“I’ll cook dinner for you, if you do it first?”
He has a point there, I’m not the best person in the kitchen at the best of times.
“Why do I have to be first?”
He snorts. “Because I made breakfast for you first. It’s only fair.”
We banter back and forth all through breakfast. Rose insists that she’ll make lunch, and we all agree that’s a good idea. She says she’ll need help with macaroni and cheese but it will be everyone’s favorite lunch.
Hard to disagree with that. Once we’re done, Eric insists on doing the dishes, and I help out, trying to pluck up the courage to ask him what’s on his mind in between talking to Rose about how she wants to learn how to make pizza but it all needs to be star shaped. He carries his briefcase when we leave his place. Our way to the car is silent, and it holds out once we’re inside and he’s driving. With the silence, I can’t help but say exactly what’s on my mind.
“There’s something you’re still not telling me, right?” I ask Eric after we drop Rose off at school. Rose and I had agreed that star pizza would best be formed out of the triangle with a circle pizza, and my voice is still laughing from Rose’s confusion about why circle pizza made of triangles would make circles. Like, she has a point. Think about that for a minute!
“Well, yes,” Eric admits. “But don’t worry about this. Really this time. You’ll get to know everything today.”
I purse my lips. If he wants to get on the topic of trust, I can do the same thing.
I notice that he’s taking me to the bookstore. I told him that my shift wasn’t until this afternoon. I thought that he was dropping me at home and then going to the office to see patients. That’s the way our routine works, I wonder why he’s changing it?
“What are we doing here?”
Eric doesn’t answer at first, opening one of the backdoors and pulling his briefcase from the seat.
“You’ll see,” he says as he opens my car door and puts his arm around my waist. We walk to the bookstore together. It’s silent inside, as expected, then he moves to the counter and sets down his case and pulls some papers out of it.
“What are those?”
He smiles at me, laying them out and stepping aside, gesturing for me to come closer. “These are the new plans for the store.” He nods in the opposite direction. I see all the girls looking at me. I have a feeling this big secret has something to do with what’s going on right now. I just can’t imagine what...Eric already told me that he owns the store. I don’t imagine he’s lined them up for being fired like joked. So what is going on? And why does it feel like Eric’s secret and the weird behavior of my co-workers is connected?
Oh, and what is the secret that Eric is keeping with Rose? I’m proud of myself, honestly, for not pumping a six-year-old for information. Especially a sweet girl that talks to me so easily.
But even nice girls, understanding girls, trusting girls, can only take so many secrets.
Seriously, I am ready to burst!
Elia
So, we’re at the bookstore now and this isn’t Eric forgetting my shift or anything.
“Hey, Elia!” Dana seems to be the leader as she moves toward me, and the others follow like sheep. I wish someone would just put me out of my misery and tell me what’s going on!
“What’s going on?”
My eyes drift over to Eric, who’s standing alone and smiling at me, then back to Dana as she pulls away from me with a big grin.
“What do you think it is?” she retorts good-humoredly. “It’s a party for you, of course! We heard the deal got closed, and you’re the new manager!”
My jaw drops. Is that what he’s been keeping from me? This is the reason he’s been so secretive, and I feel like crap thin
king that he was sleeping with his secretary.
Dana laughs, seeing my face. “Don’t sweat the details and have fun! Today is supposed to be a good day for everyone. We all get to keep our jobs.”
I bite my lip. “But I thought you were mad at me…”
She’s shaking her head before I’m done talking.
“Not mad, just annoyed that you think you can’t talk to me anymore. I never thought of us like that, not at all. I hope that being the new manager won’t change it.”