Page 56 of Wildly Inappropriate

“Ugh. Elise, we areat DEFCON 1 here! Why are you not answering your phone?” I’m practically shouting at my best friend’s voicemail as I walk into the office Monday morning. I sent her a string of text messages every night for the past two nights but haven’t been away from JT for long enough to call her until now. Inability to gossip about him with my best friend aside, I could really get used to him shuttling me back and forth to work. This morning, we spent the time in the car talking about his upcoming tournament, and his travel schedule over the next three weeks. I knew he was going to be back to playing, but it hadn’t sunk in just how much that meant he would be gone in the next few weeks. To say I am bummed would be like saying gummy candy is decent: understatement of the year.

“Oooo, DEFCON 1. Say more,” Becca says from her computer monitor. Kelsey hops up from my chair where she’s lounging. Even though the third desk in the office is now officially mine, it seems old habits die hard from when the Harper sisters used to use it as their own personal hot desk.

“Nope,” Kelsey says. “At least, not until I leave. I have to hold a boundary somewhere, and, based on the conversation we had with JT Friday night, I feel like I have a good idea what this is about.”

“What did you talk to JT about Friday night?” I ask, and quickly follow it with, “And why can you talk to him about this stuff but not me?”

“Because I don’t employ him.” Her brow furrows. “Though maybe it is crossing a line anyway.”

“It’s not, Kels. You know everyone in this town is involved in their employees’ business. I feel like you could live a bit more in the gray,” Izzy jumps in.

Kelsey scrunches up her nose like she got a whiff of a particularly sweaty man’s body odor, clearly not a fan of crossing any lines with her employees. “Nope. Couldn’t be me,” she says before pushing through the doors and heading out onto the street.

“We never should’ve let her hire you,” Izzy says. I put my hand over my heart and fake a gasp. “Excuse me?”

“Not like that. We just should’ve known she’d get all weird about the boundaries of it all. You could’ve come to work for us. Becca and I have absolutely no boundaries.” Izzy leans over to high-five her friend, but Becca just stares at her hand.

“I am not high-fiving you for that. We have boundaries, or we would if we weren’t a two-person company where both employees are also the co-owners. We still don’t do things like sleep with clients, steal money, poach clients—”

“Fine, fine,” Izzy says. “Though I’m upset you didn’t high-five me. It’s pretty mean to just leave me hanging like that.”

“You’ll survive.”

“Well, if I don’t, I’m going to come back to haunt you for sure. And any time you’re with a guy, I’m going to hover over you and offer my critique while also reminding you of all the non-sexy things I can think of, like…hairy moles…or old banana peels.”

“There is something seriously wrong with you, you know that, right?” Becca asks, shaking her head but laughing all the same.

“Yeah. I have terrible taste in best friends and business partners, but it’s a cross I must bear.”

I laugh at my officemates as I pull up the proposal Kelsey asked me to work on. It’s a huge potential contract, and I was so excited when she asked me to take point on it. Unfortunately, I’m realizing nothing I did in college prepared me for this. I’ve spent way more hours than I care to admit Googling different diagrams and information Kelsey included in the proposal outline. I know if I ask Kelsey, she’d walk me through it, but I don’t want her to regret her decision or think I’m incompetent. I’m sure I can figure it out myself; I just need to work harder.

I’m trying to figure out how to correctly interpret a mobile security plan so it’s understandable in the client mockup when my phone vibrates loudly on my desk. As I read it, my heart speeds up.

JT

Is it ridiculous that I miss you already? Can you sneak away for coffee? And then again for lunch? Do you all do elevensies?

Elevensies. Ha. What a nerd.

Me

Unfortunately, Kelsey won’t let me take off three of the first four hours of the day. Real hard-ass like that. Maybe you should consider doing your job today ;)

I smile at the thought of our golf game yesterday. JT had been on fire, and I could tell it was a relief for him to be playing well again. He was actually enjoying being out on the course. And enjoying some other things on the course.Damn back nine.

“Oh my gosh, are you blushing from a text message over there?” Izzy asks. “I know I was the one who got us distracted from the impending nuclear war designation when you came in this morning, but now we must know. What’s going on?”

“You first,” I say, tilting back in my chair and tapping my pen on the desk. “What did Kelsey mean when she said you guys were talking to JT Friday night?”

“Strong power play. Kelsey would be proud,” Becca says. “And, as I wasn’t there Friday night—and apparently mybest frienddidn’t feel the need to fill me in—I’d also like Izzy to go first.”

The woman in question looks between us, her long brown hair falling over her shoulder as she considers it. “Fine. Seems fair. But you better hold up your end of the deal.”

I shrug and nod my head in agreement.

“Well, as you know, Kelsey and I stayed after golfing Friday afternoon to get dinner and drinks. We had just wrapped up a very long dinner when who should arrive but our dear friend, JT.”

“Why do you sound like you’re Pharrell narratingThe Grinch?” Becca cuts in.

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