BLAKE
The desk I’m sitting at belongs to Pete Wiley, Handy Heroes’ project manager. His son, Jake, was in the same class as me in middle school. He had bright-red hair, crooked front teeth, and a bright-blue backpack that someone stole from him one day.
Guess who got blamed for it?
Yep, me.
Someone emptied his backpack, took his pens and notebooks, and stuffed the empty backpack into my locker. It fell out as soon as I opened the locker during recess. I can still see Jake’s furious face as he charged at me and called me a dirty thief in front of what felt like the entire school.
No one believed me when I said it wasn’t me. I’d never broken a single rule until then, but it felt like everyone was waiting for me to mess up, and that day, they finally got their wish.
I was sure Mom would pick me up when the principal called, but she got the call when my dad was around, and he came instead. I heard the roar of his bike from where I was waiting outsidethe principal’s office. The receptionist gave me a dirty look and muttered something about the apple not falling far from the tree.
Her words were a sharp sting right in the chest.
There’s an aged-up photo of Jake framed on Pete’s desk. When Judy gets up to get herself another cup of coffee, I flip it face down.
“How’s it coming along?” she asks when she comes back around, steaming mug in hand. “Do you have any questions?”
“All good. Just waiting for this file to open.” I point at the screen. “It must be a big one since it’s taking a while.”
Judy looks at the monitor. “Oh yes. That happens sometimes. Just make sure not to exit out while it’s doing its thing, or the computer might freeze.”
“Got it.”
She gives me a smile and flips through the pile of documents I’ve printed out and meticulously labeled over the last few hours. “You’re a quick study. You ever think about what you might want to do after you get tired of working at Frostbite? You’ve been there for a while, haven’t you?”
“Almost four years.” Brett and I started dating when I was about a year into the job. It felt weird to date my boss at first, but I got used to it. In fact, I thought it was nice we got to see each other every day.
I should have spent more time thinking about the downsides of that arrangement if anything ever went wrong between us.
The power Brett still has over me is driving me crazy. It’s ridiculous that he can decide to not let me earn any money, and there’s nothing I can do about it.
In some ways, I’m glad Rowan dragged me to work with him this morning. Not that I’d ever admit to it. He was heavy-handed and bossy when he declared he wasn’t leaving without me. But at least now that I’m here, I can be useful. It’s better to have something to do rather than sit around his house and do nothing.
There’s a fluttering sensation deep inside my belly every time I remember how he said, “I won’t be able to focus on my work if I’m worried about you, Sunshine.”
Worried about me? I thought there was a high chance he’d kick me to the curb when he found out about Uncle Lyle. Instead, the man’sworriedabout me.
It’s…sweet.
“Well, keep up the good work,” Judy says with a smile before patting my shoulder and walking back to her own desk.
She’s nice. So is Arnie, who spent a half hour showing me how to use the printer. I wasn’t expecting that. It’s not that everyone treats me like dirt all the time, but I can usually sense people’s underlying disdain even if they try to hide it under a layer of politeness.
Judy and Arnie seem genuine. Still, I can’t help but wonder if they’re acting this way because Rowan introduced me as his girlfriend. He’s their boss, after all.
Lunchtime comes around, and as if on cue, my stomach starts growling. I get up and stretch my limbs. I could definitely eat.
Rowan hasn’t come out of his office all morning. I’m wondering if I should pop inside to see if he wants me to grab him lunch when a woman walks through the front door.
She’s gorgeous. Shiny black hair, full lips, legs for days. She’s wearing an expensive-looking coat with a faux fur collar, tight jeans, and high-heeled leather boots.
Arnie gives her a wave from his seat. “Hi there. Can I help you?”
The woman gives him a perfunctory smile. “I’m Vanessa. Your boss and I have a meeting.”
“He’s waiting for you in his office.”
