Page 84 of His Temptation
“Hey.” Roy approaches my desk slowly. “You doing all right?”
I sit up tall. “I’m okay,” I reply with the best smile I can muster.
He doesn’t seem to be buying it. He just looks at me like I’m a lost little puppy. “I’ve known Lincoln for over a decade now. He’s not as tough as he looks or even as he likes to think.”
I’m not sure what to say back to him. I squirm awkwardly in my seat.
“What I’m trying to say is,” he continues, “give it some time. He isn’t the greatest with processing his feelings.”
I nod my head with a thin smile. “Thank you for saying that.”
“How are those spreadsheets treating you?” he says, veering the topic to safer ground.
“It’s a lot of numbers,” I reply without thinking.
He laughs loudly. It’s kind of a relief to see how easygoing he is. “That’s accounting for you. You’ll get used to it. If you have any questions, just let me know. If you can impress Lincoln with your work, you’ll pick this up in no time.”
“I impressed him?”
“Of course you did. He’s given you more compliments than any other assistant he’s had combined.”
He walks back into his office, leaving me with that feeling of regret that made its appearance several times last night.
What if I ruined the best thing that could have ever happened to me? I let my doubts and fears cloud my mind and let my stubbornness get in the way. Now I’m alone, and the only reason I still have a job is likely because he took pity on my situation.
Not because I actually deserve to be here.
I’m just a high school dropout who was in the right place at the right time to snatch an opportunity up from someone else who probably deserved it.
When it comes time for lunch, Morgan and Paris meet me at my desk.
“Let’s go,” Morgan says abruptly.
“Go where?” I ask.
“We’re taking you to lunch. I’m sensing you need to get out of this building for a bit. You don’t have to tell us anything if you’re not ready. We can all eat in silence if that is what you need.”
I smile softly with an overwhelming sense of appreciation. “Thank you. I think I could use a break from being here.”
Fifteen minutes later, we’re seated in a nearby restaurant, placing our orders.
They’ve been great, filling up the time with random topics. There’s no pressure for me to talk about any of the drama in my life. As much as I appreciate that, I don’t have any other adult in my life to talk to. It might be helpful to get someone else’s perspective.
That’s how I find myself telling the two of them everything. They know about my background, how I got this job, and exactly what went down with me and Lincoln. Instead of seeing judgmental eyes on me, I see them looking at me kindly.
“That’s about it,” I say, then take a deep breath.
“Wow,” Paris whispers. “That’s a lot. Thank you for being so open with us.”
“Agreed. Thank you,” Morgan starts. “How are you feeling about all of it now?”
My shoulders slump in defeat. “Awful. I can’t stop replaying it in my head. I go from anger to regret, back to anger, to sadness in the span of minutes. I’m all over the place.”
“That makes sense. From what I heard, it’s not an easy situation. Can I be honest?” Morgan asks cautiously.
“Yes. I think I need that right now.”
“Okay. Well, did you overreact and say some harsh things to him? Yes.”
