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“I gotta go. Caleb wants me to get his lunch,” I mumbled as I turned to the door.
Kate stopped her talking as she looked at me in shock. “Why? You aren’t his assistant!”
She was trying to find an excuse to be angry at everything today. I hated those days. “I routinely do whatever anyone in this office needs. And why are you sending me to get his coffee if getting him lunch is bad? Like you have some weird plan in place and you are just using me,” I argued.
Kate’s eyes narrowed. “I guess you’re right. This could work in our favor.” She turned to Jessica and shared a sly smile with her.
“If you want me to poison his food, don’t look at me. I’m not going to kill someone for you. I’m fine with getting him food and coffee,” I grumbled as I walked out of the room.
Kate and Jessica continued their conversation as I left the room. I never understood my role here in the company, but it paid good money. Then again, I wasn’t even sure this was an actual role. I was just Kate’s puppet. Although I wanted to avoid Cal for the rest of forever, that wasn’t meant to be. His door was open as I stepped inside.
“You’re late. You should have been here before I texted you,” he said as he glanced up from his computer. This was the first time he had been grumpy with me, like the other higher ups. Maybe hedidneed to eat.
I shrugged. “I was doing my job and sometimes that is standing in the same space as Kate while she’s complaining about something.”
He waved his hand. “I ordered from La Trattoria on the far side of town. You should be able to pick it up easily,” he said.
“That place doesn’t even do curbside.”
He stopped and looked me in the eyes. “They do if you pay enough money. Now, go.”
Cal ordered way too much food. I barely got it into the office without dropping it. The enormous box of food was filled with bags of various shapes and sizes, making it a mystery what was inside each one. I expected to pick up a bag, not a box like this. With each step I took down the hall, my anticipation grew as I approached Cal’s office.
The sound of the box hitting his desk reverberated through the office. Leaning over the box, I could feel the rough texture of its edges as I tightly gripped them.
“Your food is here,sir,” I said.
Cal’s head shot up and his eyes darkened. A smirk bloomed on his face. He stood up and his hand gently brushed against mine. “I like the sound of that,” he said huskily. I pulled my hand back as my stomach did another flip that wasn’t out of hunger. I stepped back to leave the room.
“I ordered you lunch, too,” he said.
“Why did you do that?”
“Shut the door.”
“I don’t have to spend my lunch with you.”
He shrugged as he was pulling different boxes out. “We can call it a working lunch. I’m sure I can pull out some bullshit for you to do while you eat.”
I stomped my foot. “You’re not making this avoiding you thing easy!”
“Did you really think I was going to let go that easy?” he asked as he sat the box off his desk. He waved to the boxes at the corner. “That’s yours.”
I huffed. “What did you get me?”
“Chicken parmesan. And tiramisu for dessert,” he said. “Maybe I should have told you to get coffee, too.”
I flipped him off as I opened my container.
“Smart ass.”
I shrugged, feeling the weight of indifference settle on my shoulders. “You’re probably the only one in the office other than Alana that knows even half my personality.”
He twirled his pasta on his fork. “Why do you hide so much?”
“The drama. When I worked as a nurse aide, there was lots of drama. And sometimes I wonder if I started some of the drama. I decided at this job I would stay out of the way. Plus, there are always these cocky jerks who want to bone everyone that walks through the door. Anyways, it’s better. I always just hope that Kate forgets I exist. I print shit out, I take it where it needs to go, and then take stuff to the mailroom. It’s simple. I can avoid people.”
“Hmm.”
