Chapter 14 Calliope
CALLIOPE
“Listen, I understand that you’re frustrated,” I say while hurrying down the corridor toward my office.
“You’re absolutely right, we did cancel your order back in November.
The plan then was to include those bracelets as part of a store promotion and there was some miscommunication between staff, which is why they were accidentally placed on the website—”
I pause as the angry customer launches into another tirade of how ridiculously unprofessional it is for us to do this and how it happened to them back in the summer with some Zircon sets.
“You’re right, the subscription box is more expensive, but you… I understand that, but there’s more than… no, it’s… yes, I’ll cancel your subscription. Have a—” The call ends, and I come to a stop in the middle of the hallway, staring down at the phone. “Nice day. Asshole.”
“Bad day?” Elijah’s voice behind me makes me flinch, and I spin around, coming face to face with him as the gentle floral notes of his cologne tickle my nose.
He’s dressed much more relaxed today in a pale blue shirt that amplifies the dark tan on his skin. His hair is fluffed and messy with a few strands kissing his forehead, and when he smiles, the corner of his eyes crinkles, adding to the sparkle in his gaze. My heart catches in my throat.
He looks good.
He always looked good, but today there’s something about him that I just can’t put my finger on. Elijah lifts one hand and briefly taps the rope necklace resting around his throat, adjusting its position while he waits for my answers.
Those are strong hands.
“Uh… yeah, you could say that,” I stutter out, shaking my head. “Angry customers always set the tone this early, y’know?”
“Oh, I know.” His smile is warm and charming, and my insides immediately turn to goo as he steps forward. “Could I get past?”
It’s only then that I notice that I’m standing in the middle of the hall and a trolley full of cases prevents Elijah from being able to walk around me.
“Oh, I’m sorry!” I throw myself to the side, pressing myself against the wall to give him as much space as I can.
Elijah steps closer still, closer than he needs to, and his smile widens as he passes between me and the trolley. “Thanks.” With a wink, he continues down the hall and vanishes around the corner at the end. I stare after him, my mouth open and my heart racing.
Did he just wink at me? What an asshole. Didn’t I make myself clear?
“Calliope!” Victoria melts out of seemingly nowhere and grabs my arm. “Why are you gaping after him like that?”
My mouth snaps closed and I meet her gaze. “I’m not gaping.”
“Yes, you are, look at you! Your cheeks are so red, oh, my God!”
Pressing the back of my hand to my cheek, warmth blooms across my knuckles and I wince. “It’s because it’s too hot in here.”
“No, it’s not. Are you lusting after an older man? I knew there was something saucy about you, I just knew it!”
“Victoria, you can’t say things like that!”
“It’s true, though, isn’t it? Look at you.
Do you have a crush?” She loops her arm around mine and starts pulling me back down the hall.
“I don’t blame you. He’s hot as fuck. He was at the store yesterday, and Marie took a picture of him.
His muscles were huge while he was helping with the delivery.
I wouldn’t mind getting picked up by him! ”
Something uncomfortable coils in my gut as we walk. “You shouldn’t do that.”
“Do what?”
“Take his picture without his knowing. It’s kind of creepy.”
“Jealous?” she smirks. “Relax, it’s not doing any harm.”
“But you wouldn’t like it if—”
“Oh, my God, Calliope. You were just getting interesting when you were drooling over him walking away. Don’t get all timid nun on me now.”
My cheeks flush for a completely different reason and I drag my arm out of her grip. “Why are you being such an asshole today?”
Victoria stops dead. “Why can’t you admit you have a crush on the gem guy? I’m not judging you. Older men can be really fucking hot.”
“There’s nothing to—” I catch myself. With everything else going on, this really isn’t worth it. The more I protest, the more she’ll cling to it and I can’t deal with that. “Whatever.”
“I knew it!” she cheers and re-loops her arm into mine. “You have a little crush! Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone. Maybe you can flirt with him and get us some kind of exclusivity deal.”
Rolling my eyes, I let her drag me all the way to the elevator, where she finally releases me and steps inside. “Bye.”
“Hey, wait.” As she steps inside, she holds the door open. “I heard you were getting some flack for those bracelets. Are you okay?”
“Nothing I can’t handle.”
“Good, because Jimmy ordered more.”
My heart plummets down to my gut and the gooey, warm feeling from Elijah vanishes. “What?”
“He ordered more. I saw it on the delivery sheets.”
“But I… I already have too much. There aren’t enough subscribers to pawn these all off on. Why the hell would he order more when he was just complaining that they don’t sell?”
“Beats me, but I wanted to give you a heads up.” The elevator dings and Victoria steps back inside. “Sorry, babe.”
“Thanks. See you later.” I wave as the doors close, then turn and retrace my steps back to my office.
The impending arrival of even more Onyx bracelets distracts me from Elijah for a few hours, but by the time I’ve caught up on countless emails about the content change within the January subscription box, a couple of dozen cancellations, and countless phone calls telling me what a bad business I’m running, Elijah seeps back into my thoughts.
Victoria is right, unfortunately. Something about Elijah just turns my insides to goo in a way I haven’t felt since the night we ran into each other at the convention.
It was the first time anyone had made me feel like the center of the universe, and it was an addictive feeling.
So much so that I got his number and ended up too shy to call until I had to tell him about my pregnancy.
His wife answering really dampened all those feelings.
Until now.
Alone in my office, surrounded by paperwork and countless boxes to pack by hand, my mind wanders.
What did the wink mean? Is he interested?
Am I interested? Can I really take the risk of attempting to get close to him while hiding the bombshell that he’s the father of my child, on top of dealing with the guilt that I helped him cheat on his wife?
And if he cheated on her then, surely, he’d cheat on me?
There are so many unanswered questions around Elijah and what he’s doing here, and my mind battles back and forth between what I want to do and what I should do. At the end of the day, none of it matters if I’m about to be out of a job.
If only he weren’t so fucking hot.
The day gets away from me and by the time five o’clock rolls around, I’m not even close to being done.
“Coming for drinks?” Victoria asks as she sways into my office.
“I can’t.”
“Because of Nick?”
“No.” My pen falls to the desk and I rub at my temples, gazing up at her. “He’s on a playdate leading to a sleepover, so I’m actually child-free tonight.”
“So… drinks?”
“I can’t. I’m so behind on orders because we lost a week to the burst pipe. Mark’s out sick with the flu, so I’m assembling these boxes by myself. There’s so much to do and not enough time.”
“Let me help.” Surprisingly, she sounds like she means it. She walks deeper into my office and glances around. “I pack stuff in the store all the time. It can’t be that different. I’ll stay and help.”
“You already have other people waiting for drinks, though, don’t you?”
“No,” Victoria answers quickly, then she nods. “Yeah… but I don’t want to leave you here by yourself.”
“I’ll be fine. Honestly, teaching you everything will take too much time. Not that I’m not grateful for the offer.”
“Hmm. Okay. Well, text me when you leave, okay? I’ll need peace of mind that you haven’t become caught under another pipe or a pile of boxes.” She kisses the air twice. “Goodnight!”
“Goodnight.”
I should return to work, but Victoria’s comment ignites another fantasy in my mind.
The day Elijah arrived and saved me from those falling floor tiles was hot.
Beyond hot, actually. He didn’t even think before he lunged into the water and shoved me out of the way.
Closing my eyes, the sensation of his strong hands on my arms and the warmth from his torso combine with the scent of his cologne earlier, and tension bleeds through my gut.
Think of Nick.
Of money.
My job.
Not Elijah and how hot he is.
Two hours later, I’m neck deep in nursing my umpteenth papercut from wrapping tape when something thumps lightly out in the hall.
I freeze.
Every nerve in my body jumps like I’ve just been dumped into cold water and my heart begins to race. Everyone else went home. There’s no one else here. Another thump follows, and I leap up from my seat while my pounding heart leaps up into my throat.
Oh, no.
Is it a thief? It wouldn’t be the first time we’ve been robbed, and Jimmy’s cutbacks on security leave this place wide open for someone eager to make a quick buck at this time of year.
Time and time again, I told Jimmy that all products should be kept in the warehouse, but he kept insisting that website and subscription stock be kept in the offices.
It’s an open secret to anyone who sees the mail pickups from here.
Audible footsteps creep closer and closer to my door, so I grab my phone to dial 911 while snatching up the nearest item to me. It’s a crystal tiara intended as a raffle prize for an email customer, and now it’s the only thing I have to protect myself.
Another thump occurs just outside my door, and a squeak of fright escapes my throat. The phone slips from my hand as I desperately dash toward the door in order to lock it.
I’m too slow.
The handle dips and the hinge creaks as the door opens. Reflex takes over, and I act before I can think.
“Get out!” I scream, raising the tiara like a blade and slamming it down hard on the intruder.
“Ouch!” yells a painfully familiar voice as the figure emerging through the door immediately topples to the ground and lands at my feet.
I stare down, panting and brandishing the tiara, ready to strike again, until I lock eyes with the man on the floor.
“Elijah?”