Page 83 of My Merry Mistake
“People think you’re heartless?”
She slowly turns to me. “I know how I am. People walk on the other side of the hallway when I’m coming.”
“You’d be great as one of those people in Costco with a clipboard,” I joke. “You’re like a hot version of an extended warranty phone call.”
“I’m not—!” She stops mid-sentence.
“—employed by Costco?” I jump in. “Yeah, I know, but if you were, you’d begreat.”
She frowns at me, and I shrug at her. “Just sayin’.”
She heaves a big sigh, but I can see the corners of her mouth turn up a bit.
“Plus,” I add, “I know the real you, remember?”
“Will you stop bringing that up?” She shoots me a look, but I see the smile in her eyes.
“I can’t. It was one of the best nights of my life.” I smirk.
“Well, it was one of the worst nights of mine.” Her expression shifts. “A close second to what happened a few days ago.”
I can tell she’s upset. Still bothered by what happened in her office. Maybe the best thing I can do is keep things light.
“Yeah, but now you get a vacation, free breakfast with someone who’s not even a friend . . . ” I say, lightly. “Win-win.”
She smiles weakly but looks conflicted, and I let the subject drop. We drive in silence for a few minutes, just the sounds of the road.
I’m not a huge fan of silence.
“So, in my current position as non-friend, is there any upward mobility? Any goals I can hit to move up the ranks?” I ask. “If I’m going to stay with this company, I need to know there’s a chance for promotion.”
She chuckles to herself, a good sign, and says, “I’ll consider advancement if—if—you show some kind of growth in maturity.”
“Uh-oh,” I say. “Thaaat’s gonna be a problem.”
She takes a deep breath. “Yeah, I figured. Might have to just stay acquaintances, then.”
“Might have to.”
“I’m glad we’re clear. Expectations are important.”
“Right,” I say. “No chance of anything romantic. Totally off the table.”
She side-eyes me. “Only executives get that perk,” she quips.
At least she’s playing along. That’s a step in the right direction, I guess.
“And for the record, I never thought that was ever?—”
“Good,” she says. “I mean, youarecompletely wrong for me.”
I frown. “Okay, wait. How do you even know?”
She comes to a stop at a red light and turns to me. “Oh, come on, Finn. First of all, I already told you, you’re a professional hockey player. Which is a big red flag.”
“Feels judgy, but okay.”
“Second of all, you’re like a big kid!” She shudders. “You don’t take anything seriously. You joke about everything, and the real world isn’t like that?—”
