Page 16 of Desserts for Stressed People

I shake my head as my stomach twists. That’s not promising.

She rolls her eyes. “Of course you do. He slammed his chair into the glass wall, then he peed all over his desk. It was wild.” She chuckles, her eyes brimming with joy at the juicy gossip.

Idoremember Stephen, but I had no idea he worked on events. “Shit,” I mumble with a grimace.

She gives me a one-shoulder shrug. “You can handle high-pressure situations. Plus, you need something to distract yourself from that awful parasite living in your home.”

She bats her lashes, but I strike her with a murderous look that I hope will dissuade her from saying more. I am not here to discuss Alex. “How are the people there?”

“Well, the director is a looker. Definitely better than Essentially-Billy. He’s probably the hottest dude I’ve ever seen in my life, honestly. At the last company softball match, I considered transferring. After the game, he took off his shirt—”

“Emma,” I whine, trying to get her to concentrate. She knows this isn’t relevant, and though she’s almost constantly thinking about men, it feels like she’s stalling. “Just tell me.”

She rolls her eyes. “Okay, he’s a little bit of an ass. And I’m not sure who you’ll work with, but pretty much everyone in that department is neurotic.”

I sip my ginger ale in thought. A shitty boss and neurotic colleagues. Who wouldn’t jump at the idea? “How much of an ass?” I inquire.

“Well, let’s just say that Mr. Hassholm isn’t what the department calls him.”

I tilt my head as my eyes squint.

“Mr. Asshole. They call him Mr. Asshole.”

Chapter5

The Secret Spot

I getout of the Watering Hole and slip into a cab, the fastest way to go home. I’m not exactly looking forward to being in the same room as Alex, but hopefully, he has work to do and we won’t stand in each other’s way.

Once I relax on the comfortable leather seat, I’m welcomed by some of the strongest AC I’ve ever experienced, and I take out my phone with a shiver.

When I’m at work, Ibecomework. That’s probably why my bosses love me so much. You won’t see me checking my texts, gossiping, or slacking off,ever. I like to think that’s a wonderful trait to have. That I can compartmentalize my life. At least, I like it, especially with my boyfriend being a lying cheater and all.

But now, I’m out. I’m finally off the clock, and to no one’s surprise, there’s nothing interesting going on with my phone. There are two missed calls, one from Alex, one from my mom. I send a text to the latter, asking if everything’s okay, because I’m usually the one to reach out. Then, pushing a hint of guilt deep down into my stomach, I ignore Alex’s call.

I can do that, right? I don’t owe him the same respect as before. After all, he doesn’t respect me at all.

My fingers scroll to the last page of apps on my phone, organized alphabetically. Weird, maybe, but oddly satisfying. All but the latest app I’ve downloaded, right at the bottom of the last page. A heart and a flame, pink and red. RadaR.

I open it and glimpse at the first man of many—really, too many—men, then I immediately click on the chat bubble. There he is. I do a quick search online before I give in to temptation.Can RadaR users see it when you view their profile?No, they can’t.

Grinning, I open his profile.

Shane H.

I study his first picture and sigh.

He looks charming in that light gray suit. So freaking yummy, I have to check I’m not drooling. I scroll to the second one before I’m done slobbering over the first. I’ll get back to it later. In this one, there’s a cherry tree in the background, and he’s sitting on a white garden chair. It looks like an outdoor party, maybe a wedding. Third picture, my favorite. There’s a wonderful grin on his face, and his expression would melt the underwear off anyone.

I sigh and start again. First, second, third picture. I take a break to read through the last texts we sent to each other. I promised myself that I’d only text him last night, but I sent him a quick message this morning. It’s fine, though, because before that I had also promised I wouldn’t leave him on read, and that’s what I did when I fell asleep. It’s a known fact that you can’t break one promise in favor of another. There’s even a saying about it, isn’t there? Yeah, I’ve definitely heard it before.The first promise is by default the most important.

Nevaeh:

Sorry! I fell asleep. Thank you for last night. I had fun.

That’s all I said to him. But until I clocked in, and right after I clocked out, my stomach was jittery. Last night was so fun. He’s a nice texter, if that’s a thing.

I pull my jacket tighter, trying to disappear inside it, then I look out the car window. I’m almost home, and once I’m there, I don’t know how much time I’ll get to ogle Shane’s face, so I open up the pictures again and drown in my fantasy.