Iz lifted Teo’s hand and gave the back a quick kiss before returning their attention to Ryan.
“What’s wrong with it?” they asked.
Ryan sighed. What wasn’t wrong with it? “It’s boring, for one. I sound like Mr. Butler from freshman English. People will tune out and unsubscribe.”
“You’re a good storyteller, Ryan,” Iz said. “Write it like you were telling me the story. Actually, don’t write it. Let’s sit down after dinner, and you tell me the story. We’ll record it, and you can transcribe it.”
“Fan-fucking-tastic!” Performing was easier to Ryan than writing, and if he did as Iz suggested, he might end up with a rough draft by the end of the night.
“I’ve been known to have a bright idea on occasion.” This time, Iz’s smile was genuine, lighting up their face. “But only if you do the dishes.”
“You’ve got yourself a deal.”
twenty-nine
left side of bitchy
Monday morning fully ruined the high Elissa had been riding since drunk texting Ryan on Saturday night. She almost slept through her alarm, spilled coffee on herself, and, once she’d changed, her damned car wouldn’t start. Her mood was on the left side of bitchy and was quickly approaching Wicked Witch of the West.
She caught a ride share into work, arriving a few minutes late. After apologizing profusely to Karina, Elissa locked herself in the file room to finish the task she’d begun Friday afternoon. By lunch, she’d verified all documents were present for all their clients, except for DeMarco Property Management. She saved DPM for last and planned on tackling the boxes on a full stomach.
Elissa took her lunch outside, finding a sunny bench. She stretched out her legs and rolled her head around, trying to loosen muscles stiff after a morning hunched over boxes of paperwork. The sunlight and fresh air revived her, and she closed her eyes to listen to the birds in the nearby trees.
“Elissa?” a familiar voice broke the spell.
Who had the gall to bother her when it was obvious she didn’t want to be bothered? Ryan stood in front of her, blocking the sun. But not the Ryan she’d been lusting after. No, it was Beige-Flag Ryan, glorious in his genial blandness.
The Ryan she kept forgetting to call. The Ryan she needed to let down easy. Oh dear.
“Hi, Ryan.”
“Hi, Elissa. I was starting to worry you’d dropped off the face of the earth. You never called.”
“I’m so sorry. Things have been…” What had things been? Pretty good, actually. She had moved out of her parents’ house, had a new man in her life who made her tingle in all kinds of places, and her mom was healthy. A small alarm bell sounded in the back of her mind. “Busy. Very busy. Is that why you’re here? Checking up on me?”
“I have an appointment to drop off my tax paperwork at your firm. I asked around, and JMS Accounting received great word of mouth. I didn’t think you’d mind.”
She didn’t, but it seemed weird. Out of all the firms, most of them well-regarded, he’d chosen hers. Elissa shrugged it off.
“No, I don’t mind. I’m on lunch break right now, but if you want to chat after, I’ll be right here.”
“That would be nice.” He turned and walked to her office, looking at her as he opened the door. When he made eye contact, his gaze quickly skittered to the interior.
Elissa pulled out her sandwich and fruit and enjoyed her lunch alfresco, ignoring the alarm that counting her blessings had sounded. By the time she brushed the crumbs off her blouse, Mr. Beige Flag was walking toward her. She still had fifteen minutes left before she needed to return to work, so she was stuck talking to the guy until she could politely excuse herself.
He sat down on the far side of the bench, giving her plenty of space. What tension had built as Elissa anticipated this conversation eased, if only a little.
“How have you been?” As an opening gambit, it was unimaginative, but not everyone could ask if a seat was taken in just the right kind of voice to send shivers down her spine.
“Busy, of course. Taxes are due in two months. Right now, most of our clients are businesses, but individuals will start trickling in.”
“Do you handle business or individual clients?”
“Mostly business, but a few individuals. We try to finish the businesses early so we have time to do individual returns.”
“You don’t have much time for a personal life right now, I bet, or else I think I would have heard back from you.”
Elissa cringed. It was more than fair to call her out.
