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Joey watches her go, then turns back to me with new respect in his eyes. “Congratulations, sir. That’s...wow.”
“Indeed,” I say dryly. I follow Hazel into my office and close the door behind me.
Hazel’s wandering around my office, poking at the books on my shelves. It’s both cute and annoying.
“You know he’s going to go on a gossip spree and tell the whole office, right?” I say.
“Obviously,” she says. “I figured it’s more efficient to get it announced in one fell swoop. Besides, they would have asked questions anyway when you showed up on Monday with a wedding ring.”
I don’t like the idea of the whole office gossiping about me, but it’s hard to argue with her logic.
“So.” She clasps her hands. “Let the shadowing begin. What do you normally do first thing in the morning?”
“Catch up on email,” I say. “But that can’t be useful for you...”
“No, no, stick to your routine. That’s the whole point.” She plops into the chair across from my desk and pulls out her notebook. “Just pretend I’m not here.”
I settle in at my desk and dive into my inbox, trying to concentrate on my work.
She shifts in her chair. Jots something down in her notebook. Flicks her hair over her shoulder.
I try to block her out.
She finally stills. But that, it turns out, is even worse. Because she’s justwatchingme. I can feel her eyes on my face. Staring, like she can figure out something about my character from the way I frown at my inbox.
I turn away from my computer and face her. “This isn’t going to work. I can’t work with you...there.” I motion at her.
“But I’m wearing something discreet.”
“Not discrete enough! You’re just there and I can’t think when you’re being all...you.”
Her eyes widen. And then she smirks. “Luke. Did you just say you can’t think straight when I’m around? Howsweetof you.”
I give her my most ferocious scowl. The one that makes junior employees like Joey quake in their boots.
Hazel just laughs.
“I didn’t mean it like that,” I grumble. “I meant—”
“Oh, I know what you meant,” she says, brushing my explanation aside. “Calm down. I’ll go ask Joey to show me those newsletters. I can shadow your next meeting, and let you catch up on emails in peace.”
She leaves my office, the door clicking shut behind her.
I return to my computer, grateful to be alone.
Until I start thinking about Hazel leaning over Joey’s desk in that dress, laughing delightedly as they read the newsletters he hunted down for her.
Damnit, that’s distracting too.
I bang my head against my desk and groan, resigning myself to a thoroughly unproductive workday.
* * *
Once I surrenderto the chaos that is Hazel, it’s surprisingly fun to have her at work with me. Not that I’d ever admit it to her. All my meetings start late because every employee I have wants to introduce themselves to Hazel and congratulate us on our engagement. That would be fine, except Hazel asks them follow up questions to get to know them. In general, my meetings are 50% less productive, but I know the people who work for me about 50% better. Even the quiet, impersonal, work-focused ones.
Hazel just hits people with that warm smile of hers, and suddenly my oldest, most crotchety employees are telling her fond stories about their own weddings.
I have a new respect for how she’s wrestled so much personal information out of me. She’s like a CIA interrogator, but friendly.
