Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 78164 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78164 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Tally smiles at me, nodding. “I love you.”
Her declaration makes me laugh.
“I mean it,” she says, laughing too. “You are the best person. You’re kind to everyone. Thoughtful. You’re so full of wisdom.”
“Okay. Easy there. Now I know you’re just flattering me.”
“I am not.” Her laughter fades. “I feel fortunate that I’ve gotten to work with you.”
My cheeks flush as I grab my coffee. “Well, I feel fortunate to have my very own hype woman.”
“Hey, speaking of hype women, weren’t you a professional cheerleader?”
I nod. “I cheered for the Illinois Legends, the pro football team, in my twenties.”
“See? You’re the epitome of cool. I’ve learned so much about not only marketing from you but also how to be a strong woman.”
I don’t know what to say to that because I certainly don’t feel like a strong woman all the time or most of the time. In fact, if Tally had met me when I was reeling from learning I’d married a selfish, egotistical bastard, she might have different thoughts about me. The way he treated his daughter was disgusting. But it does make me feel good to know that I might be having a positive impact on my intern.
She shifts in her seat. “On that note, I might not be able to help Charlie, but I can help you. What can I do to assist you, Aurora?”
I look around my desk and search for an answer.
I’ve fixated on this job for the past day and a half. I’ve been over every aspect of things front to back, side to side. I promised Charlie that I would maintain our vision, and I intend to do just that. But I’ve focused on it for so long that I need a break to refresh my brain.
“Thank you for asking,” I say. “I’m sure there will be a million things you can do to help. But for right now, I want to mentally check out for a few minutes while I can.”
“Understandable.”
I lean against my desktop. “Why don’t you tell me about your weekend? How was pickleball?”
“Well, let’s just say I’m not only a legend on the court but I’m one off the court, as well.”
“I expected no less.”
She laughs, settling into her seat. “It turns out that I’m one heck of a pickleball teacher. I took my boyfriend from a four to a seven in just a couple of days. Pickleball doesn’t come quite as naturally to him as it does to me. But I’ve put together a good practice schedule for him while I’m out of town, and I’ll go home as much as I can over the next couple of months. We’ll be ready to kick butt by the time the tournament rolls around.”
“This fascinates me.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. I guess I didn’t know people took pickleball this seriously.”
“Girl, people talk about this tournament all damn year. In the middle of our town square is a statue of a pickle holding a ball. Corny, but also cute. Anyway, there are little plaques around the bottom of the statue with the names of the tourney champs from every year going back to the 1970s.” She winks. “My name is there multiple times.”
“I’m glad you had a good weekend.”
She smiles. “I did. It was also just nice to see my boyfriend. We’re doing this long-distance thing that I didn’t think would work, but we’ve been making it happen. It’s hard, for sure …” Her smile turns ornery. “But that only makes it harder, if you know what I mean.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean.”
I can’t think about that right now. I pluck my brain out of the trenches before it can fully create a picture by joining Tate and hard.
I’m at work. I’m not being paid to fantasize.
“Speaking of that, do you have anything to share with me, boss lady?”
The twinkle in her eye makes me grin.
“You’re probably thinking that now isn’t the right time,” she says.
“Or ever.”
“You opened the door to this when we spoke on Friday. So naturally, I’ll be thinking about what might’ve happened with you, and you’ll wonder if you’ll wind up telling me. You might as well get it out of the way so we can attend this meeting in a few minutes and focus. As my boss, you should clear the air so we can be productive.”
I laugh at the perfectly satisfied look on her face.
“You’re only laughing because you know I’m right,” she says, grinning.
I settle back in my seat and try to decide how to handle this with Tally. In a perfect world, I wouldn’t have brought this up with her. But I did, and now it only makes sense that she wants a resolution to the issue.
What a resolution it was. I stifle a moan.
Although I’ve been focused on work for the past couple of days, Tate has definitely been on my mind. Every time I think of him, a warmth floods my body, and a smile splits my cheeks. Being with him was exactly what I wanted and exactly what I needed. No one ever gets both of those things at once.