Page 30 of Love Among the Ruins
“Is it okay?”
“Oh, yes. Yes, it’s fine. Thank you.”
“Good.” He turned and left, leaving her to gawk at his back, with Miranda peering at her. “How did you get this job again?”
Eleni couldn’t tell if Miranda was being a bitch, or just asking a normal question out of curiosity. Deciding not to answer that, she swiveled on her heels and left.
Her co-workers stopped talking as soon as she appeared, each of them looking away guiltily.
Her instinct alerted her to something she only now noticed. “Is there something you want to ask me?” She placed her cup of water on the table before sitting down.
Agnes stopped typing. “No. Is there anything you need?”
“No.”
Isidora looked as if she were about to say something, then continued to type. Then, after a while asked, “How did you get this job?”
Did you sleep with him?The question blazed in both pairs of eyes. Maybe it was paranoia, but Eleni’s cheeks turned red at the idea that everyone might think this.
“Why do you ask?” She didn’t know what else to say. “I wouldn’t worry too much. I’m not after your jobs. I’m only doing this for the summer.”
“It’s usually quiet in the summer,” Agnes answered. She turned to her friend. “I don’t want him to think we can’t handle it.”
“That’s not what he thinks,” Isidora replied. They both looked at Eleni again. If they wanted to make her feel uncomfortable, they were succeeding. Her insides twisted into a pretzel.
Dominic had not only given her this job, he’d created something out of thin air for her.
She had no right to be here. She didn’t deserve it, and everyone she met knew it.
