"Boss, are you okay?"

My response to Anne's question was a very pathetic groan. I was definitely not okay. I currently had my elbows resting on my desk with my hands buried in my hair. My eyes were most likely bloodshot from the hours I've spent today trying to create a new security system for the feds. This system was a lot more complex. Their old one was good; but I needed to make one better. For the price they are paying me, they expected me to deliver.

Anne sighed as she walked into my office. "Drink this, Mr. Williams."

I looked up at her and let out a long breath as I took the small cup from her. I could tell it was espresso from the rich aroma. "Thank you." I took a sip and let the hot liquid course through me.

"Boss, you look a little strung out."

I chuckled. She was too sweet. I know I probably looked way worse. "That's an understatement."

"Have you made any progress?" She asked in an upbeat tone. Anne knew me way too well. Whenever I was having trouble and getting stressed while working on a project, she always try to stay positive to keep me motivated.

"A little," I answered as I shrugged a shoulder. "I'm having issues with the sensors and the dual-path modules."

So much shit went into an alarm system. People hardly thought about that. We needed to make sure that the signal is secure, that the rate the alarm sends a signal to the company is as fast as possible, and also it's important to make sure some hacker genius can't bust into it. I usually test my own product. But I would be an arrogant idiot if I believed there wasn't someone out there smarter than me. That's how the world worked. No matter how good you are at something, there is always someone better. Sometimes that's what can ruin someone's career. Arrogance.

"I'm sure you'll work it out. Why don't you take a break? I took the liberty of ordering you some lunch. It's in the dining room."

"What would I do without you?" I asked as I got up from my chair.

"Crash and burn?" She quipped and followed me out of my office. When I was working on a project this complex, the hours, or even days, seemed to trickle by. I would be so consumed by my work, that I forgot to do things like eat or sleep. Thankfully, Anne was always on top of it.

"You are absolutely right," I agreed as I sat at the table. "This is amazing. I haven't had Japanese in a long time."

"I thought you would like that." Anne grabbed a small box from the bag and took the seat across from me. "How is Ms. Preston doing with her mother visiting?"

I chewed my bite of food and swallowed before I answered. "She said she's doing okay. I know she has some anxiety issues, but she's making progress. The three of us are supposed to have dinner tonight."

Anne's face lit up. "Really? That sounds lovely. Where are you going?"

Luckily, Lydia let me pick the place. I think she was under so much stress with her mother in town that she didn't care. Which worked perfectly for me. "I'm taking them to Gramercy Tavern."

"Fancy," Anne said with a smile. "Do you need me to make reservations?"

I dropped my fork and met her stare. "Shit. I totally forgot."

Anne laughed and shook her head. "Boss, it's already done." How the hell did she know... "You wrote it down on your calendar."

I couldn't help but laugh. Anne was literally the other half of my brain. I couldn't count the number of times I would have missed a meeting or an important appointment if it wasn't for her. She was about the same age as me and I recruited her as soon as she was done with college. I had just started my software company and she has been with me ever since. People have always asked why Anne and I never dated, and the answer was always the same...we didn't see each other that way. It was true. I'm not saying Anne wasn't attractive, because she was. We just fit so well together as a work team and that's how it's been. Besides, she was engaged to a great guy and I couldn't be happier for her.

"Looks like someone is getting another bonus this year," I said teasingly.

She sucked her teeth at me. "Mr. Williams, please no more bonuses! You already pay me way too much."

I gave her a look that I wish worked on Lydia. "Well, alright then," Anne sighed. "Thank you, Mr. Williams."

"Of course." I finished my food and started to clean up my mess. Anne always tried to clean up for me, but I never let her. She already did way too much for me. I lost count of the many nights we would be working late. Not to mention, the very limited days off we had when we were working on a big project. I threw away my trash before poking my head in the dining room. "Thanks again for lunch, Anne. I'm going to get back to work. Please come get me in a few hours. If I get caught up in work and miss dinner, I think I might end up in a place worse than the doghouse."

"You got it," she laughed and continued her lunch.

I went back in my office and took a long look at the sensor issue I was having before. "Holy shit..." I breathed. With a few tweaks of the wires, I resolved the problem.

"Sean, Lydia tells me that you two are going to be moving in together."

I smiled at Lydia and placed my hand lovingly on her thigh underneath the table. "Yes," I answered as I looked back to Maria. "As soon as this semester is over, she is going to be moving in with me."

"As long as Sean agrees to my terms," Lydia interjected.

I rolled my eyes at the same time Maria asked, "Terms? Do I even want to know?"

"Lydia said she will only move in with me if I allow her to pay for things."

"That seems fair," Maria said as she glanced between us.

"Thank you!" Lydia exclaimed. "See, Sean?" When I ignored her, she said to Maria, "He has a hard time letting me pay for things. He thinks I'll give in. But I wont."

"You let me pick the restaurant tonight," I countered.

"Yeah, because this was your idea," Lydia laughed.

I shook my head and shrugged. "I'll never win."

"Pretty much," Lydia said with a satisfied smile.

"How about a change of subject?' I asked. "Did you ladies enjoy the city today?"

Lydia and Maria both went on to explain everything they did today. They went to Chinatown and sampled some delicious food before going to Central Park. They also went to the Empire State Building and went to see the Statue of Liberty. I was surprised that Lydia spent most of her day touring the city. I thought she would just pick a few spots and that was it. She really was coming out of her shell, and I was extremely proud of her.

"That's awesome. I'm glad you guys enjoyed it." I frowned before adding, "You know, I've never been to the Statue of Liberty in all of the time that I've lived here."

"We should definitely go sometime," Lydia said as she squeezed my hand.

She leaned towards me for a kiss when her cellphone annoyingly interrupted. She pulled it out of her pocket and had an odd expression on her face. I was surprised when she didn't answer and set it face down on the table.

"Why didn't you answer?" I asked her curiously.

She shrugged her shoulder as she took a bite of her salad. "It's a private number. It's called me a few times over the last week or so. When I answer, there's no one there. But once it sounded like someone was breathing on the other line. I just stopped answering."

"What? Why didn't you tell me?"

A bad feeling settled in my stomach I wasn't sure what to make of it. Obviously, it didn't seem like a big deal to her; but we had no idea who was on the other end of that phone. I could be an innocent prank caller, or it could be a lot worse.

"I didn't think it was a big deal," Lydia answered defensively.

"Lydia, you should have told me. This could be harmless, or it could be something else. Better to be safe than sorry." I held my hand out to her. "May I see it? I may be able to figure out a way to find out who's been calling you."

She had a concerned expression on her face as she handed me the phone."Are are you sure that's necessary?"

I looked through her call log and saw that the unknown number called over five times in the past two weeks. I've heard enough horror stories to know there's always a possibility of it being not so innocent. Besides, I wasn't taking any chances after what happened in Portland.

Was it necessary? I met her gaze. "It's absolutely necessary."