Page 66 of Craving Francesca

“Gray’s my cousin, and I’ve been to his traileronce.”Myla said with a scoff.

“It’s a camper,” I corrected automatically. “And it’s tiny. It’s not like he could have a party or something.”

“I swear to God,” Myla mumbled. “I’m living in the freaking Twilight Zone.”

“I’m at work,” I replied as I pulled into the parking lot. “We’re good?”

“We’re fine,” she said with a sigh. “I’ll see you tonight.”

“Lou told you about the barbecue?”

“When the hell did you get a barbecue?” Myla asked.

“That’s exactly what I said.” I pulled into a parking space. “See you tonight.”

The office was already crowded as I carried my coffee and bag inside. I’d stopped coming in early because I didn’t want Scott to catch me alone. I wasn’t afraid of him or anything, but the fact that he didn’t seem to be giving up made me uneasy. I wasn’t sure what his aim was. He had to know that there wasn’t a chance in hell that I’d ever see him socially. Was he trying to intimidate me into quitting, or was he just so small that he couldn’t handle that I’d rejected him?

“Hey, Frankie,” the receptionist called out.

“Hey, Linda,” I replied, stopping at her desk. “Anything I should be aware of?”

“Well—” she looked around and lowered her voice. “I think something might’ve happened. The big boss called this morning, and Scott stormed out of here afterward. We haven’t had any pissy foreman call in, so I’m not sure what’s going on.”

“Good to know,” I muttered.

“But the good news is, Scott isn’t here.” She shot me a small smile.

“Hopefully he’s tied up all day,” I replied, smiling back.

Linda more than anyone had seen Scott’s bullshit firsthand. From where her desk sat, she could see pretty much everything that happened in the office. She’d been witness to almost every time Scott had stopped in my doorway to fuck with me. Half of the floral deliveries had gone through her when he’d stopped bringing them himself. Plus, I knew how the employees talked, and Linda was the hub of all the gossip. She never started the conversations, but she seemed to hear everything.

Fridays always started with phone calls to vendors, making sure that deliveries were scheduled to the job sites bright and early Monday morning. I went over the projects we had currently, going over inventory lists to make sure they were correct before verifying with the various vendors and catching up with a few of them. I’d built good working relationships with most of the guys I spoke to. They were one of the only things I would miss if I found a different job—which felt like it was becoming more and more likely the longer Scott pulled his shit.

The day went quickly as I finished up paperwork for the week and prepared for the next one. Without the worry of Scott showing up to my office, I was able to focus and knock out my tasks with little fuss. I should’ve known that it wouldn’t last, though, because Scott came stomping in just after lunch.

“What the hell did you say to human resources?” he barked, glaring from my doorway.

“What are you talking about?” I straightened away from the computer.

“My uncle just ripped me a new one for being inappropriate with my employees,” Scott spat. “Which we both know is bullshit.”

“I didn’t go to HR,” I said flatly.

“That’s good, since you don’t have a leg to stand on,” he blustered. “You were a completely willing,eagerparticipant in our relationship.”

“I’ve never said otherwise,” I ground out, the knowledge making me queasy.

“Well, I don’t know who the hell tried to say I was sexually harassing you,” he sighed, running his hand through his hair. His entire countenance had changed on a dime. It was eerie as hell. “Being in love with my girl isn’t something to take to human resources.”

In love? What the hell was he smoking? We’d broken up over a month before. I wasn’t his girl. He didn’t love me.

“We’re not together, Scott,” I said, rising to my feet.

Something flashed in his eyes, there and then gone again before I could decipher it.

“I know, we’re on a break,” he said condescendingly. Was he deliberately raising his voice so that the rest of the office could hear him? “I told my uncle as much. Do you want to grab lunch?”

“I already took lunch,” I replied through numb lips. What the hell was going on? Why the fuck would he think I’d get lunch with him?

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