But the sugar rush from the donuts was a welcome gift yesterday and Janie and I had just sat around the house watching TV and relaxing. It was so nice. I slept so much.
But now it’s back to work. Working 72 hours a week isn’t as easy as I’d hoped, but I refuse to quit or give up any time soon. We have goals to attain and Janie deserves the life her own parents can’t give her.
So I drag myself out of bed and get dressed, and grab my gym bag which has my second work uniform in it.
I start a pot of coffee and then tap on Janie’s door so she can wake up for school. The exact second I tap on her door, I hear another tap. A knock.
I turn around. The knock sounds again, louder this time. Someone is at my front door.
Carefully so I don’t make any noise, I walk over to it and glance out the peep hole. It’s Jason.
I look at the time—he’s early. By a lot. Like, thirty minutes earlier than he usually gets me.
He knocks again and I jump because I’m so close to the door. Unlocking it, I open it a crack. “Jason? Everything okay?”
“Of course it’s okay,” he says, giving me a wide grin. “It’s Monday. I’m here to pick you up.”
“Yeah, but you’re really early,” I say, still wedging myself between the door so he can’t see inside. “I’m not ready yet.”
“That’s fine with me, I’ll just hang out.”
And then just like that, he pushes open my door and walks around me. He walks into my freaking apartment with zero invitation! I stand here, livid and embarrassed all at the same time. I didn’t want him or anyone else to see my apartment because all my sheets and blankets are right there on the couch. It’s obvious that I don’t have a bedroom.
“Jason,” I say, trying to find the words to tell him to wait for me outside. Maybe I’ll just get a freaking Uber if he wants to leave. “This is too early.”
“Where are your coffee mugs?” he says, walking into my kitchen.
My whole body goes numb. This is weird. This is weirder than weird. Jason and I are work acquaintances, not exactly friends. Sure, he’s been giving me a ride all week, and I’m grateful for that, but this is… not right.
“Um,” I stutter, still unable to find words. I glance at Janie’s closed bedroom door and realize that she could come out here at any minute and see some guy in my living room. She takes the bus to school so she’s never met him. I don’t want her to make the same mistake that Noah made and think he’s my boyfriend or something. Gross.
Jason starts opening cabinets until he finds a coffee mug. “I thought I’d just stop by early,” he says, pouring himself coffee. “We’re getting closer now, and I thought we could hang out.”
“I’m not sure seven in the morning is the right time for that,” I say, scooping up all my sheets and piling them into a bundle in the corner of the couch. Thank God I’m already dressed. Half the time I walk around here in a bra and panties in the morning.
“Look,” Jason says, taking a seat at my bar. He takes a sip of coffee—the coffee I made for me and Janie and no one else—and then smiles at me. But it’s not a good smile. It’s a weird, creepy older guy smile and it sends a slimy feeling down my back.
“I’ve been thinking we should see each other outside of work,” he says, his gaze never leaving mine. “I’d love to take you on a date sometime.”
It takes everything I have not to physically throw up right now. I can’t believe he just let himself into my house and then asked me out.
“That’s not a good idea,” I say.
He gives me the most condescending smile ever, as if I’m one of the children at the school and not a grown woman. “Tasha, it’s perfectly okay to have a crush on your supervisor.”
That’s. It.
My teeth grind together. “I do not have a crush on you,” I say, my voice tight and unwavering. “You need to leave. Now.”
He scoffs. “We can leave together, let’s go.”
I shake my head. “I’m not riding to work with you. Not today, never again. Leave my house.”
“This isn’t a house,” he says, standing up and leaving his coffee mug on the counter. “It’s a cheap apartment for a simple woman who can’t take care of herself. You need someone like me in your life.”
Now I am absolutely filled with rage.
“Get the hell out of my house,” I say, pointing toward the door. “Or the next thing I say will be to the police.”
Jason mutters something under his breath, but thankfully he leaves, slamming the door behind him. I let out a breath and my knees feel shaky. I can’t believe that just happened.
Janie’s door opens. Her eyes are wide, and I can tell she heard everything. “Who was that?”
I drop onto the couch and cry. Janie rushes over and hugs me, and I try to pull myself together but the events that just happened are wearing me thin. Janie offers to stay home but I send her to school.
And then I call in sick to work. It’s the first time I’ve ever bailed on my school, but this is an emergency.
I have to get my car back.
Today.
I log online and look up how much money I have. I look at my credit card too, knowing I can charge five hundred to that. Then I do something I’ve always promised myself I’d never do, and I open my jewelry box. It’s the most valuable thing I own. My grandma’s jewelry. She left it to me because my sister can’t be trusted. She didn’t want her stuff sold off for drugs.
And yet… tears roll down my cheeks as I clasp the diamond necklace in my hand.
“I promise I will buy you back,” I whisper to the delicate necklace. I’ll get my next two paychecks and I’ll retrieve this necklace from the pawn shop. I swear I will. My grandmother’s necklace will not be lost forever because of my bad decisions.
But today, I’m taking everything I have and getting my car back.
No more relying on anyone else for favors.
11
Noah
I’ve read that email so many times I have it memorized. I’ve scoured it for clues, some kind of phrase or words that Tasha uses that might mean this email came from her. But it’s a fairly generic email and nothing stands out about the language used.
Several days go by, and I see Tasha every afternoon, but only in a passing friendly way. She’s coming into work right when I’m leaving it. She finally got her car back so now she arrives right at four instead of half an hour early. I’m glad she got her car back, but it sucks not seeing her as long.
But of course, that’s for the best. I don’t need to see her. I don’t need more conversations about her life while sitting on the bench outside of the gym. I should keep my distance.
I try to tell myself it’s just a superficial crush, that my brain thinks she’s the cutest, most adorable and also sexy woman to have walked into my life and that’s why I like her. I tell myself that looks fade. Attraction only means so much.
But my heart, which is in worse shape than my brain, feels something different. It’s not just her looks that draw me in. It’s the way she smiles when she’s helping a client—how it’s obvious that she’s glad to help and isn’t just putting on a fake front at work. It’s how her eyes light up when she talks about her students and how she wants to be a full teacher one day. Her humor and the way she jokes around with Kris, calling him the cool boss. Everything about her personality draws me in. I like every single thing about her.
I wish it was just her looks that allured me. That would be a lot easier to let this crush go.
It’s Wednesday and I’m in my office, staring at that email again. I hoped another one would appear and give me more information but I’ve only had the one anonymous email that confesses someone’s love for me. The guys have been acting totally normally, so I’m pretty sure they didn’t send this to prank me. Plus, an email prank isn’t their style.
I check the time, and it’s just after three. Tasha is off work at her first job now and will be here in an hour. I get this weird though
t that maybe I should reply now. If the email is from Tasha, then she’ll be able to respond since she’s off work.
It’s stupid, but this is what my brain decides. I’m tired of agonizing over this email, of casting glances at her across the gym and wondering if she’s the one who sent it.
I click reply.
From: Noah Hunter
Hello…
This is certainly interesting. Why did you email me instead of talking to me in real life? And why stay anonymous?
-Noah
My heart races while I lean back in my desk chair, trying to be patient while I wait for a reply that might never come.
But it does.
Just five minutes later, my inbox gets a reply.
From: SecretCrush88
I’m too shy to talk to you in real life. Well, about this. I can talk to you about other things.
Okay, so now I know this person knows me in real life. My heart somehow races even faster. I click reply.
From: Noah Hunter
Let’s meet up.
A few moments later, she replies.
From: SecretCrush88
I don’t think that’s a good idea.
From: Noah Hunter
And why not?
I sit in front of my computer for thirteen minutes and there’s no reply. Another five minutes pass and I realize I’m being an idiot by caring about this so much. Even though I want Tasha to be the mysterious email writer, it would also be a bad thing because we shouldn’t date.
But if she wanted to date me…then maybe it wouldn’t be bad. It’s my own business, after all. I can do what I want, right? If my employee also wants to date me then…
I shake my head. I really shouldn’t be doing this.
Wanting to get away from my computer, I venture out into the gym. My eyes always search for Tasha in the crowd, even though they shouldn’t. Even though I know very well that I should keep to myself. I see her standing with two women who look like soccer moms in their matching high school soccer T-shirts from the local school. She’s talking animatedly to them about something. She’s so great with the clients and every time I see her working I know she was the right choice to hire.
I hang out with Kris at the front counter for a bit, talking to him about his motorcycle renovation in an attempt to take both Tasha and the weird anonymous emails off my mind.
Even still, I am aware of her presence. Always. When she walks away from the clients and ducks into the locker room, I notice it. And I notice it a few seconds later when my phone beeps with a new email.
While Kris continues talking about his exhaust system, I pull my phone from my pocket and check it.
It’s a new anonymous email.
Chills rise across my skin when I read the reply.
From: SecretCrush88
Let’s just say… well, we’re not supposed to date. Like… it would be a bad thing. That’s why we can’t meet. I just wanted you to know how much I like you.
I read the email twice, making sure I caught it all. We’re not supposed to date? Could that be because she’s my employee and I’m her boss?
Movement catches my eye and Tasha walks out of the locker room. She sees me look over at her and she gives me a quick smile before turning her attention to the clients.
My heart skips a beat. Did she just email me? She slipped away, I got an email, and then she came back.
There’s one way to test this theory…I’ll email back and if I don’t get a reply while Tasha is in the room, then maybe it’s her. If I do get a reply while I can see Tasha and she’s not on her phone, then it’ll clearly be from someone else.
I hit reply.
From: Noah Hunter
I appreciate you telling me, but it doesn’t help much. I’d like to know who you are.
I slide the phone back in my pocket. I don’t want to watch it for a reply this time, because deep down, I hope I don’t get one. Not while she’s here, in the gym, unable to reply back. I want this anonymous email writer to be Tasha. I don’t know who else it would be. I haven’t exactly been dating in a long time, nor have I flirted with anyone in months. For the last year this job has been my life. I haven’t had time to date, and maybe that’s why I feel so lonely all the time. I need someone in my life. I need someone to laugh with and play with and sit on the couch watching TV with. I need to share my life with someone. I want to end this loneliness so badly.
“Dude,” Kris says after a while. I realize I haven’t exactly paid much attention to his motorcycle talk.
“What’s up?” I say, trying to look like I have been paying attention.
He shrugs. “It’s after five. Shouldn’t you go home?”
I look at the clock on the wall and realize he’s right. I’ve spent an hour waiting on an email and secretly watching Tasha to see if she slips away and gets on her phone. She never did.
And I never got an email.
This could be a good thing.
I nod and grab my keys from my pocket. “You’re right,” I say as a cheesy grin slides onto my face. I never got an email and she’s been in my sight this whole time. This is a good thing. A very good thing. “I think I’ll head out now.”
12
Tasha
This has been the longest two weeks of my life. But at least they’re almost over. I get paid today. It’ll be my first check from the gym since they pay every two weeks and it’ll be enough money to get my grandmother’s jewelry back from the pawn shop. I’m practically dancing around at school all day because I can’t wait. I made it. I survived. I got my car back and did what needed to be done. Now I’ll get the jewelry back from the pawn shop and we’ll be okay.
I haven’t said anything about the Jason situation at work. Not to my other coworkers or to the school’s administration. It’s just been weird all around. Jason is straight up ignoring me, which is good because I don’t like him, but it’s also awkward when I have to pass him in the hallways. This whole situation just sucks, but I have a good job here at the private school. If I were to go somewhere else, I wouldn’t earn as much money. I just need to focus and keep to myself and hope Jason leaves me alone.
I also just want to stop thinking about him. I tell myself to let it go and move on, especially because every time I think about him, I cringe in disgust.
Why can’t a good guy like me? A guy my age. Not some older creepy guy who barges into my house. Why can’t someone like…
My cheeks flush as the vision of my boss appears in my mind. That’s who I want to like me. Noah Hunter. Handsome, sweet, smart. A business owner who has his stuff together. Not some bum like most of the guys who like me. Noah is the whole package.
He’ll make some girl’s life perfect one day. And it probably won’t be me. He needs someone without all the baggage of debt and a sixteen-year-old child to care for. He deserves someone better.
My heart aches as I drive out of the school parking lot at the end of the day. I grip the steering wheel of my car, which now smells like paint and body shop chemicals after being put back together from the wreck. I tell myself to focus on the good and not dwell on pointless stuff.
Right now the good is my paycheck. My check from the gym is direct deposited into my bank and it appeared this morning in my account. I have an hour until work at the gym starts, so I drive straight to the pawn shop at the edge of town.
The pawn shop is surprisingly busy when I walk in. Several people are checking out at the counter and even more people are walking around looking at the eclectic selection of random stuff that people gave up for money. There are guitars and motorcycles and high end office equipment. Coffee makers, designer handbags. All kinds of stuff here. Prior to last week, I’d never been in a place like this.
It’s interesting seeing all the stuff everywhere, but I’m not here to shop. I need my necklace back. I roughly calculated the fee, and I’ll owe about seventy dollars more than what they gave me for the necklace, but that’s better than losing it forever.
Finally, the line dwindles and I get to speak to the guy behind the counter. It’s not the same person I talked to last time, which had been an older woman covered in colorful tattoos.
I give him the receipt from my last visit. “I’m here to buy this back,” I say.
He grunts in reply, takes my receipt and turns around, walking into the back.
The old woman had been much better at customer service. But whatever. I just need to get my necklace and get out of here and never come back.
I wait around for a few minutes until he finally returns, his hands empty except for my receipt which he puts on the counter. “Looks like that’s been sold.”
I can’t believe what I’m hearing. “No, that’s impossible. I had two weeks to come back and get it.”
He shrugs. “Must have had some kind of mistake then.”
“That’s… that’s not possible!” I say, feeling the depth of this situation as it sinks in. “That can’t be possible. You said two weeks. I had two weeks to come back—it can’t be sold.”
He doesn’t show one ounce of sympathy, or any emotion at all besides apathy. He shrugs. “Not my problem, lady. We got other necklaces if you want to look at those in that display case.”
The display case. Yes. I rush over to it and lean down, peering at all the pawned jewelry and hoping that I’ll find mine. Maybe they just misplaced it. Maybe it’s here.
But it’s not.
Tears flood my eyes as I stand back up, but the guy is already gone, no longer caring about helping me. With my whole body feeling like it’s on fire, I turn and walk out the door.
My grandma’s necklace is gone. It was worth three times what they gave me for it and now it’s gone. I’ll never see it again. Never hold it, never wear it. The most important item I owned is no more.
Flirting with the Boss: A love at the Gym Novel Page 6