Page 149 of The Parkers' Handsome Holiday
“Have I ever told you what a great assistant you are?” I asked him sarcastically. He laughed and began to walk with me.
“There she is,” he said, pointing down the hallway. Sure enough, there she was. Damn, she was a gorgeous human being. She looked especially good today. She had on a tight, red sweater that wrapped around her breasts. She paired it with a black skirt and black heels. Her long, dark brown hair was curled. I had been instantly attracted to her when she started working here nearly a month ago. I had flirted and invited her to get drinks with a group of us after work, but she had politely declined.
* * *
I wanted to get to know her better. While she was a nice girl and ended every conversation with a smile, I also sensed a sadness about her that I couldn’t quite place. I struggled with how a woman that beautiful could be that sad. From the outside, she had a great life. She got along with everyone in the office. She had a good job and good looks. What was there to be sad about?
“Good morning, Tiffany,” I said as I approached her. She turned around quickly, nearly knocking the folder from my hand.
“Oh, Jesus, I am so sorry,” she apologized. She seemed flustered.
“Good morning, Mr. Lewis,” Nikki said. She was another fact checker at the magazine. The two girls shared an oversized office.
“Remember, you can just call me, Cayden,” I reminded her. Unlike Tiffany, Nikki had tried to throw herself at me quite a few times. Not that I was surprised by it. I was used to women fawning over me.
“Tiffany, can we go back to my office?” I asked. While it wasn’t anything important, I just wanted to get away from Nikki. Sometimes her flirting ways suffocated me.
Tiffany looked at me with a look of concern splashed on her face.
“You’re not in trouble,” I said. “I just have a few questions about this article.” I waved the folder in my hand. She let out a small sigh of relief.
We walked toward my office in silence, leaving Maurice and Nikki behind us.
“Did you have a good weekend?” I asked, as we entered my office. She nodded.
“It was fine.”
Her answers were always short and sweet. She was always making me work for more, but I kind of liked the challenge.
“Mine was fine, too,” I said, answering my own question. “I actually lost to Maurice in fantasy football and now I owe him lunch.”
She nodded, letting me know that she had heard me.
“Would you like to join us?” I asked. She wrinkled her nose. It was a nervous habit of hers that I had already picked up on.
“I don’t know. I have a lot of work to do…” Her voice trailed off. I wasn’t sure if she was playing hard to get or if she was truly uninterested in going out with me, even at a work function with other employees.
“I know this great place to eat,” I told her. “It’s a little sports bar around the corner. It’s a nice day out. We can walk there, plus it will give us some time away from these looming deadlines.”
She looked up at me with her big green eyes. A smile formed on her face.
“Fine,” she said. “You talked me into it.”
I wasn’t sure what exactly I said that changed her mind, but I was glad that I was able to.
* * *
A few hours later, Maurice, Nikki, Tiffany, and I were walking to the bar. Nikki and Tiffany were laughing about an encounter with another co-worker as we approached the sports bar. Tiffany suddenly stopped laughing and her face fell.
“Something wrong?” I asked. She had obviously been here before. Perhaps she had a bad experience with the wait staff or the food?
“Nothing,” she said, faking a smile. “I’m fine.”
Maurice and Nikki didn’t seem to notice her change of mood, so I brushed it off. Perhaps it really was nothing. I had to quit overanalyzing her every look and word. We walked inside and grabbed a high-top near the window.
“You ladies can thank me for this lunch,” Maurice announced dramatically. “Fantasy football winner of the week!”
I playfully punched him on the shoulder.
