Page 6 of Secretary Crush
The door to the bar opens, and my eyes fall from the TV to see Gage walking in. He sees me, and he smiles before heading over. “Hey, man. What’s going on?” he asks, shaking my hand.
“Oh, nothing much. Just getting some dinner. How are you?”
He smiles. “I stopped in for a bottle of wine. Zoe and I are going over to Ella’s for dinner tonight. It’s her way of saying thank you for hooking her up with a job. Thanks, by the way.”
I laugh. “My pleasure. I really hope she works out. God knows that office needs help.”
He crosses his arms over his chest. “She seems really great. She and Zoe have really hit it off.”
The server walks over, and Gage stops her. “Tracy, is there any way you guys can sell me a bottle of wine?” He tilts his head and gives her a flirtatious smile.
Her brows lift. “Wine? For you?”
He rolls his eyes. “I’m going to a dinner and need to bring the host a gift.”
She nods. “Let me talk to the boss,” she says, turning and walking through the door.
“Have a seat,” I say, motioning toward the empty side of the booth.
He takes a deep breath and sits across from me. “So, how are things with you and…Joanne? That’s her name, right?”
My eyes stretch wide. “Oh, that’s over and has been for a long time now. When we broke up, she was the one working in my office. That’s why it’s in such bad shape.”
“Oh, I’m sorry for asking. I wasn’t trying to pry.”
I wave him off as I lift my beer and take a sip. “It is what it is. She and I, we’ve been off and on for years. She tries to go off on her own but fails and comes right back.”
He presses his lips together. “You ever consider not taking her back?”
I shrug. “Never had a reason not to before.” I take a drink. “We have a lot of history. I’ve just…I’ve always been the one to care for her after her father’s passing, so I guess I feel like it’s my responsibility in a way.”
He nods and opens his mouth to reply, but the server is back with a bottle of wine, and she’s holding it out. “Twelve bucks sound good?”
With a nod, he stands and takes out his wallet. “Perfect.”
“It’s what we paid for it.” She shrugs, taking the money and handing it over.
Gage takes the bottle, and he looks down at me. “Well, thanks for keeping me company. I better go get this chilled before dinner.”
I nod as my appetizer is being put in front of me. “See you next time, and thanks for sending Ella my way. I can’t wait to hand everything over to her tomorrow.”
He laughs. “I bet,” he says, patting my shoulder before pushing toward the door.
Now that I’m alone again, I waste no time digging into my food. My attention goes back to the golf game on the TV, but my thoughts are filled with Ella, the shop, Joanne, and what she’s doing now. I cross my fingers and hope that she never comes back, that she doesn’t think she can come back and take her job from Ella. I remind myself that I owe her nothing. Maybe this is just what I need to keep the space I want between Joanne and me. I’ve been looking for a way to push her away for years, but she always keeps showing up on my doorstep like a lost puppy. A puppy that I feel responsible for.
About the time I finish with my tall mug of beer and hot wings, my dinner is being placed in front of me, and I dig in, the burger so big and thick that it takes everything I have just to open my mouth wide enough. I rip off a big bite and chew, waiting on a refill on my beer to wash it down with. When she sets it on my table, I pick it up and take a long drink, enjoying the coldness as it makes its way down my throat.
As I shovel my food into my mouth, memories of the day fill my thoughts. I think about the bike I’ve been working on and everything I’ll need to do tomorrow to get it back on track. I wonder how the guys are doing on their work—they usually don’t fall behind, but sometimes, they need a little management just like any crew does. Just thinking about everything I’ll have to teach Ella tomorrow is enough to make me feel anxious. I don’t want to forget anything. Maybe I should make a list? I look around, but there isn’t a pen on the table, and I’m not carrying one. I decide to make a mental list until I can get home to find a pen.
I have to show her how to submit insurance claims so we get paid for the work we complete. I need to show her the website we order parts from and how we order them. Most importantly, I have to show her how to handle the guys so they don’t harass her into quitting. They really are like a bunch of children. All they want to do is bother and pester one another to add a little entertainment to their day. They never fuck with me because I’m the boss. But I do get a kick out of watching them fuck around as long as their work is getting done. I just hope they don’t try it with Ella.
Thinking of Ella has her appearing behind my eyes. I want to reach out and wrap one of those silky curls around my fingers. Her long dark hair has the perfect highlight to it, giving definition to each of her curls. When the light hits those highlights, they shimmer like gold thread. Her green eyes are lined in thick dark lashes, and when she looks up at me, I want to bite my fist. Here I am telling the guys to keep their hands off…I’ll be the biggest problem out of all of us.
5
ELLA
After dinner, I make a pot of coffee, and we all hang out in the kitchen, talking while drinking and snacking on coffee cake for dessert. Zoe ends up measuring my windows to have her boss create custom curtains like she did for her when I mentioned that I couldn’t afford things like blinds and curtains right now. Her wandering off through the apartment leaves Gage and me alone to talk about Hudson and the job I’m starting tomorrow.
