~~~~~~~~~~
The next time I roused, I headed straight into the bathroom, only this time when I was done, I decided to actually leave her bedroom. I didn’t know what time it was no more than I knew the day. What was disconcerting was that it didn’t disturb me in the least. Slowly, I gaited down the hall, wondering if Zoey had left for work. It was daylight after all. And judging from the brightness, it was morning. I stopped when I heard her on the phone in her office.
“I need you to have my back on this. You’ve been asking for a promotion, now is your opportunity to step up and show me what you got. Yeah, I know she can be difficult, but a good assistant manager would take a diplomatic approach. Yeah. I know.” She blew out an exasperated breath. “Please put Angela on. Thanks. Hey, Ang. I need you to handle Yolanda. Yeah…I know you’re not an employee manager, only culinary, but I need you to help me with this. If she shows, tell her she’s been let go for excessive requests for schedule changes and tardin—” There was a pause. “Ang, I know, but I need this today. Could you also start scanning for prospective applicants from the top drawer of the file cabinet in my office? Too much? Fine! I’ll do it when I get back.”
The phone rang. Her cell.
“Hang on,” she demanded. “Helloooo,” she sang out far less course than her tone with her employees. “Yes, I’m still alive. I know. I’ve kinda had a…family emergency. Jordan? No. He’s fine. I haven’t picked him up yet, which is why we haven’t had that date. Remember I told you we’d go out when I cross the bridge, before I pick up my son? I haven’t gone yet.” There was a pause before she giggled really…girlie like, a feminine purr. “Yes. We will have our date. I don’t know. I’m still wrapped up in that emergency. It could be a couple more days. Yes…I promise. I have to go…I have work on the other line.” Pause. Fucking giggle. “Okay! I’ll say it again. I promise.” More damn giggling. Fucking cooing! “Okay…bye,” purred again sensually.
I needed to go lie down.
“Okay, Ang? Yeah. I’ll be down there in a couple of hours to pick up the deposit for the bank. Okay! Goodbye!”
Zoey collapsed her head on the desk.
“It’s hard having it all.”
Her head shot up. “Huhn?” Then her eyes softened in recognition. “You see why I allow you to think you’re manipulating me into those vacations?”
My eyes bulged.
“Yup,” she ended on a pop. A sexy one. “And here you’ve been thinking using Jordan was an act of genius. No one outsmarts Elizabeth Barrett, dear.” She scanned her desk then gestured to my phone. “I had to charge your phone. It was ringing and buzzing to death. I scanned it for calls from Jenna. I assume she’s still out of the country.” I nodded. She narrowed her eyes. “Where is she anyway?”
I shrugged. “South Europe.”
“Oh, cool! Impressive,” she sang cheerily. “Where exactly?”
“I don’t know…Bosnia.” This conversation was becoming too reminiscent of the one I’d had with Quincy.
“You hungry? You haven’t eaten since yesterday.”
I felt my brows wrinkle. “How long have I been out?”
“You’ve been here for three days,” she muttered while leaving out the door, passing me at the frame. “And please call Sarah Barrett. You can send a tweet, email or text. Just let the woman know I didn’t let you die,” she called out while meandering down toward the kitchen.
I snorted. “Will do.”
Three days sounded pretty disgusting. I decided to go wash my mouth and ass. When I came back out, I found Zoey in the kitchen, over the sink.
“I figured you could use a reminder of what the city is like, so I set you up at the small table, near the window.” She jerked her chin and I found a hot plate of an omelet and pancakes at the table set for one.
“Are you going to join me?”