“Go check it out and shut Hank and me in here. I’ll dip in the closet.”
She took off, breasts heaving as she bounded towards the door. Christ, it would be a long week.
I stood at the door and waited, knowing damn well what the knock was for.
“Jason Barrett, I’m going to kill you!” she shrieked, clear as day from the entryway.
“Not exactly the thank you I was expecting,” I admitted, popping out of the bedroom as the deliverymen poured in with asters, daisies, roses, and more. They took up every square inch of the place, each new display bigger and brighter than the last.
She looked at me wide-eyed, tears beginning to shine at their corners. “These are all for me?”
“No, they’re for Hank. He and I have started a wonderful relationship.”
She offered a watery smile before launching into my arms. “You didn’t have to do this!” she cried, burrowing her face in my chest, tears soaking through my shirt.
“I told you that you deserve them all, remember?”
I rubbed her back as the flowers kept coming: violets, zinnias, orchids and all joining the party. She wept in my arms, and I held her there, right where she belonged.
Elena
Recovery was a heck of a lot easier with a good-looking man waiting on you hand and foot. Especially one that rocked your world with a glance.
My apartment was still decked out with flowers, and each variety cat-friendly thanks to Jason’s forethought, and luckily so, since every surface was covered. One by one, they disappeared as time took its toll, but I still had more than enough.
It had been three weeks since the fall, an ugly pink line leaving me a poor man’s boy wizard at a glance. With a shift in my part, I could hide it, though it left me self-conscious, especially when Lee’s kids kept asking if it burned when their mom was near.
I let Dad know about the tumble but left out the part where I cracked my head open. I also announced I was dating someone. He practically cheered at the news, but like the fall, I also left out the goodies, neglecting the bit about him being my boss.
I had been back at work for over a week, and Marty was giving me the cold shoulder. We hadn’t spoken since our dust-up, the product lines still dangling in limbo. I followed up politely via email to no avail.
Worse, in my absence, Monica made a mess of things, deleting dozens of messages from my inbox, sending people after my head upon my return. She did, however, rifle through my desk, leaving folders out of whack across my desk as evidence. I wasn’t sure what she was looking for, but I had nothing to hide. Well, nothing related to my actual work, anyway.
I spent most of the morning sorting through the weeds, still piecing together what was handled and what wasn’t as problems popped up. I asked her for help, but Monica was more than happy to hit me with a no between personal calls.
As I sent off another apology to a customer, Marty’s door popped open, and he stepped out, a mammoth coffee mug in hand. “Ladies, let’s have a team meeting!” he announced, fluttering over to the cubicle pod, earning a not-so-subtle groan from Lee.
“Now?” huffed Monica, spinning in her chair, not hiding the fact she was on her cell phone. Again.
I grabbed my trusty notepad and pen, not in the mood to put up a fight. I was battling a headache all morning and wasn’t in any state to argue.
We followed behind as he led the way to the conference room. We entered the space, and I spied Jason sitting on the far side of the room with his laptop. He didn’t look up as we filed in, the three of us taking a seat in a row with me smack dab in the middle.
Marty set his heaping cup of coffee on the podium and grabbed a marker for the whiteboard, already pouring sweat like nobody’s business. He cleared his throat, looking out at the three of us. “We’re here today to discuss team dynamics. Not everyone is happy with the current arrangements.”
I could all but hear Lee’s hackles raise, readying for battle. She had a hell of a time with Monica when I was out, and I knew Monica complaining to Marty had set her ablaze.
Marty gripped the marker tight, sweat dripping down his forehead. “In our business, we need to work together. There is no room for adversity in a team environment. Some members of the group feel unfairly pressured, and I have sympathy. I, too, feel this way.”
Jason cracked a smile, busying himself with his computer, not giving in to the temptation. I couldn’t help but mirror his smile, admiring his self-control.
“I wanted everyone to clear the air so we can move beyond this road bump,” Marty declared. “Please, let’s share our thought. Monica, the floor is yours.”
She crossed her arms and scowled. “Personally, I find the new system unfair!”
“I think it’s working out just fine,” replied Lee, keeping her cool. “It’s nice to go home on time.”
“Elena?” Marty prodded.
I sighed. “The workload needed to be evened out.”
“You’re probably the one who demanded it!” Monica snapped, whipping to face me. “You’ve always been the favorite!”
“Excuse me?” I laughed. “Me? The favorite?”
Marty all but kissed her ass, never writing her up for blatant laziness or disrespect.
Monica huffed loudly. “You think you’re so perfect! It makes me sick!”
“Good, because you make me nauseous!” shot back Lee, interjecting before I could. “You’re essentially a walking, talking norovirus! No one can stand you!”
“No one can stand you, Trash!” Monica screeched, making me wince with her pitch.
“Really? You are calling someone trash with that attitude?” laughed Lee.
“Yeah, I am! And I will! I don’t
