"Um, I don't know." I scan the menu again and try to read some of the selections this time. "Let me guess, you're getting the steak?" I peek my face over the tall menu and smile at him."Of course. You should try it.""Okay." I give in without any fight and cringe, thankful Marissa isn't here to see how bad I am at making him work for it.Our table is small so our legs and knees are mushed up in the space between us. After a few more seconds of footsie, we settle into a comfortable position of his knee, my knee, his knee, my knee. It takes mere minutes before I realize there is way too much knee touching going on for me to remain unaware of it for the rest of the meal.Our waitress returns at the perfect time, right before I made a ridiculous comment about how warm Trey's knee is against mine. I don't even want to know how he'd respond.Trey takes my menu. "Give us an order of the sweet potato fries and two filet mignons." He stops and turns his head to me. "Do you like mushr
Aspen's fingers move on her phone screen as we ride in the backseat of Licorice, the black Escalade driven by Jake."Mar and Amanda are going to meet us on the hill," Aspen relays the information I assume she read from her text. "That's the best thing about them having to drive in. They always get there before us."Her brown eyes brighten a little with the declaration as she shoves the cell phone in her back pocket. Jake takes a turn a little quicker than normal and I'm forced to grab on to the door handle to stop myself from sliding across the leather seat."Drive slower, Jake. We don't want to get there too early." Aspen taps him on the shoulder in a playful gesture. She loops the long scarf around her neck and pulls on the end tightly. "Do you think it will snow this year?"I look out my side window curious to what prompted her question. Everything looks normal as people walk the streets in the same thin fleece jackets they've been wearing the last few weeks. "Has it ever sn
Yesterday morning when I agreed to take the job with Raven Digital Arts, I had no idea Trey would expect me to start today. Monday. As in within twenty-four hours. I thought I'd have more time to prep for this. A week to talk myself out of it. Find a better job. Like maybe one of those people who stand by the side of the road and wave the giant signs at passing cars. I could do that.I was so excited to find out more about Marissa's date that I didn't think through my actions. Now I'm here. Here, as in the office of RDA. Sitting behind the big wooden desk in the lobby."Sit here and I'll go grab you the new employee forms." Finn sounds happier than I am about the fact I'm now his employee. He opens the door to the back where the offices are and I'm left alone in the white tiled room.Not even Bonnie could get me out of starting today. She took the news well when I called her last night. There wasn't a weekend or night shift available, but she put me on the standby list in case so
"WE DON'T USE IDS, but you'll learn everyone eventually. There aren't many of us." Finn shuffles more of his papers and places one on the table in front of me. "Sign here."I sign my name for the sixtieth time today and he takes the paper back. Finn came back this morning and took me on a tour of the first floor offices. There aren't cubical walls. Instead, the desks are staged in a sort of circle. Actually I'm not sure there's any kind of reason to the layout. I envision on move-in day everyone picked a random spot in the room they liked and set up shop. We met each of the guys and even a few girls and so far they all seem nice and happy to have a new receptionist. I hope I can live up to the hype Finn's given everyone here.While I completed the first batch of paperwork, Finn taught me the phone system and rules for running the desk... there aren't any. He promised if I used common sense on the job I'd be fine, but I worry. If it's that easy, why couldn't keep someone in this pos
Finn and I set up the large dishes of various pasta noodles and sauce containers for those employees who will eat in the building for today's buffet style lunch. Finn places the final custom ordered dish on an empty desk and leaves them with extra napkins."You'll learn everyone's needs once you start placing the lunch orders." His words sound innocent, but he stresses the word needs a bit longer, and it leaves me worried there's more to his casual comment.I crumple up the now empty bag and walk it to the large trash can on the side wall. Above the table a clock like you find in every high school classroom ticks away the seconds past 12:15. We didn't deliver a meal to Trey's office although Finn pointed it out as we walked by. The wooden door was sealed shut and the blinds tightly closed over the big window beside it. Grant never walked out my way this morning and Mari hasn't either. I check his still closed door again and tell my brain I don't care who's in there with him."Are
"I'll set up the doughnuts when they get here in about twenty and then place the lunch order between ten and ten-thirty." I sum up my morning plan to Finn as we walk into the RDA building together.He opens the door for me and I slide past him to drop my purse off at the front desk. My black Gucci heels click on the tile floor as I walk to the small coat closet where Trey and I had our encounter Monday.Trey wasn't here yesterday, off to some meeting elsewhere in town, but I haven't missed him leaning up against my desk watching my every move as we walked in this morning. I'm pretending he doesn't affect me. He's a little more dressed up today in a pair of tan khakis and a light blue long sleeve button down shirt. He hasn't rolled up the sleeves yet, but it won't take long. His face is still soft even with his ever trimmed stubble and he doesn't appear to be upset about my attempt to ignore him. I'm not sure if that's good or bad. By the time I leave the small room, his smirk borde
Three bags stuffed with subs dangle from my hands. Today's lunch. The inner office door opens from the other side and I step back.I peek up from where the bags are cutting the circulation off from my fingers to see Trey stopped to hold the door open. "Here, let me help."He takes two bags from me and my fingers ache as the blood flow returns. "Thanks."Together we walk to the long table on the side wall of the open office space."I'd planned to ask if you wanted to do lunch today since we still haven't made up for Monday, but it looks like you're busy."An undignified noise escapes me and then I follow it up with actual words, "Finn left me in charge of food by myself today. I need to pass it all out."He smiles but is quick to cover it up when my frown deepens. "I'll help. We wouldn't want a repeat of the doughnut incident this morning."Another pft-like noise answers his reminder of the jelly hell from this morning's snack mix up. I should've known there was more to hi
The large lobby clock counts down the seconds and I chart each one as the second hand ticks its way around the circle. Eleven minutes and twenty-eight seconds until the work day ends. Eleven minutes and twenty-six seconds until I skip out those doors happy to have survived this Melvin filled day.I wonder how many people quit because of Melvin? Why does Finn keep him? Ten minutes and fifty-six seconds. Aspen's man comes off as sweet and laid back. Maybe he has a soft spot for Manic Melvin? Ten minutes and fifty-one seconds. Maybe Menacing Melvin has an important job? Like if they created bombs, he'd be the guy with the second launch key. Would anyone trust Melvin with the second key? I wouldn't.At ten minutes and forty-seven seconds, there's movement to my left and my eyes automatically track it. There's nothing on the desk except a few pens and the pop-up calendar. Weird. I hope a spider or some other creepy crawling hasn't tried to make my desk his new home.Ten minutes and th