Page 15 of Behind the Cascades
I make it to the office in under ten minutes and get right to work helping proof a stack of documents.
"Thank you so much. You have no idea how stressed I was."
I grin back. "All good. I was just sitting on my couch anyway. I needed a break from reading over the same notecards a million times."
She laughs, "That feels like a lifetime ago for me. I don't miss the stress one bit."
One eyebrow raises on its own toward her. "This job is a thousand times more stressful than any class I've ever taken."
"True, but at least the money makes it all worth it."
She's got a good point there; Noah pays well above what anyone else in the industry would. I'm lucky that I even got the job, considering my lack of experience. I’m pretty sure it was only because my brother and Hayes played football with his younger brother when they were in high school. Being from thesame small town gave me a very small connection with Noah, and I made sure to leverage that link during the interview process. Maybe more than leverage. I exploited the heck out of it.
"Think Noah's still reeling that the deadline got pushed up?" I ask as she finishes scanning the last document.
"You have no idea. He was using his growly voice at me as if I were the one who changed it."
"He only uses that tone with you. Everyone else uses his business-professional tone or his angry, 'you're fired' tone."
She rolls her eyes, but I see a small smile. "I've been here for so long that I think he knows I won't take it personally."
"Mhm, sure. You're also the only one I've ever seen him smile at."
She pauses mid-typing, her eyes flicking to mine. "It's not like that. I'm just his assistant."
I nod and try to give her a reassuring smile. "Okay, well, if that ever changed, you've got my vote. He is H. O. T., hot."
Her eyes widen just a fraction, and then she's laughing. "You're not wrong. I love my job, though. I wouldn't want to jeopardize that, even if therewassomething."
"I get that. It's hard to jump headfirst into something that will change the dynamic you're already used to."
Her shoulders sag just a fraction and she nods once. "How are you holding up? Everything still quiet around the apartment?"
Ava was one the first people I called after the incident. She showed up to my apartment, helped calm me down, and then gave me a few days off of work so that I could go stay at Connies. She must have filled Noah in as well, because my first day back, he called me into his office. I thought for sure he was firing me, but instead he gave me his personal cell phone number to call if I needed anything. It was the first time he'dacknowledged me in a personal way, and I almost cried right there. The whole situation felt a lot more real now that the always-stoic Noah was offering his help.
"It's been quiet. I haven't seen or heard from Carter since that night. If it weren't for the fact that Hayes isn't talking to me, I would've thought the whole thing was a dream."
Her eyes fill with sympathy as she looks at me. "I'm sorry. Men can be such morons sometimes. Can't see what's right there in front of them."
"Yeah, they’ve already left too. Drew, at least, sent me an email to let me know. He's giving me a pretty good cold shoulder right now." It's always been his go-to when things get complicated. He gives me enough conversation to let me know he's still alive, but not so much that he has to actually engage with me.
Ava lets me continue to rant, knowing I need to get it all out. "He’s such an asshole. I’m the only family he has left and he won’t even hear my side. And Hayes? He blocked me! Everything I send bounces back. I’m so pissed off but at the same time, it’s killing me that he left thinking I would cheat on him.”
"You can't control what other people choose to believe. Do you think there's more going on with him? A reason that he would jump to that conclusion so quickly?"
"Yeah, I know there is. The guys on his team get cheated on all the time." It's the culture that surrounds them. They spend so much time together, in high-risk situations, under constant pressure. He’s told me how hard it is to rely on people outside of his team. When he's deployed, those are pretty much the only people he can trust. When they’re home, the circumstances change but the wariness doesn’t. Apparently I fall under the “can’t be trusted” category. The shittiest part is that Ihaven't done anything for him to have trust issues. That's all the U.S. Navy and whatever cheating hoes his teammates are with.
Ava reaches out and touches my arm, bringing me out of my thoughts. "I'm so sorry, Charlie. Idiots, all of them."
A small laugh escapes; she’s spot on. Hayes, my brother, Carter. Even Noah for not going after Ava. All a bunch of idiots.
Chapter Eleven
Hayes
Friday, May 26.
Up, down, up, down.
