Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 75553 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75553 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
“Hang on, Remy,” Griff called just as I reached the door. I turned to look back at him. He was in his usual place at the desk still, looking commanding and authoritative. It made me feel weak. “That’s a good idea. Make sure you spread the word in the lower divisions and I’ll clue in as many people as I can in middle management. It should be simple enough if we keep the story straight. Just say that we’ve been dating quietly for a while and we feel like it’s the right time to take things public between us. Got it?”
I nodded my head. When Griff laid out instructions like that, it made me feel better about my role in all of this. It was much worse if I had to do it alone, but somehow with Griff as my partner, lying felt a little easier.
I exited the office then and headed straight for my desk nearby. I kept my head down in an attempt to avoid the eyes of any staff members who might come heading my way for more gossip. It seemed to work for the most part and I made it to my chair unscathed, but just as I unlocked my computer, a familiar face appeared beside me.
“So, what’s going on, Remy?” Shelley asked in a low, conspiratorial tone. I turned toward her and she waggled her eyebrows at me. “Come on, you must have heard all the gossip in your meeting.”
I looked back at my screen. “You know those meetings are confidential, Shelley,” I chided her.
“There aren’t any secrets between best friends, though,” Shelley teased with a big smile. “Come on, Remy, what’s the gossip? Is anyone getting fired?”
I shook my head, hoping to squash any needless gossip. “From the sounds of it, I don’t think anyone is in danger of losing their job.”
“Really? That’s so surprising!”
“Well, actually, there is one person…” I amended with a grimace.
Shelley gasped. “Oh my God, who?”
I checked over my shoulders before leaning in closer to whisper. “Our boss…”
“No way!” she hissed and I had to put my hand over her mouth to quiet her down.
“Seriously, Shelley, this is just between us, okay?” I told her before launching into the story of what happened in the office with Griff and I. “Because they want managers to have family values, Griff told them he was in a serious relationship already…” I paused and gulped. “With me.”
“You can’t be serious!” my best friend screeched at the top of her lungs, alerting other staff members in the nearby cubicles.
“Shelley, please, calm down,” I implored her and smiled over at the curious onlookers. “This is really important and if you give it away, Griff and I could both be in big trouble.”
“Big trouble?” Shelley echoed with wide, fearful eyes. “No, Remy, you won’t be in big trouble, you’ll be fired! You’re lying to the new boss on day one! This is far too dangerous. You should have never gotten involved with it!”
“I know, I know,” I admitted with a sigh. “But I don’t want Griff to lose his job either…”
“And what about everything else?”
I stared at her, puzzled. “What else?”
“Oh, just the fact that you’re been head over heels for Griff ever since the day you started working here,” Shelley reminded me. “If you’re pretending to be this close, you might just fall for him for real and then what are you going to do?”
I sighed. The thought had crossed my mind. “I… I don’t know.”
“You’ll get your heart broken, that’s what will happen, Remy.” She paused, shook her head, and then put her hand on my shoulder. “Listen, Remy, I’m only worried because I care about you. I don’t want you to get hurt because you’re pretending some fake relationship is real.”
I smiled at her. “I understand, Shelley, but even if I end up hurt, this is something I feel like I have to do. If it’s in my power to save Griff’s job, I have to try. I don’t want to let him down.”
Shelley could see the determination written on my face. She knew she wouldn’t be able to sway me this time. “Okay, I’ll support you no matter what,” she finally agreed. “I just hope this doesn’t come back to bite you on the ass.”
“Me too, Shelley. Me too.”
7
Griff
A few days later, it was Friday and I was looking forward to leaving work for the weekend for the first time in a long time. Usually, work was my refuge and something I took pride in, but the last few days had been torture. Kelly had been watching me like a hawk and scribbling notes down in her planner almost constantly. I hated feeling like I was being watched and even though I had no plans for the weekend, I was looking forward to getting away from the office.