Chapter 14
“You’re kidding. What a nightmare,” Katie said as they walked out of the office building together Friday night. “When is someone going to hold Frank accountable? He’s a terrible manager.”
“Tell me about it.” Justine’s head throbbed from a growing headache after fixing her boss’s problems all day. “I have my own work to handle plus his, which he never seems able to do correctly.”
“Maybe because he spends all day long up his boss’s ass. Hard to get work done when your sniffing ass crack.”
Two guys in suits stared at Katie as they passed her, having obviously overheard her.
She just waved.
One of them grinned and waved back.
Katie turned to her and linked arms. “You need to speak up, Justine. If you don’t tell him how much you hate working overtime when you have your own life to get back to, nothing will change.”
“I’m not even getting paid the extra hours,” she muttered, annoyed she still hadn’t had her yearly review for a raise. Frank kept putting it off.
“Wait, what?” Katie stopped in her tracks, forcing Justine to stop with her. “Are you telling me you’ve been doing all your own work and his, staying late, and you’re not getting any OT for it?”
“No. It’s not in the budget.”
“This is bullshit, Justine.” Katie softened her voice. “Look, honey, I know you’re a team player. You work so hard, don’t expect a pat on the back for it either, and are trying your best. But this is not at all a good fit for you.”
Tears came to Justine’s eyes. “You don’t think I know that?”
“You’re miserable. Frank is getting all the credit for your ideas. Plus he’s so busy schmoozing the boss that he looks like he can do no wrong while you’re holding him up and getting no respect for it.”
“I’m trying to make our team look good.”
“You’re just making him look good. Not the team.” Katie paused. “Why isn’t Phil or John or Sarah working overtime for him?”
“They have families.”
“So only single people are expected to work for no pay? No. Try again—especially since Sarah is only engaged, not married, and no kids.”
“I guess... Well, Frank asked them a few times but they demanded to get paid.” At Katie’s knowing look, Justine hastened to add, “But they have a lot more years in the company than I do. I can’t lose this job.”
“Fuck that. You totally can. You’re more talented than all of them—well, except me. But you’re not confident enough in yourself to know you can work for someone else.”
“I’ve looked.”
“Not hard, because you’re afraid word might get back to Frank.”
Justine flushed.
“Besides, we both know what you really want.”
“What’s that?”
“To work for yourself. You’re so smart, but you can’t see it. You’re a lot like your dad, only softer. Intelligent, talented, and driven, though you pretend you’re not. You’re just nice about it while your family are like pit bulls making deals.”
Justine sighed. “Now you’re just insulting. I’m not like my dad.”
“You totally are. He’s not content working for anyone but himself.
He has an idea of how he thinks his business should work.
So do you. But he works in finance, and you with art.
Hey, they can say what they want, but our company is about making pretty art for people to gawk over, so they go and buy from our clients.
We appeal to the public in an artistic medium—TV, magazines, billboards.
We design it. They buy it. Your dad appeals to people’s wallets directly.
Spend money to make money. It’s similar but not. ”
Justine tugged her friend to start walking again. “You’ve put way too much thought into this.”
“I have. Because you’re miserable. You’re losing weight.”
The one positive aspect of her misery. “Thanks.”
“You have no social life. And I mean that in a nice, I’m-worried-for-you way.” Katie added, “When’s the last time you saw Xavier?”
An automatic blush lit her cheeks. “I passed by him the other day. I had to go back into work to fix something Frank screwed up.”
“Come on. You like him—Xavier, I mean. He’s amazing.” Katie stopped by their cars and put a hand on her hip, her tone aggressive when she said, “If you aren’t going to make a move, I might.”
“What?”
“Look, dating is hard. Xavier’s handsome, smart, built like one of the Spartacus guys, and he’s funny.
He doesn’t live with his parents, has a job—I think—and have I mentioned he’s built?
” Katie grinned. “The little green monster in your soul is glaring at me even though you’re trying to pretend you don’t care. ”
“I don’t care.”
“You are such a liar.”
Justine gritted her teeth. “Not lying.”
“Pants on fire, liar,” Katie taunted.
“Seriously, go ahead. Ask him out.”
“Fine. I will.” Katie gave her a smug look. “Race you back.”
Then the blasted woman got in her car and drove away. As Justine quickly followed, she kept thinking Katie must have been joking. Did she mean to ask Xavier out now? Seriously?
But Xavier was hers!
Well, not for real, but in Justine’s fantasies, she and Xavier were living in a house surrounded by a white picket fence with three kids and a fourth on the way.
They never argued, and Justine had her own business that was making more than her father and sisters ever would.
Xavier lived for nothing but sex, spending quality time together, and cooking all their meals.
It was a perfect world in Justine’s tiny mind.
And Katie was going to ruin it all. Justine couldn’t handle her best friend dating Xavier. Though ridiculous, because she had no claim on the man and could make no decisions regarding Katie’s love life, the pair of them dating felt so wrong.
Once parked and rushing to beat Katie to the apartment’s front entrance, she threw her body against the doors, her arms outspread, blocking the entrance.
“What the heck are you doing?” Katie laughed. “Are you seriously body-blocking me from going in?” Because Katie had the codes to enter.
“It’s not funny. You can’t ask him out.” Justine felt like a fool but had no idea how to proceed.
“Why not? You don’t want him.”
“Maybe I do.”
“Ah-ha!” Katie poked her in the chest. “Then make a move.”
“I can’t,” she all but wailed. “He’s the first decent friend I’ve had since meeting you. I don’t want to mess it up.”
“Finally, the truth.” Katie pulled her into a hug. “I was messing with you, Justine. I would never poach on your man.”
“He’s not my man,” she muttered against Katie’s shoulder.
“Not yet. But if you don’t do something about that, some other smart cookie’s going to grab onto him. Not me. Like I said, I don’t poach. But you have to see how amazing he is, right? He liked Spartacus.”
Justine gave a reluctant laugh as she pulled back. “Liking Spartacus should not be the reason you like someone.”
“It’s not, but it is a cool dating litmus test. He’s not so full of himself he can’t appreciate other strong, hot men.
So he’s not homophobic, he’s sex positive, and he knows it’s more important how to use his equipment than how big his equipment is.
Although, I gotta say, his pants outlined some very, very nice looking gear. ”
They totally had. “Katie.”
“Go home, get some sleep, and I’ll meet up with you on Sunday, okay? We’ll do that movie I want to see.”
“The one with hot guys?”
“And magic. Yes.” They hugged. Katie left, and after grabbing her things from her car and locking up, Justine went inside.
Unfortunately, on her way past the inner courtyard, water squirted her right in the face, causing her to trip over a large bucket and a teenager.
They landed in a tangle of limbs.
“Whoa, lady. Get off!” A younger boy kept pushing at her.
“I would if you’d stop pushing,” she grumbled and finally got to her feet. “Who squirted me?”
She stared at obvious siblings. Sam, looking adorable and soaking wet, carrying one of those giant water rifles, and what must be his older brother, Rylan, a handsome teen with a frown and a water balloon in hand.
A glance around showed pieces of broken water balloons all over, in addition to the bucket she’d tripped over still full of the rubber water grenades.
She picked up her bag and laid it and her jacket on the nearby bench. The trickle of the fountain and smell of sweet flowers eased something inside her. As did the cautious look on both teenagers’ faces.
“We’re allowed to do this here,” Rylan said, going on the offensive.
“Oh?” She crossed her arms over her chest. “You have a permit, I take it?”
Sam looked at her with big brown eyes full of admiration. Apparently the little guy still had a crush. “I do.”
“Where is it?”
Rylan scowled “That’s ridiculous. You don’t need a permit for a water fight.”
“Oh? Did you sign the same rental agreement that I did? It clearly states you can’t have more than 500cc’s of water in any recreational sport involving water.
” She had no idea what she was talking about, but it sounded good.
“Otherwise the landlord, via the superintendent, can suspend your lease. Now, I’ve met Top.
He’d probably only give you a warning, but I doubt your uncle would like that.
He’s a policeman, isn’t he? They don’t like breaking the law. ”
“That’s stupid,” Rylan scoffed. “There’s no law against water fights.”
“No, but there are codes and regulations for privately owned dwellings and apartment complexes.”
Rylan seemed less certain. Sam kept his mouth closed and appeared worried.
“Look, just make sure what you’re holding is less than 500cc’s.”
“I don’t know how much that is,” Rylan admitted. He still looked at her with suspicion. “And besides, who would know we’re even having a water fight? You have to prove it.”
“I got hit by a water gun, first of all.” She pointed to her wet, spattered blouse and hair. “And secondly, you have balloon pieces everywhere. I don’t know Top well, but I know for a fact he’ll lose it if he sees his garden messed up.”
“We’ll clean it when we’re done,” Sam assured her. “Please don’t tell.”
“Well, maybe. Let me make sure your water volume meets code.” She motioned for Rylan to hand her the water balloon he still carried.
He looked unsure but deposited it in her hand. “I still think you’re lying.”
“I am.” She threw the balloon at his chest and watched him gape as he got drenched.
Sam laughed really hard until she scooped another balloon and tossed it at him. Smack. Right in the head.
“Ha. Suckers.” She grabbed two more and raced away, using part of the fountain as cover.
The boys whooped and raced away after grabbing more ammunition from the bucket. Sam started shooting at her whenever she got free, and she got wetter and wetter as their fight progressed.
Until she hit Adam—in uniform—in the chest with a balloon. Benji, behind him, got wet from Sam’s water gun.
Everyone froze until Adam yelled about making arrests. Benji, to her surprise, darted for the bucket and launched a few balloons at Rylan with poor aim. Then Xavier walked out of the stairwell and got beaned in the head. Sam laughed so hard he cried, and Benji stole his gun and shot him with it.
“I am now your leader. Cry forfeit, worthless mortal!” he roared.
Xavier stood, stunned for a moment, so Justine had to hit him again. A water balloon crashed against his chest and soaked him.
He goggled at her before joining in the fight.
It only wound down when Top made an appearance, asking about all the damn noise. But Top, of course, dodged the two balloons thrown at him. He looked like a thundercloud as he saw what had become of his pristine garden.
Then Sam grabbed his gun from Benji and took a knee, sighting in on Top. “Freeze, Marine, or this breath will be your last.”
“I’ve got grenades,” Rylan warned, holding a balloon in each hand as he stood behind his brother.
Adam chuckled. “Don’t worry, Top. We’ll clean it all up.”
“Damn right,” Top grumbled and held up his hands. “Well? What are the rest of you gonna do? Put up with this insurrection or take out the enemy while I’m distracting them?”
Xavier shot a balloon at Adam while Justine took a hit from Benji, not sure whose team she was supposed to be on.
Top went down in a blaze of water, while the teenagers and Xavier kept trying to pelt each other. Xavier paused at one point to share a grin with Justine.
The moment was so perfectly fun and joyous, she never wanted it to end.
Chaos reigned.
And Justine had never had a better time.