Page 21 of Thanks for the Memories
“I just realized it sounded a little harsh.” He scratches his head, shifting his wavy dark hair. “I could make it up to you by going to Donut Giant.”
I let a giggle escape. “Are you just looking for an excuse to get donuts?”
Out of the corner of my eye I see Amanda watching us. She looks perplexed which gives me a weird feeling.
“You know me so well,” he suggests. “But seriously, I didn’t mean to make it sound like Dante doesn’t want to see you.”
“I know. It’s fine,” I say with a shrug.
“Good,” he says, relief in his voice. “But if you want donuts, I’m your guy.”
He moves back to his desk, and we drop the subject. I spend most of the morning working on contracts. Carl and Jeremy leave for lunch, and Gretchen took the day off, so it’s the perfect time for me to talk to Amanda.
“Hey. Is everything all right with you?” I ask as I approach her desk.
She gives me a confused look. “Of course. Why?”
“I don’t know. I have a feeling like something is off. You acted like you wanted to tell me something the other day.”
“It’s not a big deal.”
In other words, I’m right. I’ve always had good intuition about this kind of stuff. I knew right away that things weren’t right when I told Bethany I was moving.
“Are you sure? Because I can sense when something’s up.”
She chews on her lip. Obviously, she’s holding back. I don’t want to pry but—
“You really don’t see it?” she asks.
What’s she talking about? Clearly, I’m missing something, and she must see the confusion on my face.
“Jeremy’s interested in you.”
Wait, what?Did I just hallucinate?
Her theory has caught me completely off guard.
Jeremy is playful with me, but that’s his personality. Yes, he’s good-looking, fun, and has a great personality. He’s also my co-worker, and there are rules against that, right? I’m not talking about specific rules in our office because there are none. I’m talking about co-workers dating in general.
I snort. “Um, I don’t think so.”
“Okay,Blondie,” she teases.
A silly nickname? That’s what she’s basing her wild theory on? He calls Carl “Panda” sometimes. Does that mean he’s interested in him too?
“He just told us he went out with someone—you were there. Jeremy has never given an indication that he has interest in me. The nickname is just for fun.”
She shrugs nonchalantly.
I’ve worked with Amanda for ten months. She’s headstrong and opinionated, so I doubt I’ll be able to change her mind. In fact, I’m pretty sure she’s in the wrong profession. She would’ve been a shark of a lawyer, and I’d actually hire her now.
Neither of us says anything else about it, and when Jeremy and Carl return from lunch, there’s a weird vibe in the office.
My sister went through a phase where she was really into auras and chakras. She would sage the house every day whenever she felt negative energy. Evan finally had enough after his co-workers thought he was coming to work high every morning. Let’s just say she used enough sage for the pungent scent to linger.
I kind of wish I had some of that sage right now.
My phone rings, and for the first time in a while, I’m relieved to see my sister’s number on the screen. She usually has terrible timing, but I welcome it today.
