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I don’t realize I’m picking at my food until Tess reaches out to touch my hand.
“Char, I’m sorry you’re going through all this right now. It’s so unfair. But it’s not the end of your career yet. Heck, you’re just starting. If you ever feel like you can’t take the heat anymore, I can easily talk to Roscoe for you. You can totally have your old job at Bridges back. Even take on a higher role. I can make that happen. He does whatever I want.” Tess waggles her eyebrows and wags her tongue around in a move she assumes is sexy.
Her antics make me laugh out loud.
Thinking quickly about her offer, I realize it won’t work for me. I could never stomach the guilt of leaving Harrison.
“That’s such a tempting offer, Tess, but I can’t leave Building Bridges right now. I’d feel so much worse with guilt.”
Tess shrugs and continues her dinner, slurping as she enjoys her steak and curry sauce. Watching her eat suddenly makes me hungry, and I focus on my food as well. Tess launches into a story about a couple of new interns at Bridges who think flashing boobs at Roscoe will get them in the boss’s pants, and eventually, I forget about my woes for the moment.
The following day at work is another reason to wonder if I’m making the right decision to stick with Harrison.
We have a very important onboarding meeting this morning, and Harrison is nowhere to be found. His phones are switched off, his social lines aren’t connecting at all.
This isn’t the first time he’s pulled this kind of stunt this week. He’s disappeared in the middle of work at least three times already, and funnily enough, each time he vanishes, Victoria vanishes as well. That can’t be a coincidence.
Thinking about it makes my stomach sink.
Harrison and the gorgeous, stunning Victoria. She’s hanging around the office a lot lately, and while I’ll admit her strategies and work ethics are actually impressive, why does she have to be around Harrison every second of the day? She has unlimited access to his office and he listens to every word she says. There’s no way those two aren’t sleeping together. I can’t even think about it. They’d look so good together. Better than he ever would with me. I hate this ugly emotion squeezing my throat.
At such a critical time for Building Bridges, Harrison chooses to be fooling around during work hours? That’s really low, even for him.
It’s almost noon before Harrison gets back, strutting nonchalantly into the office like he’s given up caring about our situation. I’m in the kitchenette getting some cookies from the fridge when he comes through, and I can’t contain my displeasure anymore.
Whether I’m angry about him missing out on meetings or angry about him hooking up with Victoria is not important. All I know is that I’m upset about something.
Pacing my breath, I knock on his office door.
“Come in.”
That smell of beachy sandalwood attacks my senses and I quickly launch into my speech before I forget what I came to say.
“Harrison, with all due respect, I don’t mean to speak out of turn, but this is getting to be too much. You’ve missed two important meetings since last week. When we need you to check out something before we push it to the lawyers or the media team, you’re nowhere to be found. You keep forgetting even the simplest tasks you’ve volunteered to take on.”
I pause for a minute, waiting for him to say something, but his hands are clasped prayer-like before him and he’s watching me, not blinking.
Exhaling quietly, I continue.
“I don’t mean to be rude, but I think you need to start taking your position more seriously. And it would be easier if you weren’t busy staring at Victoria all the time.”
I regret that last part the moment it leaves my lips. Harrison’s eyes widen in his head and he sits up, staring at me like I’ve grown horns.
“Is that really what you think, Charlee? That I want Victoria? Seriously, Charlee?”
Shaking his head in obvious annoyance, Harrison opens his laptop and picks up his phone.
He doesn’t have to say it, but that’s my cue to get out. Turning around, I walk back to my office quietly. I’m embarrassed and confused and suddenly feeling really, really stupid.
What if I’m wrong about him and Victoria?
I head back to my space and get settled in, drowning myself in work to keep from thinking about Harrison. I have no idea how fast the day is flying, because when I look up at my wall clock, it’s five minutes past five pm. The building is probably already cleared. I start packing my things to head home when a shadow appears at my door.
Harrison.
He’s not wearing his jacket anymore, and the first two buttons on his shirt are undone. His hair is a little ruffled from the day’s stress, and in the light of the doorway, he looks like a war angel. I keep my eyes down, continuing to pack my thing even though my heart is racing at ten miles per second.
“Charlee,” he says, shutting the door behind him and turning the key as he steps in.
