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He needs a haircut.
A clump of dark hair is nearly touching his eyeball. He's looking at me through it. How can he stand — I can't take it. I reach out and brush it sideways with a scowl.
He just laughs at me. "Took you long enough. I knew that shit would bother you."
"Why must you annoy me?"
He shrugs and grins. "It's fun."
I grunt but don't correct him. It’s fun to annoy my brothers. Me being annoyed? Less fun.
"A bunch of us are going to grab some dinner before we do this whole tree-trimming thing. You want to come?"
Holly explained that we're not actually cutting the tree, but still, images of scissors and tree branches on the floor of the penthouse fill my mind. "Why do they call it tree trimming if we're not actually trimming the tree? We are decorating, aren't we?"
"I have no clue. All of it's a bit of a mystery to me. But the women seem excited. And I saw this video on how to make popcorn strings to decorate it with. It might be kind of fun.
I sit up straighter. ”Popcorn? I like popcorn."
He rolls his eyes, which used to bother me. People would roll their eyes at me all the time. From people in high school and the college I attended for a while, it didn't feel good.
From my brothers, it's the equivalent of a nod or a wink. It's benign and comes out when things don't really matter. It doesn’t hurt.
"We're not eating it. We're making decorations."
"So make extra." I slap him on the shoulder, and stand. "Problem solved. You get your decorations, and I get a snack. Win-win."
"Win-win," he mutters with a scowl. But he doesn't say he won't make extra, so I'm satisfied I'll get my snack. "So you coming?"
We're closing the office for the holidays. It's the 22nd, and we won't be back until the 3rd. That's too many days without seeing Janey. "Would a friend invite their friend to a tree trimming? Is that a normal thing?” I ask.
Nick's head tilts and he frowns. "I have no idea. But since when have we cared what was normal? If you want...someone to come, then invite them."
He drags out someone. He knows exactly who I want to invite.
"Why don't you just say Janey?" I ask, my fingers playing with the bottom seam of my T-shirt, fingertips running slowly over each stitch.
"Are we doing that now? Talking about how much you love Janey?"
"Everyone has to know by now. None of you can keep a secret." I scratch the side of my cheek and the stubble there. I hate the rough feel on my fingertips, but I also can't be bothered to shave more than once a day. "Well, none of you can keep this kind of secret."
"Fair," he says, scrunching up his face. "Yes, I think you should invite Janey. She's friends with all of us, and I think it would be nice to invite her. She might have plans, though."
"She might." I can't decide if I'm happy she might have other plans, so she won't be alone or frustrated because that would mean she has an easy excuse not to come.
Frustrated. That's the one.
"I'm going down to talk to her. I'll meet you at home later."
"Go get her, brother," he murmurs, following me into the hallway. Go get her. Yes, I like that.
I scan the executive floor, looking for her. She's friends with Maya and Cara, who both have offices on this floor, but today, she's not in sight. I check my watch, worried I might have missed her, but it's not technically quitting time yet. Janey is nothing if not conscientious. She won't leave early.
I take the steps to HR two at a time, rushing to get to her. I slam through the door to her floor a little harder than I planned. A few of the people waiting for the elevator startle, but Janey isn't among them. I don’t spare them a second glance. I jog to her office, but I can already tell she's not there. Her coat is on the back of her chair, and her black purse is on her desk.
She's here somewhere.
I check all of the offices, mentally rehearsing what I want to say to her, getting more and more panicky when I don't find her.
