Page 29

MARLOW

I’m in love with Ryan Ehler.

What a weird thing to say out loud. But somehow it feels a thousand times more natural than it ever did repeating my ‘Ryan Ehler is my friend’ mantra a few weeks ago.

Honestly, the words didn’t catch me by surprise. Ryan’s feelings were written all over every touch, every kiss, and every smile that he gave me. So much so that I didn’t even need to hear the words to make them true. And I knew I felt the same.

What did catch me by surprise was the way my heart absolutely flooded and overflowed when he told me. If I could rewind and replay the moment, I’d be stuck in an infinite loop…especially if it meant that I didn’t have to deal with the Kayla issue.

But alas, it’s Monday morning. Ryan left early to go home and get ready for work.

We may be in love, but we still haven’t mastered the art of sleeping over on work nights.

That leaves me to get ready and walk to work by myself.

Normally, I’d prefer Ryan’s company, but this morning I appreciate the time alone to think.

Supervising other people obviously comes with the territory for the Volunteer Coordinator position, but it is not a facet of the job that I’m particularly fond of. Keeping track of a few senior citizen trail hosts is one thing, but actively managing these interns is a whole other world.

Especially when one of them sexually harasses another employee…and that employee happens to be my boyfriend.

Granted, Kayla doesn’t know that she’s been sending nudes to her boss’s boyfriend. But she’s been so hellbent on getting Ryan’s attention that I doubt it would have mattered to her.

A flutter of panic courses through me as I cross the lobby of the ranger station and mutter a quick greeting to Emmett.

Years of working with foster kids and parents has toughened me up for these difficult situations, but this is way out of my wheelhouse.

Hunter will have to be involved, and probably HR as well.

There will be some sort of investigation, which will undoubtedly include the fact that Ryan and I are dating.

Ryan will probably have to provide proof of the harassment, which means he’ll have to show the photo to… who, exactly?

Oh God, am I going to have to look at this photo?

It’s one thing to hear about it, but I don’t know if I can stay calm and collected while looking at a nude photo of another woman on Ryan’s phone.

Deep breaths , I remind myself. Deep breaths .

I probably look like I’m practicing Lamaze in my office when Ryan trots by. Pausing in my doorway, he smiles and mouths the words, ‘You okay?’ My breath finally catches up to me and I nod.

Everything will be okay. Whatever happens today at work, Ryan will be beside me. And when it’s all over, we’ll go home and this will all be behind us.

Ryan disappears from the doorway but returns a few minutes later with two cups of coffee.

“Ready to get this over with?” he asks.

Hunter looks uncomfortable as soon as he sees Ryan and me standing in the doorway of his office.

Hunter is a quiet guy, but sometimes I wonder if he’s more observant than he lets on.

He knows Ryan pretty well, from what I’ve gathered, and he recognizes the edge in his tone as he asks if we can come in and talk for a minute.

Clearly, we aren’t here to chat about the weekend. The idea of waltzing into our boss’ office and regaling him with tales of mimosas at brunch is laughable. Hunter probably doesn’t even know what a mimosa is…or what brunch is, for that matter.

Ryan tries to pull out a chair for me, but the stupid folding chair that Hunter refuses to replace crumples and folds in on itself with a loud screech.

Ryan straightens it out quickly while giving me a quick look to communicate that this is off to a great start.

Right then, I realize that he’s nervous, too.

“So, what’s up?” Hunter asks once we’re both seated across from him.

Ryan and I shift awkwardly in our seats. A beat of silence passes, and then another. Just when I’m about to blurt out the word ‘nudes’ at my boss, just to put an end to the tension, Ryan speaks.

“As you know, Marlow and I have been dating for some time now,” he starts.

Hunter nods, and I can’t help but wonder if Ryan talks to him about me. About us . Heat prickles in my cheeks.

“That’s not a problem,” Hunter says casually. “You two have different assignments. Neither of you reports to the other.”

Ryan sits forward a little and continues. “Right, but that’s not why we’re here. There’s a problem with another employee – one of Marlow’s.”

“What kind of problem?”

Ryan’s lips tilt into a frown as he ponders the manliest way to tell his boss and good friend that he’s being sexually harassed by a college girl. I guess this means it’s my turn to take the lead.

“Ryan received some unwelcomed and inappropriate text messages from one of my employees.”

“Kayla?” Hunter interrupts.

I nod and continue. “She’s exhibited a pattern of questionable behavior since she started the program, but she’s managed to stay in a gray area until now. The messages that she sent to Ryan definitely cross the line into sexual harassment though.”

Hunter sighs deeply, letting his massive shoulders fall. “Guess I have to ask: what were these messages about?”

“They were…pictures,” Ryan manages with a cringe. He motions to the phone in his pocket, resting one hand there as he asks, “Should I – I mean, do you need to see them?”

Hunter rolls back in his chair so hard I swear he’s trying to break down the wall and escape into the forest.

“No,” he practically shouts. Clearing his throat, Hunter adds, “But HR might so hang onto them for now.”

Silence stretches out around us all. We shift uncomfortably in our seats and glance around the room as if Hunter’s bare office walls have just gotten so damn interesting.

“Obviously, we thought we should come to you about this,” I say when the tension becomes too overwhelming, “since, you know, we’re together, and that might complicate things.”

Ryan gives me a sympathetic smile, but Hunter’s expression is as unreadable as ever.

“Yeah,” Hunter finally says through yet another sigh. “This sort of thing’s never come up before. I’m going to have to get ahold of someone in HR to figure out how to handle it. It’ll be easier to explain the situation if I can disclose your relationship. That a problem for either of you?”

All of Hunter’s attention is on Ryan when he asks this question, but Ryan is quick to concede to me with a sweeping motion of his hand.

“That’s not a problem at all,” I say, unable to suppress the start of a smile when I lock eyes with Ryan.

Hunter grunts, either because he senses that we’re having a cutesy new couple moment or because he has to deal with HR. Probably both.

By lunchtime, I’ve spoken to the regional HR manager three times. I’d wager that Ryan and Hunter have, too.

Between closed-door phone calls, we all exchange quiet, exasperated glances while refilling our coffee cups.

When Kayla walks into the breakroom, her gaze is fixed on Ryan.

He can’t escape fast enough. Hunter hovers near the coffeemaker but says nothing.

That leaves me to deal with Kayla. She keeps her eyes on the doorway the entire time while I ask her to help Beth put together some literature packets in the conference room.

Anything to keep her out of the way until HR tells us how to proceed.

After lunch (not that any of us actually managed to step away from our desks long enough to eat anything), I am summoned back into Hunter’s office.

No Ryan this time. A woman named Sharon from HR is queued up in a video chat window on Hunter’s computer.

She tells us that it would normally be fine for Hunter and me to terminate an employee for gross misconduct but, given the nature of the complaint and the nature of my relationship with the employee who was victimized (her words, not mine), she’ll need to be present via video chat as well.

Perfect. Who wouldn’t want an audience the first time they have to fire someone for gross sexual misconduct?

I nod calmly while my nerves play a rousing game of pinball on my internal organs.

When Sharon stays on the line after the conversation is seemingly over, Hunter and I exchange a confused look over the screen.

“So, if you’ll just go get the employee, we can get started,” Sharon says.

“Oh, you mean now? We’re doing this right now?” I ask.

Hunter looks as caught off guard as I feel, and I remember that he hasn’t been the boss for all that long. This is probably the first time he’s had to fire an employee.

A few minutes later, I’m back in Hunter’s office with Kayla in tow. Hunter has rearranged the chairs so we’re both seated across from her with the HR lady parked somewhere in the middle where she can’t possibly see any of us very well. She’s aimed directly at the blank wall to my right.

Hunter and I take turns saying words that I think we’ve both seen in movies about people being fired.

It works pretty well until Kayla decides that we are wrong.

Apparently, she can’t be fired for something she did off work hours.

She tells us this repeatedly, until Sharon finally chimes in with an authoritative yet bored tone that conveys exactly how many times she’s had this conversation with people.

Finally, Kayla gives up and accepts her inevitable fate.

Hunter and I are instructed to walk her out.

She can gather her things, but not log onto her computer.

In the process, Kayla makes more noise than I knew possible out of collecting three pens and her small handbag.

Everyone watches quietly from corners and hallways.

Everyone except Ryan, that is. He’s conspicuously absent from the building.

I’m guessing that Sharon and Hunter decided this was for the best, and there’s no way that Ryan would disagree with that assertion.

Despite everything, I feel a little bad for Kayla.

She’s young, probably a little unbalanced, and definitely more than a little embarrassed as she stomps across the lobby.

Hunter and I trail her outside and down the wide steps to the sidewalk.

We stand there for a second, both trying to figure out appropriate parting words for the situation.

Finally, Hunter just kind of grunts before turning on his heel and walking back up the stairs.

I follow suit. It’s not the smoothest exit, but at least this whole ordeal is over.

The rest of the day passes quickly. My office becomes a revolving door as I try to catch up on all the work that I couldn’t finish this morning.

People who have never stepped foot inside my office before are practically lining up outside.

Every one of them uses the same tactic: feigning some sort of surprise to see me sitting there – in my own office – on their way to the breakroom.

It starts with small talk as they linger in the doorway, until they are eventually seated across from me, asking the same question in a hushed tone: “What happened with Kayla?”

I recite the line that Sharon recommended: “She’s no longer enrolled in the summer intern program.”

When pressed for a reason, I say that I can’t comment.

Hunter’s door has been closed all afternoon. I assume this is his way of staving off similar conversations.

The only person who doesn’t stop by is Emmett. A pang of guilt strums at my stomach. He was friends with Kayla. He’s probably sad to see her go.

Ryan reappears right when everyone else is packing up for the day.

He’s a picture of ease, leaning in the doorway of my office.

For the first time all day, I’m not thinking about Kayla.

All I can think of is last night when Ryan growled those three little words into my ear as I came undone beneath him.

Suddenly, I’m tempted to take up running as a hobby. If it gets me home and in bed with Ryan faster, it can’t be that bad, right?

Nope, nope. My lungs ache just thinking about running the mile in gym class. A brisk walk will have to do.

“Let’s go home,” I say as I stop just shy of grazing against him in the doorway.

Ryan sees the glimmer in my eye, hears the inflection in my tone, and licks his lips into a smile. He tilts his head toward the exit in silent agreement.

Unfortunately, we only get as far as the steps outside the building before we run into a crowd of nosy coworkers, still gossiping about the events of the day.

Luckily, none of them are brave enough to ask any direct questions of either of us.

The crowd is all fake laughs while Linda tells a story about one of her kids.

Ryan slips his hand around my waist and asks just loud enough for the crowd to hear, “Ready to go home?”

I nod, startled but pleased. If anyone is surprised by this, they don’t show it. I guess we weren’t hiding it as well as I thought we were.

I begin my jogging career, practically sprinting off toward my apartment, but Ryan catches my hand when we reach the street corner. He laces his fingers in mine and pulls me back to him.

“My place,” he says. “It’s been a rough day. Let me take you home and pamper you.”

“What do you have in mind?” I ask, lacing my other hand in his so that we’re pressed together.

“Eggplant parmesan…”

“Mmhmm…”

“Then planting my head between those gorgeous legs and licking your sweet pussy until you beg to come over and over again.” He whispers this against my hair, smiling casually as if he’s just told me I look nice today.

An onlooker would be none the wiser that his words just made my panties so wet that I can feel them clinging to me under my stiff work pants.

That night, Ryan keeps all of his promises and the troubles of the day disappear under his touch.