Page 31 of Love Notes & Lifelines
STELLA
“Haveyou finished transcribing any of these files?” Caleb’s loud voice startles me, and I jump. For as big as he is, he’s scarily stealthy.
“Yes, of course. Here you go.” I hand him a stack of folders and he retreats to his cave, only to return a moment later to drop an even bigger stack in its place.
“Yourassistantdid these incorrectly, and since they should have been done yesterday, you’ll need to stay until you’re caught up.”
Panic makes my lungs deflate. It’s okay. It’s only one night. Mom will be okay.
“Sure.” I give him a plastic smile.
He turns to enter his office and kicks his door shut on the way by.
“He’s worse than that Chucky doll from the eighties,” Elijah whisper-yells on his way to my desk. “Here, give me half of them.”
I place my hand over the pile. “It’s okay, I’ve got it. I don’t want you to get behind too.” He flicks me in the forehead.
“What the heck, Elijah? You can’t do that.” I rub the sting out of my skin.
He comes at me with his thumb and middle finger ready, and I release the stack of folders.
“I’ve got this. With Beck ‘working’”—he uses air quotes and shrugs—“from home, my to-do list is cut in half. We’ll bust this out so you can still see your mama today.”
I swallow the emotion sitting in my throat. Or try to, anyway. Even though Elijah found out about my mom by accident, I can’t deny that having someone on my side is a comfort I didn’t think I’d ever have again.
The day he showed up outside my apartment as I was trying to get her into the car was one of the worst days of my life. It was probably all kinds of illegal for him to pull my information from HR, but I’ve never been more grateful for anyone’s snooping abilities, and he’s been a shoulder to lean on ever since.
I only have two more months until I get full benefits for me and my mom. That’s when I go from a contracted worker to a full-time employee, but it’s always felt like probation, especially when Elijah said my hiring process was unusual. But I guess that’s what happens when you’re hired by the most precision-driven man in North Carolina.
No one can ever say that Beck isn’t generous with his benefits. Insurance for me is one thing, but insurance for my mom? It’s more than I could have asked for.
Elijah takes half of my stack back to his desk, and moisture pools at the corners of my eyes before I can stop it. At what point in my life did accepting help from a friend become a foreign concept?
We work in silence—the only sounds in the room coming from our fingers clicking away on keyboards. It’s strangely calming, but it’s broken when Caleb exits his office talking noisily on his phone.
I don’t bother shifting my gaze away from my work. He’s using that tone that means his lunch hour will be extended and it’s anyone’s guess when he’ll return.
As soon as we hear the elevator ding, Elijah leans forward on his desk, and so do I. I love this man. The only person who might be able to beat him out for top spot is his partner, Samira.
“Something’s seriously wrong with that man,” he says with a sly grin.
“Really wrong,” I agree. “Why does he get away with such bad behavior?”
He shrugs. “Beck is as loyal as they come. Caleb has been here since the beginning, so Beck feels like he owes him something.”
I wrinkle up my nose but keep my comments to myself.
Elijah is the closest thing I’ve had to a best friend since I was sixteen years old and it’s in these quiet moments when it hits me just how lonely I am.
My phone vibrates on my desk, and I glance down. “Oh, crap. Oh no.”
“What is it?” Elijah asks. “Is it Laura?”
I shake my head and turn my phone to face him.
“It’s SDH. That means it’s probably Beck.”
“Oh, let me get the popcorn! I’ve known that guy since I was ten years old, and I’ve never seen him lose his composure like he does with you, so let’s see if Jane gets the same reaction. I cannot wait for this show.”
