The stern and careful repetition of these commands continued for the length of the recording. It was much better than anything Ruby had hoped Eva would be able to get for her, but that was what alarmed her. What had Eva told him to get him to give in so easily?

When the recording was finished, however, he didn’t look like a man who’d heard anything unpleasant. He rubbed a hand along the back of his neck instead. “I’m supposed to tell you that this in no way cancels your deal with Eva—and if it does, then I’m supposed to forcibly take the phone from you so she can renegotiate. I think she’s really looking forward to her weekend away.”

Ruby laughed, surprised to find that it wobbled around the edges. “She told you?”

His answer was a rueful smile. It was lopsided, one side of his mouth twisted higher than the other, and the sight of it made her heart lurch. Everything about this man was so carefully protected, as though he’d been born inside a metal shell.

But when he smiled… When he laughed…

Gah. It was like getting a glimpse of what lay beneath. Ruby was sure there was something soft and squishy in there—something worth uncovering.

“Let’s just say you didn’t choose the best spy for the job,” he said. “Eva is great at a lot of things, but subtlety isn’t one of them. She popped around the corner at work every couple of minutes to ask me questions that she’s known the answer to since she was three.”

Ruby couldn’t help but make a comparison to her own workplace dynamic. Harry had a tendency to pop up, too, but usually because he had a snide comment to make or he wanted her to mop up bodily fluids. “It must be a riot to work alongside her every day,” she said wistfully.

Spencer gave a start of surprise. “It is, actually. I can’t imagine doing any of this without her. She has a way of making everything ten times better than it would be by myself.” He hesitated before adding, “I don’t know what it is, but you have that ability, too. These past few weeks have been…fun.”

Ruby couldn’t have been more shocked if Spencer had confessed to be a time traveler sent through the eons to right the wrongs of the future. She’d been having a good time trying to beat him at his own game, it was true, but this was the first sign Spencer had shown of feeling the same.

As if there was nothing more to be said on the subject, he nodded toward the sliding glass door. “Did you want to let them in so we can test the recording? I’d open the door myself, but it’s on Caleb’s side.”