Page 88 of One Bad Idea

But I had to tell Jadensomething. He had, after all, just asked.

Finally, I said, "It was just one of those weeks, that's all."

He gave me a dubious look. "If you thinklastweek was bad, just wait 'til the next one."

My stomach sank. "Why?"

"Because," he said, "your boss is back, and we both know he's an asshole." And with that, he turned away, leaving me staring after him as he descended the stairs that led to the front porch.

Watching him go, I shoved a nervous hand through my damp hair.Washe an asshole?

At that moment, I couldn’t be sure either way. But Ididknow one thing for sure. In a million years, I'd never figure him out.

When he disappeared from sight, I shut the apartment door and wandered to the bathroom, where I planned to run a comb through my hair and try to pull myself together.

That didn't happen. And why? It was because when I looked into the bathroom mirror, I realized with a start which shirt I'd grabbed in my rush to get dressed.

It was the shirt that Cassidy had given me as a joke on my last birthday, after I'd cursed up a storm one too many times.

And what did the shirt say?

I talk dirty.

In the mirror, the letters were reversed, but the message was clear enough. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried not to look. It did no good. My entire reflection was burned into my brain – my wet hair, my pink skin, and the decidedly obscene message.

What if he thought I'd picked that shirt on purpose?

I shook my head.But surely he wouldn’t.

Would he?

I tried not to think about it. After all, I wouldn't even be seeing him until Monday.

Unfortunately, when Monday came, I was evenmorestymied when I saw what my asinine boss had left on my desk.

Chapter 33

From behind my desk, I stared down at the thing. It was a joke, obviously. And to my infinite annoyance, I couldn't help but smile. It was a cardboard coaster from a restaurant that I'd never heard of –Slappy's Sandwiches.

It sported an outline of a sandwich – a tall one, made with a bun, not bread, like the sandwich that I'd destroyed in Jaden's kitchen.

I didn’t even know if the restaurant was real, but it was funny and annoying all at the same time. I cursed under my breath. The fact that I was amused only fueled my irritation.

Technically, none of this was funny.

It was the beginning of a new week, which meant that I was facing five straight days of Jaden's barbs and Darla's hostility – or so I'd been thinking.

But the strange thing was, when I'd arrived bright and early, I'd seen someone else sitting at Darla's desk. It was a woman close to Darla's age, but with darker hair and thick glasses.

Her office door was shut, but I could still see her as plain as day through the window of Darla's office door. I gave the stranger a smile and a little wave, but received nothing in return. Either she didn't notice me or she was giving me the cold shoulder just like everyone else.

By now, I should've been used to it, but it did make me wonder,Was Darla out sick or something?

I didn't know, and saw no benefit of asking. So instead, I kept strictly to my own office, where I had more than enough to keep me busy.

Still, a half-hour later, I couldn’t resist peering around my office doorway for another quick look.

The woman was still there, but now, she had her back turned as she talked on her phone. Probably, this was a good thing, or I'd feel like an idiot for peeping.