C is for Carter

“A depth chart,” Everett said. “Exactly.”

“This was a good call,” Deacon said. “Should make everything a lot easier around here.”

“I agree,” Everett said. “But for now, we need to get out of here. Beer o’clock when we get back?”

“There’s a twelve-pack in the fridge,” I said. “Should be good to go.”

“Awesome,” Deacon said, then turned back toward the reception desk and back to me. “Good job, boss.”

12

LAUREN

Making the decision to take the job from Carter was the right thing to do. A few days after starting in the position, I felt so much happier and more fulfilled than I had in as long as I could remember. I was absolutely loving the job. I found it easy but still interesting, and I was excited to head to work each day.

It had been a few days since I saw Ashton. I didn’t have to wonder when my ex was going to walk through the door. Working here meant that he could no longer pop in and bother me. I didn’t have to think about interacting with him. And I didn’t have to worry about how it might look to other customers if they saw conflict and tension between us.

It made my days so much happier knowing that he wasn’t going to show up to my workplace unannounced and continue to sell me on his ridiculous bid to get me back. This had become an everyday occurrence, and it was such a relief to have it not be any longer.

Something I did get to experience every day now was seeing Carter. And this was a major plus. Even if I didn’t enjoy the work anywhere near as much as I did, I would still be far happier working there than the diner just because it meant trading the customers for Carter.

I got to the office and noticed Carter’s truck sitting outside. It was twenty minutes before I had to be there, and I was supposed to be the first person to arrive each morning. But Carter beating me to work wasn’t new. Carter had been at work before me every day since I started the job. The first day it was to make sure I knew what I was doing, and the second day I figured he was just trying to be nice and make sure I felt comfortable.

After that, I started to feel a bit slighted. As much as I enjoyed having him be the first person I saw each day, I wanted to look like I was doing what I was supposed to do, which was challenging when he was literally the reason I wasn’t.

He smiled at me when I walked through the door, making me melt a little bit inside.

“Good morning,” he said. “How are you doing today?”

“I’m good. How are you?”

“Running a business I’ve been dreaming about for years. Don’t have a boss. Drinking awesome coffee to get my blood pumping. That, incidentally, I had to go buy from a coffee shop because I can’t figure out how to work the machine Deacon insisted on putting in here. And talking to you. So, I think I’m doing alright,” he said. He flashed me a smile, then pointed at my desk. “I got you a coffee too. I wasn’t sure how you like it, but I thought I remembered seeing you with hazelnut creamer the last time you made a cup, so that was what I went with.”

I couldn’t stop the wide grin that stretched across my face. That was exactly how I liked my coffee. I couldn’t believe he had paid enough attention to notice what flavor creamer I preferred. When I was working at the diner, there were often days when I was so busy running around, I was lucky if I managed to splash some milk in the general direction of my mug. A lot of the time, I just cringed and swallowed it down black.

Walking over to my desk, I picked up the coffee and took a sip. I sighed at the warm, sweet taste.

“It’s perfect,” I said.

Carter smiled and nodded. “Good.”

I took another sip and looked at him over the cup. “You know, you being here when I get here every day is starting to be kind of a problem.”

He looked at me with confusion, maybe even a little bit startled.

“Kind of a problem?” he asked.

“Yeah,” I said. I walked a little closer and cocked my hip to the side. “You see, I have this new boss, and I’m trying really hard to impress him, so I’m supposed to be the first person at the office every day.”

“Oh,” he said, the smile coming back. “Well, I can see where that would be a problem. This new boss of yours sounds like kind of a hard ass. Maybe you should have considered that before you got a new job.”