Twenty-Five
TWENTY-FIVE
Holland
N oble and I spent the week settling into the rhythm of this thing growing between us. We hadn’t named it. Didn’t need to, but enjoyed every moment. I craved him when he wasn’t around.
Noble sent me off to my first day of work with good wishes, good kisses, and a firm pat on my ass.
Ms. Elsie came through. I aced my interview and was offered a job with the foster care agency on the spot. I couldn’t wait to start—until my new boss arrived. Janet Higgins marched in, fanning away beads of sweat popping across her forehead, courtesy of her frequent sudden hot flashes. Dirty-blond hair lay slick against the weathered skin of her face. She pinned dark eyes on me and tossed me a flippant, “Good morning.”
“Good morning,” I replied, sounding way too cheerful in contrast to her monotone greeting.
“Follow me,” she instructed.
I closed my eyes to keep from rolling them. This was the woman I would be reporting to every day? She differed sharply from the pleasant woman who’d first interviewed me for the position. I didn’t know if she was having a bad day or if this was how she was all the time.
Janet introduced me to the small team I would be working with. The three of them welcomed me with warm smiles.
“And this is your office.” Janet pushed a door open and waved me in. “You can put your stuff here. Get settled and meet me in my office next door in about thirty minutes.”
“Sure,” I said to Janet’s back as she marched off.
I took a deep breath, grateful for the job and Ms. Elsie’s help. Surviving Janet would be something different. As program manager, I was responsible for executing the programs they had to support foster kids through the adoption process—a cause that was close to my heart.
I put my stuff down and went to the cubicles just outside my office to talk to the women I’d just met.
“Thanks for the warm welcome,” I said.
“Absolutely,” said Paige, the oldest of the three.
The others smiled and nodded. Paige stood and walked closer to me. She looked down the hall toward Janet’s office, and then in the opposite direction before leaning closer to me.
“We do great work here. Those kids jump right into your heart once you meet them. Just do your best to stay out of Janet’s way. She may not be the most cheerful person you’ll ever meet, but as long as you do a good job, you’ll be fine. She’s a real stickler when it comes to rules, so learn them and stay out of her crosshairs the best you can. Remember, we’re here for those kids.”
The other ladies nodded in agreement.
“Oh. And she’s deathly afraid of the board,” Paige added. “Let me know if you need help with anything, okay?”
“Will do. And thanks.”
Paige’s comments gave me insight into dealing with Janet. I knew it wouldn’t be easy. When I got to her office, she slapped me with a list of do’s and don’ts before explaining that we had an important meeting the next morning about an upcoming event.
“The board members will be in attendance,” she said. “If you have any questions, ask me directly after the meeting. Don’t ask anything in front of the board members.”
“Sure,” I said, thinking about how odd her directive was.
I pegged Janet as the type who was intimidated by higher-ups, carefully guiding her interactions through all the proper protocols. This was going to be interesting. I went home that night, reminding myself to stay out of Janet’s way, knowing she would never be described as being a “pleasure to work with.”
First thing the next morning, the conference room filled with people. I stood near the back, away from Janet—away from everyone. I wanted to observe. I heard a voice that made me turn my head so fast I risked whiplash.
“Holland.” Noble came to me and kissed my cheek. “Don’t tell me your new job is with Chosen Alliance?”
“What are you doing here?”
“This is the agency I was telling you about. I’m on the board. They asked me to be the chair of the committee planning the event. I didn’t realize this was the nonprofit Ms. Elsie hooked you up with.”
I laughed. “It all happened so fast. You have got to be kidding me. What are the chances? Does Ms. Elsie know you’re on this board?”
“I don’t know. How didn’t we realize we were talking about the same agency is beyond me.” Noble and I laughed together.
“You two know each other?” Janet’s accusing tone scraped into our conversation like nails on a chalkboard. Her beady eyes narrowed suspiciously.
“Yep,” Noble said, smiling, unaware of how her glare bounced between us. “Janet, right?” he asked.
“Yes, sir.” Janet’s nod was so sharp it resembled a military salute. She turned to me. “Holland. Can I speak with you outside?” Before I could answer, she turned to address Noble again. “Pardon us, Mr. Washington.” Without another word, she marched out of the room.
I followed close behind, leaving Noble looking as confused as I felt.
“You should be aware that we have strict rules against fraternizing with coworkers, leadership, and especially board members.”
“Janet, Noble is a f—”
“ Mr. Washington —” she chopped into my sentence, correcting how I addressed him “—is a new and very important member of the board. It would be best if you dealt with him accordingly. Do you understand?” she scolded, leaving no room for debate.
Oh. I understood, all right. The words on my tongue were unprofessional, so I swallowed them. I needed this job as much as I wanted it. It was perfect for the kind of life-changing work I wanted to do. Plus, I didn’t want to make Ms. Elsie look bad for referring me.
“Of course,” I said.
Janet blinked hard, turned, and walked away as abruptly as she’d arrived, leaving me bewildered at how curtly she’d dealt with me. I breathed deeply, returned to the conference room, and sipped on the horrible coffee as the executive director called the meeting to order. I took a seat as far away from Noble as possible. With brows knitted, he looked at me quizzically from across the room. I kept my expression blank. When I turned my head, Janet was peering right at me.
I texted Noble and told him I’d explain later. As soon as the meeting ended, I left before Noble could make his way over to me.
I went to the bathroom, hoping he wouldn’t come out of the meeting looking for me. One of the other managers came in as I washed my hands.
“Don’t worry about Janet. She’s way more bark than bite,” she said to me. “She’s a stickler for performance, but she’ll back off if you’re great at getting your work done.”
“Thanks,” I said, noting that this was the second person who talked about how much of a stickler Janet was.
“You’re welcome,” she said cheerfully, missing my slight sarcasm.
I had to remind myself that this job was paying way more than I made in South Carolina, and thousands more than the school in Charleston offered. My house may have been paid for, but I still had utilities and renovations to cover. I’d had difficult bosses before. I’d have to suck it up for a little while, making the best of it.
I hightailed it back to my office, hoping to avoid running into Noble. I spent the rest of the day out of Janet’s way, completing training videos. Five o’clock couldn’t come fast enough.
Noble was waiting on his stoop when I got home. He met me at the gate and walked with me into my house.
“What a day,” I said.
“Wanna talk about it?” he asked.
“Not really. Once you showed up at the meeting…” Shaking my head was my way of finishing my sentence.
“Janet is your boss?”
“Yes. Unfortunately.”
“She’s a stiff one, huh?”
“You know, she scolded me for calling you Noble. I tried to tell her we were…” I paused. “Friends.” That wasn’t exactly true. I didn’t sleep with friends or crave their touch when they weren’t around.
“Ah.” Noble was about to brush it off.
“Noble.” I got his attention with my serious tone. “How often are you going to be in the office?”
“Once a week until the event in a few weeks. Why?”
“Do me a favor. When you come to the office, let’s keep our distance.” I hated to ask that.
Noble’s brows furrowed. “Are you serious?”
“Yes. I don’t want any issues at work. Janet was pretty adamant about letting me know that no fraternizing was allowed.” I mocked her tone.
Noble waved away my concern. “That doesn’t make sense.” He threw his hands up. “We knew each other before you got there. Do you want me to talk to someone?”
“Absolutely not!”
Noble reared back, surprised at my response.
“I need my job. That certainly wouldn’t go over well with my boss.”
“I was just—”
“Trying to help.” I completed his sentence. “I know.”
“Okay. Okay.” Noble backed down, holding his hands up in surrender. “I get it. I don’t want to make trouble for you at work. I’ll stay away from you whenever I’m in the office.”
“Thanks.”
Awkwardness charged the atmosphere. I’d never felt so uncomfortable in Noble’s presence.
I hung my bag on the banister and sat in the window. Noble sat beside me.
“How’s everything else at work going?” he asked.
“Okay. It’s perfect for me, but I didn’t anticipate having such a…” I searched for the right word. “Spiky boss.”
“Look. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“I know.”
This was our first disagreement—sort of. There was so much for me to take in all at once: my new family—or lack of, a new city, a new home, a new job, a new…friend. It felt overwhelming. The interaction at the office made me wonder if I should put a hold on things between Noble and me. Relationships were complicated enough.
I got up and walked aimlessly around the living room, my thoughts grappling with the events of the day.
I looked over at Noble. He was studying me. Normally, I would have shared what was on my mind. Not this time. I needed space. My mind swirled with too many conflicting demands.
“I’m exhausted.” My voice was smaller than I intended.
Noble looked down at his hands, pursed his lips, and nodded. Slowly, he stood. He walked to me, lifted my chin softly, and kissed my lips. His touch was as titillating as always. I was still learning how to bridle my body’s response to him. Just as slowly, Noble left, giving me the space I desired. I missed him the second he walked out my door.
From the first moment we had touched, his presence besieged me. It was a feeling I couldn’t shake off. His voice, melodic and entrancing, tested my resolve. Every part of me became aware of him whenever he was around. I fell into his bed without an ounce of resistance.
If this job situation did anything for me, it showed me that I needed to hit the pause button. I should have put Noble on the back burner, but he was so irresistible. Too many areas of my life required my attention. Falling into his bed probably wasn’t the best way to deal with everything. It brought us closer, but I needed space to adjust to all that was happening in my life. The last thing I needed was a trauma bond.
Telling him I needed space would be the hard part. First of all, he lived next door. Second, our bodies oozed chemistry and attraction. It sizzled in the atmosphere around us. I was drowning in it. We couldn’t hide it if we tried. If I wanted to keep my job, I had to shut it all the way down.
I craved a shower, not just for the cleansing, but to clear my mind and dampen my feral emotions into submission. Previously, I’d done my best thinking under the spray of a showerhead. I stayed in there until the water cooled and then went to my room and grabbed my aunt’s journal for an escape, but was too distracted to focus on the words. I turned off the lights and got under the sheets, hoping sleep would settle my mind.