Melody glances down at her calendar. “Oh. He’s this doctor my friend has been trying to set me up with for a while.”
I stare at her. He’s a doctor? I may be a CEO, but everyone knows doctors win every time. The guy’s literally job is saving lives. What do I do? Make chips?
“Are you, uh, going out with him?”
She scrunches her face. “Yeah, of course. That’s why it’s in my calendar.”
Her nonchalant tone is terrifying. “Did I do something wrong?”
“What do you mean?” Melody asks. This whole time, she’s been half focused on her computer. She finally looks fully at me, and I wish she would turn back to the laptop. Her eyes are indifferent. Her smile is polite.
“I thought we had fun Friday night.”
“Of course, we did,” she responds quietly. “But it was just one night, Cameron. I thought you knew that.”
How would I have known that? We went on a date. We slept together. Sure, I’ve had one-night stands in the past, but I don’t usually buy them dinner first. We always know we’re on the same page. I have no idea what page I’m on with Melody, but I know I don’t like the book so far.
“I was not aware of that,” I say. “I thought we hit it off.”
“Come on, Cameron.” Melody rolls her eyes. “We work together. We can’t date. We shouldn’t have even slept together, but it happened. I think we need to move on.”
“Move on?”
She nods. “Yeah, move on.”
Melody goes back to her work, dismissing me.
Move on, my brain says. The phrase repeats the entire walk back to my office. Emma shoots me a questioning look, but I ignore her and retreat behind my hardwood door. For the first time ever, I’m glad no one can see me.
I take the stress ball from my desk and throw it at the wall. How did we go from an incredible, romantic night and some great sex to move on?
I know that working together complicates things, but Snax doesn’t have a no-fraternization policy. If you fall for your direct supervisor, you have to change who you report to, but that’s it. It wouldn’t apply to Melody and me because I’m not her supervisor.
There’s nothing else on my desk safe to throw, but I’m tempted to launch the stapler at the wall for good measure.
A knock on the door prevents me from destroying the stapler.
“Everything okay in here, boss? I saw those flowers you brought Melody. What’d you do?”
I usher her in and tell her to close the door.
“We went out on Friday night and I thought everything was good, but today she said it was a one-time thing. She’s going on a date with a doctor named Xander tomorrow.”
Emma cringes. “Yikes, that’s harsh, Cameron. I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine,” I lie. “I don’t have time for the distraction, anyway. We won last week, but we need to win again to solidify my position as CEO. I have no idea what Jack might have up his sleeve. He’s got to be pissed that we tricked him last week.”
“What do you have in mind?”
“Well, I focused on packaging and the factories already. I think it’s time to shift to the executive offices. There are a lot of things we can be doing here to increase productivity. I’m thinking a restructuring of the customer service department.”
“Let me know what you need from me,” Emma says.
I nod. “I will. It’s in the planning stages right now. I didn’t have a sample for this prepared. I’m hoping that means I’m safe from Jack’s interference, but we have to be vigilant.”
“Can I ask a question you’re not going to like, boss?”
“You don’t usually ask permission first.”
Emma laughs. “I’m just wondering if we can still count on Melody to help us. I know the two of you aren’t dating and you’re sad about it, but we could use her.”
I sigh. Maybe Melody was right. Us dating would be too complicated, anyway. I’ve never dated a coworker or an employee before. It would require some adjusting, and a breakup would be messy. It’s probably a good thing that Melody and I never got to that point.
“I have no idea. I guess we should find out.”
Melody is online in our private messaging app, so I ask her to come meet Emma and me in the office. She responds that Jack is in his office, so it’ll have to wait.
An hour later, Melody knocks on my door.
“Jack just went to a meeting, so we have some time. What did you need?”
I clench my fists to prevent myself from reaching out to touch her. A strand of hair fell from her bun. I could easily slip it behind her ear and lean in, kissing her softly…
“Cameron?” Melody asks, sounding impatient. “I have like a million spreadsheets to go over. Can we make this quick?”
“Right, yeah,” I say. “I was just wondering if you’re still willing to work with Emma and me.”
“Oh,” she says. “Of course. Cameron, no matter what happened between us, I still think Jack needs to be taken down. Let me know what you need, and I’ll do it.”
While waiting for Melody, I came up with a plan. I pull Emma and Melody into my office to go over it. When we’re done, Melody goes back to her desk, but Emma lingers behind.
“I don’t think all hope is lost,” Emma says.
I furrow my brow. “What are you talking about? I thought the plan was good.”
She shakes her head. “I meant with Melody.”
“Oh. That ship sailed, Emma. I’m moving on.”
The words hurt to spit out, but I’ve had a few hours to accept that Melody was right. A relationship would be too complicated, no matter how much I like her.
“Whatever you say, boss. I’m just saying. I saw how Melody was looking at you while we talked just now. I don’t think she’s as uninterested as you think.”
Emma leaves, her words echoing in my office. Could she be right?
No, I tell myself. It doesn’t matter.
I need to move on. It was one date. It shouldn’t be that hard to forget about Melody.
Except for the fact that I have to see her five days a week.
15
Melody
I check my reflection in the mirror.
“Good enough,” I mutter. My jeans fit my hips exactly the way I like. The top is black with colorful flowers and a fun, strappy neckline. I look cute, but I can’t muster the energy to care that much.
It’s a complete spin from how I felt when I got ready for my night out with Cameron. I spent the entire time between work and him picking me up making sure I looked absolutely perfect. I chose the dress from the back of my closet. It was the fifth or sixth thing I tried on. My shoes matched, my hair was curled to tame the frizz. I even did my makeup.
Tonight, feels different. I should be excited. Xander wants to go on a date with me. He’s been trying to take me out for almost a full year. He’s cute and he’s successful. Most importantly, he doesn’t work with me.
So why am I most looking forward to the date being over?
I sigh. The alarm clock by my bed reads six forty-five. Xander will be here in fifteen minutes. Daniela warned me that he is always on time, so I’d better be ready.
I’ve been ready for fifteen minutes already.
I flop down on my couch and pull out my phone. Is it too late to cancel? Of course, it is. Xander is probably on his way to my house right now. He lives in Boston proper, so it’s a bit of a commute to get to the outskirts where I am. I’m positive he had to leave extra early to avoid traffic.
My phone buzzes with a text from Daniela. “Are you excited?”
I bite my lip. Daniela is still on the fence about me going out with Xander. If I tell her I’m having even the tiniest of doubts, she’ll tell me to cancel even if Xander is already at my door.
“I am,” I respond, the lie stinging my fingers as I type it. “I can’t wait.”
Daniela writes back a simple, “Good.” She never uses one word in texts, so I know she’s upset with me. I c
an’t deal with that right now. Going out with Xander is a good thing. Daniela will come around when she finds out how much fun I had with him.
The minutes tick by slowly. Again, my mind goes back to Friday night when time seemed to race by. I was so excited to see Cameron.
My stomach lurches. It’s funny how I hated Cameron just a week ago, and now I can’t stop thinking about him. Working so closely with him shifted something in our relationship. It doesn’t hurt that I found out I was manipulated by Jack into thinking Cameron was the bad guy, when it was my boss all along.
I shudder. It was my fault, too. Cameron says he forgives me, but I don’t know if I forgive myself. Cameron would be in the lead right now if it weren’t for me.
A knock on my door pulls me from my spiraling thoughts. I open it to find a dapper looking Xander holding a bouquet of roses just like the one Cameron brought me on Friday.
“Hi!” I say. “It’s really good to see you again.”
“You, too!” Xander pulls me in for a hug. “How have you been since the holidays?”
“Pretty good. A lot of change has happened, but it’s been positive overall.” This is true, though it took me a very long time to realize that. “I started a new job recently.”
Xander nods. “Daniela mentioned that. What are you doing?”
We head out towards the car as I explain what my position at Snax entails. He opens the door of his modest SUV for me and I climb in, still telling him about my duties as an executive assistant.
“That sounds really interesting,” Xander says. “It must be nice to wear a few different hats at work. I understand why people specialize in one specific thing, but being a general physician means I get to treat a lot of different types of patients. I think I’d get bored if I was a heart surgeon.”
I laugh. “Really? Heart surgeon sounds like the least boring job in the world.”
“No, I think clown is probably the least boring job in the world.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right. What would be the second least boring job? Maybe comedian?”
Xander starts his car. “comedian or some other kind of performer. Maybe exotic dancer? I can’t imagine that job ever gets boring.”
If I had a drink, I’d have spit it all over the clean interior of the SUV. Who knew Dr. Xander could be so funny? I don’t remember him making me laugh this much the first time we met.
“Not boring or not, I could never do it. Do you know what kind of core strength it would take to dance on a pole?”
“I tried a pole dancing class once,” Xander says, surprising me again. “I lost a bet. It turned out to be really fun, though. But you’re right. I definitely didn’t have the core to do those dances. I couldn’t even old myself up.”
“Daniela and I talked about trying out one of those classes. I need to do like a million sit-ups first.”
“It’s always good to prepare yourself.”
We continue to banter like this until we get to the restaurant. Tonight’s plan is dinner and a walk through a park nearby. Boston and its surrounding areas love their parks, and this one is already decorated for Halloween. I’ve been wanting to come by, but I haven’t found the time. It seemed perfect when Xander suggested it. Like fate or something.
I know that Xander isn’t as well off as Cameron because med school is expensive and student loans are a bitch, but I thought doctors tended to have expensive taste. I’m the opposite of a high-class girl, so I’m pleasantly surprised when Xander pulls up to a burger joint I’ve been to a few times. He said the evening would be casual, and he meant it. I appreciate that about him. The restaurant Cameron took me to only had the prices on his menu, so it was expensive. It was delicious, but the cost made me uncomfortable, even if I don’t know what it actually was.
Xander hurries out of the car to open my door again.
“You don’t have to do that,” I say.
He chuckles. “Sorry, it’s a habit. I was born and raised in Georgia.”
“Really?” I ask, my brows shooting up.
Xander nods. “Really! Do I not look like a good southern boy?”
Now that I’m studying him more closely, I can see the southern charm in him. He has a little scruff that I’m sure grew despite him shaving this morning. His brown eyes are kind and wide and his hair is shaggier than I’d expect a doctor’s to be.
“You look the part,” I admit. “But you don’t sound it.”
“Ah, yeah. I lost the accent pretty quick when I started at BU. I’ve always seemed to pick up accents no matter where I went, the many years of college and then medical school forced the southern accent out of me. It comes back when I visit home, though.”
I can hear a slight twang in his words now that I’m looking for it, but I never would’ve guessed Xander lived in Georgia most of his life. He sounds like a Boston boy most of the time, just like me. My out-of-state friends used to tease my accent all the time. It took me visiting the west coast to realize I even had an accent.
Inside the restaurant, we’re seated immediately and the waitress is by our table within seconds.
“I’m Jennifer and I’ll be your server,” the young woman says. “Can I get you anything to drink?”
“I’ll have a Sprite, please,” I say. Xander orders a Coke and Jennifer scurries off while we examine the menu.
“Have you been here before?” Xander asks.
“Yeah, a few times. Their burgers are amazing. Have you?”
He shakes his head. “I haven’t, actually. What do you recommend?”
“Do you like onions?”
“Love them,” he responds.
I point to my favorite item on the menu. “This burger is topped with caramelized onions, bacon, and avocado. It sounds like it shouldn’t work, but it totally does.”
Xander studies the burger ingredients. “That sounds fascinating, actually. I’m ordering it.”
Since he’s getting that, I opt for my second favorite, which has a sunny side up egg, bacon, and a secret maple sauce. It’s like breakfast but on a burger.
Jennifer returns with our drinks and we place our order. It seems like our steady flow of conversation in the car was a fluke. I can’t help but compare it to my date with Cameron, when we never silent. Have Xander and I run out of things to say to each other?
“So,” Xander finally says. “What kind of music do you listen to?”
I laugh, grateful he took the lead with an ice breaker. “I really like country music,” I tell him. “And pop. But I listen to a lot of different things. My car presets are everywhere from pop to rap to country to classic rock to nineties alternative. I like to have a lot of options.”
“I’m not as versatile as you,” Xander admits. “I mostly listen to rock. All of my presets are rock, except for one, which is talk radio.”
I cringe. “I can’t listen to talk radio. I need music or I’ll fall asleep.”
“I get that. I only listen on short commutes. It’s my least used station, but it’s still there.”
The conversation continues to flow, but not as naturally as it did earlier. Xander manages to make me laugh a few more times, which is nice. I want to like him. I should like him.
But my mind keeps wandering back to Cameron.
After we eat our burgers, Xander insists on paying even though I offer to split the bill. We leave his car in the lot and walk the two blocks to the haunted park. There are gravestones, zombies, and spiderwebs everywhere. The cool air just adds to the fall effect.
“This is awesome,” I tell Xander. “I love that they put so much effort in.”
He admires a statue nearby, which has been decked out in a pirate Halloween costume. “Yeah, it’s incredible. They do haunted hayrides through here Halloween weekend. I’ve never been, but I’ve heard it's fun.”
I make a mental note to look into it. Daniela would love that. We’re both Halloween freaks.
After our casual stroll through the park, Xander takes me back to my house. He walks
me to the door, but he doesn’t try to kiss me goodnight.
“I had a great time,” he says instead. “Can I see you again?”
The date was enjoyable, despite being awkward on occasion. It wasn’t as good as my date with Cameron, but that doesn’t matter. I don’t work with Xander, so it can work between us.
“I’d like that. Are you free Friday night?”
Xander says he is, and with that, I have a second date.
As I lock the door behind me, I can’t help but wonder if the second date is with the right guy.
16
Cameron
My office is almost completely soundproof when the door is closed, so I keep it cracked. I need to hear what’s going on in Jack’s neck of the woods.
As I’m half listening for the breakdown, my mind wanders to Melody’s calendar. How was her date last night? Did she have a good time with him? I shouldn’t care. Melody made it very clear that nothing will ever happen between us. Despite all that, I want Melody to be happy. Even if she’s happier without me in her life.
“Cameron,” Emma whisper yells. “It’s happening.”
I step to the door so I can listen better without Jack or Melody seeing me. Emma might have to fill me in on the details.
“How did you screw this up?” Jack says. We knew the blowup was coming. Jack doesn’t let things go. I expected it to happen yesterday, but he held out until today. At least Melody didn’t have to get yelled at before her big date.
Melody doesn’t respond. Jack’s yells are slightly muffled, which means they’re in his office. At least he has the decency to pull his assistant out of the main room to yell at her. His office isn’t soundproof, so it doesn’t do much, but I have to give Jack props for that.
“I took my proposal back from Cameron’s desk, yet somehow the one I turned in was his half-assed work. I should have won last week, and I didn’t. I should be up two to zero, and now we’re tied. This is unacceptable, Melody.”
“I’m sorry,” Melody responds. “I don’t know how he managed to steal your proposal.”
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