“Romances. They’re a little on the steamy side. But since you’re so curious, I don’t mind telling you.” Peggy pointed a finger at Stefanie. “Don’t you dare tease me about it, though. My stories are beautiful, and I will never apologize for writing about love.”
“You don’t need to apologize about writing what you love. I love romance. Thank you for trusting me with your alter ego’s name. After we get through this weekend, I will definitely read one of your books.”
“They’re very good for stress relief. Or so I am told.”
Stefanie tucked the paper in her pocket, glad to have made a new friend. “Thank you, Peggy. I appreciate you telling me.”
“Oh, it’s just a little thing.” Peggy waved her hand. “I’m not very good at keeping secrets.”
“So, when you hit it big, are you still going to work for us?”
Peggy smiled. “If I hit it big, I’ll still have my backside in this seat. I like you guys too much to ditch you. Also, writing is a little too solitary for me to do it full-time. A lot of writers have day jobs.”
“Oh really?”
Peggy sighed. “That’s a topic for another day. But it really is a labor of love.”
“That’s nice, Peggy. Don’t stop writing, okay?”
Peggy smiled. “I don’t know how to stop. I just have to keep writing stories.”
Stefanie walked to her office, Peggy’s words echoing in her brain. Was she really as bad at keeping secrets as she claimed to be? She pulled up one of Peggy’s books on her eReader storefront and started reading the description. They were a little steamier than she expected, given Peggy’s buttoned-up disposition, but her reviews were filled with raving fans and only the occasional grouch.
She had very nearly breathed a sigh of relief when she spotted Nash already in the lab. He made a beeline to her. “So. I can make Saturday morning and I’ve got some camera equipment we can use.”
She held up a hand. “Easy there, 007. Joey is going to take the lead and we are both going to take one giant step back away from the equipment. Are you wearing a ball cap in the building?” He took it off sheepishly, making the dark circles under his eyes that much easier to see. “Are you sleeping okay?”
“No. Not at all.” Nash rubbed a hand down his face.
Stefanie gestured to the equipment behind him. “Okay. You need a mental health day. You can work on our newest prototype or you can take a sick day. Which one will help you the most?”
Nash rubbed the back of his neck. “Prototype. Ooh, what if I made something that could spy on the platform we are dropping? We could drop it down next to theirs and see if we pick anything up.”
While Nash could legitimately make something awesome, there was no way Quinn would let anyone not on the team design her equipment. Still, it would keep him busy. “That’s a great idea. Focus on that. You have until Friday. And I don’t want you anywhere near the ship. Joey and I will take care of things.”
Nash shot her a look. “Boss. Stefanie. No way. You can’t go alone with someone you barely know.”
Stefanie’s voice was gentle. “I’ve checked his credentials and I’m not worried about Joey, okay?”
At that moment, Joey appeared at her elbow. “Why aren’t you worried about me?”
Stefanie cleared her throat. “Nash had some ideas for designing a prototype to spy on the client’s equipment, just in case it’s truly research and not something nefarious to spy on the Navy. We keep our customers and his brother stays safe.”
“Nice work, man.” Joey gave Nash a high five.
Nash gave Stefanie a look. “I can come help deploy it.”
Joey shook his head. “Hard no, Nash. I don’t want you near these guys. They figure out what we’re up to and we’re toast. I had to get special permission for Stefanie.”
The door opened and all three of them turned in tandem. Cole stepped in the door and they all said hello at the exact same time. Stefanie bit back a cringe. So much for acting naturally.
“Hey, team.” Cole clapped Nash on the back. “You guys look like you’re cooking something up.”
Stefanie managed to make herself look a little bashful. “We are, actually. We’re looking at sending down some of our equipment next to our customers to do a little head-to-head data comparison.”
“Is that why your sister is coming?” Cole eyed her.
Stefanie lost her breath for a second. That was so fast. She tried to keep her tone light. “No, she’s thinking about coming because we’re supposed to be having a family weekend and I’m bailing on her. I’d like to bribe her with a cool trip if you don’t mind.”
Cole held up his hands. “Of course, she’s welcome to come along.”
Stefanie gave him a broad smile. “She’ll be thrilled. Do I need to have her sign anything, like a confidentiality agreement or a liability waiver?”
Cole frowned. “I don’t think so – everything will be sealed up.”
“Great! I’ll let her know.”
“That’s settled, then. Good luck, team.” Cole’s phone buzzed and he glanced at it. “Duty calls.” He smiled and walked out, shutting the lab door behind him.
Joey pulled out his phone and Stefanie couldn’t quite read the message he typed out. Hopefully, the team had a warrant to listen to Cole’s calls. When she looked up from Joey’s phone, suspicion was written across Nash’s face. “So, your sister can come, but I can’t?”
“I’m not worried about Ree.” Joey shrugged. “No one knows her or would suspect she’d touch the equipment. You are highly suspect because you work here, and you designed most of the equipment. It’s just a bunch of consultants – don’t let your imagination run away with you.”
Nash narrowed his eyes at Joey. Stefanie put a hand on his arm. “Nash, I get it. Please don’t make it a thing. I’m stressed and my sister is going to
