“As long as it doesn’t require dresses or high heels, I’m good with anything.” Hearing Michelle’s voice makes me smile, and I’m not a man that smiles very much anymore.
“You don’t have to wear heels. In fact, we can pick up tacos from a roadside stand, eat on the side of the road while we watch the sun fade.” If she doesn’t want to dress up, and this is technically her first evening off, I’ll give her whatever her heart desires.
“Are you a dream or a figment of my imagination? Because that sounds like the best first date ever.” She sucks in a breath. “Shit, is this even a first date? Did I insert my foot into my mouth?” she rambles nervously.
“Michelle,” I get her attention; this way she doesn’t continue her spiel, “this is most definitely a first date, one of many firsts, I hope.” I run my fingers through my hair with one hand while holding the phone up to my ear with the other.
“Oh, well, okay then. That clears things right up.” I knew before that Michelle was a nervous talker. The first time she cut my hair, she fluttered every which way as well as telling me how she started working as a hairstylist at the age of twenty, and now she’s twenty-five and successful. I guess you have to be chatty in a salon, but the flush on her face told me I affected her in a different way.
“Anytime you need anything cleared up, I’ll do that for you. As much as I hate to get off the phone with you, I’m going to. This way, the sooner you’re done, the sooner you get off work.”
“I guess I’ll get up and get to work then. I really am looking forward to our date this evening, Devon,” she breathes out.
“Me too, honey. Me too. Text me your address, and if you get done earlier, we can leave sooner,” I offer.
“Fat chance, but we can hope,” she replies.
I tell her, “I’ll see you later,” never uttering the word goodbye, not with Michelle at least.
I get back to work, pouring through the emails that have piled up in the few hours I’ve been here. That’s the one thing I wish would calm the hell down; even with my assistant working his magic, you get ten taken care of, and twenty more appear in your inbox. I grumble before diving back into work, praying like hell the day will go by faster the less I look at the clock.
“Who am I kidding? I’ll be counting down the hours.”
“Mr. Anderson, did you say something?” my assistant, Howard asks. His desk is placed right outside my door, and I never bothered closing it, to begin with.
“Talking to myself. Thank you, though. I’ll be leaving by four today. Feel free to do the same thing,” I let him know while I have his attention.
“Sounds good.”
Lately, I’ve been letting him leave earlier than I do. He and his husband are newly married, and I know they need time together. Howard shouldn’t be the one to suffer from my crazy work schedule—something I’m sure he’s happy to not have. I get back to work but not before I glance at my watch yet again. Time sure is going slow today. Of course, that’s because I’m ready to get off the clock myself.
4
Michelle
“Have a good vacation,” Laura says as I grab my bag, ready to leave. I thought I was going to come here, get the books taken care of, order supplies, and hit the road early. No such luck because my computer kept crashing when I placed my order. I’m not usually an angry person unless it comes to technology. It gets me every single time. I finally had to walk away. It sucked so much that I walked out of the salon and straight to the coffee shop around the corner in the airport. Today clearly isn’t my day. Falling asleep in the middle of the day, and now this? I had to step away before I burst into tears. After I got my chai tea latte, I was calmer. Taking the time to breathe in and out a few times centered me, not only that, but tonight is the night I get to see Devon, one on one, without prying eyes.
“Thanks, I’m only a phone call away, but you know, if you don’t need me, that’s good too.” I smile and wink at Laura. She’s been with me the longest, and I trust her implicitly.
“You’re welcome, and you know we’re good. Go on. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” Her eyebrows are raised to her forehead, causing me to laugh again.
“Laura, I’m not sure that’s saying much.” I open the door, ready to get outside and out of the air conditioner. I want to feel the sun and breeze against my skin as I drive home.