Being forced to work alone with Marcus didn’t help either. Paul never really stood up for me to Marcus, but he was at least a buffer between us and at times he played middleman, which eased the hostility.
It was a Wednesday, and hot as hell, and the office air-conditioning unit was down. After calling five HVAC companies, the soonest I could get a repairman out would be the following day. I ran to Walmart and bought six fans, but it wasn’t helping much. Marcus made it halfway through the day, then bailed on me. If it hadn’t been for a big group of women coming in that afternoon for a jump, I would have left, too.
I was heading to the front of the building, wanting to set everything up for that group so I could get them in and out of the sweatbox that was our office as fast as possible, when Sap walked in.
“Hey there, gorgeous,” he rasped, with a grin on his wrinkled face. “I have a surprise for you.”
I huffed out an exaggerated breath. “Please tell me you brought an AC repair man.”
“Nope,” he chuckled. He moved to the side and in entered Paul, incredibly tan and gorgeous. Paul gave a little wave, but I didn’t respond. Was I supposed to be excited he returned? Pfft. I didn’t even bother to acknowledge him before I continued about my business of preparing for our next clients.
“I think she really missed me, Sap,” Paul surmised with a humored tone.
Sap was wise enough not to comment. I think he just enjoyed watching Paul and me go at it sometimes.
I slammed the pens in my hand down on the table. “Welcome back, Paul!” I exclaimed as I threw my arms in the air flamboyantly. “I’m so happy you’ve returned to help us run this business. You know, the one you own half of.”
Paul sighed and leaned his head toward Sap. “She’s definitely happy I’m back.”
“You’re a real ass—”
“Hi,” a young woman squeaked as she peered around Paul and Sap.
“Well, hello,” Paul replied animatedly, greatly amused by the fact this woman interrupted my tirade.
“I’m Kim.” She waved. “We’re here for the jump.” She was a tall, thin woman with glasses who rocked some old jeans and Chucks. Four other women came in behind her, all fanning themselves, wincing with the heat.
“And who are these lovely ladies?” Paul asked, showcasing his amazing smile.
Kim pointed to each one as she introduced them. “This is Lindsay, Amy, Clare, and Gemma.”
“Look at that, Clara,” Paul beamed. “Her name is Clare. Clare and Clara.”
I gave him a look that said, you’re an idiot. Then smiled at the ladies. “Nice to meet you all.”
The one named Clare, who wore a shirt that said something about milking goats, said, “It’s hot as balls in here.”
“I should have worn something short sleeved,” Kim replied looking down at her outfit.
“You look like a fittie,” the one named Gemma, with big blue eyes and red hair, informed her in a British accent. “I love that shirt.” I liked her accent.
“I know,” Lindsay, the one in a Broncos T-shirt noted. “I want one.”
“I’ll buy you one,” Kim promised.
“I think I’m going to puke,” Amy volunteered. She looked extremely nervous as she clutched her paper coffee cup in her hand. “I’m terrified of heights.”
“Maybe you feel ill because you’re drinking coffee in the sweltering heat,” Lindsay noted with a humored snort.
“Whose idea was this anyway?” Gemma asked.
“Mine,” Lindsay admitted.
“I promise, we’ll take good care of you,” Paul assured them. Oh, good grief. Someone needed to gag me.
Lindsay gave a half smirk as she gave Paul a once-over and mumbled to Clare, “I hope he’s the one I tandem with.”
“Me too,” Gemma chuckled.
“Why does the word tandem sound so dirty?” Clare asked, her mouth twisted in thought.
The women went on as if we weren’t even there. Finally, I intervened. “If you ladies would like to sit down and fill out these disclaimers, we can get you set up and ready to go.”
They all took a seat. Filling out forms that should have taken them ten minutes took twenty as they discussed everything from skydiving to anal sex, to the best skin care products. When they started discussing something about a legion and the word moist, I was done. My patience was short that day, with the heat and Paul returning, so I had to keep reminding myself to chill out. Watching them didn’t help either. They were clearly dear friends. I missed my friends. It felt like forever since I’d seen Ally and Vanessa. I didn’t have any friends here. Except Paul. And of course as soon as we agreed to be friends, he kissed me and disappeared the next day. Not exactly an ideal friendship.
Paul led the ladies outside and just before Sap followed them, he turned to me and said, “You’re doing a good job here, Clara.”
The compliment shocked me. Sap had always been kind to me, when he wasn’t staring at my ass, but I just wasn’t expecting it. “Thank you,” I managed.
“Dennis would have really liked what you’ve done here.” I grimaced slightly with his words, but forced a smile. “He always wanted to do something for you, try and make it up to you in some way.”