I抦 blotting at my eyes and tapping at my phone with one hand. The bosshole. He asked me how I know so much about weddings when I don抰 have a ring.
Eliza: Oh, God. Ouch. How do you even work for that guy? Did you kick him in the balls yet?
I smile and shake my head at that last part.
He may have it coming, but for once, this isn抰 totally his fault.
I don抰 know and no, I send back.
Why not? You抮e a Poe and last I checked, Poes don抰 take any crap. They lure people into dingy wine dungeons and brick them up. She adds a devil emoji at the end.
Leave it to Eliza to make me laugh.
A Poe writes about horrible things, but it抯 fiction, I send. Also, workplace assault probably won抰 help me get another job.
Eliza: True. You can always work with me at the coffee shop.
No, I really can抰.
People annoy me like nobody抯 business.
I think I抎 rather paint my place with a toothpick over working retail with customers, with complaints, with an awful need to smile.
Ugh.
Sighing, I send her what抯 really a wish. Don抰 worry. If I blow this, I抣l figure something out.
Eliza: When do you get home? I抣l brew up a Madagascar vanilla coffee just for you.
Dakota: A steaming hot cup of vanilla bliss sounds perfect right now.
Eliza: Come home early. Don抰 drag yourself through the rest of the day.
I wince, wishing I could before I add, I have to power through it, Eliza. I don抰 have a choice when it抯 still my job. For now. Catch you later.
I open the door to the restroom and scan the hall to make sure there抯 no one around.
The coast looks clear, so I go to the break room and make a quick cup of tea, trying to clear my head.
The pain may be new, but this situation isn抰.
Lincoln Burns is a nosy, rude, bad-tempered grumphead. I won抰 dignify that by adding dangerously handsome.
But I knew that before I took this job, didn抰 I?
Certainly before I agreed to his ninety-day proposal from hell. And I抦 not ready to fly the white flag when I still have over eighty days to go.
I抣l get through this.
I have to, if only for my own pride.
If I made it out of a church with a hundred and forty-two people inside before I broke down over the biggest humiliation of my life, I can smile about this, too.
I can put in a few months earning big-girl pay and segue to another position.
Then I can forget all about this cinnamon-snorting psycho and the apocalyptic feelings he抯 too good at stirring up.
6
A Midnight Dreary (Lincoln)
揙kay, I think we抮e off to a fantabulous start. Class dismissed,?Anna says with a wide smile, calling the meeting to an end with a sharp clap of her hands.
I stand, watching my staff file past with the usual mix of wary respect or affable nods. When you抮e in my position, you appreciate both.
I wait until the last person files past before I start moving.
揗r. Burns??Anna calls. 揅an you stick around for a minute??
Shit.
I抳e been around long enough to know nothing good ever comes from a subordinate asking for my time, even if she抯 my hardworking and loyal marketing head.
Anna waits a few more seconds until she抯 sure we抮e alone.
The look she gives me says you fucked up before the words are out of her mouth.
揝omething on your mind, Miss Patel??I urge.
揥ell, please don抰 take this personally but...Dakota Poe is very talented. She hasn抰 been here long, but I think she has that missing ingredient in creative we抳e needed for a long time.?
I nod slowly.
Get to the point. I never doubted Miss Poe抯 talents.
揂nd? You say that like it抯 a problem,?I say, folding my arms.
揑 just...well, I hope she doesn抰 quit,?Anna tells me point-blank.
I抦 taken aback, even if I don抰 show it.
換uit? Why would she? She just got here, and considering her previous position and pay, I抦 sure she抯 happy we抳e given the stray a new home.?
揟he pay, sure, but that抯 not what I抦 worried about.?Anna hesitates until I clear my throat impatiently, urging her to spit it out. 揃oss, I think you upset her. You got sort of personal back there. And if you抮e going to do it, does it have to be in front of everyone she works with??
揑 said nothing wrong,?I snarl back defiantly, looking away and then back at her again. 揇id I??
揗r. Burns. I mean this as nicely as possible but... Would you be okay if a superior asked how you were fit to oversee a wedding line? Because you抮e pretty single yourself, last I checked. I mean, you抮e spearheading the entire line, and in fairness, the same question could be asked of you.?
I抦 single for good fucking reason, I almost growl back.
揑 wouldn抰 mind answering it,?I bite off.
Not true.
I抎 very much mind revisiting an engagement that went down in flames.
My heart bristles like it抯 crawling with hornets, a lying face flashing in my mind I抳e tried like hell to forget.
Goddamn. Is that what I just did to Miss Poe? Pulled bad memories to the surface?
Perhaps Anna Patel has a point.
揘ot everyone has your bluntness. Especially when it comes to marriage,?she says softly.
Damn. As much as I want to swipe away her concerns, a small, distant part of me screams she抯 right.
From the way Nevermore hightailed it out of here, I may have thrown sea salt in an open wound.
揑 didn抰 mean anything by it. I was simply curious,?I say.
Anna doesn抰 say anything, but she holds my gaze with a disapproving glint in her dark eyes.
揗aybe so, but it struck a nerve. And Miss Poe doesn抰 seem like the sensitive type.?
Yeah, she抯 normally a walking spitfire, but everyone has their breaking point. Their touchy spots. Their defeats in life that they抳e pushed into a pit and buried.
Maybe more so if your last name is Poe.
And maybe I struck a nerve I shouldn抰 have like the social porcupine I am.
Dammit, I hate that Anna has to be my conscience. I didn抰 mean to upset Poe, but I have no idea what I could say to make it better either.
揜elax, Miss Patel. I抣l go deal with it.?
I抳e worked with Anna for a few years now. I抳e never seen the worried hangdog look she抯 giving me now.
揊ine. I抣l go apologize if that抣l help you nix any plans to pull out your pitchfork and come after me.?I straighten my tie like I抦 tightening my own noose.
I hope I don抰 fuck this up more.
Anna brightens and slowly nods. 揋ood choice. I抦 a pretty crummy shot with a pitchfork, but the rest of the mob might aim straight for your balls.?
揥hat a delightful image. Are we done, or do I need to suffer through more of your humor??I say with an exaggerated yawn.
Smiling to herself and shaking her head, her heels click past me and into the hall.
I trail after her out the door, staying several paces behind her, and decide to take my usual walk through the building.
Downstairs, people are still standing around in busy clusters, holding cupcakes.
Odd. I didn抰 order cupcakes today.
Through the murmurs, I hear the name Tillie more than once.
Beautiful.
My mother blowing in for a nostalgic hello is the last thing I need right now.
I抎 hate it when she 揹rops by to see old faces?if it didn抰 make her so damn happy. I have to admit it抯 an easy morale booster, too, when the entire office knows a visit from Matilda Burns means food and long breaks chitchatting.
Say goodbye to a productive day.
Scowling, I look high and low for raven chick, but don抰 spot her in any of the people clusters. I move to her desk, only to freeze in my tracks.
Mom is hunched over her in a spare chair, patting her on the back. Poe抯 face is a crushed red tomato.
Goddamn, this is bad.
Not only do I have to apologize now梐nd fucking mean it梐pparently, I have to do it with my mom standing watch like an empathic Doberman.
Before I can back out, their eyes flick to me.
揗other,?I say with a friendly nod before I glance over. 揗iss Poe.?