to share his last name, but considering they’d been together for such a short time, it was no surprise he wasn’t quite ready to divulge it.

“Are you sure?” He gave her hand a squeeze.

She squeezed back and smiled. “Positive.” It wasn’t that she had doubts about Ian as a boyfriend, or even a person. Once they’d put their rocky start behind them, he’d been nothing but kind and generous. A true gentleman. But if one of her girlfriends had announced she’d met a great guy but he wouldn’t tell her his last name, Kate would have told her to
run
. She’d give Ian some more time, but if he didn’t eventually open up to her, she’d take her own advice. She only hoped it would happen before her heart got too involved.

Thankfully their waitress interrupted any further discussion when she appeared to take their order. They asked for bowls of wild rice soup to go along with their sandwiches.

“It’s definitely soup weather,” the waitress said. “It’s supposed to get down to ten below with the windchill tonight.”

“That is way too cold for my thin Texas blood,” Ian said when she walked away.

“You went to college in Massachusetts. Are you telling me you failed to acclimate to single-digit temps, ice, and snow?”

He shook his head. “There’s a reason I don’t live there anymore.”

“Tell me again how you ended up in Minneapolis. You said you were just passing through.”

“I’d spent the summer in Winnipeg and was making my way south when the Shelby broke down on I-94 right outside the Twin Cities.”

“Canada is awfully far north for an Amarillo boy,” Kate said.

“I have a friend from college who lives there now. He talked me into coming. Said the fishing was great.”

“You like to fish?”

“You sound so surprised.”

“It’s very outdoorsy.”

“I’m outdoorsy. Do you not remember our afternoon in the park?”

“I stand corrected. You are very outdoorsy.”

“I like to fish if they’re biting, and they definitely were, along with the giant mosquitoes that also live in Canada. I spent three months being eaten alive. Anyway, the Shelby is not a car that is quickly repaired. It took a week to get the necessary parts and get her back on the road. In the meantime, I explored the area and decided it was as good a place as any to hang out for a while. It was August, so the cold wasn’t a factor. The city was big enough, and I figured I’d be gone by the time the snow arrived. Then this beautiful woman crashed into me on the sidewalk on Halloween. I stuck around.”

“Aw,” she said. “That’s very sweet. If you hadn’t broken down, where were you planning on heading?”

“I hadn’t really decided other than I wanted it to be someplace warmer.”

“I feel compelled to point out that it’s only going to get colder here.”

He sighed. “So I’ve heard. I guess we’ll have to spend our time inside. I sure hope I can think of something for us to do.”

“Something tells me you won’t have any problem.”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

The sun hadn’t yet risen when Ian woke Kate up to tell her one of his clients had a problem that required his urgent attention. His phone had been on the nightstand, and she’d groggily remembered the call coming in and a few minutes later him kissing her good-bye and tucking the covers tightly around her. When her alarm went off at eight, she got out of bed, took a hot shower, and bundled up against the arctic air that seemed destined to stay until spring.

She sent the first text at nine, shortly after she arrived at the food pantry.

Kate:
I missed you in the shower this morning. I actually had to wash myself, which is not nearly as fun as when you do it.

Half an hour later, she was still waiting on a response.

Kate:
Really? You’re usually lightning fast regarding messages that contain even the slightest mention of my body parts.

She’d sent a final text around eleven.

Kate:
Wow, they’re not letting you come up for air at all.

Although he often worked for hours without a break, his silence was unusual. It wasn’t like him not to check in with her throughout the day, and he’d never gone this long without responding. She ignored the slight prickle of unease and continued on with her day.

Her phone finally chimed an hour later.

Ian:
Had to fly to DC. Not sure when I’ll be back in town. Probably won’t be able to call or respond to messages. Miss you already.

Kate had been under the assumption that Ian’s hacking was confined to the private sector. But if he’d flown to Washington, did that mean he was also hacking for the government?

Which he’d never mentioned.

Kate:
Must be very important. Don’t worry about calling or texting. I’ll see you when you get back. Miss you too.

Kate had gone to Pilates after work. Now it was almost six and there’d been no more texts from him. The refrigerator held their restaurant leftovers from the night before, and Kate ate the rest of her pasta while sitting on the couch, her phone beside her.

So he had to travel unexpectedly for work. It’s not a big deal.

But Kate wondered what kind of work required flying to DC with such little notice? And when would he return?

She spent the evening watching a movie. Finally at eleven she turned off the TV, locked up, and got ready for bed. In the bathroom she took off her makeup and brushed her teeth. On the nights Ian stayed over, they would shower together in the morning, and then he’d go home when it was time for her to head to the food pantry. He’d recently left a few duplicate items at Kate’s so he wouldn’t have to bring them every time, and though she’d tried to play it cool, she liked seeing another toothbrush in the holder next to hers and his shampoo in the shower.

After changing into her pajamas, she reached for a book but set it back down on the nightstand five minutes later and turned out the lamp. She’d skimmed the same page three times before deciding she wasn’t in the mood to read. She tossed and turned, and it took her a while to get comfortable because her bed felt too big without Ian in it.

A few days ago, she’d had a breakfast meeting with her board of directors. Ian had been lounging on her couch, working on his laptop and drinking coffee, when it was time for her to go.

“Here,” she’d said, handing him her spare key. “I have to go in early today. Lock up when you leave.”

The last time she’d encountered these dating milestones had been with Stuart, and she’d forgotten how awkward they could be. She’d been pleased when Ian hadn’t dropped the key like it was on fire or leaped from the couch to go with her so she could lock up as usual.

Instead, he’d closed his fingers around it, kissed her, and said, “Sure, Katie Brown Eyes. Have a good day.”

She’d smiled all the way to work.

If Ian got back late and decided to come to her place instead of his, he’d be able to let himself in. He’d kiss her awake and snuggle in behind her, explaining what he’d been doing in Washington.

But that’s not what happened. What happened was that Kate woke up Saturday morning alone.

By eleven she’d cleaned the apartment and done her laundry. At noon, when the walls started to close in, she decided to have lunch at Brasa Rotisserie, which was a fifteen-minute walk. The cold didn’t bother her and neither did the snow falling from the sky in giant flakes. But walking made her think of Ian, especially the way he always pulled off her glove and shoved it in his pocket so he could hold her hand.

When she reached Brasa Rotisserie, she ordered a curried chicken bowl and took her time eating it. Her phone chimed, but the sound hadn’t come from the special phone he’d given her. Carrying two phones was a bit of a hassle, but keeping them both meant she hadn’t needed to let everyone know she had a new number. After pulling out the correct phone, she glanced at the text display.

Paige:
We’re heading to Kieran’s tonight for a few drinks. Bring your man!

Kate:
Ian’s out of town, but I’ll meet you for a drink or two.

Paige:
Great! 7:00?

Kate:
Sure. See you then. : )

When she was done eating, she left the restaurant and walked for another half hour, her boots making crunching sounds in the snow. Eventually she made her way home. Because she hadn’t slept the greatest the night before, she attempted to take a nap on the couch. But sleep wouldn’t come, and she eventually gave up.

It felt odd not to be in contact with Ian after spending so much time with him. Even when they weren’t together, they kept up a steady conversation via text, and his messages never failed to brighten her day. Lately she’d sensed a deepening of his feelings, had noticed the adoring look on his face when he showed up at her door and the way his gaze lingered when she walked into the room. She pulled out her phone.

Kate:
I know you’re busy so no need to write back. I just wanted you to know I was thinking about you and I miss you. xoxo

Meeting her friends was exactly the distraction Kate needed, and when she arrived at Kieran’s that night, she was glad she’d ventured out. The Irish pub was decorated for the holidays, and the Christmas lights, the music, and the gently falling snow visible from her seat near the window put Kate in a festive mood.