tomorrow. Tell me what you think of this.” I hit Play.
The song I’ve listened to countless times fills the room, and instead of analyzing the sound and the quality and listening to it as a product, I watch as Lyric gets into the song the way a fan would.
I see the moment he falls in love. His lips curve upward, and his eyes are full of awe. His gaze flicks over to mine, and even though I’ve been caught staring, I don’t avert my gaze.
I can’t.
The music speaks to him in a way it’s not resonating with me, and I need to search his face to figure out if it’s just me being overbearing and controlling over my work or if he’s placating me to be nice.
He clears his throat. “It’s … good.”
“Good? That’s it?” I run my hand through my hair. “Cash is so gonna fire me.”
“No, no, it’s amazing. It’s his best song. Like, shit, I’m jealous over here. I couldn’t think of a word that would do it justice.”
“So you settled for good? Maybe when we save up enough money in the swear jar, we can buy you a thesaurus.”
Lyric’s phone pings the telltale sound of a Grindr notification, and he stiffens. Not that I’ve ever used Grindr. Okay, I did for a while, but I could never go through with anything other than some messaging back and forth.
“Hot date?” I ask.
“Uh, I, umm, it’s probably Brenna, my sister-in-law. I texted her to see if she could come pick me up since I stayed late.”
That could be the truth. Maybe he set all his alerts to sound like the default Grindr tone, but I get the feeling he’s lying.
I don’t know what I hate more: the lying or that he’s active on a hookup app. Not that he’s not allowed to be, but … no. Just … no.
“You really should have come and disrupted me. I promise I don’t mind.”
“I will tomorrow, then. Are you sure it’s okay for me to bring Chase back here after he finishes school?”
I wave him off. “It’ll give Kaylee someone to play with.”
“Speaking of which, I have a list of playgroups I can take her to if you want to have a look.” Lyric hands his phone over which is open to a website.
While I’m scrolling through and clicking on each one, I realize I have no idea what to look for. “I trust your judgment.”
“Maybe I can check out a few of them and see which one fits best.”
“Sounds good.” I go to pass his phone back when a notification pops up on his screen.
There’s definitely no mistaking it this time. Especially considering part of the Grindr message shows, and it’s a request for dick pics.
“Well, I really hope that’s not your sister-in-law asking to see your dick.”
He turns red as he takes his phone back. “Shit, shit, fucking shit.”
“That’s four bucks in the swear jar.”
He doesn’t appear amused. “I want you to know that Kaylee won’t see any of those messages or anything on my phone. The full display only comes up if the phone is unlocked, and I keep it in my pocket when I’m working. I don’t—”
I touch his arm because he’s borderline freaking out. “Lyric, I believe you. It’s okay.”
He lets out a relieved breath, and I have to remind myself to let his arm go. His surprisingly toned arm. Damn it, Ryder. Stop.
“Thank God. I thought I’d gone and fu—dged this whole thing up.”
“Not at all.” But I swallow the lump in my throat. “Though, words of advice? Dick pics aren’t cool.”
Lyric bursts out laughing. “No, they’re not. And yet, I still get requests daily.”
“I thought you said you have trouble getting dates?”
He looks at me like I’m a moron. “I have no trouble finding hookups. Actual dates that could lead to a boyfriend? Nope.”
“I don’t think Grindr is the place to do that. It’s a cesspool.”
He pauses, and I realize I tripped up.
We stare at each other, and his curious eyes almost have me blurting my sexuality all over him like a unicorn vomiting rainbows.
“I’m guessing it’s like Tinder.” I hold my breath.
“It really is,” Lyric says.
It’s not that I’m purposefully keeping it from him—okay, maybe I am—but the thing is, if I tell him now, it would seem sleazy as fuck.
First day on the job and I’m all “Oh, by the way, I’m not as straight as everyone thinks I am.”
It would look like I’d only hired him for one reason, and I