Page 76 of Date with a Devil
“Oh, okay.” She stirred the milk until the tea blended into a lighter, uniform orange. She sipped through the straw. It was sweet. After Dane’s health drink, it was almost nauseatingly sweet. She must’ve made a face.
“Don’t like it?” Thayer asked with a frown.
“No, it’s definitely good.” She took another sip to placate him. “I just wasn’t expecting it to be so sweet.”
“I guess it’s not for everyone.” Thayer shrugged his shoulders. “Are you hungry?”
“I could eat, yeah. Where are the menus?”
“Actually, I already put in your order. I got you the spicy chicken curry ramen. Since you said you weren’t feeling well, I thought some spice would be nice.”
“Oh, uh,” she stammered, “thanks.”
She didn’t know why her boss thought it was appropriate to order food and drink on her behalf. She was a grown woman. She had preferences of her own. She didn’t need him to order for her like she was a child.
“Now, should we talk about more important matters?” he asked.
“Sure.”
“First of all. Mr. Baumbach wasveryimpressed with the reaction of your video.”
“My video,” she muttered under her breath with a small chuckle. It wasn’t her video at all—it was Thayer’s.
“Hm? What was that?” he asked.
“Nothing.”
“Anyway, Mr. Baumbach is very pleased. Apparently, the Devils front office is utterly swamped with fans demanding DeHardt gets shipped out—phone calls, emails, everything. And Mr. Sullivan has heard the crowd loud and clear. That was exactly the reaction we were hoping for, so hey! Mission accomplished. Put ’er there.”
Thayer held his hand up for a high five across the table. Austen glared at his hand with a loathing.
Ugh. Why are you making me do this.
She meekly pushed her hand into his. Her limp hand bopped the cold, damp flesh of his palm without making a single sound. When she tried to retrieve her hand, his fingers interlocked with hers. She tried to wriggle her fingers free, but he only tightened his grip.
“Austen,” he said, sounding suddenly serious. He wouldn’t let go of her hand.
“Yes?” she asked, slightly annoyed.
“There’s good news and bad news.”
Austen gave one last forceful yank and broke her hand free from his grasp. “The bad news,” she grumbled. God, she never realized how much she hated these meetings with him until now.
“Okay, bad news it is. Unfortunately, your previous position, Social Media Content Specialist, has been eliminated.”
“Oh.” Her eyes shifted as she tried to make sense of that information. “What aboutDate with a Devil?”
“It’s over, too.”
That was bittersweet. She hated to see the show end, but after Thayer’s credibility-destroying stunt,Date with a Devilwas virtually dead in the water, anyhow. At least the show wasn’t going to continue without her.
“But why is it being canceled?” she asked.
“To put it bluntly, it served its purpose.”
“To get Dane out of Dallas,” she mumbled. “Was that its purpose from day one?”
The conversation paused as the waitress delivered two bowls of ramen to their table. Thayer waited until she was gone to admit the truth.
