Page 13 of Crushing on the Grumpy Boss

Monday rolls aroundand with Riley working behind the bar for the day shift, I occupy myself in the office. I write some checks, work on next week’s schedule, and put in the order for the week. When I run out of things to do, I decide to clean up. I go through the drawers in my desk, cleaning out old papers I no longer need. I file things for tax purposes and do a top-to-bottom clean. I avoid her for as long as I can but that doesn’t do me any good because once her shift is over, she’s walking into my office.

“Can we talk?” she asks, shutting the door behind her.

I glance over my shoulder at her. “What do you want to talk about?”

“I think you know what I want to talk about.” She sits in the chair across from my desk.

I let out a long breath. This was exactly what I wanted to avoid. Knowing I have no way out of this, I turn and face her, my heart skipping a beat when our eyes meet. Saturday night comes flooding back even with as hard as I’ve worked to keep the memories at bay.

“Look, I know what you’re thinking, and I just wanted to set your mind at ease.”

I feel my eyes narrow.

“What happened with us… it was great, and even though I think we both enjoyed it, I completely understand if you want to avoid it ever happening again. I mean, there are a million things stacked against us, between working together, and our families, and neither of us is exactly in the market for a serious relationship.” She takes a breath and bites her lip. “Anyway, it seems like you’ve been avoiding me, trying to forget what happened, and I just wanted to let you know that you don’t have to. I don’t expect anything around here to change.”

I’m speechless. I don’t know if I should agree with her or argue my side. She’s right in every sense of the word, and that doesn’t change just because I haven’t been able to get her off my mind. All I can do is nod and watch as she opens the door and leaves the office.

With her gone, I lean back in my seat and take a deep breath, not knowing what’s right anymore. One thing I do know for sure is that I can finally leave my office. I stand and walk out, coming to a stop when I realize she hasn’t left. She’s sitting at the table, having a drink, and talking with a man I don’t recognize. Curiosity gets the best of me and instead of going back to my office to give them space, I step behind the bar and help John. At least, that’s my excuse. Really, I’m watching them, listening in when I can, and trying to figure out who this guy is.

“So… living with your parents again, huh?” the man asks her.

I grab a rag and step from behind the bar, wanting it to look like I’m staying busy when really, I just want to be closer so I can hear their conversation.

“Yep,” is all she says. I can tell from the look in her eye that she isn’t the slightest bit interested. She’s trying to keep her eyes off of him, deciding to stir her drink, scratch her arm, or run her fingers through her hair.

“How’s that going?” he asks.

She nods. “So far, so good. They’ve been nice about the whole thing. And they know it’s just temporary. Once I have some money saved up, I’ll get my own place.”

He snorts. “Working here? That’s going to take you forever.”

Her eyes narrow like what he said was an insult. “I make pretty good money here. More than I made working at Mary-Beth’s Diner.”

“Really?” He doesn’t seem to buy it.

She nods. “The regulars tip well. And the events on the weekends bring in a large crowd.”

His brows lift. “Wow, by the looks of this place, I would’ve thought it was a week away from bankruptcy.”

I don’t know who this guy is, but I know I don’t like him. I wipe down one table and move to the next.

“Why are you here?” she finally blurts out, picking up her drink and sucking it down.

“You know why I’m here. I don’t like living without you, Lee Lee.”

I roll my eyes as a snort slips out. That causes Riley’s eyes to snap over to me. She frowns and then turns her attention back to him.

“I’m sorry. I’m just… a little caught off-guard by all this. We’ve been separated for months. Why now?”

Ahhhh, this is the high school boyfriend she ran off and married. The guy she ran away from. He’s the reason she’s here, driving me crazy every single day. I don’t know if I should thank him or punch him.

I run out of tables to wipe down and with nothing else to do to make myself look busy, I go back behind the bar. I fill some orders when John is busy, but for the most part, all I do is continue to listen in. If this guy is here to get her back, I want to know about it. Something inside of me changes when I think about her taking him back, about her leaving with him. For months, all I wanted was for her to go back to where she came from. Suddenly, that thought is gut-wrenching. I’m torn, stuck in place, and too frozen in confusion and fear to make a move. Whatever I decide, it needs to be figured out now, before she walks out of this bar forever.

9

RILEY

Iwas heading for the door when it opened. I stopped dead in my tracks when I came face to face with my husband Ryan after all these months. I haven’t heard from him since the day I left. He hasn’t called, texted, emailed, or even hit me up on social media. Nothing but radio silence. I thought he was out of my life for good. I thought that cheating was his way of telling me it was over, and the silence since then only backed that theory. But here he is, talking me into a drink and sitting across from me, talking like we’re old friends.

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