Butterflies in Honey (Growing Pains #3)(26)

Krista arrived to his office area and checked in with his matronly assistant.

“Go right in, Krista. He’s expecting you,” she said with a motherly smile.

Krista smiled back and prepared for war. She walked into the giant office filled with ornate cherry wood furniture and nearly stopped dead. It looked like royalty belonged there. It was a corner office, which was expected, with a door off to the right half open, through which she could see a sink and the edge of a shower, which was not as expected. There was a table and six chairs in the corner, two massive, comfortable-looking chairs in front of a giant desk, a few plants, a great view, and a freaking oriental rug.

Krista’s new office wasn’t even close to this nice. Not even in the same galaxy. She dismally realized she had a long way to go if she wanted to be on par with Sean McAdams. It was humbling. And terrible.

Sean was at his desk, head bowed over something or other, when he noticed Krista walk in. “Krista.”

“Hi Sean.” Krista sat down in front of him.

He looked like he hadn’t slept all week. His eyes were puffy and his face was pale. The spark had gone out of him somewhat. “Tell me what you’ve done all week.”

“Wow. Cut to the chase, huh?” she mumbled, looking into her Sean folder, thankful she’d checked it before she’d come up so she could remove the voodoo doll Kate made.

“I figured you wanted to get in and get out. If you would rather start with pleasantries…”

“No, no, that’s fine. Just surprised is all. Okay. First, Kate is going to take my place when I take Phil’s. She’ll be in charge of hiring a new person if they need it. Right now, they have slack in work, so I’m not sure they need to hire in.”

“Already making cut backs, huh?”

“Unintentionally, yeah. Though if Tory asks, then yes, already making cuts.” She chuckled, looking into her notes.

Sean didn’t crack a smile. “Understood. But Krista, I would like to keep honesty between us—in our working relationship. You need neither sell yourself short nor try to overcompensate. It’s always been our way. With my other managers I’m struggling with that. I would like to keep that pure between us.”

“Saying it how it is has never been a problem for me, Sean,” Krista said into her lap. This conversation was hitting a little too close to her Sean Hurt box. And thus, a little too close to her tear ducts.

“I know,” he said quietly. He changed gears with, “Okay, what else ya got?”

“Right, well I got through step one on your list. It is a pretty extravagant list.” Krista pulled out the finished report along with a flash drive. “Here’s a hard and soft copy. Let me know what you want me to change. I’ll keep working on the rest of it, obviously. I’m just trying to balance my work load, learn Phil’s, get Kate up to speed—“ She sighed with fatigue.

“All work and no play makes Krista a very dull girl.”

“Yeah, well. I’ve had enough excitement for one life-time.” And now I work with the anti-Christ.

~*~*~*~

Sean looked at Krista with a pained expression. Until that second, he hadn’t realized how sad she was. How devastated. He’d done to her what Jim had, but with emotional sabotage instead of physical. It was what he’d always feared he would do, and then he did it. Now he saw it first-hand and it pierced him. He shouldn’t have come back, and definitely shouldn’t have been expecting quick forgiveness.

But he couldn’t give up hope that she would forgive him one day. He had no other options; nothing else to do; nowhere else to be. She was it. Cassie thought of her as family, and it took her visit to San Francisco to drive that feeling home to him as well. He couldn’t give up on her. He would wait. She had waited without knowing it, and now he would. It was only fair.

“Krista, though I appreciate it, and it will make me successful in what I’m trying to do here, I think you are overdoing it a bit. I’ve heard how much you’re working lately. You’re young. Enjoy your life. I don’t need everything done in an instant. I don’t expect that of you.”

“As my boss, I thank you for your concern. I’m just trying to do what I do best—kick butt and take names.”

“And as your friend?”

She paused a second. “Honestly, as my friend, go back to spying on me if you want, but I’m not really interested in your advice.”

Ouch. He might be waiting a while. “Noted.”

“If that’s all?”

“Yes, Kris--ta.”

Chapter Eight

Krista lowered her eyes. She was glad he refrained from calling her Krissy. That would have made her cry.

She made her way back. Instead of going to her office, she went to Kate’s cube. Kate looked up as she leaned against the flimsy cube wall. “I need to get outrageously drunk tonight.”

“Uh oh. Bad meeting?”

“Don’t want to talk about it. But I do want to forget about it. Harry’s Lounge after work?”

“I’m in. I’ll let Jaz and Ben know.”

Krista sighed and went to her desk. Once there, she emailed Marcus, telling him to head to Harry’s after he got off, and bring some hot, single, fun friends. She was going to get drunk, then maybe get laid. An instant after she hit send, Marcus called.