Page 40 of Not As Advertised

“I’m glad. I liked Anime Expo best.”

“I bet you did. You got to have four afternoons seeing me out of my comfort zone.” He squeezed my side playfully.

“That’s true. It’s only fair. The tables have to turn sometime.”

He pressed his cheek to the top of my head. “It hasn’t been so bad, though, has it? Being an executive assistant?”

“Well, once I stopped giving the wrong reports to the wrong departments and figured out the scheduling software so I didn’t accidentally invite everyone to all the meetings, it’s been okay.”

Aiden chuckled at my frank assessment of the minor disasters during my first few weeks on the job.

“There’s a learning curve for everything,” he offered generously.

“Right… Another step up in the corporate world. I’m on my way.”

“Do you want to be? Moving up the ladder, that is?”

I pulled away a little so I could look into his eyes. He’d been a better than expected listener this trip, I considered how honest to be.

“You don’t have to tell me.” He must have seen the hesitation on my face. “That said, you can tell me, and it will stay between us. Just like this whole twenty-four hours. We’re taking a step out of reality.”

I tried to smile in response. It had felt so good in his arms I’d forgotten this was a stolen moment in time. That everything would go back to the way it was tomorrow morning. A little bit of sadness dampened the lightness of my mood.

“Not really,” I admitted quietly, not looking into his eyes anymore but instead at the way his T-shirt stretched across his well-toned chest. Turning toward him, I put my hand over his heart, soothed by the steady beat. What was the harm? I was decent at my job now. It wasn’t like he was going to demote me.

“Why not?” His tone didn’t show any surprise or disappointment, just the same deep well of calm he seemed to have endless access to.

Unconsciously smoothing out the wrinkles in his shirt, running my hand over the spot on his chest repeatedly, I struggled to verbalize my secret wish.

“Remember how we met that day at the park?” I felt like that moment was years ago rather than a few months. “I’d rather be taking photos for a living, but I wasn’t brave enough to go to school for it.”

My chest caved in with the panic of admitting where my true passions lay, followed by a deep well of relief that wasunexpected. This was big for me. I’d never uttered those words out loud to anyone other than Indie and Emery.

The world didn’t end because I told Aiden that I’d rather be doing something else. I’d shocked myself by having the ability to let out one of my most tender pain points. My regrets were a reminder that I’d let my mom fearmonger me into a career path I hadn’t even wanted because it was what she considered practical.

I chanced a peek at his face through my lashes, not ready to see if he thought that my idea was stupid reflected in his face. But his face was clear of judgment. Aiden wore the same attentive and interested expression he’d adopted during our time alone on this trip.

“Why not? I’ve seen the photos you’ve been sending Ethan in graphics for the company’s social media account. It’s clear you have talent. I don’t have the technical background to explain why, but I know images that can be sold, and you’ve achieved that.”

I couldn’t speak for a moment as the rush of emotion built behind my eyes at his praise. I’d always played off my interest as a hobby or something “fun” to pass the time. Blinking to keep the overwhelming emotions at bay, I struggled to find the words to reply to him.

“Thank you. I’m bad at taking compliments. But I appreciate you saying that.” It was an understatement that I wasn’t good at accepting praise. More like I avoided situations where my efforts were recognized, preferring to stay out of the limelight. Compliments made me feel like a fraud, like I’d fooled the person into believing something about me that wasn’t true.

But somehow, coming from Aiden, the statement that he liked my photos felt genuine in a way I couldn’t doubt. Maybe it was because he was such a direct person who didn’t pull his punches. Aiden never offered flattery or praise that was undue.

I tucked his words into a little corner of my heart. I knew it wasn’t a good idea to let him affect me this much, but next time the world felt dark for me, I hoped to be able to pull out this moment to remind myself that someone else believed in me.

“Well, it’s true. I hope you take it to heart. If that’s your area of interest, you should look at applying to the temporary position that’s coming up when one of Ethan’s team goes on leave next month.”

Now I was surprised. “What?”

“There’s no reason you shouldn’t take advantage of an opportunity to learn more about something you’re interested in. Maybe it’s half a step down in terms of the admin role you have now, but I think you’d enjoy it. Ethan runs a good team.”

“But what about my role?” I wondered now if he was looking for a reason to get rid of me. Was I doing a shitty job, and he was just trying to let me down easy? That thought made me a little ill.

“Hey, now listen.” He pulled me in tighter to his body and reached up with his other hand to cover mine where I realized I was now gripping his T-shirt. His hand enveloped my whole fist in warmth. “You’ve got a good handle on your job now. Don’t doubt yourself. I’m shooting myself in the foot by telling you that you should talk to Ethan about that role. I’m going to end up with someone inept from the admin pool to cover you.”

His deep sigh made me giggle. “Well, there is your trusty manual. Whoever might take over for me temporarily could learn to live and breathe it.”

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