Page 30 of Ask Me Something

Chapter Seven

After spending the first couple hours in the office wading through emails and catching up on some correspondence, I felt back to normal. Work is where I found my equilibrium and sense of purpose. It’s where I was in control and could feel confident, but by mid-morning I’d run out of things to do. Most of my clients were on vacation, and I was supposed to have spent the day in a Disney marathon with my nieces and nephews. I wondered if Brian was busy. Aside from a couple other people, we were the only ones in the office today.

I headed toward his side of the building where I heard the unmistakable voice of Juliette and the sounds of a toddler before I saw them outside of Brian’s office. Smiling, I walked toward them. She’d had this week off, and I’d been afraid I would miss seeing her.

Juliette Walker had started in the Charlotte office over eight years ago as the receptionist, then began working for Brian directly. She was now officially the office manager, but she continued to perform multiple tasks specifically for Brian on a daily basis. She was the glue that held the corporate office together and had endless energy as well as sass. She was the type of person who talked enough for the both of us. In time, she’d eased me into a friendship whether I’d wanted it or not. You pretty much didn’t have a choice but to like her. She’d wear you down otherwise.

I missed hearing her chat about everything from office gossip to what she’d seen on television on a daily basis.

“Hey, Sasha,” she greeted, spotting me coming toward her and giving me a big hug.

“Hi. I thought you were off this week?”

Brian stood to the side, holding Tristan, her eighteen-month-old son, on his hip. The adorable little boy looked completely at home in his arms.

“I am,” Juliette answered. “But Brian said you were in today, and I haven’t seen you in months. Wow, you look skinnier. Turn around.”

Ironic, considering my sister’s friend had said the opposite about my weight. I turned, bracing myself for what she’d say next.

“Your ass looks fantastic in those black pants. Yep, you lost weight. Must be that New York living. No down-home cooking or real food.”

Leave it to Juliette to both flatter and embarrass me with a compliment.

“Don’t you think, Brian?” she teased, turning toward him. Only she could manage to make him uncomfortable and seemed to enjoy doing it as often as possible.

He blushed and then shook his head. “I’m not looking at any female’s butt in this office, let alone that of Sasha-B-Fierce.”

Juliette’s eyes got large, and she quickly glanced at me to gauge my reaction. Ah, obviously she had known about the nickname, too. I shouldn’t have been surprised; the woman knew most everything about everyone in this office.

I shrugged it off. “Good thing for both of you that I consider it a compliment.”

Juliette grinned. “I missed you. Can you believe how big Tristan is now?”

I looked at the chubby little boy, and he reached toward me.

“Hi,” he said, waving.

“Hi, handsome.” I was unprepared for Brian to hand him over, but luckily Tristan was quite sturdy and completely enamored with my beaded necklace.

“Aw, Sasha, see, you’re terrific with kids. And your sister, I hope you make her sweat it for being such a—” She covered Tristan’s ears. “—bitch toward you.” She uncovered his ears again and kissed his face.

My gaze slid toward Brian, and he winced.

Juliette jumped in before he could explain. “Don’t be mad at him. I asked why you came up early. It was either he tell me the truth about your sister pissing you off with her awful comments, or I’d assume that you two were finally acting on your years of pent-up sexual frustration.” She’d wiggled her brows to drive home her thoughts on the matter.

Terrific. Now both Brian and I were blushing.

“On that awkward note, thank you very much, Juliette. I’ll leave you two ladies,” he muttered, walking back into his office.

Her smirk let me know she’d achieved exactly what she’d wanted. “I was kind of hoping the separation might make you guys, I don’t know; want to give it a try.” She’d been convinced that we should be together since the very first year I’d started.

After accompanying me back to my temporary office, she placed Tristan on the floor with a cup of Cheerios. “That buys us fifteen minutes,” she laughed.

“You know Brian and I are better off as friends,” I said, revisiting her earlier comment. I did my best to sound convincing. All of a sudden, I was feeling unease about people finding out about us. “But it’s kind of funny to watch him blush. Only you can manage that.”

She tightened her blonde ponytail and grinned. “It’s a gift. And you know I’d never say something like that in front of anyone else, don’t you?”

Juliette might be over the top sometimes, but for the most part, she did know the time and place for blurting out inappropriate comments. “I know. It’s why I can laugh at your jokes instead of wanting to kill you for them.”

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