elevator on the executive floor today. There’s only one way to turn, but instead, you went straight for
the wall. Your sense of direction is absolute shit.”
My face flushes again. Yeah, I did do that. “I thought I saw a bird,” I mumble, staring at my feet. A
low, surprised bark of a laugh escapes him.
“You did not.”
“You’re right. I didn’t.”
For some reason, admitting I lied makes his smile grow.
“This is the first time you’ve smiled at me.”
I wish I hadn’t said anything because immediately, his smile falls. “I smiled at you when we met
and every day since.”
“Yeah, but not that smile. This one is real.”
He drops his arms and grips the side of the table with both hands. I stare at his hands. He has nice
knuckles. They’re not hairy…at least from what I can tell. I wonder if his chest is hairy. I squint at the
middle of his shirt, but nope, I still don’t have X-Ray vision. Such a letdown.
“I apologize if you’ve felt I haven’t been welcoming,” he says stiffly.
“That’s the fakest apology I’ve ever heard,” I say, laughing at how he forced out the words. It’s
awful. “Don’t say sorry if you’re not. There’s no point. Neither of us believes it. Besides, you’re easy
to read. It’s comforting.”
“Easy to read?” he echoes, eyes wide.
“Yeah. I mean, it’s pretty obvious that you’re regretting hiring me.” He sputters, but doesn’t deny
it outright. And that hurts a little bit too. Even though any denial would be a lie. “I’m not what you
were expecting. That’s obvious. My guess is you’ve gone over the contract a few times, trying to
figure out how to get rid of me.” I drop onto a desk and mirror his pose. “I’m really good at what I do.
I think you’ve seen that. And so far, I like it here. But if you’re thinking of firing me, then I’d
appreciate it if you’d do it soon. Before…”
He clears his throat. “Before what?”
“Before I start to like it here too much. You don’t really know me, but me coming here is…big. I’d
really rather not get settled and build a life if I’m going to be out of a job and an apartment soon.”
He studies me, frowning for achingly long minutes. “You didn’t bring anything with you. You
already seem to have one foot out the door.”
