Ben’s brow lifted and he gave me a look that said I was clearly not intelligent enough for this conversation.
When he didn’t speak again, I forced myself to my feet. “Is there anything else I can get you, sir?”
“I’m good for now.”
I was tempted to ask him if he knew who I was going to belong to next, but I managed to keep the thought to myself. For all I knew, they could very well be deciding to do something different, or not at all. There was no telling with all the chaos going on right now. I was sure my meltdown hadn’t helped anything either.
With a quick nod, I returned to my desk as his words ran on a loop in my head. Could he be right? Could Master and Sir want more than what we had already?
I dared not hope, because although they did seem to want to play, Master and Sir hadn’t alluded to the fact that they wanted something more. Sure, sometimes I’d felt as though they did, but I was following their lead here.
Again, Jordan was right. Perhaps it was time for us to have a conversation.
•
Master and Sir arrived a few minutes after nine and both headed straight for their respective offices after offering a pleasant good morning as they passed. Knowing I needed to get my apologies out of the way first thing, I went straight for Sir’s office once I realized he was going to keep the door open.
“May I come in for a second, Sir?”
He peered up at me from his desk and nodded.
“I wanted to apologize for my behavior yesterday. I shouldn’t have run out of here the way I did. It was unprofessional and I can assure you it won’t happen again.”
He nodded but didn’t say anything.
“Can I get you a cup of coffee?” I offered, hating how the silence weighed heavily on me.
“Yes, thank you.”
Well, that didn’t go as badly as I thought it would. Not as well either. I thought for sure he’d add his two cents.
After I prepared his coffee and delivered it to his office, I was gearing up to go back to my desk when he stopped me with a gentle hand on my arm. I paused, waiting for him to say what he had to say, but Sir surprised me when he got to his feet, then cupped his hand around the back of my neck and pulled me in close.
“I’ve missed you, sweet girl,” he whispered, then pressed his lips gently to mine. “I apologize if I’ve done anything that might make you think otherwise. I’ve been simply abiding by the rules.”
I hugged him tightly, enjoying the warmth and safety of his embrace. I had missed him, too, more than I could admit aloud. And to hear him say those words…
Well, it certainly didn’t help to ease any of the confusion. Between what Ben said earlier and how Sir was acting…I was no longer sure how they really felt about me.
In an effort not to put too much thought into what he might mean, I pulled back, offering a smile. “Thank you, Sir.”
Needing something to focus on other than my feelings—which had been my issue yesterday—I went to Master’s office to offer him coffee. He was on the phone, so I didn’t interrupt, choosing to go back to my desk to work.
An hour passed, then another. Phone calls started to stream in, mostly from team members with questions or ideas. Knowing that Ben was already fielding a lot, I decided to help as much as I could. I took detailed notes, offered a few suggestions of my own, then scheduled follow-up calls to check in with those who wanted me to.
My goal was to pitch in as much as possible. Considering the amount of time that I’d worked there, I had caught on to a lot of things. And I knew I had a lot more to offer than simply a decent cup of coffee and the ability to coordinate schedules. Or, of course, the extracurricular activities that I’d enjoyed thus far.
With Justin out of the office, it seemed now was the appropriate time for me to step up.
Forty-Three
BOSS MEETING
——————————————————
Langston
“HOW’S JUSTIN?” I ASKED BEN when Landon and I walked into his office that afternoon. We hadn’t scheduled a meeting, but I felt it was necessary to check in with him.
“I haven’t heard from him this afternoon,” Ben said, pushing his laptop away and turning his attention toward us.
I took a seat in one of the chairs across from him.
“Well, when you do, keep us updated, would ya?”
“Of course.” Ben sighed. “I know he’s tired. Mentally, at least.”
“I’m sure this isn’t easy for him,” Landon said. “They’re pretty close, huh?”
“They were. Before his dad’s memory started failing him. Now it’s hard for him to be around the man. Especially when Carl doesn’t recognize him.”
