Page 49 of Falling Slowly
I had to force out the words. “Because you’re cooler than Fonzie and only there for the beers.”
His mouth hung open. “Wow. Okay. Wow. Um…”
This was a horrible mistake.
“It’s a stupid joke,” I added quickly.
His expression thawed a bit. “Well, it’s funny. And pretty obvious. I should have figured that out.”
“People are just jealous.”
A self-deprecating smile hovered on his lips. “Do you think I’m only there for the beers?”
“No. I know you don’t work the same hours, but you do work. I deal with the evidence of your creative process every day.”
Nobody could fill the pasteboards with that much junk without putting in some hours. The sheer number of links in Charlie’s files told me all I needed to know. And then there were Rhonda’s stories of those late nights.
“Bess cleans my mess,” he muttered.
“What?”
“That’s how I learned your name. I use these silly mnemonic devices. I think it’s important to know everyone’s names, but I’m so bad at it.”
“You don’t have horrible nicknames for anyone? Even me?”
He seemed surprised. “No.”
“That wasn’t my honest question, though. It doesn’t count, right? Please!”
A smile warmed his face. “Fine. You can have another. Even though that was an honest answer.”
“Do you really think I’d waste my one chance on a yes/no question?”
His smile widened and he laid his head on the pillow, keeping his eyes on me. Lying there, leaning on my elbow, with only a fewinches between us, felt strangely intimate. More intimate than him touching me, even though that made no sense.
“You know they call me Buzzkill, right?”
“No! Who does? Why?” He seemed so genuinely upset on my behalf I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
“Bess Killian, Buzzkill. Now,thatone’s obvious. I… tend to be the first one to get back to work. Last one to leave. First one to remind everyone about the deadlines and ruin their fun.” I lifted a shoulder.
“But they respect you. I can tell.”
“Boris once told me I’m intimidating.”
His eyes had a shine to them. “No. I think you have integrity. You don’t blindly follow the herd.”
When the herd was bashing a funny-looking temp or sneaking out half an hour early for drinks, how could I follow? And when the guys made snide comments behind Charlie’s back, it never sat right with me. Because I saw his brilliance. I saw how much he cared.
“I don’t agree with them on everything.” I could feel the blush gathering strength on my face. “But I do think you’re cooler than Fonzie.”
“Does that mean I’m a regular-sized fridge? Good for more than just holding a few beers?”
I paused for a moment, thinking. “No, you’re a chest freezer.”
“Because I… wait, I can get this.” Charlie held up a hand, his gaze pinned at the ceiling. “Because I’m full of peas… and love, and have a wide chest?”
“No. Because there’s always room for more stuff you buy on a whim.”
