“Thanks for your approval, guys, but seriously, we’re just working together. That’s it.”
I didn’t even have to lie to them. That was the truth. Ezra had hired STS to help him with marketing. And I was the designer that he’d handpicked happened to get picked for the project. Hardly a romantic fairy tale.
Vann stepped up to the counter to order for us while Vera continued to smile at me, her head practically exploding with unsaid well wishes. “He’s just so perfect for you.”
Laughing at her disproportionate reaction to a few simple emails, I threw her a bone. “He’s at least not as horrible as I thought he was. He’s… nice.”
“And hot,” she added.
“So hot,” I agreed, finally giving into the gushing that had been building since I read his email. “How is it even fair that he’s that hot?”
“It’s because he’s also nice. Looks are one thing, but when they’re good people too, that’s like a whole other level of hot.”
“And funny,” I added without thinking about it. “He’s surprisingly funny. And thoughtful in an unexpected way. And he sends me things, Vera. Like pastries and lunch. I don’t know what to think about him.”
Her smile softened and her expression warmed. “It sounds like you guys work really well together.”
I ignored her innuendo. “I’m just realizing that maybe I don’t hate him as much as I thought I did.”
She nudged me with her elbow. “I remember those days. I was so young, so na?ve, so… in denial.”
We laughed together because she really had been in denial about Killian. “This isn’t the same thing,” I told her. “You and Killian had all that chemistry right off the bat. Plus, you have so much in common it just makes sense for you guys to be in love. Ezra and I are… completely different. We have nothing in common except this work project. I’m just happy I can walk down the aisle with him at your wedding without wanting to stab him.”
“I’m happy for that too,” she said sincerely. Vann turned around with our shakes and she dropped her voice to a whisper. “If we drink this fast enough, we’ll still have time to swing through McDonald’s before you have to be at work.”
“This is why I love you.” Well, giving up her code of chef ethics to sneak in a breakfast burrito was just one of the reasons I loved her. Laughing over chalky protein shakes that lied about tasting like chocolate and peanut butter was another. And knowing I could trust her to keep me grounded when it came to Ezra was also topping the list lately.
She was the biggest cheerleader for my happiness and in her current blissful state of mind, of course she would see potential where there wasn’t anything. Now if only I could remember that too. And stop looking forward to my first work phone call of the morning.
Chapter Thirteen
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Date: March 31, 2017 16:46:29 EST
Subject: Tonight
Molly,
I have some thoughts on what you’ve sent me. I want to go over them with you. Bring your laptop to Killian and Vera’s dinner thing.
~Ezra
I stared at Ezra’s command. Then I looked at the clock. Exactly one minute ago, I had been excited for Friday night and the opportunity to leave work behind for a solid two days. I didn’t want a lot in life, but the possibility of a free weekend was non-negotiable.
And now Ezra had managed to ruin the most exciting thing about my weekend. Vera and Killian had invited a small group of people to their house for supper tonight. I hadn’t known Ezra was one of them though. After spending more than a month working for him, I was pretty sure the only thing the man did was work. Which was fine. He was free to spend his life however he wanted. If he wanted to miss out on friends and family and weekends and the plethora of wonders Netflix had to offer, that was up to him.
Only now he wanted to make me work that much too.
I glared at Ezra’s email. “No,” I told the computer. Then I tapped out a quick reply.
To: [email protected]
From [email protected]
Date: March 31, 2017 16:54:12 EST
Subject: Re: Tonight
No.
MM.
With only six minutes until freedom five, I started to gather my things and the work I actually did need to glance at over the weekend. It just didn’t need to happen tonight. Or without wine. But with two major projects in hand, there just weren’t enough hours during the work week to get it all done.
Ezra replied back before I shut down my laptop. Although, to be fair, I had left it open just in case he got right back to me.
What do you mean no?
~Ezra
I found myself smiling at the short email. I pictured him groomed, tailored and completely baffled.
I mean NO, Ezra. Killian and Vera are slaving away to make us one of the most perfect meals we’ll ever eat. We’re not going to ruin it by working all night. Plus, don’t you want to relax a little? This is one of those rare moments you could have some fun. You’re currently at risk of becoming a curmudgeon.
MM.
This time I didn’t wait for Ezra to answer me. I threw my laptop in my messenger bag and all but ran from the building. I had gotten really good at slinking around the office unseen, blending into walls and hiding behind corners. Also, I was getting better at finding excuses not to meet Junior in his office whenever he had a good idea about the Black Soul account.
Henry was running out of patience for my ducking and dodging, but it turned out that Ezra was good for something. Especially with so much of Mother Tucker’s support behind Ezra’s account. I often used EFB Enterprise’s project as an excuse to get out of menial Black Soul tasks.
To be fair, there were some setbacks with this plan. Like it was doing the opposite for my career that I wanted it too. I was supposed to be schmoozing Junior with my sweet social media skills, convincing him I needed more lead designer projects and building the reputation that would sustain the career I wanted.
Unfortunately, he was more interested in staring at my chest and accidentally bumping into me. He could care less about my portfolio or what I could offer the company he was set to inherit. I’d gone from highly optimistic that Black Soul was the project that would set me up for lifelong success to the dismal realization that I was just eye candy for Henry to ogle while he was forced to work.