Elements of Retrofit Read Online Free

relaxed professional, while I stood there in jeans and bare feet.
    He slid the tray of coffee onto the kitchen counter and I looked at him questioningly.
    “I called into the office and picked the files up,” he said, putting the briefcase down and sliding the satchel from his shoulder. “And coffee from the café you like.” Cooper looked around my apartment, from the open living and dining room to the gourmet kitchen. The furniture was expensive, probably pretentiously so, but it was a direct representation of me. It was classic and traditional, with Chesterfield leather lounges and an antique dining table. The only modern furnishing was the kitchen. Cooper took it all in as though it impressed him. Finally, his eyes landed on me. “So, where are we doing this?”
    I ran my hand through my hair. “I, um…well, when I said I was working from home,” I said quietly, “I didn’t expect you to work as well.”
    “Oh,” he said, realising he’d just turned up at my apartment without an invitation. “Oh, shit,” he said, looking mortified. “But Jennifer said specifically I was to work when you worked. No exceptions. It was one of the first things she ever said. She was rather specific.”
    I smiled at him. “It’s fine, Cooper.”
    “Jennifer scares me,” he admitted, still not sure where to look. “I mean, I’m sure she’s nice and all, but she has a ferocious glare. She makes me nervous. Anna, one of the other interns, is scared shitless of her.”
    He was clearly embarrassed, and rambling. I smiled and handed him one of the coffees he’d bought. “Cooper, it’s fine. We’ll set up at the dining table. Pull all your files out and we’ll have a look.”
    “I’m really sorry,” he said again. “I feel like an idiot.”
    I laughed at him and sipped my coffee. “It’s fine, Cooper. It shows great work acumen that you’d be at work at”—I checked my watch—“eight o’clock on a Saturday morning.”
    His eyes widened. “Am I too early?”
    I couldn’t help but smile at him. “No, you brought coffee, so it’s all good.”
    I picked up the briefcase and set it down on the dining table. I collected my satchel, pulled out my laptop and we settled into a comfortable working silence. He’d ask a question every now and then, while he worked on getting the energy compliance ratings for the Lewington job, and I spent the next few hours trying to ignore the fact that the man I’d dreamt about, whom I’d fantasised about while I jerked off in the shower last night, was sitting across from me.
    I also ignored how he slipped the end of his pen between his lips and how he’d lean his head on his hand with his fingers in his hair. Making myself focus on my work, I somehow managed to get the specification sheet half done for the same job Cooper was working on. It was helpful to have us both on the same plans, running through the same file sheets, and I didn’t realise the time until Cooper stood up and stretched. “Hungry?” he asked, checking his watch. “It’s lunchtime.”
    I looked at my watch to see it was almost one. “Jeez, I didn’t realise the time.”
    Cooper walked into the kitchen. “Can I make myself a sandwich?” he asked. “Want one?”
    “Um, sure,” I answered, not sure what I had in the kitchen in the way of sandwich ingredients.
    I watched him as he rifled through the fridge and the pantry like he owned them, obviously looking for something in particular. “Have you got peanut butter?” he asked. “I can’t find it.”
    “Peanut butter?” I asked disbelievingly. “No, I don’t think so.”
    Cooper shook his head. “How can you not have peanut butter?”
    “Um, not since Ryan was little,” I said, then immediately regretted my choice of words. I didn’t want him to think of me as a dad to one of his friends. I didn’t want him to think I was implying he was a kid. I didn’t want him to think of me as someone twice his age, or his boss, or… I didn’t know