Page 48 of Gross Misconduct

“That’s fair.” He sips his drink. “Can I play?”

Miller and I switch positions. He instantly locks into the game, his eyes narrowing at the pinball swirling through the game, a tiger ready to pounce on his prey.

I check my phone and find an email from Darlene at the airport asking me in for a second interview.

“Yo, I got a second interview.” My heart fills with glee. Email is like a slot machine, and I landed on a jackpot. “I got a second interview!”

“No way! That’s awesome! For the office manager job?” he asks, not taking his eyes off the game.

“Yeah. I thought I bombed that interview.” I remember Darlene ushering me out of there so fast. It didn’t help that a half-naked man was distracting me.

“Way to go, Jack.” He tries to give me a high five while his eyes stay glued to the game. Miller winds up smacking me in the face, but it’s a smack of pure love.

The more I think back on the interview, the more cringe moments pop up in my recollection. Did she really see potential in me after I sputtered through most of my answers?

“Shit!” Miller yells, his face turning cartoonishly red.

Shit is right. Because I keep reading her email.

While I know our first interview got off to a bumpy start, Griffin Harper in the mechanics department raved about you. He said you have a great work ethic. I’d love to bring you in to meet with some other people on the team as well as the GM.

“Oh, I got you motherfucker,” Miller growls at the pinball.

I find myself in a growling mood, too.

“Griffin Harper said something to her. He told her how great I am and that she should give me a second look.”

“That’s awesome.” Miller turns and checks out my reaction. “Or it’s not awesome?”

Objectively, it is awesome. But the cognitive dissonance of Griffin is astounding. The man opens up to me and gets me to spill my guts for a second time. He acts like he wants nothing more than to kiss me, batting his dark eyes and shooting me the cutest grin known to man. Then he rejects mefor a second time.

And then he goes to bat for me with Darlene?

What? Ex-fucking-cuse me? Do you like me, do you not like me? You want me thrown out of the league, yet you lobby for me to be your coworker?

Fuentes joins our gathering with shots. “What’s going on?”

“This game is a FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT,” Miller yells as the warbled game-over noise plays from the pinball machine. “Gomez Addams, I will FUCK YOU UP.”

I can practically see the steam coming out of his ears, and I’m right there with them. The source of my anger isn’t a pinball machine, but a guy who keeps slipping through my flippers like a dastardly shiny, silver pinball.

Miller shuts his eyes and takes deep breaths en route to his happy place. I prefer to marinate in my righteous anger.

“Well, I know whyhe’sangry, but what’s up with you?” Fuentes asks me.

“Griffin inserted himself into my job search,” I say with disdain. I take my shot and Miller’s shot in quick succession. “I have a second interview.”

“That’s great!” Fuentes takes his shot then begins playing the pinball machine. “You should send him a thank you.”

“I shouldn’t thank Griffin Harper for anything. The guy gives more mixed signals than a broken traffic light.”

“Are we still talking about the interview?”

“After the interview, we almost kissed. Until Griffin very pointedly said ‘no thanks.’”

“So he’s not interested. His loss.” Fuentes’s tongue peeks out from his lips as he gets into the game.

“Is he really not interested? I can’t tell.”

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