The Malone Brothers Boxed Set
Page 60
I could barely believe my eyes, and I instantly felt sick as she hung her head back to moan, I let out a gasp as I covered my mouth. They both looked in my direction, her immediately pulling at her skirt to cover herself up, while he begged me to let him explain. I could feel the heat on my face and took off running toward the elevator.
Tom ran after me, begging for my forgiveness, causing a huge scene. I went home that Friday, had a good cry, and contemplated reporting him to Human Resources. Instead, on Sunday, I called him at home and broke up with him. He's begged me for another chance, but I told him the damage was already done and to keep his distance. Now for the past year and a half I have been subjected to his last-minute meetings, along with looks that no boss should be giving his employee.
I finished packing my bag and was just about to throw it over my shoulder when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Tom walking slowly down the hall. I rolled my eyes. "Please don't stop. Please don't stop," I mumbled to myself.
The door to my office pushed open and Tom stuck his head in. "Kristy, don't forget to go over the final images for the magazine layout this weekend. I'd like to have them in my hands by Sunday night."
I sucked in a breath and pasted a fake smile across my face. "Sure thing." He had been doing this to me since we had broken up, finding some way to make me work the entire weekend on something. I had been the one who complied, but now I was getting tired of it.
He nodded. "Have a good weekend, Kristy." He waved and went to continue his way down the hall, then stepped back in my doorway. "Oh, Kristy, I was thinking perhaps you could drop the package off at my place on Sunday night. It would be nice if we could go over your work together."
That invite struck at my last nerve. There was no way in hell I was going to be caught dead going to his condo just so he could hit on me in private. "I don't think so. It can wait until Monday, Tom," I bit out, praying he got the hint.
"Sunday," he said with a little more force as he stared at me. He tapped his hand on the doorframe, his eyes washing over me, and then continued on, making his way down the hall.
I reached into my bag and pulled out the USB stick that held the images I was planning to use for the layouts and placed it in the top drawer of my desk. "Guess that will just have to wait until Monday now." I giggled to myself, flipping my bag over my shoulder.
Horns blared as I stepped out onto the sidewalk. The Friday afternoon traffic is heavy already, I thought to myself as I began to walk towards home. I was about halfway down the block when snow started to fall heavily. I stopped at the grocery store just like I did every Friday for my usual bottles of wine and some snack food and wished that I had decided to drive this morning instead of walk.
"Hey, Dena." I waved at my favorite cashier as I wiped my snow-covered shoes on the mat inside the door.
"Hey, Kristy, I have already bagged your usual bottles of wine. I have them behind the counter here waiting for you. One bottle is cold, two are warm."
I nodded my thanks and made my way down the aisles to the hot food table. Had I really become that predictable that the cashier at my neighborhood Food Mart knew what wine I normally bought and had it pre-bagged for me before I'd even gotten there? I picked up some food off the hot counter, a couple of bags of chips and some candy, and made my way to the front of the store with my arms full.
Twenty minutes later, I shoved the key in the lock to my apartment and kicked the door open, running to the small table in the corner of the kitchen where I set the bags down just before they slipped out of my hands. I shoved the cold bottle of wine into the fridge, locked my apartment door, and went and had a quick shower.
Dressed in my favorite pair of yoga pants and a T-shirt, I swept my long, dark hair up into a clip and grabbed the phone. I dialed Addie's number. It was my usual Friday night bitch session where I complained to her about Tom and all the other things that had gone wrong in my life during the week.
The phone only rang once before she picked it up. "Kristy! Happy Friday!"
I laughed out loud at her enthusiasm. "Hey!" I tried but my voice clearly didn't share her sentiments.
"What's wrong? You should be thrilled to be out of that place." She giggled.
"I am just so done. Tom actually had the nerve to invite me over to his place Sunday night."
"What for?"
"He claims it was to go over my photo choices for the magazine layout. I know he is just using it as an excuse to get me alone. It pissed me off so much I may have accidentally left the USB stick that contained the images in my desk drawer. Whoops."
"You should have reported him when you had the chance. I can't believe that he's still bothering you."
"I know I should have. I just seriously need a new life. If that wasn't bad enough, he called an emergency meeting at three o'clock this afternoon to go over everything that seriously could have been summed up in an email about a paragraph long."
"What a dick."
"Then, as if everything wasn't ending on a high enough note, I stopped at Food Mart on my way home and Dena already had my three bottles of wine bagged and behind the counter. Can you believe it?"
Addie let out a loud laugh. "Oh, Kristy, that's hilarious."
"Yah it’s really funny. It's pitiful. Seriously, I am twenty-five. When did I become predictable? I am supposed to be carefree, partying it up every weekend, sleeping with random dudes. Instead, the cashier at the grocery store knows that every Friday, at exactly five fifteen, I walk in and buy three bottles of Cupcake Vineyards Moscato, one cold, and two warm, to drown my sorrows over the weekend."
"It sounds like you need a vacation."
"I so do. I need away from everything," I bit out, opening the bag of gummy bears I had bought and shoving four of them in my mouth.
"Why don't you head up to the cottage? Phil and I were supposed to go this weekend, but he's on call, so we had to change our plans."
"I don't know. It's already almost six. It would take me a bit to get there."
"Nonsense. You need this. It’s supposed to be a beautiful weekend. Serenity Lake is already covered in snow, and you will have the entire cabin to yourself. You, nature, the mountains. Book a massage, go horseback riding, spend the day in nature. It's exactly what you need."
I glanced around at my empty apartment. I could either stay here and wallow in self pity, looking at the four white walls, or I could get in my car, drive up to the mountains, and spend the weekend in that beautiful rustic cabin that Addie's family had owned for years, surrounded by wildlife and beautiful scenery.
"Are you sure? I feel kind of bad going when I know you guys were planning this weekend for so long."
"I wouldn't have offered it if I wasn't sure, Kristy. Phil can't go far. His rotation was changed, and he is on call all weekend. So go, have a good time. I'll even call ahead and book you in for a massage at the hotel down the road with Shawn. I’ll book it for when you arrive tonight."
"Shawn?"
"Oh you will love him. He has the best hands in the world, not to mention he is a total hottie."
I let out a laugh. I could practically see the expression on Addie's face right now as she said those words. The idea of being pampered did sound great. At least it was better than staying here and wallowing the entire weekend. "All right, fine, no need to twist my arm. I will go."
"Yay!" I could hear her clapping on the other end of the phone and imagined her jumping up and down with excitement because I'd agreed to take her up on her offer.
"Okay I am going to go and book your massage. My treat, okay! Did you want me to email you directions?"
"No, Addie, the cottage is enough. I will pay for my massage. I think I remember how to get there, but just in case I don't, please email them."
"You got it, babe! Have a great time!"
"You too."
"Oh, and don't do anything I wouldn't do." Addie laughed into the phone, and suddenly, I wished that she was joining me on this weekend away. I desperately needed girl
time or something to take my mind off of everything I had going on.
We said our good-byes, and I took off down the hall towards my bedroom and packed my bag. I was going to spend the entire weekend in the mountains alone, which may be exactly what I needed to unwind.
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