“The fact that you just said ‘sex partner’ instead of fuck buddy shows me how badly you need to get laid. I might need to bump that appointment up sooner.” Jay frowned and came over to gently pat my hand—a pity pat for his sexless boss.
“You’re lucky I like you.”
“Nah, I’m not lucky. I’m just the only person you can’t push away like everyone else. I’m with you for life, Mia.” He was joking, but his words hit something inside regardless.
Instead of joking back with him or rolling my eyes again, I had to ask him a burning question inside me. “Have I really pushed everyone away?”
Not that I had too many friends to begin with—creating an empire was sort of a lonely road—but I’d had people I hung out with from time to time. But, lately, I’d seen that they were out and had never thought to invite me. Or check on me, for that matter.
“You’ve kinda become a hermit. A cute one. But you’re about one split end from looking like a troll doll. We might even need to get you a gem for your belly button.” He sat on the front of my desk and gave me another pity pat, added with a pity expression on his cute face.
“I’m a hermit,” I stated.
He nodded. “You turned down every offer to go out with your old friends because you were busy working, and then that dick ex-husband of yours sort of helped isolate you. Your life was him, work, and I assume you ate somewhere in there. Everyone has stopped calling, and to me, good riddance. You don’t need people who are only around when you’re up on cloud nine. True friends are the ones who check on you when it’s been a few days, the ones who barge into your life and make you talk to them to let the steam out of the pot. And they’re the ones who tried to get you laid by your super-hot life coach because you need some good dick. Exhibit A: good friend.” He smugly pointed to himself, and that earned him the eye roll he’d been expecting and come to enjoy bringing out of me.
He was right though. I’d isolated myself, and the only person I could be mad at was myself. I had been so consumed by my job and my husband that I truly lost myself and everything around me.
“I’m sorry.”
Jay was one of the only people who talked to me like a friend. He was there for me anytime I needed him.
“You’re my boss, but you’re also my friend. Even though you’ve never let me tap that,” he teased with a wink.
I had to let the chuckle inside me escape. Jay was very much straight and a very confident man. He could talk with me about if another man was attractive and then jump straight into a conversation about the woman he’d slept with the night before.
“I am sorry if I’ve tried to push you away. Intentionally or not.” I gripped that hand of his that had pity-patted me and gave it a little squeeze.
“I know you weren’t doing any of this on purpose. You’ve just been a little lost, and I like being your GPS sometimes. Always around if you need me.”
I smiled and felt my chest tighten with love for my friend while the muscles in my back loosened.
“I should have just hired you to be my life coach.” I laughed and sat back in my chair, removing my hand from his.
“I would have rocked your world, baby.” He stood and patted the desk with three thuds before strutting out of my office.
Once the door closed behind my assistant, I started to feel sad that I’d truly let myself go down this rabbit hole, and I had been too blind to see it happening.
But, before I could keep going down into the pit of despair, I shook my head and took a few deep breaths. “Not today, Satan. Not today.”
I banished thinking negative thoughts and went about looking over the inventory reports from our month’s new menu.
Two hours later, Jay was opening the door to let Logan in with a wink on his mischievous assistant face before leaving us alone in my office.
Great.I could feel the blush reddening my cheeks as I sat there, looking at my life coach.
