Chapter 8
EIGHT
“That’s all?”
My sister, Devyn, stared at me across the table, nursing the martini she ordered when we arrived an hour ago. Her long blonde hair was fashioned into a picture-perfect chignon, aligning all too with her neutral, tailored suit. It was still hard to wrap my head around this version of my sister compared to when we were growing up. When we were younger, Devyn spent most of her days running wild through the woods or covered in paint in her makeshift art studio, the complete opposite of the corporate Barbie she’d transformed into. Even drinking, she was posed and perfect, as if she was in the middle of the courtroom, waiting for closing arguments.
However, I was on my third drink and starting to come apart at the seams. I’d never been very good at keeping my thoughts to myself, and with a bit of liquid courage, everything was starting to spill out.
“He said thank you .” I waved my hands in the air for emphasis. “The man never says thank you. Maybe something is wrong, like, you know, when people get sick and start to appreciate things more? Or maybe it's like the calm before the storm.” I gasped, grabbing Devyn’s arm. “Do you think he’s going to fire me this time? Like, for real fire me?”
“I don’t know how to respond to that.”
I lifted my thumb, nervously chewing on the cuticle. Devyn slapped my hand away, knowing it was a nervous tick. She held up her empty glass, summoning the bartender to bring us another round of drinks.
I was about to tell her to stop, thinking that I had to drive home, but then I remembered I no longer lived in a tiny town where the cabs stopped picking up at nine o’clock. That was one of the best parts about living in the city. I held up my hand. “And one more for me too.”
As the bartender mixed our drinks, I looked around the bar. The lights were dimmed low, giving it a moody, trendy vibe. Most of the patrons were bankers and other Wall Street bros looking to network. It wasn’t quite my scene, but it was only a couple of blocks from Devyn’s office, making it less likely that she’d bail on me at the last minute.
She held up her drink to clink with mine. “To you overanalyzing and spiraling because your boss thanked you.”
“I’m serious, Devyn. I’m just starting to stand on my own two feet.” I chewed on my lower lip until a thought popped into my head. “That’s it! My thirty days are almost up. He’s just trying to butter me up so I don’t flip when he lets me go.”
As she took another sip, Devyn studied me before a smirk formed on her lips. “You like him.”
“What?” I snapped, giggling at her insinuation. “Because I don’t want to get fired? No. No, no. That’s— no. ”
“Way too many nos to be truthful.”
“Fucking lawyer logic,” I grumbled into my drink.
“Fine, you don’t have feelings for him.” She rolled her eyes. “Even if you did, it's for the best that you don’t act on them. He’s your boss. That screams messy, even for you.”
“Ouch.” I smacked her thigh. “And that was never even an option. Sure, I enjoy looking at Theo, but date him? That would be a disaster waiting to happen.” I started counting off my fingers. “He’s a jerk incapable of saying anything nice, he’s emotionally stunted, and he’s way older than me.”
“How much older?”
“Old enough,” I answered. “At least in his mid-thirties. And he’s got his life together, Dev. He would never be interested in someone like me.”
She scrunched her face. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing,” I sighed, needing to change the subject. “How’s your case going? Is there any more word about when they’re going to announce the junior partnership?”
Devyn lifted her drink, taking a large gulp. “I might kill my client, except she’s not even really my client. She’s his daughter. So now, I need to play nice with an eighteen-year-old who’s determined to throw away her entire trust fund. It’s exhausting .”
“Sounds like it. And this will help you get the promotion?”
“That’s the goal,” she sighed. “There are three other associates who could get the job, but none of them can match my billables or wins. The only advantage they have is their penises.”
I snorted, sending vodka through my nostrils. Devyn giggled, handing me a napkin. I was glad to know I wasn’t the only one feeling the drinks. But just as her laugh started to fade, a cheer broke out through the crowd, all eyes glued to the no-hitter on the TV screen above the bar. Devyn sneered as she spotted the familiar ashen hair of number thirteen smirking on the pitcher’s mound as another player struck out.
I jabbed my elbow into her side. “Gray’s having a great season.”
“He better,” Devyn scoffed, taking another long sip of her drink. “They’re paying him enough.”
I arched my brow, debating how far to push Devyn on Gray. While we might have dated in high school, they were best friends for years before that. However, they had a falling out right before he left for college. No one knew what it was about, but Devyn rarely brought him up and snapped at anyone who tried to ask. Despite their rift, she never missed one of his games.
“You know you two live in the same city, right?”
“So?”
“Well….” I stirred my drink, weighing my words. “Maybe it’s time for you to talk–”
“Hard pass.”
“Devyn, I?—”
“So, are you sure there’s nothing going on between you and your boss?”
“Nice deflection.” I rolled my eyes. “Yes, Devyn,” I answered dryly. “I am sure that nothing is going on between Theo and me.”
“Good,” she answered, nodding toward the door. “Because I’m pretty sure Theo just walked in.”
My eyes widened as I watched Theo shuffle into the bar, his eyes almost immediately finding mine. The corner of his lip picked up, as if it was all a big game. For a moment, I thought he was here for me, but I quickly realized that was ridiculous. In what world would my boss track me down to some corporate bar in Midtown?
But I couldn’t lie—part of me wished he had .
As I tried to push that thought out of my head, Theo approached our table. Devyn smirked, turning to hide her smirk in her drink. “Okay, I’m starting to get the appeal. Pictures do not do him justice.”
“Shut up,” I hissed through a forced smile.
“Calla…” Theo greeted me as he reached our table, waving for his friends to find a spot without him.
“Theo,” I answered back, unable to hide my grin. “I can’t believe you’re here. I was starting to think you never left the office, much less socialized with other people. That new software update is working wonders.”
Devyn’s eyes went wide, but Theo just stared at me, that same corner of his mouth quirking in amusement. “There’s a lot about me you don’t know.”
“Care to share any more secrets?” I dared to ask, not sure why exactly I was openly flirting with my boss. Maybe in the morning, I’d regret my choices and realize I was toeing a very dangerous line. But three drinks in, reasonable, sensible Calla was nowhere to be found.
That version of me was delighted when Theo leaned forward, his lips brushing the shell of my ear. “That lipstick is very distracting. I can’t seem to take my eyes off it.”
My breath sputtered out, and I was unsure how to respond when Theo pulled back, winking at me before leaving our table. “See you tomorrow, Calla.”