Page 37 of Under Locke & Key
“It’s just an attraction. Nothing more…”
“If it was just attraction then crab rangoon would’ve been enough of a distraction to pull you out of this.”
We walk down the block, Ángel and I trailing behind the group as I hear Farren faintly talk to Bryce and his friends about board games and hers that she designed.
Settling down to eat I somehow find myself next to Bryce again, and Ángel on my other side. Farren and Sebastian are not so subtle across from us and Logan and Gabrielle keep looking at me like I have something on my face, which Ángel has assured me I don’t.
“So, how have the first couple months been?” Logan asks, his eyes kind on Bryce.
Bryce takes a bracing breath beside me, the side of his arm brushing against mine as his chest fills with air and he blows it out in a huff.
“That bad, huh?” Logan asks.
“We’re a bit behind, I think. It took a while to close on the building, we haven’t been able to check out very many escape rooms, and we haven’t even started brainstorming room ideas even though we’ve been learning a lot about mechanics.”
Logan grimaces at the stress in Bryce’s voice and I can’t lie and say I haven’t seen those dark circles and sad brackets beside his mouth. Not as bad as the day I first met him but nowhere close to gone.
“You haven’t started with ideas but . . .” I whisper beside him and Bryce twists to look down at me, a question in his eyes.
“I know things haven’t exactly been going to plan for you so I started taking notes after every room we’ve been to—even though it hasn’t been very many—but once I noticed deficiencies or things you seemed to particularly enjoy I made a point of writing them down. Since then I’ve been researching a few popular themes so you can have a familiar cornerstone, but I’ve also been writing down ideas to bring to you. I have a whole notebook for when you’re ready.” It flows out of me in a rush, my eyes never leaving his, and I feel heat creep up my neck.
It isn’t just that he’s good looking—which he is—but it’s the way he doesn’t make me feel like I need to be anything other than myself. I find the softness creeping out—the vulnerability and hope I don’t let many see. Bryce gives me the silence to work through my thoughts, the grace to let me speak my mind when I’m ready, and the knowledge that he sees me as a person first, not just a bottom line.
I really shouldn’t be this affected by common decency but the bar has been pretty low, especially recently given Andrew and Keith’s treatment. Coupled with the blazing shitshow of Riley cheating on me with someone else—also in a relationship, thus blowing up two in one go—it's been hard to believe the best in people. Bryce has made no move, he hasn’t even indicated that he’s interested. Not that it should matter. I’m trying to stay professional here and he’s clearly not over his ex if he was still wearing a wedding ring almost a year later. Though there was no denying the curl in my stomach the next time I saw him after asking about it and it being gone.
Despite how much I’m attracted to him, I don’t and I won’t push. Bryce has enough on his plate as it is, he doesn’t need to add firing an employee because they were interested in something that wasn’t reciprocated and is wholly unethical.
“You . . .”
“You told me to pay attention, to take initiative, so I did. I hope you don’t mind.” I hate how small my voice sounds, how breathless. I feel like I’m back in school, pushing my way through classes to hit that top spot and be told I’ve done well. I’ve earned my place. It was so much easier to achieve back then.
“Mind? God, Rachel. You’re a lifesaver. I’ve been so stressed about starting this up, and the admin that came with it that I was unprepared for. This is wonderful, you’re w—” Bryce catches himself and I hold my breath waiting for what he was about to say but he clears his throat. “You’re helping me out more than you know and I’m sorry it’s been such a mess. I know coming from a big company to my . . . less-than-put-together business is a downgrade.”
Ángel scoffs next to me and I finally tear my gaze away to give him a dirty look.
“What?” Ángel defends. “It’ssonot a downgrade. They treated her like trash, especially Keith and that two-faced ex-boss of yours.” Ángel gestures to Sebastian as if he expects him to back up his claims.
“What did they do?” Sebastian asks with a slight edge to his voice instead and Farren pulls a face that lets me know she never did tell him after I left that night.
“After the debacle with confronting Andrew and his sexist bullshit, they forced her to go out and celebrate the promotion that should have rightfully been hers—I still think you should look into filing some discrimination thing”—Ángel pauses his answer to Sebastian to scold me before he carries on with my old colleague—“Keith had his drunk paws all over her in the bar, insulted and hit on her, practically told her that if they messed around it would be fine cause he’s her boss now and nobody needed to know.”
“Ángel,” I grit out between my teeth, ungrateful for his airing my dirty laundry in front of my new boss and his friends, and Sebastian for that matter even though that’s not as bad. He knows it was shitty there. I’m just not pleased that Ángel took it upon himself to tell the rest of the table as well.
“What the fuck?” It comes from Gabrielle and the whole table turns to look at the woman who up until now has been fairly reserved unless spoken to directly. Logan barks out a laugh beside her and it kind of dispels the tension for the whole table.
“I could apologize for my language, but I won’t. That’s so not okay.” Gabrielle on the brink of anger does not look like the type of woman you should cross and I will make sure I never do.
“Right?” Ángel emphasizes beside me and I give him that elbow to the stomach that I’ve been thinking about way too many times tonight. His breath huffs out of him in a little grunt and I ignore it to look at Bryce.
His expression is shuttered and I don’t know why it bothers me but it does.
“It’snota downgrade. Not being chained to a desk, getting to see Dulaney and go to escape rooms, and brainstorming themes and how they can be incorporated into a design is not a downgrade. It’s more creative freedom that I’ve had in years and I’m grateful you hired me.” I hope he hears the sincerity in my voice. Even if Lakin-Cole and its employees hadn’t treated me like this I’d still be grateful.
Bryce’s lips are pressed into an unhappy line, the biggest sign of discomfort I’ve seen on him today. His body is tense, shoulders slightly raised as if he’s holding himself as still as he can without his agitation escaping.Notthat I’ve been watching for that sort of thing since I’ve noticed physical tells are the easiest way to know what he’s thinking—not at all. I give him a small smile and his lips soften a little, a slight curl at the corner of his mouth alleviating my worry over how this situation has just gone down.
I turn my attention to his friends, wanting to bridge that gap, andnotwanting my own to embarrass me again.
“So, since we're on the topic of work. Logan, Bryce tells me you’re in marketing . . .” It’s more awkward than I’d like and Ángel mumbles something under his breath about this not being a networking event, but it’s the best I can scrape together when my mind is full of half smiles and sad eyes.
