Page 16 of Beautiful Crazy

April:Totally ok. Let’s have a girls’ night soon, okay? Lots of wine, comfy clothes, and really bad for us food choices.

Me:LOL! That sounds amazing! I have a few things on my plate but let me check my schedule and make sure Emmett doesn’t have anything going on. I would love to host a ladies’ night!

April:Sounds good! Have a good day chica!

Me:Thanks! You too! *smiley emoji*

Chapter 4

Emmett

“Son of a bitch, seriously?” I scold the tie around my neck as if it’s the tie’s fault the chili dripped from my spoon.

“Oooh that is not going to come out.” My work wife, Cheyenne, shakes her head in sympathy. “R-I-P necktie.”

I hold the tie in my hand, staring at the deep maroon colored stain. “You don’t think a stain stick…?”

Cheyenne cringes. “On a silk tie? I don’t know. I mean it’s already ruined so if you try it and it works, great. If not…can’t get any worse, right?”

“You know I’m gonna try it just to prove you wrong.” I let my tie flap back to my chest. “But not today because as you can clearly see, it’s not my lucky day.”

“No shit.” She chuckles, taking a bite of her sandwich. “Great job jamming the copy machine this morning, by the way.”

I roll my eyes. “I know, I’m sorry. My morning went south before I even got to work, and it’s been a shit show all day. If it can go wrong, it has.”

Cheyenne’s shoulders fall and she gives me a pitying look. “Problem with the home wife?”

Home wife. Listen to her.

Though for all intents and purposes, I guess she’s right.

“Yeah, you could say that.”

“What did you do this time?”

My head snaps up. “What makes you think it was me?”

“Well, first of all, the way you talk about Emily, I would be shocked to ever hear that she’s hurt you in any way whatsoever, and because if she had done something wrong, you would be pissed, and you’re not pissed. You’ve been moping all day. That means whatever happened, it’s on you. So, what did you do?”

I shake my head. “You women are all alike. All intuitive and shit.”

She winks and grabs her water bottle. “Just figuring that out now?”

Sitting back in my chair, I absentmindedly stir the remnants of my chili with my spoon. “I may have said something to her about not wanting to work from home because I’m an adult who does adult things.”

Cheyenne swallows and slowly screws the cap back on her bottle, watching me. She knows her lack of response makes me uncomfortable and now is no different. I automatically feel like I need to say more words.

“Aaaand I didn’t mean it at all the way it sounded, but she took it personally…”

Still no words from Cheyenne. She puts her things back in her lunch box and then takes another grab for her water bottle.

Fuck.

It’s bad when she has nothing to say.

“And so, I didn’t get my morning high five from her…”

Cheyenne’s eye roll says enough.

---