Page 27 of Sullivan

“No problem,” I replied, grateful for the reprieve.

“I might need you to help me with this. Be ready to come and aid me.”

I smiled. “Of course.”

She left, and I sat back with a sigh. I shouldn’t be so nervous. Sully and I were adults. We were in a mature, if somewhat fast, relationship. Of sorts. It was our business.

But I liked Bonnie. We were good friends. And wasn’t there a rule about dating a cousin? No, that was a brother. Although she had described Sully as being more like a brother. What was the saying? Bros before hoes? No, that was for men. Hoes before bros? Except I wasn’t a ho.

Was I? I did sleep with him within hours of meeting him.

I dropped my head into my hands. What a mess. Then I straightened my shoulders. I would tell her at lunch and let the chips fall where they may.

Except I never got a chance. Rex’s meltdown was epic, and we both worked through lunch. Of all the senior staff, he was one of the most vocal against the new policies, no matter how often it was explained to him that they were now the law, as well as simple common sense. Then I had a meeting with another department that ran long, and when I got out, Bonnie was gone.

I sighed as I looked at my phone. Sully had sent the directions and suggested between seven and seven-fifteen would be a good time to show up. It was almost six now, so I decided to work a bit longer and then head off to the pub to meet them.

I only hoped I would meet two smiling faces and not an angry friend and a defensive…boyfriend?

I felt my lips pull into a smile. Was Sully my boyfriend? Lover? Potential partner?

We had so much to talk about and decide.

So many questions to work through.

Maybe once the passion of the weekend simmered down, he would change his mind.

Maybe I would.

But simply the thought of that happening made my chest ache. There was something between us. Something powerful and real. At least on my part.

I hoped he would feel the same.

CHAPTER EIGHT

SULLY

Like foreshadowing, today, I dribbled hot and sour soup on my tie. Then I dropped a piece of sweet-and-sour pork on my pants. I left the office, rushed home, and changed into jeans and a thermal shirt before heading to the bar. The casual attire made me feel more at ease for what lay ahead.

Bonnie was waiting, two Guinness on the table in front of her, one partially gone. She looked stressed, her dark hair a mess from her habit of tugging on it when worried. I slid into the booth across from her.

“Bad day?”

She rolled her eyes. “Some of the senior staff are having trouble accepting the new guidelines. They love arguing and fighting among themselves and dragging others into it. Rex flipped out over some of the new HR guidelines set out.” She took another long sip of her beer. “Not that he can change anything. But he likes to damn well try.”

I swallowed a mouthful of the frothy, bitter ale, letting it flow down my throat and quenching my thirst.

“Relics.”

She nodded. “And poor Autumn takes the brunt of it. She’s the one having to write and implement the new ways of doing things in the departments. Most of the staff are thrilled to still have jobs and be part of a new vision. Others…” She trailed off with a grimace. “It was a day.”

I grunted in sympathy. You would think I’d been gone for a month, not a weekend, the way things had piled on my desk. Plus, given the fact that I had been distracted at the thought of this chat and thinking about Autumn and the time we’d had, the day seemed endless.

I cleared my throat. “So, was she okay?” I asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

“She is brilliant, Sully. She listens and soothes, talks and somehow makes them think they are getting what they want, even when they’re not. Rex is a hard case, but by the end of the afternoon, she had convinced him that he already followed the guidelines so there wasn’t an issue. It was an amazing performance. She’s fabulous at her job.”

“But it’s only temporary?”