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jk of course. I'm happy you can treat yourself once in a while.
Thx for checking in.
OK, I get it. You're busy. Take care, big bro. Love you.
Love you too.
My texts with Vic always made me smile. She was my little sister, but I was really proud of how she was making her own way in the world. I was happy to treat her to some of the little things that made her happy. She never took advantage of my generosity; the biggest expenditure was her attendance at the gala. It was great having her there and especially great that she hit it off with Jay. She definitely has her way of pulling the most interesting men. I chuckled to myself. Her life has already been a lot more exciting than mine on the relationship front.
But, time to get back to work and focus.
The rhythmic tapping of my fingers on the keyboard filled the room as I furiously typed away, hunched over my desk. I worked steadily all afternoon, stopping just for a quick trip to the breakroom for an afternoon tea.
The late afternoon sun cast a warm glow through the blinds, illuminating the scattered piles of paperwork and medical journals that surrounded me. My eyes began to feel heavy from staring at the computer screen for hours on end, but I couldn't afford to slow down. There was just too much work to do.
"Damn," I muttered under my breath, rubbing my temples in a futile attempt to alleviate the throbbing headache forming on the sides of my head. I glanced at the clock on the wall, realizing that it was already past six in the evening. How had it gotten so late? My stomach rumbled, confirming the time of day.
"Working late again, Dr. Harrington?" Calla's voice floated into the room, tinged with concern. I looked up to find her standing in the doorway, the dim light casting an ethereal halo around her dark hair. Her green eyes sparkled as they met mine, and I couldn't help but be momentarily captivated by their depth.
"Calla," I acknowledged, forcing a smile onto my face despite the weariness that weighed heavily upon me. "Just trying to catch up on some things."
"By the looks of it, you're trying to catch up on everything," she observed, stepping inside and surveying the cluttered chaos of my office. She shook her head gently, her lips pursed in disapproval. "I brought you a sandwich to help you over the hunger hump I'm sure you're currently experiencing. Dominic, you need to take a break. You can't keep pushing yourself like this."
"Thanks so much," I said, taking the sandwich. It was a very welcome gesture. "I appreciate your concern, but I've got too much work to do." I waved a dismissive hand as I returned my attention to the screen. It was true; the workload never seemed to lessen, and I couldn't afford any distractions, no matter how enchanting they might be.
"Too much work? Dominic, there will always be more work," she insisted, her voice firm but gentle. I could hear the sincerity in her words, and it stirred something within me.
"Calla, I appreciate your concern – really, I do – but I need to focus on this," I said, trying to sound as resolute as possible. The last thing I wanted was for her to see how much her presence affected me, how even just a few words from her could throw my carefully constructed walls into disarray.
"Fine," she sighed, acquiescing for the moment. "But don't say I didn't warn you when you collapse from exhaustion."
"Deal," I replied, my lips quirking into a half-smile at her persistence. I opened the sandwich and started devouring it. God, it tasted good. It was a simple roast beef sandwich, but it really hit the spot with how hungry I was. She might not have won this battle, but I couldn't deny that the idea of taking a break was becoming more appealing by the second.
"Come on, Dominic," Calla said, her voice taking on a teasing tone. "Come take a break with me." After seeing the protest in my eyes, she said, "Okay. I'm going to give you one more hour to work like the little demon you are, and then we are going out. Okay?"
I glanced up from my work, meeting her mischievous gaze. A small smile tugged at the corners of my mouth, despite my best efforts to maintain my professional facade. "Alright," I relented. "You win. One hour of work and then we'll go out."
"And I see you're updating the spreadsheets. Let me do that because maybe you've forgotten, but you just taught me how to do everything. Then, you can do something else that I can't do. And, you'll get more done in less time so that when we go out, you won't regret it," she promised with a beaming smile and she disappeared.
I had forgotten that she knew how to do the spreadsheets. Shit. I keep tripping up on delegating and giving up some brain space.
"Deal. Thank you and I'm sorry. I am just used to doing the updating at a certain time in the week."
"No problem. Just stop where you are, close the spreadsheet, and I'll add to it over the next hour. Agreed?" I really need to get used to people helping me. But my shoulders dropped as I released the tension of all that data input just being taken off my plate.
"That would be more than fabulous. I'm very thankful." I did what she said, and she disappeared back to her office. I heard her typing steadily, putting in all the new numbers. Fucking hell, this was leveraging my time.
I spent the next hour being super productive. I was even impressed with myself.
Seven o'clock rolled around and Calla's head popped around my open door.
"You ready?" she asked.
I stood up. I was ready to make good on our deal.
"Ready. Where are we going?" I asked, curious about what Calla had in mind for our evening together.
"Leave that to me," she replied coyly. I got my jacket, and we locked up the office and headed into the cool evening air.
