Page 55 of Stuck With You
He turns to leave, but I stop him. “Oh, wait. I don’t have my car.”
“If you’re ok with it, we can ride together, and I’ll drop you off at home after.”
I quickly contemplate it, and even though I’m not excited about him taking me home, this is too good an opportunity to refuse. “Sure. Thank you.”
He nods once and disappears.
I tap on my phone screen. Nothing. I drop it in my purse, finish an email, and shut down my computer. I grab my things and step into the hallway, jolting to a stop.
“Hey. Where are you heading so fast?”
A man holds up his hands. He’s wearing jeans, a sweater, and a wool coat. The slick smile creeping across his mouth makes my eyeballs want to take a trip to the inside of my head. It’s boyish and charming. The very kind of smile that led me exactly here.
I slide the strap of my purse higher across my body and meet his bold stare.
“I’ve heard about the girl with two different color eyes. Now, I get to see for myself.”
I drape my coat over my arm. “I wasn’t aware they were such a spectacle. Maybe I should join the circus.”
I know people talk about my eyes, but you’d think adults would have more tact than to treat them like some kind of deformity to be gawked at.
His smile grows a little wider. “Tell me. Are they real?”
If I had a dollar for every time I was asked that question, I’d be playing in the sand with Ollie and Frankie somewhere warm with the ocean as our backyard.
“No. I can pop the glass one out anytime I want.” I widen my eyes a little.
His gaze flicks between mine, trying to decide if it’s true, but then his smile returns. “You’re a sassy one. I like it.”
I want to vomit on his loafers, but I refrain.
“Junior.” Griffin appears behind me, just outside his office door. “I’ve only got five minutes.”
Junior, as I now know him, steps to the side to let me through, but drops his shoulder just before I pass. “You’ll fit in here nicely, but stay away from Kat. She bites.”
I glance at him, wondering if he’s ever been kneed in the balls. I ponder asking, but decide it wouldn’t be professional.
I smile, the fake kind. “Don’t worry. I bite back.” I leave him and his suffocating arrogance to wait for Griffin.
Marcie and Robyn peek around me and down the hall, whispering as they track Junior.
“You met Junior,” Marcie says as if I were blessed with a gift.
“I sure did.” I cross my arms over my torso, holding my coat.
“We heard him ask about your eyes. He’s such a flirt.”
I want to gag. The only thing he was stroking was his own ego.
“It’s nice that he and Seth have become friends, especially after Seth called off his engagement,” Marcie says, and it’s filled with pity.
I dig for my phone, choosing not to participate in gossip. It’s been clear from my first day that Marcie has a crush on Seth. She follows him around like a lost puppy, and he’s either oblivious or ignores it.
“It was for the best,” Marcie says as if I asked for details. “She wasn’t right for him. She worked at that garage a few blocks away.”
My ears snag on that tidbit as I tap my phone to check for messages again. I didn’t know a woman worked at Slade’s garage. I file the information away for later.
“She never spoke. It was like pulling teeth to get her to say anything. Can you even imagine?”
