“It’s a personal matter,” I grumbled, chewing at the inside of my cheek. As far as I was concerned, this wasn’t something Christenson needed to bother himself with. The issue would … I don’t fucking know. I’d have to get over it eventually. Or maybe she’ll just get moved over to the social media team or whatever.
“Uh-huh. And how is your attitude towards your new PA a ‘personal’ matter? Just because it involves your personal feelings doesn’t negate the fact that it’s happening at work.”
“Fine,” I grumbled, scratching at my beard as I thought through what I actuallyneededto admit to get out of this conversation. “I knew her when we were kids, that’s all.”
“Holy fuck!” Brooker shouted, sliding back onto the bench beside me, Taylor and Gallagher following close behind. “What do you mean, kids? Like kid-kid or teenager?”
“None of your business,” I said, shoving him into the others.
“Oh, come on, Kean. We’re just curious about you,” Gallagher said, helping Brooker back up.
“Nah, I kinda get where he’s coming from. Brooker’s just digging for ammo.”
I held up my fist and Taylor immediately bumped it before heading out.
“If you don’t answer me, I’m gonna ask Kodi about it.” Brooker started to get up and I instinctively yanked him back down.
“Don’t you fucking dare,” I growled, grip tightening on his arm.
“See what I’m talking about?” Brooker said to Christenson, pulling out of my hold to stand up. “I won’t ask Kodi shit, so long as you’re not an ass to her again. And I don’t know what you said,but when I saw her on my way down here, she’d changed into head-to-toe gear.”
“She did?” I asked, heart dropping to my stomach. She asked if her outfit was bothering me, so I told her the truth. It was. The leggings she wore hugged the curve of her hips and thighs in a way that … distracted me. And the top was an extra offense, just low enough to expose her collarbone, a delicate line that led to a rapidly beating pulse.
But I wouldn’t have noticed any of that if it wasn’t Kodi and if she hadn’t taken a beat to eye me like … she was hungry. It was a quick look, dismissed as soon as it appeared. But I caught it, the way her breath hitched, how her eyes darkened and dipped down my body.
Shelooked at me first. And that look, no matter how brief it was, made every single inch of me burn. I didn’t really want her to change, I just wanted that feeling to stop.
“That’s not cool,” Gallagher said, shaking his head. “You can’t make a woman feel self-conscious like that.”
“I’ll …” I swallowed a lump in my throat, a combination of shame and guilt. “I’ll apologize next time I see her.”
“Good.” Christenson slapped my shoulder. “And if you’re feeling flustered or whatever, just take a second before you speak. It might create an awkward silence, but that’s better than you being a dick.”
With that, Christenson pushed up to his feet and grabbed Brooker by the elbow to drag him away.
“That’s it? You’re not gonna press him about the knowing each other thing?” Brooker whined.
“Nah. Like Kean said, that’s none of our business. I only care when it’s affecting the work place.”
“But —” Brooker started before Christenson dragged him through the door. Beside me Gallagher stood, taking a few steps towards the door before stopping to turn to me.
“I get not wanting Brooker anywhere near a gal you’re close to. I sure as fuck wouldn’t let him in the same room as my sisters. But you gotta chill out. 'Cause if he’s already clocked your issues, it’s only a matter of time before management does, too. Then she’ll be fired no matter what you say.”
As the door squeaked shut behind him, I hung my head.
He was right. Of course, he was right. All of them were right, except Brooker. Kodi had been here a whopping twenty-four hours and I was already making problems for her.
So what if she didn’t remember me? So what if I was butt hurt? She was somebody that meant something to me, meanta lotto me, at one point in my life. The least I could do for that long since faded crush was to not make things worse for her.
I pushed off the bench and went over to my cubby to fish my phone out of my bag. When Hansen sent me all of Kodi’s contact information, I didn’t save her number. I thought she’d give it to me when we finally saw each other again and caught up. Since that didn’t happen, I took the time now to save her number in my phone.
Then I spent a solid minute staring at the new chat window, trying to put the right words together.
“Kean, get your pouting ass out here so we can get started,” Brooker shouted over the intercom. Huffing, I shoved my phone back in my bag and marched out of the locker room, happy to have an excuse to put off apologizing to Kodi.
A Shittier Reunion
Kodi
