Page 127 of Brighter Together

She hesitates.

“And if you’re seeing Ella, I think you should tell them that too. Between you and me, I’m surprised I haven’t heard any rumours yet.”

“Why?” I ask. “We’ve been one hundred percent professional.”

“You’re no longer snapping at her, and I’ve seen the two of you laughing and joking together more than once.” She gives me a knowing smirk. “It certainly looked like something had… changed.”

“Fuck.” I lean back. “We are dating.”

She grins. “Thought so.”

“We’ve only been together two weeks. We wanted a bit of time before making it public.”

“That makes sense.”

The lack of judgement in her voice eases something in me.

“I’m still her boss after all.”

“Yes.”

“And after Ian—”

“That is completely different,” she is quick to assure me.

Anna fired Ian while Ella and I were in Manchester after catching him making inappropriate advances towards one of the younger members of staff. With first-hand proof, there was no way he could deny it.

“I don’t want staff thinking I’m a hypocrite,” I sigh.

“They won’t,” Sheila tries to assure me.

“You can’t guarantee that.”

“No. But people here know the difference between two adults choosing to be together and a man repeatedly harassing women who wanted him to leave them alone.”

She pauses, then continues.

“You didn’t hire Ella. Anna did. She had the job before anything happened between you, and she isn’t suddenly getting promotions or special treatment. Be straightforward about it and people will move on.”

I run a hand through my hair. “You really think it’ll be that simple?”

“I think they’ll talk about it for a day and then somebody will complain about a sandwich and everyone will forget.”

I laugh. “That sounds depressingly accurate.”

She stands.

“Besides, the staff respect you. We have one of the lowest turnover rates around here because people actually like working here.”

That means more than she probably realises.

I have always wanted this place to be somewhere people want to work, not somewhere they endure because they need the wage.

“So tell them before someone invents something far more interesting,” she says.

“And you’ll stop the gossip?”

“I’ll manage it.”