MM.
He’d written back almost immediately.
Molly,
There is no rest for the wicked. The weekend is when I make the majority of my money.
~Ezra
But you do deserve a break. I’ll talk to you on Monday. Unless you wanted to stop by Bianca tonight so I can stay in business. I’ll save a table for you.
I hadn’t stopped by Bianca because I didn’t think it was a real offer, even though my insides had gone squishy and I’d been unable to stop smiling for the rest of the weekend. Plus, I knew it was almost as popular as Lilou, so walking in the door without a reservation was not even an option. I probably would have been assassinated by vengeful foodies up in arms that I cut the waitlist. They would have poison-darted me from the bushes.
It was now Monday. And when did Ezra email me? At 5:45 in the morning! He was crazy. And obnoxiously adorable. And apparently had no life outside of work.
I had always found that an annoying quality when I’d been setup before. I didn’t understand why men always seemed able to commit to their jobs, but not a woman. Wasn’t a loyal life partner better than paperwork or promotions or prestige? Wouldn’t they prefer to get laid rather than meet deadlines? Wouldn’t they rather have a family than a corner office?
And yet, with Ezra, I found it endearing. He’d built this empire out of blood, sweat, and a hell of a lot of work. So for him to pour himself into his different businesses was admirable.
It didn’t mean that I was changing my opinion on workaholics. But he always seemed to be the exception and not the rule. It was annoying frustrating.
In one of his emails, he’d mentioned wanting to hire his sister. I mean, right? How could you not find that completely swoon-worthy?
Not that he was swoon-worthy in general. But maybe he wasn’t a totally intolerable person. And maybe there was a possibility that he knew what he was doing in business.
He for sure still needed my guidance.
But he wasn’t totally helpless.
Spin class ended with a groan from me and an enthusiastic fist pump from Vann.
“Vera, do something about your brother,” I huffed. “His energy is getting on my nerves.”
Vann grinned at us, hopping off his stationary bike like he had no issue with taking the next class or moving or standing in general. Meanwhile, Vera and I weren’t going to be able to walk for two days, just in time to drag our carb-loving asses back here and torture ourselves all over again.
“Listen, brother of mine, this class is for people that hate exercise, hate losing weight and in general, hate themselves. And if you can’t respect that, we’re going to have to ask you to leave.”
He blinked at us. “This class is for experts. This is an advanced level class.”
Vera waved at some other spinners and tipped her water bottle in salute. “I want to look good in my wedding dress,” she murmured more to herself than anyone else. “I want to look good on my honeymoon.”
“Why are you here?” Vann asked me bluntly.
I shrugged. “Team spirit? Also, I live off of takeout and Hot Pockets, and sit at a desk all day. I have to do something to counterbalance my lifestyle.”
“Thanks for the great class,” Vera called to the instructor as we walked into the hallway.
I didn’t feel the pressure to suck up to our evil instructor like Vera did. She was all about being nice to him because of the theory that he would be nice to her in return. I was all about googling how to make a voodoo doll that gave him temporary paralysis of the legs.
But in a nice way. And only in the early morning.
We waddled walked out of the room as a trio, Vann perfectly fine, Vera and I dying on the inside. And outside. And all the sides.
“We need protein shakes,” Vann announced.
Vera’s face scrunched in disgust and she shook her head back and forth quickly. “Don’t make me. Molly, make the bad man go away.”
“Let’s make a run for it, Vere. We won’t stop until we’re safely inside the girl’s locker room. On my signal…”
Vann let out an exasperated sound. “There’s something seriously wrong with you two. I don’t know how you have any friends.”
“Well, for starters, we don’t force them to drink protein shakes,” Vera countered.
Vann’s head tilted, considering. “I’m doing you a favor. They speed up your metabolism. Also, they don’t taste gross. They make them with peanut butter and chocolate.”
Vera and I shared a look. “It couldn’t hurt to try them,” she said.
“I mean… we might as well see what the fuss is about.”
Vann turned around and led us to the café, muttering the entire way. I pulled out my phone and finally checked my email, careful not to trip over rogue weights, random jump ropes, or air.
Molly,
Call me when you get into the office. We can discuss the email you ignored over the weekend.
~Ezra
P.S. I went to brunch with Dillon on Sunday and then we caught a movie. I can take breaks. I’m the best at taking breaks. What did you do?
“You’re smiling at your phone again,” Vera pointed out.
I cleared my throat and wiped the goofy look off my face. “Am I?”
“What is going on with you?” she demanded.
“Nothing.”
“Don’t play coy with me, Molly Maverick. If there’s a man in your life, I should be the first one to know about him. Maybe even before you do!”
I rolled my eyes and looked at Vann for support, but he was as curious as his sister. We stepped up in line at the café that was teaming with protein-shake drinking crazies.
“It’s a work email,” I told them. “It’s just from Ezra.”
Vann’s eyebrows shot up. “Ezra Baptiste?”
“He hired me to do some work for his company. It’s not a big deal.”
“You’re smiling again!” Vera pointed out. “Vann, she’s smiling about work!”
“So?” I shrugged. “I like working for him. I’m the only one on his project so I get to do whatever I want. It’s nice.”
Vera’s eyes narrowed. “I thought you were afraid of him.”
I felt my cheeks heat from their unwanted attention. I didn’t need the third degree from these two this early in the morning. Mostly because I hadn’t had coffee yet and I didn’t think I’d be able to deflect their accusations with the kind of expert ninja skill I usually had. “He’s not so scary once you get to know him.”
“I thought you were working for him,” Vann pressed. “Why are you getting to know him?”
“Oh, my gosh. I’m getting to know him because I’m working for him.”
The siblings shared a look. “I’ve known him as long as you have,” Vera argued. “I haven’t gotten to know him. Not really.”
“Stop,” I begged them. “It’s nothing. Just work stuff.”
Vera attempted to hold back a smile. And failed. “I said the same thing about Killian.”
Vann smiled now too. “He’s cool, Molly. You could do a lot worse.” He thought about it for a second. “You have done a lot worse.”