Total pages in book: 22
Estimated words: 20991 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 105(@200wpm)___ 84(@250wpm)___ 70(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 20991 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 105(@200wpm)___ 84(@250wpm)___ 70(@300wpm)
“Yeah, bullshit,” Mel scoffs.
“I know, right?” I sigh, taking a sip of my wine. I still haven’t even developed a taste for wine yet, but Mel has, so I just go along with her for the moment. Besides, I need something to do besides just sit here and wallow in my misery.
I can’t believe I fell for it.
I really thought he loved me. I really did.
But at the end of the day, I was just another girl that he was playing, just like Kendall, who he probably ran the same game on.
“You know what I think it might be?” I say.
“What?”
“This guy Brian.”
“What about him?”
“Well, he was hitting on me in the breakroom yesterday when I was getting coffees,” I explain. “And I kinda got outta there and made it pretty obvious I wasn’t interested. And then he was coming onto me again this morning, and I had to like blatantly tell him off and threaten to go to Zander if he didn’t stop.”
“Good for you, girl!” Mel laughs.
“But then he was like ‘me and Zander are pals, he’s not gonna do anything.’”
“Uh oh…”
“Right?” I reply. “So I wonder if maybe Zander like…wasn’t okay with me being around his men and being hit on them and all that, but at the same time wasn’t okay with actually doing anything about it. Because before he moved me downstairs to the front desk to get me away from them…”
“And so instead of disciplining them and telling them to stay away from you, he just fires you to eliminate the problem altogether?” Mel suggests.
“Exactly.”
In a way, it seems farfetched, but if you’d asked me yesterday if there was a chance in the world that Zander would fire me from his company, I’d say no chance in hell, so right now, maybe it’s not.
“I can see that actually,” Mel replies.
And if Mel, who has much more experience with men than I do, thinks it could be true, then right now, I’m inclined to go with it.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” She nods. “Either that, or he was just using you the entire time. But really, at the end of the day, does it matter?”
My heart feels like it’s been torn out of my chest and then stomped on by a hippopotamus. How could Zander ever made me feel so safe and so loved? And will I ever be able to feel that way again?
10
Zander
Talk about the world’s biggest fuck-up.
I had it all planned out, and then there had to be a catastrophe at the dig site that had to go and take my plans and blow them all to hell.
I went and got Ali a better paying job at my buddy’s company with a bigger HR department than mine that would get her way more experience for her college resume and had the whole thing planned out so that by the time she showed up at work, I’d be there to surprise her with it.
I’d be able to see the look on her face when she thought she’d been fired, I’d jump out, sweep her into my arms for a huge hug, spring the good news on her, and whisk her away to a nice romantic dinner, where I could tell her all the details.
Unfortunately, that’s not how things played out at all.
A 10cm miscalculation at the dig site caused a collapse of the entire northeast side of the warehouse we’re working on, which meant I had to take over as foreman for the whole day, correcting issues and putting out metaphorical fires.
To make matters worse, my phone slipped out of my pocket into a wheelbarrow of wet cement, completely ruining it. By the time I got off the site and back to the office, it was too late. Jen told me about what had happened, and my heart sank. I drove straight to Ali’s house, but her mom told me she wasn’t home, so I’m on my way to Mel’s right now.
She must hate me, but that’s not what’s killing me. What’s killing me is what I put her through today. Accidentally or not, I can’t imagine the pain she felt since she showed up at the office this morning.
I know that if I thought Ali had just tossed me aside and that our entire relationship had been a lie, my heart would be broken. The fact that this is my fault, all because I wanted to surprise her with something that would make her life better, is the real kicker.
I feel absolutely terrible and step on the gas.
A few minutes later, I’m pulling up in front of Mel’s house, my heart pumping hot blood through my veins.
Christ, what have I done? All I wanted to do was make her life better—make her happy. Now I’ve gone and screwed everything up. All I can do now is pray that things aren’t beyond repair.