Hanging On (Jessica Brodie Diaries #2)(16)

Then went limp. Absolutely limp. My head lulled on his shoulder. My body cascaded over and around his. I did the setup, he could put everything away.

He lowered us to the bed, leaving himself inside me. We lay for a while, time having lost its meaning. He cradled my head on his chest and stroked my hair.

He kissed my head and said quietly, “You’re ever so welcome,” with a song in his deep voice.

Seemingly he accepted my thank you on a level deeper than mere sex. It thrilled me and terrified me in equal parts. I couldn’t help but smile.

Chapter Four

“’Morning Juniper.” I mumbled as I trudged into my cube.

“Have you seen that dad-gum new I.T. intern?” Juniper yelled, head poked through the leaves of her plant.

“What?” Hands full of sweater and handbag, I half turned to see what the commotion was. Usually she just ignored me in the mornings, for which I was thankful.

“That new I.T. man—boy, more like. He’s as windy as a sack fulla farts!”

“A sack full of farts? What are you talking about?”

“He done said it Friday afternoon—he’d be around first thing Mondie mornin’ and fix up my email right quick. Well, hel-lo, if it ain’t Mondie, than I don’t know what.”

Not Monday, Mondie. I didn’t feel like making fun of her out-loud.

“It’s 8:06 Juniper, give the kid a break. I wouldn’t want to deal with you before my coffee, either. And what does farting have to do with any of that.”

“Dumb Cal-i-forn-ian don’t know what language is. Don’t that just figure. Don’t know whether to check her ass or scratch her watch.”

“I can still hear you.” I shook my head. She would be funny if she was someone else’s problem.

“It mean’s liar!”

How does a sack full of farts have anything to do with lying? I shrugged, I didn’t want to ask.

“And why is you late?”

Oh boy. I hunched into my seat.

I still didn’t have a car, so William decided he would work from the main office for a while so we could carpool to work. Since we couldn’t be seen in this capacity together, he had dropped me off two blocks away and let me walk in. He’d called it overkill; I called it practical. If someone saw me riding into work with the freaking owner’s kid, there would be talk. I was way too new to get by on my laurels thus far. Some people—Juniper—still weren’t sure I was getting by with my brain.

“Because my car is about as useless as a screen door on a submarine,” I said with a snippy attitude.

As expected, Juniper careened around her plant to get a better look. She hated when I used her sayings.

“Why are you staring at me like a hog staring at a wristwatch?” I asked her, unable to hide the smirk.

Her face was turning purple. I decided now was a good time for coffee.

By lunch time, everyone knew that the youngest Davies was in the office. Apparently he usually worked out of his father’s office, where ever that was, so when one of the elite started hobnobbing with the working stiffs, it was big news.

“Hey.” Candace popped in my cube with a downtrodden face.

“Are you okay?” I asked immediately. I hoped her and Ty didn’t get in a fight. Ty was the end-all-be-all in Candace’s life since they hooked up.

“Me? Oh no, I just… Well, it’s just that…” she looked back to make sure Juniper wasn’t eavesdropping and continued in a whisper, “Willie’s in the office.”

“Who?” I winked. Candace wasn’t good at keeping things to herself.

She looked at me askew and made ready to explain herself, obviously not knowing what the wink was for, so I stood up and grabbed my money at lightning speed.

“Lunch time?” I asked as I exited the cube.

“She could eat an apple through a picket fence!” Juniper yelled after us.

“I don’t know how you sit next to her!” Candace said as she followed me. “She’d do my head in.”

“I think it’s actually kind of funny. The worst is when she listens in to my phone calls, though.”

“You look different,” Candace noticed as we queued up for the salad bar. I only allowed myself once a week splurges into the fried line.

“Oh?”

She stepped beside me and analyzed. “Hair?”

“Everyone keeps thinking I changed my hair. No. Laid.”

“Laid? Oh! Yay! Who?” She tilted her head at me in mock condensation. “Not that weird guy that thought Jessica was a beautiful name, right?”

“Ew, no!”

We quieted as we heaped lettuce and veggies onto our plate and didn’t talk until we sat at our usual table.

“Hey,” Dave grunted as I sat next to him. “Wanna go out with me yet?”

“Romantic,” JP said in dry tones as he nodded at me in hello. His eyes squinted immediately.

“So, who is it?” Candace asked.

“Who’s who?” JP asked, still staring.

“Jessica met someone,” Candace replied.

“What?” Dave shrieked, putting down his fork and looking at me.

“Get over it, Dave,” Phil said, sitting down in front of Dave with Sara on his other side. As a rule, Phil and Dave always stayed close to me, and Sara close to Phil. Each of the boys wanted a shot at me, hoping someday I would relent after too much alcohol. Sara wanted Phil, but hated me, so she tried to basically sit in Phil’s lap while keeping her distance from me. Sometimes it was a stressful lunch time situation.