Page 18 of Wrapped Up in You
“Of course. This is real, and I want to know everything there is to know about you. What better way than to hear it from your friends? The only way to get the most embarrassing stories is to get them directly from the source.”
“You know what they say about payback, sweetheart,” I say as I snag my phone off the desk and unlock it.
“She’s a bitch? But that’s the fun.” I’m about to respond to the guys when her reply has me shaking my head.
“The minute our relationship is out in the open, I’ll be doing similar, and I’m sure with you being the only child, only girl, only niece, the pictures will be plentiful.” Serena rolls her eyes, pops her headphone back in, and gets back to work.
Me: Glad to see you all are so concerned with my love life. Serena said she’s down to meet everyone. However, we are keeping this quiet from her family for now. So, please feel free not to send out the pigeons as mail carriers.
Jagger: About fuckin’ time.
Asher: Who wants to have it? I’ll tell Lennie to send word to the girls.
Trent: At least we know Crew isn’t a one-minute man.
Jude: Did you just steal a line out of Jag’s book?
Johnny: My place is out. The club can barely handle us as it is, and Seb’s instruments are taking up a lot of floor space at the moment.
Tysen: We can do it here. I’ll run it by Macie.
Matthew: If not, Letty won’t mind hosting.
Me: I’ll leave it up to you. I’ll supply the meat or send money to whomever, or fuck, just get it catered. Our group is only growing. The last time we all got together, we were stuck in the kitchen or at the grill. Then there’s clean-up. Let’s make it easy.
Asher: Fuck, you’re right.
Trent: Maybe the girls can take lead? They all have one of those board deals they’re adding to.
Tysen: Kenny’s gonna smack you upside the head.
Johnny: All of them will.
Jagger: Nah, they’ll get to boss us around. It’s a win-win.
Jude: Shit, between Ronnie and Rory, it’s a never-ending saga in my house of being told what to do.
Me: Okay, wrapping this up. The sooner, the better. Keep me posted, and thanks, guys, I appreciate it.
I back out of the text, move to my computer, and ignore my phone for the rest of the day. I’ve got enough distractions, the main one being Serena, and I fucking like having her here. Next week is going to suck something fierce. I’m going to have to come up with some excuses in order to keep her with me a bit longer.
13
SERENA
“That’s one hell of a hello kiss.” Crew’s hands are digging into the fleshy part of my ass, and I’m pressed against him so close that a sheet of paper couldn’t even fit between us. After the week we’ve had at work, it’s nice to finally have two days off.
“You’re one hell of a woman.” Mackie nudges his nose at my thigh. We back away from one another, slightly. “This must be Mackie.” Crew gets down on the crazy pup’s level. Mackie does his usual: licking, talking, and wiggling his butt non-stop.
“That he is. Hey, so I didn’t want to bring this up to Uncle Todd, but did he somehow finagle me to get a paycheck?” I woke up, did my usual, grabbed my phone, and checked the banking app. Every morning, this is what I do, then I worry non-stop about what bills come out automatically in order to recalculate what I have left to survive on until my first full paycheck. This morning, there were a whole lot of extra dollars, along with a deposit statement from C & T engineering.
“He asked me, I discussed it with HR, and now you’re set up and good to go.” Crew is on one knee, hands on Mackie’s head,petting him profusely, and of course, the pup is gobbling up the attention.
“Well, thank you. It’s truly appreciated.” I close the door and lock us in. Talia picked up an extra shift this week, putting a kink in plans, but it works out better this way. My parents and family know I’m staying in for the night, though they asked if I wanted to go out with them on one for the riverboat casino deals, their treat. My family’s idea of fun and mine are entirely different. I’m also not semi-retired like my mom and aunt. As for my dad and uncle, well, clearly,
“You’re welcome. I never did understand holding a paycheck back, especially when it comes to salary employees.” Which is actually a plus in my book. I’ve worked all kinds of jobs, never surprised how they’re paid. Waitressing is by far the hardest, because you never know how much you’ll make, given you’re living off tips. Then there’s hourly pay, which works, and you know the exact amount you’ll make, but if you get the slightest hint of overtime, it’s great. Unless you get a few hours too many, and taxes gobble it all up.
“Me either. Regardless, I’m appreciative.” Crew stands up from his place on the floor. We’ve both changed out of work clothes. I’ve already walked Mackie, taken him out back to toss the ball around, and now he’s waiting for his dinner. Me too, bud, me too. Speaking of. “Oh shoot, I need to stir my sauce.” I scurry around the two, Mackie following me right away with a yip of confidence that he’ll get his kibble earlier than normal today. Obviously, he will. Making him wait while we eat is absolutely criminal.
