Lucas could fire her for not being good enough at her job. She was already nervous about how well she did in the position. She parked the car and headed inside. She’d just have to see how things went. There was nothing she could do about it, so she’d have to do what she could and go from there.
The elevator doors chimed and the door opened to Tom’s smiling face. “I was wondering when you were going to get here. I’ve been bouncing in my seat for a half hour,” he said with no time for hellos.
Amy sighed, “Hey, Tom. If you’ve been bouncing in your seat for a half hour, then you were here an hour early, because I’m a half hour early,” she replied. He threw an arm around her shoulders and led her toward his desk.
“Okay, Amy, time to spill. What happened? You totally ditched me this weekend. The way the boss was acting on Friday night, I didn’t even know if you’d be here this morning,” he whined.
“Everything’s fine, Tom. The boss and I just had a little misunderstanding. I promise I’ll fill you in later, but I need to get started on my work before the aforementioned person walks in and has a reason to fire me for being a slacker,” she said, while walking toward her office.
Tom trailed along with her. “You’re here early. You can’t get into trouble for chatting with me on your own time.”
“I don’t think any time we’re in these offices is our own. Please, just let me get to work and we’ll go out for happy hour tonight, I promise,” she said pushing him out of her office.
Amy was busy at her desk when Lucas came in two hours later. It must be nice to be the boss and show up when you felt like it, she thought with attitude, then regretted it immediately. She wasn’t some high school ex-girlfriend who was going to think petty thoughts. What he did on his own time was his business, definitely not hers.
Lucas was completely professional with her, giving her a list of things he wanted done, and then he left the office, staying away the rest of the day. It gave her plenty of time to breathe, and she found herself relaxing and even finishing her work early.
The next few months flew by, with each day the same as the next. Lucas gave Amy her assignments, with very little talk, then left her alone. He never lingered and never seemed to make eye contact.
She’d gotten the hang of her job and finally felt comfortable with her work. Esther stopped by several times and praised her progress, saying it was as if Amy had been with the company for ten years instead of a few short months. Amy was thrilled by the praise and held the feeling close to her.
Try as she might to ignore her true feelings, Amy was disappointed each time Lucas left the room. His scent would linger, causing her body to ache, thinking of him for hours on end.
She’d run through their night of love making, too often. She woke in the middle of the night, with his name on her lips, and her body wet and ready. She was grateful he was keeping his distance because she’d never have the will power to push him away if he kissed her again.
She had no other man to compare him to, but she couldn’t imagine lovemaking to be any better than what she’d had with him that night. Even though she tried to put him out of her mind, he came to her nightly, in her dreams. She woke up yearning, with a feeling of emptiness.
Amy put off taking a pregnancy test for too long because she knew the answer. She’d been dealing with morning sickness and there were subtle changes in her body. She was naturally small so most wouldn’t notice the tiny bump on her lower stomach, but she did. She finally broke down and took the test, then threw it in the garbage. She’d already known the answer was yes.
“Amy, it’s late, and I’m more than ready for happy hour. Come, girl, let’s whisk you away from here,” Tom came bouncing into her office at six. “I’ve been patiently waiting for you for an hour, now. You do realize you’re salaried, not paid by the hour?” he added.
Tom sat on the corner of her desk and sat down while she finished her project. “Hold your pants on, Tom, I’m almost finished,” she said with what felt like her first real smile in weeks. “Drinks, my dear, are on me,” she said in delight. “I got paid and actually have money left, and I owe you a million lunches and drinks. I intend to pay them all back,” she said, feeling great about herself. It was so nice to have money building up in her meager savings account.
She only had the money due to having very little bills. She was in love with her apartment, and car, and life was close to perfect. She placed her hand on her stomach, which she often did without realizing.
Lucas was in his office with the connecting door cracked and heard the exchange between Amy and Tom. He was surprised by the amount of jealousy he felt at how easily she laughed with him.