Chapter 17
Marley
Chicago ETC was the coolest place ever.
It was a giant, sprawling campus, and the different buildings were connected by corridors or hallways. I had gotten to know the layout quite well as I spent the afternoon there. I felt comfortable and secure. I could see why people paid the monthly membership fees that were the equivalent of half of my rent. If I had the money, I would pay it, too. This place was like its own little Disneyland, except it was for fitness and there weren't any mascots walking around. There was a kids' nursery, however. I had been in there with Maggie who was one of the cleaning ladies.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"We'll get the smoothie on our way out, but I have some things to discuss with you in my office first."
"This sounds serious," I said with a smile. I spoke casually because we were in a busy part of the weight room. No one was paying attention to us, but they were in earshot as we walked by, so I kept my tone casual.
"It is serious," he said, looking at me without cracking a smile.
I knew he was being lighthearted. I loved his sense of humor.
We spoke to a group of people at the edge of the weight room who called out to Dominic, but it was brief, and before long we were in another hallway, heading to the offices.
He held the door and turned on a light before waving me inside. I stepped in, and he closed the door behind us.
"This feels official," I said since I had been expecting him to leave the light off and start kissing me like last time.
"No, it is official," he said instead. "I really do want to talk to you about a job."
"Okay, yeah. I'd love to work here."
"Really? That sweatshirt looks good on you."
"Thank you. I love it. You have good branding. Somebody earlier was asking about the shirts with the cartoon logo—the one with your faces. They wanted two of them in XL. He said he collects all your designs and he missed that one."
"Yeah, that was a limited edition. We sold out pretty quickly. I might have a few set aside."
"I wrote down the guy's name. He said he was Justin's manager."
"Michael," Dominic said, nodding.
I nodded because that was the guy's name.
"I'll call him about the shirts, thanks. Have a seat right here if you don't mind, Miss Matthews."
He was saying official things and moving around in an official manner, and I was just impressed. He settled across from me at the desk and sighed, leveling me with a challenging stare. He had dark eyes that looked straight through me. He was intense and strong. I wouldn't want to face him in battle.
"So, I wanted to get you in here and go through some formalities with the job interview."
I took a deep breath, gathering my thoughts and preparing to answer some questions.
"Will you take it?"
He asked the question and then he just sat there and stared at me.
"Do you mean the job?"
"Yes. You see what we do. You were busy today. There's always something to be done around here."
"I know. And yes. I had fun being here today. I would love to come here to work." I straightened my shoulders. "Do you need me to say anything about being a team player or feeling like I can contribute?"
"No, I don't," he said with an amused grin. "I see all that."
"Do you want me to just come on part-time, to make sure it's a good fit?"
"Do you want that?" he asked.
"I don't want you to feel like you have to give me a job just because you said you would."
"I don't feel like I have to. I want to. We'll be lucky to have you." He leaned back in his chair. "I was thinking the job could come with a small apartment, something close by."
"Why, do you provide housing for any of your other employees?"
"No. We don't."
"Then, you can't do that."
"I want to. I'm the one who's asking you to come to work. I can make the arrangements in the contract."
"I'm sure your brother wouldn't appreciate an apartment being in the deal for a new employee."
"My brother's not paying for the apartment. I am. And I want to because I'm the one asking you to pick up your life and move to Milwaukee."
I flinched, and he stared at me, pretending to be surprised by my reaction.
"Oh, did I forget to mention the job is at the other gym?"
"Y-yes you did."
"Oh, yeah. We're overstaffed here. I mean, today was different because Gina was sick, but no, the job was… I was interviewing you for a position at the Milwaukee location this whole time. I'm sorry if that wasn't clear."
He sat back and stared at me. His mouth twitched like he might smile, but he remained serious.
"The job's in Wisconsin?"
"Yes. I was thinking you could just move there. It's a nice city. I should know because I spend most of my time up there."
"I will," I said.
"You will?"
"Yes to everything. I can't let you do an apartment, but yes to the job in Milwaukee. I have to say, I know someone who lives in that city, and he did cross my mind when you mentioned moving."
"Oh, you know someone in Milwaukee?" he asked.
"Yeah, I do."
"Oh, okay, well I'm sure whoever that is wants you to live in the apartment he rents for you."
I stared at him, and he regarded me with an impassive stare. "Are you messing with me?" I asked, tilting my head at him.
"About the apartment? No. Why would I?"
"No, about everything. Is this all just a… this feels like we're messing around a little."
"No, I mean, I'm… it's not… I am messing around with the formal interview or whatever, but no. Will you take the job? The one in Milwaukee? I figured the biggest thing to get past is that you would have to move."
"I mean, I really don’t have ties to Chicago."
"So, yes?"
"Yes. Yes."
"Okay, so you can consider yourself hired at the other gym then. MKE-ETC, baby! We'll work out the details and fill out the paperwork. You'll also need to do some apartment shopping. My house isn't far from the gym. We have something on the actual campus that would be free, but I don't want you to feel like a prisoner there."
"A prisoner? How could I? Are you saying you already have a pre-made apartment that exists at the gym?" I stared at him.
"There are three of them, but two of them have tenants. Both guys, but good people. The third one's open, but like I said, I—"
"I'll take it," I said. "It's probably a better deal than other things I'd find up there, plus I'd really save on gas driving to work." I laughed because I was just plain giddy. It had crossed my mind that it would be good for me to move to Milwaukee, but it was a passing thought, and I certainly never dreamed I would be making plans to do it soon. "I will be such a good employee! You're not going to regret hiring me."
He smiled. "I know I won't."
"This is amazing."
"Are you happy about it?"
"Are you kidding? The timing is… it feels so exciting to think about a move."
"What will your family think about you leaving Chicago?"
I smiled a little thinking about how little they would say about it. "They'll be fine with it," I said. "I won't be that much further from them. Ada's planning on coming this summer, you knew that, but we can change it to Milwaukee. I don't think that would be a big deal for her."
"Your boyfriend has an apartment in Chicago. I'm sure you and Ada can stay at his place if she's got her heart set on staying there."
He stood up to walk out, but then he turned to me, looking at me like he wanted to say something. I got to my feet and walked to him before he made it to the door. We met up near the wall, and he leaned against it.
"You said you were my boyfriend just now."
I grinned at him and stepped closer. There was only a foot of space between us, and I stared up at him.
"I am your boyfriend," he said, looking back at me. "I told it to two different people today. I hope that's okay."
"Yeah… I just wanted you to know, I'm not going to talk about it with the staff and customers. I'll concentrate on work while I'm there."
"I know. I saw how you were out there," he said. "A real pro."
"Yes, sir, customer service is my specialty."
I was standing near him, and he just stood there, not touching me. His own expression changed. He had been searching my face all along, but I saw something change in his eyes, and I knew how he was looking at me now. His gaze fell onto my mouth and I grinned a little and squirmed.
"What you were doing out there today was perfect," he said. "But just for kicks, can you show me what not to do? Just so I know you know the difference?"
"I won't do this," I said, stretching up and letting my mouth gently touch his.
We had a busy afternoon, and it was so nice to connect with him.
My heart was full.
I pulled back, smiling.
"Yeah, I, we won't do that," he said. "I don't think… you need to show me again, just to make sure."