Page 16 of Objection to Love

“Sounds fun, where should I meet you guys?”

“Same place we went to celebrate that win Peter got last month. I can drive you if you want?”

Stephanie giggled. Actually giggled. “No thanks, I’ll just meet you there. See you then!”

Parker pushed from the desk and smirked down at Stephanie.

You’re too old for her!

He didn’t receive her telepathy.

“Oh, hey, Parker?” Stephanie called after him.

“Yeah?” He turned around about two feet from Stephanie’s desk.

“Can you remind me how to file a motion?”

“Sure thing.”

Em groaned and focused back on her own work, ignoring the not-so-hushed voices of the two outside her office.

But what she couldn’t ignore was her newfound knowledge. Apparently, everyone was getting together after work. Everyone but her.

She tapped her pen against the legal pad. She honestly couldn’t claim a friendship with a single soul at work, and that had never bothered her before. But when theentireoffice got together for something, especially something like celebrating a case, which they apparently did last month, it stung to be excluded.

Em worked hard. Too hard, according to April, and not hard enough according to her parents. But it would seem that none of her coworkers cared about that at all. None of them cared about her. Granted… theyusedto invite her to things. Em distinctly remembered offers to go to lunch or get together for a bite after work. But when she’d first started, she was focused on proving her worth and skill. The ten-year plan hadn’t had space for taking lunches and letting loose after work. She’d always assumed she could get together with coworkers when she was more established. When they respected her for her performance.

When had they stopped extending invitations?

Em swallowed, and before she knew it, she was calling Stephanie into her office. She was just grateful her subconscious had at least waited until Parker vacated the premises.

“Yes, Ms. Miller? I just filed that motion for you. Did you need something else?” Stephanie appeared to be a strange cross between wary and proud of herself.

“No. Well, yes. Do you have plans for this evening?” Em couldn’t look Stephanie in the eye while she asked, so she kept her gaze trained on the papers in front of her.

“Oh.” Stephanie’s surprise was evident in that one syllable. “Well, yeah, actually. A bunch of us are going down to Marty’s for food after work.”

Em’s knee started bouncing of its own accord. She stuck her hand on top of it.

“Sounds fun. Do you go there often?” She reminded herself of Garrett, fishing for information.Stop thinking of Garrett. Geez.

“Oh, yeah, a couple times a month.” Stephanie was all bubbles and perk again, now that she knew she wasn’t being called in to give a detailed accounting of how to file a motion or some other mundane task.

Em finally looked up. She leaned back in the chair and tried to appear relaxed. “Interesting. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of anyone getting together.”

“Oh, yeah,” Stephanie faltered, “well… The whole office thinks you’d rather work overtime for a month than hang out with any of them.” She shrugged, avoiding Em’s eye.

Em tried to laugh. But she was afraid it sounded more like that time Mr. Winkles got stuck behind the fridge. “Yeah. Ha ha. That’s me. I love work.”

“Yup! You’re the hardest worker in this place.” She smiled with the innocently given compliment. Compliment. So why did it feel like… not a compliment?

“Did you need anything else?” Stephanie asked brightly.

Em wasn’t sure she effectively hid her rapidly rising dismay. “Nope, that’s all. Thanks, Stephanie. Would you close the door?”

“Sure!” Then she practically skipped out the door, her ponytail swaying behind her.

“Stephanie, the door…” Em sighed when the paralegal sashayed straight past her desk and toward the break room. Em stood and crossed the room. As she closed the door, she caught the tail end of a conversation just inside Rachel’s office next door.

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