Greg gives a sickly smile. “Small world, huh?”
“Yeah, definitely.” My attempt at politeness would be described as questionable at best.
Greg makes some small talk about The Brew, and I pretend like it’s not the worst thing I’ve had to do. Even though this is my first time talking with Greg, I already know he’s a scummy person.
“I’m really looking forward to getting to know everyone at the social events I’m planning. We’re going to go to a happy hour next Friday after work. You should bring Emily.”
He waits for a response, and I give him a confused look.Who the fuck is Emily?
“O-oh, is it not Emily? Elizabeth? Eileen?”
When a few more names are rattled out, I realize what he’s trying to say. “Are you talking about Ellie?”
It is astonishing that Greg can’t remember the name of the person he was literally harassing this morning. “Ah, yes! Ellie! That’s her name. You should bring her to the happy hour. I want to meet everyone and their loved ones. It should be a fun time!”
Then it hits me hard and fast.
Greg thinks I’m dating Ellie. He thinks I’m her boyfriend and that I was visiting her at work this morning. This is not good. I don’t know what he knows, so I figure the best thing I can do is come clean, “Actually, Ellie and I—”
But, I bite my tongue when the realization hits. If I tell him the truth, he is going to go right back to bothering her. She seemed so shaken up by their interactions this morning; I can’t let that happen again. Not that I have any right to try to protect Ellie, but my memory goes back to how she looked this morning right before she asked for my help. Her eyes filled with unease. The panic in her body language.
Trying to gain my composure, I decide to commit to whatever Greg believes, which is that Ellie and I are together in some capacity. “Uh, sure. I’ll see if she can make it.”
“Great! I’m looking forward to it!” Without another care in the world, Greg turns around and schmoozes with my other coworkers.
Why did I say that? What is wrong with me? How can I fix this?
Running my fingers through my hair, I try to get my thoughts together when I hear a flirty voice beside me. Just when I thought this moment could not get any worse.
“Wow, you already have an in with the new boss? That’s impressive.” I don’t even have to look to know that Rebecca is standing next to me. She started at the company three or four years ago and has been a thorn in my side ever since.
“Hi, Rebecca.” My tone is flat and bored when I engage. It might seem rude to anyone watching, but I’ve learned from my mistakes. If I show her any interest, even platonic, she won’tstop bothering me for days. It’s not like there’s anythingwrongwith Rebecca, but she’s overbearing and not my type. I like sweet and subtle, and there is not a singular subtle thing about her.
“So, how do you know him?” She is so close that I can feel her breath on my skin.
Adding another foot of well needed distance between us, I take a step back. “Uhh, I really don’t. I just saw him at my usual coffee spot this morning, and I guess he recognized me.”
“Oh, that’s all? It seemed like you were two already getting close. Well, I suppose you do have a very memorable face.” She says with a wink.
There have been so many times that I have tried to let her down easy, and it irks me that she just doesn’t get it. This is a difficult situation though because she is still my coworker. I want to be blunt, but I don’t need to be in the center of office drama. Actually, I want to be as far away from any drama as possible, and associating with Rebecca is not the way to do that.
“Yeah, I guess. I have to run, but have a good weekend.” I say plainly and walk out of the conference room, not daring to give her another glance because I know that she will misinterpret things.
Chapter 3
Patrick
Thankfully,Greg’sannouncementisat the end of the work day, and all we have to do before leaving for the weekend is make sure that the system is still working.
As I make my way back to my office, I notice that my team is already working on our final tasks. Natalie, Tom, and Wes sit at their desks chatting through the Friday report, and it's moments like these that make me feel grateful, especially after this weird day. There is nothing I hate more than feeling like I am not pulling my weight, but today has got me all out of sorts. I am immensely appreciative that they don’t need me to get started or tell them what to do, and we can rely on each other when we need to.
As I head over to my computer, Wes’ voice beckons me over. “Boss!”
“Yes, Wesley?” There’s nothing like a taste of his own medicine to get Wes to back off.
“Ew, no! How dare you use my government name where people can hear you?”
“If you stopped calling me boss, I would stop using it. What do you need anyways?”
