“Okay,” Penelope said, taking a deep breath when they were alone again. “You want to know what’s going on with me and Cole.”

“I do,” Julie said plainly. “But only if you want to share. If it’s private, just say the word and I’ll never breathe another word about it.”

Penelope appreciated that Julie was giving her an out, and was on the verge of taking the other woman up on it…but then she surprised herself. Because suddenly she did want to talk about it. Wanted to talk about how he made her laugh, and how great the sex was, and how sweet he was around his brother….

Julie’s smile was slow and happy. “You like him.”

Penelope sighed. “I’m pretty sure it’s impossible not to like him.”

Julie nodded sympathetically. “Cole’s always been one of those guys. I doubt he can even get on the subway without someone falling in love with him. Lincoln too.”

Penelope nodded, although, much as she liked Lincoln Mathis, gorgeous smile and all, she didn’t have a problem avoiding falling in love with him.

Cole, though…

“See, that’s sort of my problem,” Penelope said, fiddling with her napkin. “Everyone falls in love with Cole. I don’t doubt that. But, um, see, nobody ever falls in love with me.”

“Penelope!” Julie’s voice was half shocked, half chiding.

“I know, I know. Believe it or not, I do hear myself. I hear the pathetic, poor-me thing I have going on, and I’m not proud of it. It’s just—”

Penelope broke off and Julie reached across the table and gently touched the back of her hand. “Sweetie, does this have to do with that guy? That asshole who stole your job?”

Penelope groaned. “He’s coming to New York. And for the life of me, I don’t know if I’m supposed to avoid him, or play it cool, or get a makeover to show him what he’s missing, or if I should tell him off, or—”

Julie pursed her lips. “Okay. Okay, let’s work through this. How much time do we have?”

Penelope smiled at Julie’s use of we. The woman barely knew her, and already she was treating Penelope like an old friend.

“This weekend. He gets in Friday.”

Julie whistled, only it wasn’t a very good whistle and came out as an awkward breath. “That doesn’t give us much time for a plan.”

“Tell me about it,” Penelope said, gnawing at a piece of bread.

“Okay, well, let me ask this,” Julie said hesitantly. “Are you…over him? Truly.”

Penelope paused in her chewing. “I have no idea. No freaking idea. I know that I should be over him. I know that only a fool wouldn’t be. But…”

“But the heart is sometimes foolish,” Julie said. “I get it. I totally get it.”

“So…any ideas?” Penelope asked with a smile.

Julie was quiet for several moments, a speculative look on her face as she tapped her fingers on the table.

“Why, yes, actually. Just one idea, but it’s a very, very good one.”

Chapter 21

Later that afternoon, Cole knocked on Cassidy’s door.

“Boss. You wanted to see me?”

Cassidy glanced up from his computer. “Yeah. Cole, come in.”

Cole came into the office, planting himself in the chair across from Cassidy as he had dozens of times in the past.

“What’s up?”

Cassidy leaned back in his chair. “Just wanted to see how things are going. I think I talk to you less since you’ve become my employee than when you were a contractor.”

“That’s because you work your employees to the bone,” Cole said. “I barely find time to eat.”

“Hmm,” Cassidy said, folding his hands, resting them against his lips, and staring at Cole. “And yet you do find time to have sex with your co-editor.”

Shit.

“Ahhhhh—”

Cassidy let out a rare laugh. “I wish I had a camera. I believe this is the first time I’ve ever caught you at a loss for words.”

“How the hell did you find out so fast?” Cole said, unable to keep the slightly sheepish note out of his voice. As he’d told Pen this morning, he wasn’t ashamed of sleeping with her, but he didn’t exactly love the fact that their boss knew about it.

“Please. Everyone knew about thirty seconds after Julie got back from her run,” Jake Malone said from the doorway.

Cole mentally calculated how painfully slow Julie Greene’s running pace was. “So, noon?” he asked.

Jake entered the office and plopped into the chair beside Cole. It was a familiar scene. How many times had he and Jake sat in this exact spot, giving Cassidy shit about anything and everything?

But this time, it wasn’t Cassidy getting the shit. Judging from the smirks on both of his friends’ faces, they were gearing up to make Cole’s life miserable.

And not just them.

A strange wheeling noise sounded from the hallway, and Cole shifted to see Lincoln scoot his way into Cassidy’s office while still seated in his office chair.

“Seriously, dude?” Jake asked. “You wheeled in here? Nobody does that past the age of eight on Take Your Kid to Work Day.”

Lincoln shrugged as he shuffled his feet, scooting forward until his chair was on the other side of Cole’s. “What? Cassidy only has two chairs, so I brought my own.”

“For what?” Cole asked. “Group therapy? Why do I get the feeling this doesn’t have to do with my work on the actual magazine?”

“Because that would be boring,” Lincoln said.

Cole glanced to his right and gave Lincoln a once-over. “Dude, are you wearing a pink tie?”

Lincoln glanced down. “I rock it. You know I do.”

Cole rolled his eyes. Lincoln did kind of rock it. When you’re built like Superman, you could get away with wearing just about whatever the fuck you wanted.

“So, you’re sleeping with Penelope,” Jake said in a soothing, therapist kind of voice.

Cole glanced around. “Everyone knows, huh?”

“Definitely,” Lincoln said. “I’d say it became common knowledge that you wanted her right about the time you bit my head off for kissing her—”

“No, before that,” Cassidy broke in. “He definitely wanted to sleep with her that first night he saw her at the Yankees game. He just didn’t know it yet.”

Cole settled back in his chair, and wiggled his fingers in a Come on motion. “Keep this coming, all good stuff. Very helpful to know who I want to sleep with, and when.”

“Lincoln, shut the door,” Cassidy said.

Lincoln rolled backward, still refusing to get off the chair.

“I can’t imagine why Penelope chose me over you,” Cole muttered. “You’re so mature.”

Cassidy cleared his throat. “Our boy Cole here’s put us in a weird position by hitting on one of our colleagues. And I know you all respect Penelope as a co-worker as much as I respect her as my employee.”

Everyone nodded, even as Cole tensed for what Cassidy’s next words were going to be.

“But for the next five minutes, all discussion of Penelope Pope is as our friend, and Cole’s girlfriend—”

Cole’s eyes narrowed. “She’s not my—”

Cassidy cut him with a glance. “Save it, Sharpe. After those five minutes are up, we go back to thinking of her as co-editor of the sports section. Understood? Respectful-like.”

“Roger,” Lincoln said. “Copy that.”

“Okay, so here’s the deal,” Jake said, leaning forward. “Penelope has an, um, friend coming into town this weekend.”

Cole’s head whipped around. “What?”

How did Jake know this, and he didn’t? Also, this weekend? That was supposed to be their time to, well…get naked.

And what friend? She’d mentioned a handful of girlfriends from back in Chicago, but why would these guys care about that?

“It’s a former co-worker,” Cassidy added.

“And you knew about this too?” Cole said, unable to hold back a glare at his boss.