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“I’m one of the few people in the company who works directly with Will,” I tell Rick as we sit down for dinner. We’re doing a simple mac and cheese bowl tonight, but we’ve both earned it after our heavy days. “He can be pretty demanding, and I keep ending up in overtime, which he hates.”
“Because he wants you and all his employees to have a life,” Rick observes. His brown hair is still wet and combed back after a hot shower, while his hazel eyes dart between the mac and cheese bowl and me, as if silently asking for permission to stuff his face. I have no choice but to nod.
“Exactly,” I reply, “but at the same time, whenever I come in and show him the progress I’m making with the code, he’s happy and eager to see more. Then it’s eight p.m. and he’s shooing me out of the building like I’m some kind of squatter. I don’t know, his social skills could do with a touch-up.”
“It’s not like you’re sociable, either,” Rick says. “I mean, you dress like a soccer mom, you’re first in and last out the door every day. I don’t mind eating my microwave dinners alone here, but still… I can see where the guy’s coming from.” He chuckles.
“I don’t mind being there with him. I’ve got so much to learn from this guy.”
“Yeah, I’ve seen his mug in the magazines. I’m sure it’s the professional experience that’s got your panties all twisted up.”
I throw a napkin at his face, cursing under my breath, and he laughs.
“You know I’m just teasing!”
My phone starts ringing just as silence settles across the dinner table. It’s Mom, and both Rick and I become tense as I pick up, immediately hitting the speaker button. “Hey, Mom. You’re just in time—I was about to murder my little brother.”
“What’s he gone and done this time?!” Mom asks.
Rick throws his head back with laughter. I can certainly see why so many girls are nuts about him. He’s not just a pro athlete with one hell of a career still ahead of him, but he’s sweet and funny in an unguarded, almost childish way. “Mom, I swear, I was just critiquing Olivia’s wardrobe choices!”
“Oh, honey. Rick’s right, you do need a change of style,” Mom replies.
“Et tu, Brute?!” I feign dismay, rolling my eyes for dramatic effect. “I work in tech; nobody cares what I wear.”
“You say that, but wait until you see the difference in how people treat you once you come out of those baggy clothes of yours,” Mom says. “I’ve told you before… you gotta show the world how beautiful you really are, honey.”
“I’m not sure about that.”
Rick shakes his head. “It’s not a personality cult thing. But if you want this Will guy to pay more attention to you, I say try some tighter outfits.”
“Oh my God, Rick!”
Mom is quick to pick up on this. “Will? As in Will Bucklow, your hot billionaire boss?”
“Mom!” I cry out in a mixture of exasperation and exhaustion. “You two are killing me here!”
In response, Mom merely doubles down. “What can I say? He may be way out of my age range and I may still be happily married to your father, honey, but I’m not blind. Will Bucklow is a catch, and you should totally bag him!”
Again, my face burns red—not because I’m embarrassed, but because I know it’s the truth. I’ve grown more and more attracted to Will these past few weeks, and I can tell there’s a little thread of something swirling between us, but it’s silent and ephemeral and I’m afraid to test it because it might disappear. More than once, I’ve imagined him taking me in his arms and kissing me and making me feel like the woman I deserve to feel like… But the idea of potentially messing up my work with him by mixing business and pleasure is just too scary for me to ignore.
“Mom, for the last time, I’m not hitting on my boss! My career is too important!”
“Mom, forget the dude. Tell me about Dad, how’s he feeling?” Rick cuts in, his smile fading slowly as he starts to eat, not wanting to let any of that golden gooey goodness run cold.
“Hold on,” I say to him with a deep frown, then look down at the phone, hearing our mother sigh. “What’s wrong with Dad, exactly?”
“It’s nothing serious, honey. You don’t need to worry about it.”
“He had a heart episode yesterday,” Rick whispers.
“Whoa!”
Mom groans with frustration. “For the last time, it wasn’t a heart episode, he just had high blood pressure. He’s seeing the doctor on Monday. He’ll do an ECG and probably get some pills to get him back on track.”
“My guess is you’ve already disposed of every inch of red meat in the house,” I say, barely touching my own serving of mac and cheese. Worrying about Dad has kicked my appetite to the curb, even though as Mom just said, it really isn’t that bad. Still, it’s a reminder that they’re both getting old. A reminder that none of us stay on this earth forever. “Is there anything I can do?”
“No, honey, you don’t have to stress over this. It’s just old age catching up with this daredevil, that’s all,” Mom replies. “But going back to your wardrobe issues, Olivia, I have to say, I agree. You’ve got a beautiful figure, why don’t you show it off more?”
