“So, with Jim clearing out his desk next week in the middle of the new city contract work, we’re going to need to get someone prepped and into his job, pronto.” Dennis smacked his lips together.
My eyes lit up. They were looking to promote someone. Oh my God! A lead engineer spot was open, and they wanted someone to drop right into the city contract work Jim had been doing. Might not be most people’s dream, but I wasn’t most people.
I wanted that position. No, I deserved that position. I’d worked my ass off to get to where I was. I’d spent years in school and training. I had all the certifications. I was up to date on all the proper programs. I even did extra work to prove my worth. This position needed to be mine.
“Company policy says that I have to leave the application up for a minimum of three days. That means you all have until next Wednesday to apply before I close the application entirely. Too much is resting on this project, and we need someone who knows what they’re doing right away. So, I’m not going to drag my feet on this. If you don’t think you can handle it, then don’t waste my time. Understand?”
We all answered in the affirmative.
“Great. Now, get back to work. You’re wasting time and money.”
I laughed, but most of the other guys grumbled. Dennis was a hard-ass, but he had a good heart.
Matt immediately turned to face me as we stood up. “You seem awfully happy about this,” he said.
“Yeah, well, I think it is a great opportunity.”
“You’re applying?” He sounded genuinely shocked.
“Um, yeah. Why wouldn’t I?”
“You just haven’t been with the company that long.”
I gave him a disbelieving face. “Um…I’ve been with Wright for six years. Haven’t you only been here for four?”
“Oh, yeah. I guess I forgot that I started after you. I did work for another company for four years before this though,” he said, as if that somehow made his eight years of experience better than my experience.
“That’s cool.” Misogynistic pig.
He followed me as I exited the room, and we headed back toward our desks.
I’d had enough of Matt after one sitting today. First, he’d criticized doughnuts. I mean, doughnuts! And then he’d made it seem like I shouldn’t get the promotion because I didn’t have enough experience. In this job, that was code for, You shouldn’t get it because you’re a woman.
“Hey, Heidi,” Matt said after I turned my back on him and was trying to ignore his presence.
“Hmm?” I asked. I studied the papers on my desk.
“So, I know, the last time we talked, you said that you were dating someone.”
My head snapped up at that. Oh no. “Yeah?”
“Well, I heard through the grapevine that you’re single again.”
“There’s a grapevine for that?”
He shrugged with a nervous smile. “You know that people gossip around here.”
“I see.”
“Well, I was just wondering if you wanted to go out sometime. I’m free tonight. We could go to Rain Uptown. I love their pasta.”
I smiled in a really nice no-way-in-hell sort of way. Then, I figured I’d let him down easy. “Sorry, Matt, but I don’t date in the office.”
“Oh,” he said softly. “I see.”
“It’s a personal rule. Better not to mix business with pleasure and all that. You understand, right?”
“Uh, sure. Yeah, it makes perfect sense,” he said as I crushed his dreams.
I sank down into my chair at my desk and tried to ignore the pitiful looks I got from Matt, as if the day could get any more awkward. Well, it probably could if Landon showed up and found out that Matt had asked me out. Those Wright boys were a jealous bunch.
But Landon never showed.
His office was mysteriously dark all through the afternoon. I wanted to ask around to find out if anyone knew where he was, but the last thing I wanted was to draw attention to me and Landon. It was bad enough, what we had done so far. It would be worse to make people consider the possibility.
Of course, they already knew we were friends. We’d been friends since high school. I hoped it didn’t get misconstrued.
By the time five o’clock rolled around, I was really concerned. I’d gotten used to seeing Landon every day. Three weeks as my boss, and now, it was a thrill to see him and talk to him. Even if nothing was going on.
With him gone all day, I realized how much I missed him. No more stolen glances. No more hidden smiles. No more stupid reasons to go talk to him. No more elevator rides. Today was unbelievably bland without him. And my phone was unbelievably silent.
I checked it once more as I walked over to my car. Nothing.
I plopped down in the front seat and blasted the air conditioner to keep me from sweating from the damn Lubbock dry heat. I wanted to know what was going on with Landon. It seemed strange that he would skip work with no one knowing or talking about it. Maybe he was hurt. Or maybe he’d had something to do.
I knew it was a lame excuse, using his absence to text him…but I did it anyway.
Hey! You weren’t in the office today. Everything okay?
It took a good five minutes before I sent it. I laughed shakily at my need to make sure he was all right.
He texted back almost instantly.
Yeah. Thanks for checking in. Did I miss anything?
New job opening in engineering. Pretty excited.
That’s great. Because of Jim leaving?
You already knew!
Of course, he’d already known. He was my boss after all. He’d probably had to talk to Jim when he asked for the transfer to Austin.
Guilty. But I couldn’t say anything.
I get it.
And I was secretly frustrated that we had this thing between us. This thing that kept us apart. I wanted to talk to Landon. I wanted to tell him everything going on in my life, like we used to be able to do.
So, why weren’t you at work today then?
I waited a solid five minutes between that message and the next. I wasn’t sure why it was taking him so long to answer, but when he responded, I knew he had been deciding if he wanted to be bold.
I liked bold.
Why don’t you come over to my apartment, and I’ll tell you all about it?
Nineteen
Heidi
Going to Landon’s apartment fell under the category of Bad Ideas. Yet here I was, driving over to the address he had texted to me and feeling ridiculous that I was doing so. I could try to convince myself that it was simply because I was worried about his well-being.
Actually, let’s go with that.
Seemed legit.
Even if it was a lie.
I was going to Landon’s because I wanted to see him, and staying away from him fucking sucked. Point-blank.
Just as I pulled into the parking lot of his apartment building, I got a text from Emery. Blood pounded in my ears, and I felt frozen. I still hadn’t told Emery that anything was going on with Landon. I mean, nothing was going on with Landon, but she would want to know why I was going over there to see him, and I didn’t have a real answer to that. At least not one that I could give her.