Nine #2
I dared to glance at him, and what I saw stole my breath from my lungs. Reid looked happy. So, I grinned at him, the nervous laughter spilling out of me.
And for the rest of our walk, Reid and I strolled along in comfortable silence. It was nice not to have to be on the defensive or trying too hard to be positive enough for the both of us. I could only hope it felt as good for Reid as it had for me.
“Well, this is me,” I said when we made it to the curve in the path where I needed to stroll off to my place. “Thank you for walking back with me. It was nice.”
“Yeah. No problem. I’ll see you tomorrow, then?”
Nodding, the smile still on my face, I promised, “You will.”
A satisfied look washed over him. And a moment later, we went in separate directions. If I were honest, it was the best I’d felt in a very long time.
If there was one word that could describe me when it came to accomplishing things at work, that word might have been determined.
When I set my mind to something, I could persevere like it was nobody’s business.
And in the middle of the week, I thought it made me a superstar.
But I wasn’t going to allow the fact that it was what many people considered the worst day of the work week to stop me.
Things had been wonderful ever since I strolled in on Monday. If I were being entirely honest with myself, things had turned around the moment Reid and I ran into one another at the café on Sunday morning.
Part of me had worried that once we were back to work on Monday, things between us might return to the way they had been.
But I’d been worried for nothing. Because whenever I’d walked into his office on Monday, Tuesday, or even this morning, he hadn’t snarled or sneered or mumbled.
He’d been… pleasant. Not overly friendly or chatty, but certainly not the miserable grouch he’d been since the first day.
And I thought that meant it was time. I thought it meant I could finally take some steps to help integrate him just a bit better into this place.
It was approaching the end of the workday, so I packed up my things and made my way to his office. On the way there, I was surprised to run into Barrett. His legs had been moving faster than ever as he made his way toward the exit.
“Barrett!” I called out.
He halted, his head snapping up to see me grinning at him. For a moment, I thought he looked a little out of sorts, but I must’ve imagined it, because he smiled and walked in my direction. “Natalia, how are you, dear?”
“I’m great, Barrett. It feels like I haven’t seen you in ages. How’s Sylvia doing?”
He puffed up his chest with pride. “Her recovery is coming along nicely. She gets a little stronger every day.”
“I’m so pleased to hear that. Is everything else okay? I didn’t expect to see you here.”
Barrett nodded and placed a hand on my shoulder. “It’s perfectly fine. One of Sylvia’s friends stopped over to visit with her, so I took the opportunity to come by and check on things here. I’ve missed being able to talk with everyone.”
I sent a pained look his way.
While I didn’t doubt the love he had for Sylvia, I knew what this place and the people who worked here meant to him.
The guests were just as important to him, too.
So, I could understand how difficult this was for him, at the same time I believed he was doing the right thing by being with his wife through her recovery.
“We miss you, too. But don’t worry about us. Just take care of Sylvia. We’ll all be here when you get back.”
His shoulders dropped in defeat. Man, it was taking a toll on him. “Yeah, well, I should get going. I need to get back there with her. I didn’t get to see everyone I wanted, so I hope to come for another visit soon.”
Smiling, I said, “Sounds great. I’ll see you soon, Barrett. Please give Sylvia my love.”
“I will.”
Barrett walked off, and I continued my journey to Reid’s office. As I approached, I gave a light tap on the door and didn’t wait for him to speak before I pushed the door open. I’d done that all week long, and he hadn’t been bothered by it.
Without waiting, barely taking notice of him, I started speaking before I was even over the threshold. “So, I just saw your dad on the way over here. What a nice surprise.”
My gaze finally found his and saw his eyes narrowed on me. “What do you need?”
I blinked, jerking back at the harshness I hadn’t heard from him in days. “Oh, well, I… I came by because I had an idea. I was thinking that since we’re approaching nearly three weeks that you’ve been here, it might be time to start venturing out.”
Hardness was etched into his features, his face a mirror of how I saw him nearly every day for that first week he was here. “Venturing out?”
Confusion washed over me. What the heck happened to him? “Are you okay?”
“What do you mean, venturing out ?”
I swallowed deeply at the rough tone. “Of the office. I just think that you’ve had some time to get the mundane stuff worked out and believe it might be time to let everyone else see you, meet you.”
His eyes narrowed. “I’m not interested in that.”
I rolled my eyes and sighed. “Oh, Reid, come on. You can’t stay couped up in here for the next five and a half months. You should get out and meet the people who work here, who visit here. It’d be great for morale.”
“I said…” He opened and closed his hands several times, as though he was releasing some pent-up frustration. “I’m not interested.”
My eyes darted around the room, settling on the filing cabinet behind him.
“But don’t you think it’d make sense to get to know the people who are working for you?
I mean, you don’t have to do everything like your father does, but you could take some steps to actually be a part of what’s going on here.
And you could have your own pictures on the desk or filing cabinet behind you. Just think about?—”
“Stop!” Reid bellowed in anger as he shot out of his chair.
I cowered and took a step back. “Just stop, okay? Do you know how to do that? Do you know how to just shut up? Do you ever shut up? All you do all day long is talk and talk and talk about things that nobody’s asked you about.
And you pry all the time. You think you’re entitled to information that you aren’t.
I swear, you purposely push my buttons like you get off on it somehow.
Maybe you do. But let me make one thing very clear, Natalia.
We are not friends. We never will be. All I want is for you to shut up and leave me alone to do my job while you do yours.
I want you to speak to me only when it’s necessary as it pertains to the job.
That’s it. Nothing more. Do you think you can do that? ”
I pressed my lips together, biting down on the inside of my mouth to stave off the tears, to get the fear under control. My stomach was trembling as badly as my hands, and my racing heart felt like it was in my throat.
“What?” he huffed, taking a step around the desk toward me. “Not a word to say now? I asked you a question.”
Slowly, I stepped back, the tears welling in my eyes as I searched for any trace of the man from Sunday. He was nowhere to be found. Heart hammering, I took another step backward.
“Natalia?” he clipped. “Do you understand what I expect from here on out?”
Another step.
Two more.
I was just inside the door when I stopped. “I won’t bother you again.”
Without another word, I turned and raced out of there, my tears falling the moment I stepped outside.