Hard Wired Trilogy DeAnna Pearce (if you give a mouse a cookie read aloud txt) 📖

her date. She never considered herself one of those fancy girls that spent hours in front of the mirror, but tonight promised to be special. After getting permission from Niomi, Reed asked her out to a restaurant. A real restaurant filled with other people.

Ari would meet other employees or even islanders. Currently she could count on one hand how many people she’d met, most being paid to be there for her. She never considered herself a social creature, but being stuck in isolation, even if a tropical paradise, changed that.

Niomi wouldn’t tell her why it was now okay for her to eat and see the other workers. Of course, no one could know that she was a warper—she had a fake identity and a position in administration to a higher up—at least she got to keep her first name.

Her HUB beeped letting her know Reed was waiting outside, and she headed out front. As she walked out the doors, Reed let out a long whistle.

She smiled, appreciating the compliment. “Guess it’s better than me sweating in a smart suit.”

“I like you sweaty too. But it’s not every day you wear a dress.”

“Thanks.” She smoothed down the dark floral material. The sleeveless dress fit the island attire and was more comfortable than even jeans. Her hair remained wavy, like usual, and she had pulled up the top half to keep out of her face.

Stepping forward, he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “You look beautiful.”

Nervous energy tingled down her neck from where his touch lingered. “Thank you. You look great yourself.”

He wore tan pants and a blue button-down shirt. His hair looked recently cut, but it still held a slight wave on top. She clasped her hand tight to keep from reaching out and touching it. If they started that, they might never make it out.

“Ready for dinner?” He cocked a brow.

“Definitely.”

He moved to the side and motioned to the vehicle behind him.

“Where did you get a car?”

“I requisitioned one… I may have mentioned to Niomi that it would be safer to transport you.”

“Amazing.” She hurried towards it, checking out the built-in electric panels and polarized plates underneath. Yes, she might be nerding out, but she’d only seen this once before when she first came to the island and she was too much in shock to appreciate it.

“All the guys in my dorm checked it out too. The acceleration is pretty nice as well.” He clicked the doors open.

She climbed inside, eying the panels. They spent their trip talking about the car’s AI and flipping every switch and option the car had to offer. Her favorite was the massage chairs so far, but they still had the ride back to explore more options.

He pulled up near the beach, a lit canopy in the distance. Hurrying around, he helped her out of the car. Since the restaurant was outside in the sand, they kicked off their shoes in the car and strolled in the sand up to the hostess. He had made reservations. With the restaurant full, there had to be about fifty or so people, but no one bothered Ari.

They sat across from each other with the waves crashing in the distance as their backdrop. Tiki torches lit the night. They devoured grilled meats with tropical fruits and veggies stuck on bamboo sticks.

“Can you believe this is all real?”

“This is as real as it gets.” He reached forward and lightly touched her hand. “But I know what you mean. If you would have asked me last year when we started school where I’d be, never in a million years would I say an island in the middle of nowhere with my best friend’s sister.”

“Ditto.” She placed a hand on the side of her face. “My face hurts from smiling.”

“Good. Maybe some dessert will help with that.”

After scrolling through their choices, they selected their desserts from the tabletop screen. She picked pineapple sorbet, and he went with a coconut and date cake. He reached for her hands clasped on the tabletop while they waited. She couldn’t help but get lost in his hazel eyes.

“I get to see my mom again next week.” Reed said.

Ari snapped out of her reverie. “That’s great. I hope everything is alright since my mom left.”

“Me too. I’ve been asking about having her come work here, as a receptionist or even a maid.”

“Is that an option?”

“They will consider it when there is an opening.” He released her hands and reached for a drink. “There are so many islanders here for the basic jobs though, so we’ll see.”

Guilt pricked on her conscious. She was the reason he was here and his mom wasn’t. Maybe she should talk to Niomi about getting both of their families here. Before she could offer, his HUB rang with a message.

His brow tightened as he scrolled through it. “They have to be kidding me.”

“What?”

“My art team. We’re putting a presentation together for a new game on Monday, but there was a problem with the storyboard and they need some new designs right away.”

Ari’s stomach sank. “They can’t do—”

“They can, and they did. Kimmy, the director of my team, tried to work around it, but couldn’t. I have to go in right away.” Lifting his gaze, regret colored those beautiful eyes.

“You have to go. I understand.” She bit down on her lip to prevent her from saying anything else. She’d supported him in finding a place here, because she brought him here.

Sighing, his shoulders dropped. “This sucks.”

“We had a great night.”

“I hoped for more. I don’t get to see you as much as I’d like.”

“I know.”

Standing, he leaned forward, brushing a light kiss on her lips. One that had her cursing Kimmy. Warmth rushed to her face and he stepped away.

“You better leave before I tell Kimmy where to go,” she warned.

He smiled. “Take the car back. I’ll call for a ride, and I will be there for our run Tuesday morning after my presentation.”

“Okay.”

He left just as the two desserts arrived at