“You’ll fuck your eyes up,” I tried next, and she snorted, waving a hand at me dismissively.
“I’m in the zone. I’m good.”
I grabbed her chair as she lifted the picture out and inserted it back into the file.
“Let’s go get some lunch,” I suggested and she sighed.
“In a minute, I’ll just finish this section.”
I dragged the chair back, and she let out a little panicked screech, as she dropped the next photo she’d pulled out. She seemed to be removing them in batches, and slotting them back in as she finished with them.
“NO! Don’t! I’ll lose my place.”
“Even I can understand your system, little lady. You’re hyper organised, and you know it.”
“Please! Please, just let me finish this batch, and then they’re safe again.”
“Rocket won’t have a shit fit if you leave them out for an hour.”
“An hour?! Oh my god, no. I don’t have time!” She jerked the chair out of my grip and moved closer to the desk again, slotting the picture into the scanner and clicking the mouse. She seemed to relax as soon as she was back in her workspace, but she hadn’t eaten, and even though it wasn’t my place to dictate anything to her, I at least wanted to feed her.
I backed up to Rocket’s counter and leaned against it, watching Caroline’s focus as she scanned, replaced, scanned, replaced, almost robotically.
“What’s up?” Rocket leaned on the other side of the counter and kept his voice low.
“She needs a break,” I replied, glancing at the clock on the wall. Almost two, and my stomach was rumbling, so hers had to be too.
“I’m sure she’s fine. She’s a grown up, right?”
I didn’t bother glaring at him, because I’m sure he could feel it from behind me.
“You want her fucking up her eyes working nonstop on something for you? That’s not how I roll, man.”
“You’re feeling protective because you’re into her. I get it. I care too, but-”
I spun to glare at him and he groaned, backing up to stand straight.
“Only in the sense that she’s a nice person, and I care that she’s helping me out. Jesus, you’re worse than that prick, Grease.” And speak of the devil, he walked through the door with Jamie badgering him about something as she followed.
“Fuck’s sake, I said leanwithme. Is it really so fucking hard?”
She slapped his arm, and he retaliated by ducking back and slapping her ass, and it was her indignant squeal that caught Caroline’s attention. That’s how engrossed she’d been.
She shot up from her chair, spinning as she moved, and we all froze. Grease had left his cut off, because he knew I preferred that, and we didn’t wear ours in the shop, but I could tell that even without them, she was intimidated. Jamie waved at her, offering her a gentle smile, and Grease turned to shrug at me, but I was already approaching her.
“Noisy pair of fuckers. You couldn’t just come in quietly like normal human beings?”
“Nothing my little pain does is quiet, man, I thought you knew that.”
She slapped his arm again, and he made a low growling sound, gripping her face and murmuring something I’m so fucking thankful I couldn’t hear, because her cheeks flushed scarlet, andCaroline gasped. I guess if you looked at their body language without knowing them, you’d think he was being an asshole to her. Knowing them like I did, I had a feeling it was something inappropriately sexual he was muttering at her, and that seemed to be what she liked from him.
I had my hands on Caroline’s shoulders, and she was leaning back against me, and that’s exactly why I knew she was shuddering, and that was Grease’s fucking fault.
“Come with me for some lunch?” I whispered in her ear, and she nodded jerkily. Maybe I’d thank Grease later for breaking her concentration enough that she’d at least take a break, but I’d also want to punch him for scaring her. It was quite the dilemma. Maybe I’d do both later.
“Can I trust you two not to come to blows while we’re out?”
“You’re leaving? I thought we were gonna talk through the-”
