Chapter 2
Patrick
There was no way I could have predicted how this morning was going to go even in my wildest imagination, and I can’t stop myself from replaying the moments in my head as I make my drive into work.
It’s not like I was running late, but I was later than I normally am. My personal belief is that early is on time, and on time is incredibly too close to being late for my comfort. Luckily for me, I was still going to be twenty minutes early even with my stop at The Brew this morning.
A fog clouded my head, but the smell of coffee woke me up just enough to make it through the line.
There didn’t seem to be anything out of the ordinary going on. Nick was manning the register like normal, and he gave me a welcoming nod while I stood in line. He’s newer than the rest of the crew, but he’s been getting the hang of things really well.
If I’m being honest, I don’t really talk much to the baristas, but that’s only because I know they are busy and trying to get through their shift.
I’ve been coming here for so long that they know a little bit about me, and I know a little bit about them.
We have a mutual understanding: they make my life easier, and I appreciate what they do silently.
Everything was the same until it wasn’t.
My phone beeped when I scanned my app to get the daily reward points, and I thanked Nick while the transaction was processing.
As I got ready to move to the spot where I wait for my drink, my eyes met Ellie's, causing me to stop in my tracks.
Seeing her every single morning made me fairly familiar with her mannerisms, but I had never seen her like this.
One of the things that I’ve noticed is how calm she is while making drinks.
No matter how busy the store is or how many drinks are piled up next to her, she is always collected and professional, but today she looked like she was about to jump out of her skin.
Her lips moved fast, and I almost missed that she was mouthing the word help.
Her demeanor changed in an instant.
If I wasn’t looking at her, there’s no way I would have seen the shift.
The pieces started to move together when a middle-aged man near the drink counter stared at me with annoyance.
He was already standing way too close to Ellie for my liking, and it was even weirder when he stepped back as I approached her.
Ellie started talking, and the bigger picture revealed itself. Her words shocked me for a second, and I had no idea what to do. There were so many thoughts running through my head: Did she just call me babe? Why was she talking about me? Why did she look so scared a second ago?
My lack of caffeine was definitely the reason I needed those extra seconds for my brain to catch up with what was happening. This guy was making Ellie so uncomfortable that she had to pretend I was her boyfriend.
Anger burned at my core, but I knew that it would not do any good. There was nothing I could’ve done to help other than playing along with this weird charade. Weighing the risks, I didn’t want to do anything that could’ve gotten Ellie in trouble or me banned from the store, so I went along with it.
Trying to play along, I leaned over the counter to make it seem more believable, but that’s when I realized that I had never been that close to Ellie before. And, I was not prepared.
It was obvious that she was flustered, but I couldn’t stop looking at her.
Her hair was pulled back into a low bun, and there were little pieces of bangs messily falling in front of her eyes.
I had an urge to reach across the counter and tuck it behind her ear that I ignored.
The freckles that were haphazardly spread across her nose and cheeks were revealed from this new perspective.
I already knew she was pretty, but being this close to her was making me realize how beautiful she is.
We continued our back and forth, but when she started talking all sweet and looking up at me with those big brown eyes, I couldn’t help myself.
Did I mean to flirt with her during this weird situation? No. Of course, not.
Did I enjoy it? Yes.
Honestly, it’s been a long time since I’ve had an excuse to flirt with someone, and I’d be lying if I didn’t say it was kind of fun. When I close my eyes, I can still see the pink rising to her cheeks and her pulling her plump bottom lip between her teeth.
The way she blushed so easily made my heart race.
If I had a good excuse, I would love to do that again sometime.
But as much as I want to flirt with her more, I hoped that it was a one time occurrence.
It worries me deeply that Ellie has to deal with people like this.
The last thing anyone needs is someone harassing them while they are trying to do their job.
My knuckles are white as I clench the steering wheel with force. Thinking about something happening to her because some idiot doesn't know how to keep it in his pants makes me unreasonably upset. I barely know Ellie, but everyone deserves basic human decency no matter what situation they are in.
Pulling into my parking spot, I put the car in park and take a few deep breaths.
My emotions have been known to get the better of me, but I’ve learned to rein them in.
It’s a matter of pausing and trying to process them into something that makes sense.
Being able to articulate how I feel and understand my emotions instead of letting them control me is something that I am proud of.
My emotions haven’t won in a long time, so normally I don’t have to worry about it.
But, there was something about the interaction this morning that made me feel protective.
I do my best to shake it off since it would be unprofessional to let my mood impact my performance at work.
However, the feelings still linger despite the attempt at calming myself down.
The clock in my car reads 7:38.
Twenty-two minutes early. Not bad.
Trying to remove the thoughts of Ellie and today’s encounter, I grab my latte and make my way into the office.
I’ve been at ERI, Emberton Recreation Inc.
, for six years, but it hasn’t felt that long.
When I first started, they were a brand new start-up focused on outdoor recreation and were hiring data analysts, so I took a chance and applied.
It’s not exactly what I planned to do with my degree, but I can’t imagine myself doing anything else.
Some people may think my job sounds boring, but I love it.
Collecting data, identifying trends, and solving problems is stimulating for me.
When I started, I was the only data analyst in the whole company, but as ERI grew substantially, the workload increased, which meant hiring more people.
Now, I’m in charge of a three-person team, and I am considered one of the original employees.
Walking into my office, I set my backpack and coffee down on my desk.
When they added a third person to my team, they upgraded me to an actual office, but I don’t really need it.
Normally, my door is always open, so that I can communicate with my team.
Not to mention, having the background noise of the office has always helped me focus, and it allows me to be aware of everything that’s happening.
It is a small room, but it’s more than I need to do my job. There are few pictures of my family and friends on the desk, but other than that, it’s pretty bare. A few new papers are placed on my desk with a sticky note asking me to double check the trends from the latest report, and I get to it.
My team strolls in as I flip through the papers.
The first part of my day is spent looking through the newest media report, and I look up when I notice movement in my doorway. Wes leans on the doorframe, nursing his coffee, holding it with both hands like a precious gem. “Hey, boss. How’s it going?”
He was the first person added to my team four years ago, and it amuses him to call me boss. He only does it because he knows it annoys me, but I know it’s all in good fun.
“Weird morning, but I am so fucking glad it’s Friday.” Minimizing the tab in front of me, I give Wes my full attention. Even if this is just a short conversation, it would be dumb to multitask because it can lead to stupid mistakes.
“Ooo, I love a weird morning! You’ll have to tell me about it later.”
My brows raise at the comment. Wes has never been one to turn down an opportunity to chat. “Are you okay? Do you have a fever or something? Do you need me to take your temperature?”
As if someone is trying to eavesdrop in on our conversation, Wes peeks over his shoulder. Once he’s assured that the coast is clear, he steps into my office, closing the door behind him. “Have you heard any updates about the new manager?”
In all of the chaos of this morning, I had completely forgotten what was happening today.
We’ve known for a while that we were getting a new manager in the office, but there was not much shared in terms of actual details.
I had asked around, but the higher ups refused to give out any information since everything was still in limbo.
You would think being here for so long would earn me some special privileges, but it doesn’t.
“No, still no real info. They said that they are going to stop by this afternoon, but they don't officially start in the office until Monday.”
Wes spends a moment contemplating and finally lands on a thought. “What’s the point of being the boss if they don’t tell you anything?”
“I don’t know how to get this through your extremely thick skull, Wes, but for the millionth time, I’m not the boss. I’m barely even your boss. Now, get out of my office before I fire you.”
Wes gasps sarcastically, scurrying out of the room and back to his desk. I open my browser back up and take notes to share with the team later.
As we wait for the new manager to arrive, the meeting room is filled with a cacophony of voices.