Stefanie pointed a finger at him. “Don’t you act like it was a mistake. I was there. You thought about it. And we didn’t do anything wrong, even if you’re scared to death that somehow it put me in danger. I know what’s up, and you don’t have to talk about it. I just want you to know, I’m still okay with the complexity.” Stefanie looked at Joey over the top of her wineglass. “My tells?”
Joey shook his head and for a moment, he looked like he was going to kiss her again. He cleared his throat. “For example, if you’re acting annoyed but are still smiling, you don’t really mind. If you go silent and polite, you are so mad you can barely speak. It’s a defense mechanism for emotional overload.”
Stefanie laughed. “Guilty as charged. Although when you say it like that, it sounds kind of terrible that you can tell I’m mad if I’m nice.”
Joey shook his head. “No, you’re nice to everyone, but you joke around, find things in common with people you like. You’re formal and extra polite to people you don’t like.”
She shook her head and finally returned to her glass of wine. “That’s so accurate it’s scary.” Stefanie sighed. “Now that I am allegedly relaxed, do we have any more news on our customers?”
Joey sighed. “This part is never easy, but usually big fish like Dmitri get big because they know how to keep themselves from getting personally involved or arrested. We may not have any news until he makes a big move. Quinn is helping refine our plan and wants to talk to you about it soon.”
Stefanie checked her watch. “Is it too late to call?”
“Depends on if she’s stressed.” Joey shrugged. “Quinn bakes when she can’t sleep, which I found out when she started bringing in stress-fueled scones, brownies, etc., to the office. The last few months she tapered off but started again when things heated up. She said she wanted to talk tomorrow but she’s probably trying to give you time. If you want to talk now, I’d bet she’d be up for it.” Joey pulled out his phone and sent a message. Moments later, his phone started buzzing. “See? I should warn you, our team has no chill.”
Stefanie sipped her wine. “You say that like it’s a bad thing. Alexis is working while we fli—spar. Now, let’s find out how I can help you and Quinn catch this guy.” She reached across the table to accept the call for him, giving Joey a cheeky grin in the process. He smiled back at her and snapped to attention when the call connected.
Quinn was sitting on her couch with Cam next to her. “Good evening, folks.”
“Good evening. Thanks for getting on a call so late.” Joey gestured for Stefanie to join him and she pulled her chair closer to his.
Cam nudged Quinn. “She was just getting ready to bake some chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. Q said she was going to give you space, but I’m not sure how many dozens of cookies it was going to take for her to actually do it.”
Quinn eyed Cam. “You never complain about the cookies in the morning.” She turned to face Stefanie. “How about you? Are you holding up alright?”
“I mean, I guess?” Stefanie winced. “I’d love to hear your ideas on how this thing is going to play out.”
Quinn looked at Cam. “See, I told you I could jump right in. Cam said I should give you some space to adjust and recover before I throw you into the deep end.”
Stefanie crossed her arms. “Throw me in. All the way. I want to know what I need to do to get this over with.”
“First things first, not to sound like a motivational poster here, but it’s not just you, so get the ‘I’ out of your head. All of us have your back. Now that that’s covered, I think you should use the connection with your sister to draw them out. Tell your coworkers that Ree is planning on being in town this weekend. Especially Cole. Let him know she’d like to come on the boat since she planned on coming in for a family weekend. I don’t plan to send Ree in person, but I’d like to see what kind of reaction we get.”
Joey leaned in. “What if Cole isn’t our guy, and he’s just a ladder-climber who doesn’t ask too many questions? Then the news falls on ears that won’t send the information along or might say no.”
Stefanie snapped her fingers. “The employee survey. Peggy has been after me about it. I’ll fill that out, and in the return email I’ll say something like, ‘I’m so glad to be a part of the OEG family. My sister might be able to come on my first real research trip!’ Peggy will eat that up and might forward it to someone on Dmitri’s team. Also, do you guys know her secret author identity?”
“I do, but I don’t know if I should tell you. It’s not exactly a matter of national security.” Quinn bit her lip.
Stefanie put on her the most businesslike face to hide her extreme curiosity. “I mean, unless it is a matter of national security. What if she’s using her pen name to cover up her illegal activities? I should know.”
Joey nudged her. “Seriously, you’re using the CIA to find out what kind of books she writes?”
Stefanie shot him a look. “Tell me you aren’t curious.”
“I’m glad you two are getting along now.” Quinn smiled. “Much better than the first night. It’s a good thing I was close to my phone.”
Joey managed to look a little sheepish. “I can’t blame her for that. But I did bribe her with lasagna tonight, so that helped.”
“You made her
