Page 23 of The Boy from Half Moon

I sat forward in my chair, wondering what he was on about. “I wasn’t aware I was being coy,” I stated. “And why shouldn’t I mention to Mr. Browning that I noticed an attractive person?”

Tyler’s expression soured, and he shook his head slowly. “I could lose my job here, so never mind,” he stated. “Maybe I’ll just shut up now.”

“I’m your boss, Tyler, and we need to be able to trust one another,” I began. “If you feel discretion is needed here, I’ll respect your wishes. But what happens in my office is between me and you.”

Tyler remained silent as I imagined he was mulling over whether he could trust me. “And what we say to each other is just between us?” he asked, motioning his hand between us. “You guarantee me I can speak in total confidence with you?”

“I insist that we’re always honest and that we can speak freely and with trust.”

“Well,” he began, letting out a sigh. “From what I’m hearing here at the firm, and out and about in Bend’s gay circles.” He paused. “Hmmm,” he whispered, studying me carefully while he held his chin. “You’re sure you don’t know about Mr. Browning?”

“I know he’s our boss and he was the one who hired me to do a job,” I stated.

“So, no other vibes you might be getting from him?”

“Are you asking me if I think he likes me as more than a team member?” I asked.

Tyler pointed a finger at me. “Yeah, that.”

There I sat, wondering whether I should involve my assistant in my private business. He obviously knew, or had certainly heard some gossip, but how should I proceed without fucking us both over?

“I’ve wondered,” I admitted.

Tyler laughed. “You wondered, huh?” he mocked. I nodded. “With all due respect, sir. You cannot be that blind.”

Now Tyler was bordering on being disrespectful, but I had walked him down the plank this far, so best to stick with trusting him. “Please bring me up to date, then.”

“From what I’m hearing, Mr. Browning has his heart set on you, Tate. He is planning on you two being Bend’s A-list gay couple. You’ve caught the hint, right?” he asked, not waiting for an answer. “I mean, I sit outside your door. I see every single visit he makes here, and I pick up every single call from his assistant to forward to you. His desire for you is pretty obvious.”

“You noticed all that?” I asked, suddenly very aware that the visits and the calls numbered in the dozens and dozens since I’d started working here. “He’s said things to others?” I asked.

“Only every connected gay person in Bend,” he clarified. “The thing is…” Tyler stopped mid-sentence.

“Don’t quiet down now,” I insisted.

Tyler stood and walked to the door. He opened it and peered outside before shutting it again and making his way to my side, no longer sitting across from me.

“He tells everyone to prevent them from going for the guy he wants,” he revealed. “The last guy he was into eventually got a restraining order against him.”

My eyes widened, and I exhaled in surprise, nearly choking out a cough. “What?” I gulped.

Tyler nodded and kept watching the door. “Please, Tate. You did not hear this from me.” We stared at one another. The cat was out of the bag and Tyler appeared to have even more intel.

“Is that all?” I asked.

“Not exactly,” he replied. “That man, well, he also worked here. Mr. Browning hired him from a firm in Reno.”

Tyler definitely had my full attention now. “Seriously?”

Tyler walked to the floor-to-ceiling windows and stared outside for about a full minute before turning around. “Did you meet Mr. Browning in a Zoom interview?” I nodded slowly, feeling a tad nauseous. Where was this going? “Figured,” Tyler muttered. “I know he owns this place, but he sits in on all the hiring meetings, which is his right, but that is not truly his job until the final job offer. Mary in HR says that no matter what qualifications the candidate might possess, if the guy interviewing isn’t hot, he isn’t hired for important positions.”

“There’s nothing wrong with the owner of a company wanting to be involved with hiring,” I stated.

“Mr. Browning only sits in when the job is a high-paying position. If the candidate is old, overweight, or talks about his wife and kids, he gets up and walks out of the meeting by making up some lame emergency. Mary and her team immediately know that the job will not be offered at that point.”

“You ever think it’s a coincidence?” I defended, not feeling comfortable that I was the most recent hire.

Tyler shook his head, his lip curled in dismay. “You’re the fourth to fill this position in criminal defense, Tate. The highest-paid lawyer in the house. You’re the fourth of four—in less than eighteen months, I might add.”

---