I Can Explain (Awkward Love 2)

“I wish I could take credit for it, but no. Do you have any idea how hard it is to get a job with that man?”

I shake my head, still feeling overwhelmed.

“That would mean leaving here,” I say, sitting down on his desk.

“With what I can teach you, compared to what you can learn working for him, it's not even a decision,” he says. “You're taking the job, even if I have to fire you to do it.”

“But how will you cope without me here?” I ask with a frown.

“The man who's gonna fuck up my coffee, time and time again, he smokes us all,” I say sticking my tongue out at him.

“Hey,” I ask, grinning. “You’ll be looking for a new executive assistant, right?”

Chase frowns at me. “Yes, why?”I race out of the room and straight over to Peyton to share my good news. “That's amazing,” she gushes, throwing her arms around me.

Chase sticks his head in the door.

“Peyton can I speak to for a moment?” he asks.

She stares at me, her eyes wide. I shrug and play innocent, but I know exactly what he’s doing, and if anyone deserves this, it’s her.

I leave the office calling Dad on my way home. He's happy to hear that I'm finally moving on away from what he still considers a hostile work environment.

“You do remember that he’s my boyfriend, right?” I ask with a laugh.

“Right,” he says, sounding embarrassed. “I guess I should think before I speak, huh? How long have you two been together now?”

“Six months today.” I say, my smile widening.

“I’m proud of you,” he says, “and glad you're happy. That's the most important thing to me.”

“Hey, maybe we can double date?” I burst out laughing.

“What! I've been trying to find a way to tell you about Macy.”

“Macy...” I say with a grin, “She sounds cute.”

“She is that,” he says sounding flustered. “We’ve been seeing each other for two months now.”

“You've been holding out on me!” I say with a laugh. “Is this the same woman you were trying to tell me about nearly six months ago?”

“What?” he gasps. “You knew what I wanted to talk to you about? Why didn’t you say something and put me out of my misery?”

“Because I figured you’d tell me when you were ready.”

“No, that was June. She fizzled out after a few weeks. Macy though, she’s a keeper.”

I laugh. “Poor June.”

“Yeah, yeah. Just call me to arrange dinner, okay? I want you to meet her. Now, go out and celebrate or something. Make that boyfriend of yours buy you dinner.”

“I will,” I say, with a giggle.

I hang up, then decide, what the hell, I will go shopping. I want to buy myself something nice, but after a foot massage and a day at the spa getting my nails done, I’m exhausted, and all I want to do is get home to Chase.As I walk back through the mall toward my car, I see Jade. I duck behind a row of jackets, so she doesn’t see me. I cringe. What am I doing? Surely, I can say hello to her without diving for cover? Just as I’m about to approach her, I see her slip a scarf into her handbag and walk off. I stare, wide-eyed, shocked at what I’ve just witnessed.

I’m still thinking about Jade when I arrive back at Chase’s apartment, but that’s soon forgotten when I walk in and find him preparing dinner. I put my bag down on the hall table and wander into the kitchen, wrapping my arms around his waist. I kiss the back of his head and then sit down on one of the stools on the other side.

“You’re home early,” I say with a grin.

He shrugs. “I told you, I was only going in for that meeting.” He sets down his wooden spoon and wanders around the counter and kisses me roughly on the mouth. His brow creases. He leans closer again and breathes in deeply.

“You smell…floral.”

“I had a massage,” I say, casually handing back his credit card, my cheeks glowing, “Thanks for that. Oh. You’ll never guess who I saw shoplifting today.”

“Who?” he asks, soundly mildly interested.

“Jade,” I grin.

He raises his eyebrows. “As in Jade who used to work for me?”

I nod. “I still can’t believe you fired her to get closer to me.”

He chuckles. “Is that what you thought? I fired Jade because she was stealing from my company. I’d been noticing the books weren’t balancing for a while, but I didn’t have any proof until I saw the sheets for that month.”

“Oh,” I say, flushing.

“But I think it’s cute that you thought that.” He raises his eyebrows. “So, I guess I’m not shocked by the shoplifting. And while I’m glad you enjoyed your massage, I already got you a present.”

“Really?” I say raising my eyebrows.