"You think? I swear all I do is complain to him about my insecurities. It gets old after a while." Jamie pulled her napkin into her lap as the food arrived.
Thankfully, Gina seemed to be too wrapped up in their conversation to flirt with the handsome waiter any more. He seemed a bit more relaxed as he delivered plates and extra dipping sauces. Jamie couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle. Oh, the days of being in retail when life was busy, but easier, less complicated. Or was it? People were people, and where they were... there would be drama.
"I think you should mention it, but maybe don't say anything about my date with Nick tonight. Alex will blow a fuse. I only have a few more buttons for that man to push, and I'm out." She shrugged and pick
ed up a fried mushroom. "I hate to say it, but I've got one foot out the door."
"You do not." Jamie tilted her head and studied her friend. "You've been there forever. Don't tell me that."
"I do. Nick has a few openings at his company and has already mentioned that he would love to have me with him." She gave Jamie a cocky smirk. "I doubt he would yell at me half the day and fly off the handle if a hair was out of place."
"You're probably right." Jamie kept to herself the fact that Nick had offered her the same job six months prior. Gina was happy, and Jamie seemed to have the uncanny ability to turn everything into disappointment. A skill she’d acquired from her family, no doubt. She was going to focus on good. Mean people suck. She wasn’t going to be one of them.
Chapter 7
"So the ID was approved by Alex?" Mark dropped down on the couch in Alex's large living room and propped his feet up on the coffee table.
Jamie poked her head out of the kitchen and nodded. "Yep. I don't know why he didn't leave a paper trail for us. We usually have all sorts of documentation that has to be filled out to add a new spender on any account.
The sound of the TV filled the living room, and Jamie walked back into the kitchen and put the finishing touches on three sandwiches. Alex wasn't answering her texts, but he would be home later if nothing else. After his reaction the night before to her having dinner with Mark, it seemed prudent to just make him something too.
"You want a beer?" she called from the kitchen.
"Yeah. Bud Light if he has one."
She searched the fridge and found several, but debated whether to have one herself. She'd already had a hell of a day where her calories were concerned. The thick sandwich behind her left her answering no to the beer. Her time with Gina was enough to leave her warmed for the rest of the evening; at least the drinks she’d had had that effect. The conversation, not so much.
After balancing everything in her arms, she walked into the living room and gave Mark his stuff, then sat hers and Alex's down on the table.
"Where were you this evening? Have a late meeting or something?" Mark scooted over and took a big bite of his sandwich, trying to talk around it. "This is good."
"Good." She got all of her stuff situated and moved down to the floor. "No, I have a happy hour with Gina, Alex's secretary once a week. We need moral support from time to time."
Mark chuckled. "He hasn’t gotten any better at holding back his anger?"
"I'm trying, but it’s nice to know the two of you are talking about it for me." Alex stopped at the edge of the living room, the look on his face showing that he was less than pleased. Again.
"Alex!" Jamie got up and walked after him as he disappeared into the bedroom. She closed the door behind her and moved to wrap him in a hug from behind. "You're not an ass, and we weren't talking about you. I was just telling Mark that Gina and I go to happy hour once a week together. You know that."
"Right." His shoulders were stiff, his voice tight. "Did you know that she’s dating Nicholas? I swear that bastard is trying to take my legs out from underneath me. First you and now Gina."
"Alex. You don't know that he's not genuinely interested in her." Jamie released him and moved to stand in front of him. She reached up and helped loosen his tie. "She's a pretty woman, and she has loads of energy and a great outlook on life."
"Oh, I know. I hired her. She's been one of my best friends for years, Jamie." He touched the side of her face softly. "I'm just seeing things around the edge of her personality that I don't like. He's up to something. The governmental audit and now dating Gina. I don't like it."
"Not everything is how it appears to be. You know that." She pulled the tie from his neck and worked to unbutton his shirt.
"I agree, but if it smells like a turd, looks like one—"
"Don't you dare say tastes, or I'm out of here." She chuckled and his handsome face lifted as he smiled.
"I wasn't going to, but you get my point." He leaned down and brushed his lips against hers.
"I do, but you seeing Annette today is the same thing to me. It looked like you were blocking out half an hour for her, not taking any calls, and you didn't even look me in the face when she got there. You only had eyes for her." Jamie tried to keep her voice even.
"Jamie. You know I hate that bitch." He slid his hands over her hips and squeezed the top of her butt. "I'm only into you."
"I know that. I'm telling you that I could have acted like a psycho, but I didn't. I chose to not let my eyes tell me the truth, but to listen to my heart. You should do the same with Gina. You're hurting her." Jamie reached up and pulled him down for a longer kiss, her tongue exploring his warm mouth as he groaned and started to relax. Maybe she had overreacted just a tad, but at least it hadn’t been in front of anyone.