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Jo: How’d it go with James?
E: Good…why?
Jo: No reason, just curious
That seemedodd and I was going to ask for her to explain but she immediately replied back that Liam was home and she was going to bed. She seemed a little shifty. I’d have to remember to ask her again the next time I saw her.
* * *
“Elizabeth, coffee!”
I ignored him. My boss didn’t hire me as a secretary but that didn’t stop him from trying to treat me like one. I did my best to keep busy so when he did stuff like this, I could just point out I was trying to get my work done like he requested. I felt his booming footsteps as he made his way over to my desk. I focused hard on the code in front of me.
“Elizabeth!”
I glanced up. He was scowling at me. Evan Doolittle was a portly man, his brown hair scraggly and unkempt. He lacked basic hygiene and his coffee breath could peel paint. He demanded we all dress work appropriate but he came to work with stains on his clothes and made no attempt to keep up appearances.
“Hello, Mr. Doolittle. How can I help you?” I kept my tone even. He had a temper on him and wouldn’t hesitate to scream at me the rest of the day.
“I’ve been calling for you, didn’t you hear?”
I stared at him blankly. “No, sir, I was busy with the assignment you gave me this morning. You did say it was urgent. Did something else come up?”
He floundered, looking almost constipated as he tried to hold himself together. He knew me getting him coffee wasn’t important. I was trying to get better about not letting him bully me into working way harder than I had to.
“Well, where are you on the project then?”
I almost smirked. Nice subject change. “It’s going fine. So far all the bugs that were reported were user errors.”
This was not the job I was hoping for. When I graduated, I had hopes and dreams of being a software programmer and working for a big gaming company. Now, I barely got to touch any code. I was mostly debugging and playing secretary. I asked for harder projects before but Mr. Doolittle always said that I wasn’t experienced enough. Which is a joke because I could outcode him any day.
He clenched his pudgy fists, grinding his teeth. “Fine. See me when you’re through.”
He spun, waddling away. I made a face. He wanted me to come see him so he could demand I do more of the assistant role. I need to find a new job because this wasn’t worth it. Just because I’m a woman doesn’t mean I can’t do the real work.
I thought about Yuri and the speed that he could code. If I could do stuff like that, maybe they’d take me seriously. I’d have to ask Gabi if he’d be willing to give me any tips. I spun in my chair lazily. I planned on taking my time with this little assignment so I wouldn’t have to face Mr. Doolittle. I bet if I tried hard enough, I could stretch it into tomorrow.
By the endof the day, Mr. Doolittle’s face was mottled red and I could almost see the steam coming out of his ears. He knew I was a better programer than I was pretending to be but he couldn’t outright say anything without admitting I’m better than the jobs he gives me. I shut down my computer, grabbing my bag. He stood just inside his office, glowering at me but I ignored him. James said he’d see me after work and I was looking forward to seeing him again. Not even Mr. Doolittle’s pissy attitude could bring me down.
It was drizzling when I stepped outside. I put my bag over my head, planning to leg it to the metro but right as I was about to cross the street, a roaring filled my ears. I jumped back just in time to avoid the huge hoard of motorcycles passing my way. I frowned at them. I definitely have the right of way but apparently they don’t give a crap.
Once they passed, I dashed across the street, avoiding the puddles on the ground. I was almost at the station when a familiar SUV pulled up alongside me. James rolled down the window, waving at me. I hopped in just as people behind him started to honk.
“I thought we were meeting at my place?”
He shrugged, his posture relaxed. “I was working nearby and figured I’d try and catch you. How was work?”
I waved the question away. I didn’t want to sully my mood by talking about my shitty work day. “Did you get my message from earlier?”
“Which one?”
I ducked my head, grinning. I’ve been texting him all day, just excited to hear from him again. “Sorry. I was just happy to hear from you.”
He chuckled, snagging my hand and squeezing it. “I’m happy to hear from you too.”
He chatted with me the whole drive home, his eyes never leaving the road. I thought at one point he’d get annoyed with me because I couldn’t seem to shut up but he just smiled and nodded. He refused to give me any details about his day, which didn’t surprise me, but all I wanted to know was that he was safe and happy, and he had no problem answering that.
“Yes, today was a good day. Everyone was safe.”
