“Well, thank you. I appreciate you saying that,” I said, and blushed.
“Of course. I hope we can get through this oddness, Amy. We’ll be working very closely together in the coming months.”
I didn’t want to get past this at all, but I couldn’t exactly say that out loud. I felt more confident around him, but not that confident. “I think that sounds good, Mr. Green.”
His eyes lit up when I said this name. “Shane outside of the office. Mr. Green inside.” His tone was a command, and it excited me.
“Sorry, Mr. Green. I want to keep things professional.” I wanted him to look disappointed, but his face remained impassive. He held me in his gaze for a moment longer, and I felt myself wanting to say his name again. Before I had the chance, he knocked back the last of his drink and stood up. He took a few bills from his wallet and dropped them on the table, then looked at me. I couldn’t read his expression, but my body tensed under his gaze.
“Thanks for meeting with me, Amy. I’ll see you in the office.” He moved to go. I looked back at my drink and felt disappointed. I wasn’t sure what I expected. Maybe a declaration of love, maybe just an invitation to dinner. Instead, I got mixed messages, and more confusion.
Before he moved away, Shane paused next to me. I could tell he was struggling with something. I shifted in my seat to get closer to him. He looked directly at me, his eyes smoldering.
“I am not an indecisive man,” he started out, and then stopped to glance at the bartender. He took a deep breath. “I take what I want in all parts of my life. Now, I feel compelled to say that I meant everything I texted you.”
Before I could respond, he walked out the door, and was gone. I took a deep drink from my glass of wine and felt dizzy.
8.
I opened the door to my apartment and dropped my keys on the kitchen counter. As soon as I was inside, my phone started ringing. I pulled it out of my bag and checked the ID: Darcy. I swiped right and held it up to my ear.
“Hey Darc!” I said. I hadn’t heard from her in a few days, and I was happy she called. I couldn’t wait to share my news, even if that news was confused a bit.
“Hey there kiddo.” She called me kiddo sometimes, which was weird, but we rolled with it. It was a joke from college, something to do with how I wanted someone to be my sugar daddy. And how she was going to be the only daddy I’d get. We were going through a phase at the time.
“How’s it going?” I asked.
“It’s going good! Guess where I am?”
I had no clue. “Home in the city? Oh, no, you’re in a submarine and you’re running out of air. Did you call to say goodbye?”
“Close! I’m in Philadelphia.”
“You’re here? In my city? Since when?” I had no clue she was coming down. I wished she had told me earlier. I would have picked her up from the train, or at least let her crash at my place.
“Since this morning. And I’m in your coffee shop right now, actually. Come down!”
“You’re at Swirl, right now?”
“Yes, and you better come. No excuses.”
It had been a long day. I was exhausted even though it was barely four in the afternoon. But I couldn’t say no to her, not when she was so infrequently in town. Despite the turmoil I was feeling over my new job and over sending dirty messages to my boss, I had to make an appearance.
“I’ll be there soon.”
“Great. Look cute!” She hung up. I smiled and put my phone back in my bag. I didn’t know what Darcy had in store for me, but I figured I might as well change before I left.
I locked my bike outside of the café on the usual post and adjusted my clothes. Flats, high-waisted black shorts, black tights, and a cute dark blue button down top with little keys all over it. Darcy told me to look good, and I tried my best to live up to her expectations.
The café looked dark, which was odd. It should have been open, but the sign wasn’t lit up, and I could barely see in the windows. I pulled open the big front door and stepped inside.
“SURPRISE!”
A huge group of people yelled at once. I nearly jumped out of my skin. My heart was hammering in my chest as I felt my adrenaline pumping.
The lights came up and people were all over the place. I was in shock.
Darcy came running over to me and wrapped me in a huge hug. A few other people from our college days were there, Jim and a few of my coworkers were there, and off to the side, sitting in his wheelchair with his nurse behind him, was my Dad.
“Darc! What is this?” I said, pulling back.
“It’s a congrats surprise party for your big sale. Last minute thing, but it’s a decent turnout.”