He nudges me with his elbow. “Coworkers are alright, too.”
I scoff, forcing a smile. “Excuse you. We are more than alright, sir.”
“Maybe.” His shoulders lift in an almost imperceptible shrug. “I'm off tomorrow, but if you need a ride...”
“Oh, that's sweet,” I say as the GPS announces his destination is just ahead on the left. “But I've got it handled. Thank you though, truly.”
I swear a muscle ticks in the side of his cheek as he clenches his jaw, but before I can ask what's wrong, he's smiling over at me. “Shoot me a text if anything changes.”
I promise I will before unbuckling my seatbelt. “Thanks Clint. I really appreciate you being there for me today.”
“That's what friends are for, right?”
“Right.” I nod once and climb out of the car. “See you Wednesday.”
He waves and then puts the car into reverse. “See you.”
Ellis opens the door just in time to see Clint’s car swing out into the road. “Who was that?” he asks, his voice tight. I’d almost say he sounds jealous, but surely that’s not what’s happening here...
“Clint. He’s a new hire. Part of the maintenance crew.” I shift my bag from one shoulder to the other, beyond ready to be out of these scrubs and off my feet. “You actually know him.”
“Do I?” Ellis’s brows furrow, no doubt trying to recall the how and where of it all.
“Yeah.” I rock back on my heels. “He's a bartender at The Creek.”
Ellis mutters something under his breath.
“What was that?” I ask, both out of curiosity and to needle him a bit. What can I say—I can’t resist the urge. Maybe a small part of me finds comfort in getting under his skin.
“Just don't like him.” He crosses his arms over his chest, his lip curled in a snarl.
“I'm going to be really honest with you, Sunshine. It has been a dumpster fire of a day, and I really don’t have the energy for whatever metaphorical dick measuring contest this is.”
“No contest.” He puffs out his chest. “Mine's bigger.”
“Ellis.” My voice cracks. “Please.”
“Shit.” He opens his arms wide. “C'mere, Princess.”
I step into him, and he wraps his strong arms around me, effectively melting away my annoyance. “Let's get you fed and then into a bubble bath.”
I sigh and lean further into him. “A bubble bath sounds heavenly.”
“You can use my tub. It has jets.”
“Thanks Ellis.” I step out of his arms and head inside. “I appreciate you.”
A thought occurs as I cross the threshold. “Oh my god! How was your first day?”
“Really fucking good.” He grins, and it lights up his entire face. “I didn’t actually do much, just helped with custody drop offs and ran background checks, but it was nice being able to actually help people, you know? I got you some goodies, too.”
“Me?” I ask, wondering what in the heck he could’ve possibly gotten me.
“Mmhmm.” He ushers me into the living room. “Get comfy, and I'll grab everything. We can talk about it while we eat.”
I’m tempted to change but Ellis mentioned a bath, so I nestle myself into the corner of the couch, drawing my feet up under me as I settle in to wait.
“Chicken salad on a croissant with chicken and wild rice soup,” he says, setting a tray down onto the center cushion with flourish.
