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Gareth's lips curved at the sound. "That's better. Laughter suits you more, Ms. Jones." His voice turned brisk. "That said, you're dismissed for the day."
"Mr. Evans!"Pippi's lips twitched even as she felt torn between amusement and exasperation. "Giving me time off isn't always the answer, you know."
"Why can't it?" Gareth's broad shoulders lifted in a shrug. "It worked the first time, didn't it?"
"But—-"
"Do you know," he mused out loud, "you're the only employee I know who actually complains about getting more downtime from work."
The words made her realize just how silly she was acting, and a rueful smile touched her lips. "I'm sorry. I know I'm acting like an ungrateful witch..."
Gareth's eyes laughed at her. "You're an adult now, Ms. Jones. I doubt anyone would freak out if you said the word 'bitch' out loud."
Her lips pursed, and she couldn't help sounding defensive as she said, "I just don't like saying it."
That she truly meant it and wasn't faking being prim and proper made Ms. Jones all the more attractive to his eyes, and Gareth had to mentally shake his head, thinking once again that only an idiot would let go of such a prize.
"May I give you some unsolicited advice, Ms. Jones?"
"Of course, sir." But the way her lovely face had turned blank told him that a part of her already knew what he was about to say.
No matter, Gareth thought. People had a tendency to ignore what wasn't being said, and this unfortunately appeared true in Pippi's case.
"I'm not sure what happened to make you forget the truth," he said quietly, "but you're much stronger than this. You've never struck me as the type to mope and let things happen, and I don't like being proven wrong."
A shaky smile made its way to Pippi's lips at her boss' words. "So what you're basically saying is...I should either move on or make things happen...for your sake?"
Gareth released a mock sigh of relief. "Thank God you're done acting like an idiot."
Pippi was still shaking her head in rueful amusement as she boarded the half-crowded elevator. As it sped down, she lifted her gaze absently, taking note of the other passengers. Most of them were wives of the company's board members, and she vaguely remembered about a luncheon on the same day that was exclusive to Simonides Incorporated's higher-ups.
The elevator paused on the 24th floor, and Pippi tried to keep her face blank when she saw Millicent Longbourn step in, followed by an older woman.
As the doors closed, Pippi couldn't help noticing the way the other women began exchanging looks as their lips curled in patronizing contempt.
Pippi slowly lowered her head even as shame engulfed her. It wasn't her place to interfere, and yet...
"Don't you think it's started to smell?" one of the women asked loudly.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
Her teeth gnashed.
Don't interfere. Just don't.
"Now that you've mentioned it," another woman drawled, "it does seem like it."
"And if I'm not mistaken," the third woman in the group added snidely, "It's a rather whorish smell..."
Millicent is a big girl, Pippi tried to convince herself.And a really tough girl, too, she added desperately in her mind as the insults continued and Acheron's former lover refused to answer back for some reason.
"I truly feel for you, Mrs. Longbourn, to have been forced to move out of town—-"
Pippi's head jerked up, and this time everything became awfully clear. The older woman who had followed Ms. Longbourn inside was none other than Millicent's own mother, and the way she was looking at her daughter made Pippi realize why Millicent wasn't saying a thing.
Don't let get them to you.
And the plea seemed to have done its job, with the way Millicent was visibly struggling to control herself.
