Page 27 of Gross Misconduct

“I’m on it.” She got up to leave but stopped. “Thank you for the raise.”

I looked up from my computer. Her brown eyes were wide as if she was trying to fight back tears. She blinked a few times and smiled.

“What do you mean? Did you get a raise?”

She bit down on her lower lip. “I get the feeling you don’t want to take credit for it, but we’re thankful. We really appreciate it. I know you know how much it costs to live here, and this money came at a great time. My boyfriend and I are thinking of getting married and getting a place of our own, so this helps a lot. Thank you.”

I hated John even more right now, and I didn’t even know the loser. Why hadn’t he come through for his staff?

“You’re welcome. It was long overdue.”

Wait until she found out about the bonuses.

The nice thing about Tangi’s job with the Ravens was that she didn’t need to go on the road with the team. She stayed behind rehabbing injured players, and if needed, stepped in to help the Kodiaks training team. This meant she was always around for lunch when I had time to take one. We headed to a little lunch spot around the corner and ordered salad and sandwiches.

“Nice pic with Jeremy,” Tangi said, digging into her turkey-and-cheese sandwich on pumpernickel bread. We both shared a love of pumpernickel. “The both of you actually looked like a happy couple.”

“I’ve come around. We are civil, and I don’t mind spending time with him.”

Tangi arched a brow. “How often do I hear you mention that you like spending time with a guy. Maybe you could take this up a notch and actually go on a date with him.” She arched her other brow, and her hazel eyes seemed to laugh.

“Nope. He’s a Kodiak, and while Clay has given his blessing, it’s for a fake relationship. I’m not sure he’d take kindly to a real one.”

“I have a feeling he wouldn’t give a shit, and you’re just trying to put up roadblocks.”

I gave her a hard look. “Does he seem like the kind of man I’d want to date?”

“I’m not sure what kind of man you’d like to date. Why don’t you tell me.”

The playful grin on her face was a challenge. “It’s notJeremy. I want someone serious and stable. I’m not looking for a guy who wants to play around.”

“Are you looking for a dad?” She didn’t mean it as a low blow, and the moment she said it, I could see the regret on her face. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”

“It’s fine. Maybe you’re right.” And maybe that’s why I’d never told her about Eli. She would have hated and disapproved of him. She’d tell me he was too old, too stuck up, and too much of an asshole. She would have been right.

“Then let me be crazy and throw out there that you could give Jeremy a chance?”

“You can throw it out there, but I’m not giving him a chance. And not to change the subject, but I’m changing the subject. Are you and Ethan in for the Mainland Pantry Day? Jeremy texted that you two haven’t confirmed, otherwise we have the ten we need.”

“We are in. Just needed to make sure the nanny could take those extra hours. It sounds like a neat idea, and good PR.”

“That’s what I do best.”

“I know. That’s why I’d like you to live a little too. Maybe date a certain Kodiak.”

She wasn’t going to let this go. “How about you hurry up and eat. We both need to get back to work.” At least I could hold her off for now while I tried to figure out my life.

Mainland Pantry was excited to have us, and while this wasn’t an official Kodiak event, it was still a big enough deal for the food bank to have a volunteer donate their time to take some pictures. I’d considered asking our compliance person if we could all wear jerseys, but I knew the answer would be no.They were picky about those things, and since this was an independent event, why bother asking.

Jeremy picked me up as we’d arranged, and I got into his fancy black SUV.

“You look cute today,” he said.

I turned to him in confusion.Cute? Why even say that?“You look cute too?”

He chuckled at my reaction. “I’m just saying, you look cute with your hair up in a ponytail.”

He was so weird. “So, we’re going to have a lot of candid shots taken. I’ve already asked the photographer to send us the pics. I think it would be nice to post on social media to give them a plug. Would you mind asking all the guys to do that?”

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