Page 61 of Christmas with my Three Best Friends

She straightens her back and chuckles softly. “It’s written all over your face, honey.”

“Then you’re either delusional or you need to get your eyesight checked. I’m your boss. You’re my employee. Professional ethics and standards aside, I’ve already rejected your previous advances, so what in the world made you think you could try again?”

Alice laughs. “Playing hard to get, then…”

“So, definitely delusional,” I mutter mostly to myself.

“It’s okay, Jax. I’ll catch you on another day, in another moment…”

She’s walking out, sashaying like she’s on some kind of runway, her chin up high and her eyes twinkling. I’m not sure if it’s delusion or just the kind of stubbornness that will someday get Alice in a whole other kind of trouble. Either way, it’s unhealthy, and I will have to address this with Richard and Marius, too. It’s bad enough that she’s chronically late and lazier than her colleagues. Making passes at the boss is the kind of HR bomb we need to defuse before it’s too late.

I’d fire her right now, but I don’t know the legalities of this situation. She might be the type to turn this into a litigation nightmare, claiming I hit on her and fired her when she rebuffed me. The three of us will have to handle this with our lawyer.

Besides, I wouldn’t touch this girl with a ten-foot pole. My body, my mind, my soul… they belong to Shay, and Shay is gone. At least for now. This hurts too much. And Alice’s behavior has only amplified my anxiety, stretching my nerves beyond their otherwise extremely generous limits. I don’t know how much longer I can take this.

I don’t know how it will end. Maybe that’s the worst part. Maybe that’s what’s keeping me awake at night. The lack of clarity. The uncertainty. I want the four of us back together—that’s the only certainty I’m aware of. I want Shay back.

26

Richard

One of our clients and a close friend of mine texted me earlier to let me know that Alice was late yet again. This time, however, Shay wasn’t around to open the gym in her stead. Shay is away in Canada, and I don’t know why… but I’m worried. Or miserable. Or both and more. There’s been a lot on my mind lately. Doubt has been a predominant companion of mine, particularly where the new gym project is concerned.

The enthusiasm I originally had about the place is starting to fizzle out, and I’m not the kind of man who backs down from a newly signed lease agreement. I’m ready to roll the project forward and set up a new gym in the space, but I feel… lonely. Lonely in this business endeavor, and lonely on a personal level. Marius and Jax have remained friendly and civil, yet I can feel them slipping away. They said they understood, but I can’t stop them from walking away. I have no control over people’s emotions. I barely have control over mine.

I walk into the West Key reception area just as Alice comes out of my office, giggling with stars in her eyes as she sees me. “Hey, bossy boss!” she quips.

“Good morning, Alice,” I reply coldly.

It’s one thing to have Shay cover for this girl when she’s late, it’s one thing for me to keep forgiving her transgressions on the matter, and it’s a whole other thing for clients to call me—ME, of all people, to tell me our gym isn’t opening on time on account of a lazy receptionist. It’s unacceptable. And Shay was right on the money with this one, too. Instead of handling it from the very beginning, like the man and the businessman I portray myself to be, I chose to shift my focus away from West Key and on to another project. How will I ever grow anything if I don’t stick around to nurture the seedling?

We meet in front of the reception desk as I give her a subtle nod of acknowledgment. She is way too relaxed for the glower aimed at her. It’s almost insulting.

“You were late again,” I tell Alice, then briefly glance over her shoulder to find Jax sitting in one of the guest chairs of my office. Another person I need to sort things out with before I lose him, too. I’m pretty sure we’ve already lost Shay. “I don’t think this is going to work out, Alice.”

“Easy there, Rick,” she giggles. “There was a lot of traffic downNinth this morning. It wasn’t my fault.”

“It’s never your fault, is it? You’re late at least twice every week.”

“Minor delays. Barely fifteen minutes!”

I shake my head slowly. “You were almost two hours late less than a couple of weeks ago. I could just pull the CCTV footage from the last month alone, if you want. We could go over each day and check the timestamp. Would that make you feel less in the wrong, Alice? Because I’m pretty sure your arguments would just wither away. Do you not understand how serious this is?”

“Rick, come on, it’s not that big of a deal.”

“The fact that you’re constantly late and failing to open the gym on time? Are you serious? We’ve lost clients because of you. And honestly, I’ve tried to be understanding and supportive, fully aware of the difficult situation you’re dealing with at home, but I can’t take this anymore.”

The humor fades from her eyes as she takes a step forward. Maybe she’s used to intimidating men with her brazenness, but I think she’s forgetting who she’s speaking to. Maybe it’s time to remind her. Some lessons must be hard in order for us to learn. This is going to be hers.

“You can’t fire me, Rick. We’ve got history together.”

“I don’t think you understand how interpersonal relationships work.”

“What will your clients think when they hear we were a thing, huh?”

She narrows her eyes at me, and suddenly… it hits me. She’s actually foolish enough to think she can pull this card on me. I gave her too much leeway. I was far too kind and patient with the wrong person.

“It’ll ruin your reputation, Rick. Especially since I’m just a naive twenty-something from the slums of Seattle. You used me.”

---