“Then that will tell you exactly what you need to know. It will suck balls, but you’ll know.”
“Don’t sugarcoat it, man. I can take it.”
“Shut up, asshole. Hey, any more of the barbecue pork?”
“Iz made a fuckton.”
“They love to take care of us with food, don’t they?”
“God love them.”
Teo pulled the pork out of the fridge, made a plate, and stuck it in the microwave.
“Any progress on the script?” Teo asked as the food went round and round.
Ryan blew out a breath. He wished he’d had time, but honestly, he hadn’t yet. He was too tired at the end of the day, and after last night…
“No, but the recording is there. I just need to sit my ass in a chair and transcribe it.”
His phone dinged. About fucking time.
“I’ll let you get that,” Teo said with a smile.
Ryan returned his attention to his phone and read the text from Elissa.
E: Sorry, sorry. I fell asleep at my desk.
Part of him felt guilty for tiring her out so much she fell asleep at work. The other half of him was preening with satisfaction. Jesus, even the most enlightened men still had stupid alpha male bullshit going on when it came to sex. Ryan put on his supportive boyfriend hat and told the alpha to go back to sleep. He wasn’t needed here.
R: No I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have kept you up last night. Did you drool on any tax returns?
E: Fortunately not.
R: You want me to call?
The thought bubble popped up. And stayed a while. Oh, this couldn’t be good.
E: Can we talk this weekend? Karina had a family emergency. Her boss called Annetta today. Until Karina gets back, I’m in charge of her clients. I spent all day making sure I knew exactly where everyone stood and prioritizing the work. I’m going to be so, so busy for the next few weeks, maybe even until Tax Day.
Not good, but not bad, at least not for him. Karina, absolutely, and Elissa’s life was going to suck. But he was Supportive Boyfriend tonight, so he had this.
R: I gotchu. We’ll talk this weekend. I’ll call Saturday, late enough so you can sleep in. Whatever you need Elissa.
E: Thanks. You’re amazing. Goodnight.
Ryan sent the winking kissy face. Too cute, but Elissa sent back the face surrounded by hearts, so message received.
Relief flooded him. Of course it had been something out of her control. Of course. But the niggling doubt his father planted this morning wouldn’t go away.
thirty-seven
that’s a shame
When Ryan called on Saturday, Elissa meant to tell him. Just a temporary pause on things until she talked to Mr. Samuels. A day or two, max.
But he’d been so happy to talk to her. Wanted to know everything about her new duties. She couldn’t bring herself to tell him anything to ruin his mood.
Fine, this was fine. She’d walk into Mr. Samuels’s office first thing on Monday and have him assign DeMarco Property Management to someone else. She didn’t have to tell him about her entire relationship with Ryan, merely hit the main points and recuse herself and apologize for not mentioning it before. Blame the shock of the moment, or…something.
