Page 11 of Bossy Grump's Secret

"How do you expect us to work so tediously!?" she whisper-yells.

You got to be kidding me…

"Because you're being paid frivolously!" I try as much as I can to keep my voice to the same tone as hers.

She makes a face. "Is that even a thing? Paid five..."

"Get to work!" I grind my teeth deep, but she shakes her head.

"Listen. If this is about yesterday, then I'm sorry, okay?"

I don't have anger issues...never did, but Ava made me develop one and teach myself control at the same time. I would usually implode at this point and back off, giving one last command: a dare to disobey me and walk away. Still, I just asked, "What do you mean yesterday? What happened yesterday?"

"Yeah," Lily says, "what happened yesterday?"

I turn to see her hands akimbo on her tiny waist. Cute? I could have chuckled if I didn't feel like strangling her best friend.

"I shouted at you when I was in the obvious wrong and slammed the door in your face. It was out of character, and I'm sorry," she said in one breath.

Oh. I completely forgot what I was angry about.

"Okay. Apology accepted, but I still do not understand why you think this is hard. Do you know what I'm doing now? Me alone. Executive suites on the top floor," I say and shrug.

Her eyes widen to say, "What!?"

"Yeah. I'd have called for help, but I don't want you guys to break anything. They'll take it out of my pay." I lie, not wanting them to think I'm doing it chivalrously.

"This is oppression." Lily's voice broke.

I really want to pat her head.

"No, this is real life. And this is summer in Belfast!" I say and take that as my cue to leave. "Oh, you have to be done by three, right?" That is my last command as I walk off. They rarely stray far from it.

I scoff on the way back up. "Oppression?"

Ava

I remember telling Lily that Dylan wasn't out to torture us when she complained about getting two floors to revamp.

... yeah. I take that back. He definitely was out to scar us. The next week, he makes sure everyone is present before he starts.

"Good morning, everyone. So..." He clears his throat. "We are going to be shuffling shifts." Something about how the staff are relaxed tells me this is a frequent occurrence.

He distributes shifts, mostly putting people in pairs or trios.

"Lily Crowe, you go with Matilde Cardoso..."

I chuckled and said, "Um, excuse me...", but he ignored me and kept reading the names. He teams me up with a much older woman and starts the task assigning.

I see the perfect opening to talk to him only after he is done.

"Um, hey, Dylan. About the pairing..."

"No," he replies instantaneously.

"You didn't even hear me out," I insist.

"You want me to pair you and your friend back together?" He gives me a pointed look. My eyes lock onto his. That's exactly what I want!

---