“Apparently,” she says, her shoulders slumping, “I am not the only woman Bart has been seeing.”
My jaw drops at this. “Casual Bart is being casual with other women?”
“It would seem so,” Aurora says, and I can barely stop my jaw from dropping further at the way she looks.
There’s genuine disappointment in her features, in herposture—no matter what she said about stupid Bart, she liked him, at least a little.
I want to go on a tirade, want to scream at the man who made my sister look this way, but I don’t.
“Oh, Ror,” I say instead, my voice soft. Then I step forward and wrap my arms around her. “I’m so, so sorry.”
She lets her forehead drop onto my shoulder, exhaling loudly. “Don’t be,” she says, her voice muffled. “It’s my own fault. I should have known.”
“It’s not your fault at all,” I say. I rub her back soothingly. “Bart will never find someone as amazing as you.”
Aurora rolls her eyes now. “I don’t know. The person he found seems to be my subordinate Mindy. She’s petite and adorable.”
“Mindy can suck it,” I say, keeping my voice light. I give Aurora one last pat on the back and then let go of her, holding her by the shoulders and looking closely at her. “We need to egg his house, Ror.”
Aurora’s lips twitch. “He lives in an apartment.”
I slump. “Boo.” My eyes dart over her face, cataloguing her expression. Then I ask, “You’re all right?”
“I’m annoyed that I wasted time,” she says. “And I guess I’m a little sad, but my pride hurts more than my heart.”
I nod, because I think she’s telling the truth.
We should still probably egg his car, though. I’m just about to make this suggestion when Aurora straightens up, clearing her throat. She’s obviously done talking about it. So when she offers to let me brush my teeth and then skirts past me out of the bathroom, I don’t protest. I just finish getting ready for work, say goodbye to my sisters, and head out.
The spring is back in my step before I even get to my car.
Luca officially gave me access to hiscalendar yesterday, so when I get to the office, I put the day’s agenda on his desk, socialization periods included. Then I go to the break room and fill his water bottle, smiling and waving at the people I pass. They’re warming up to me quickly, Josh and Marianne especially, which makes me feel glittery and glowing inside.
And by the time I return to Luca’s office with his water bottle in tow, he’s already arrived.
“Good morning, Mr. Slater,” I say in a singsong voice as I step inside, closing the door lightly behind me. “Once you’ve settled in, check the agenda on your desk, please, and let me know if you have any problems with what I’ve outlined.”
Luca looks up at me with a startled expression, and even though he straightens up at my entrance, I can tell he still needs a minute. So I head over to my spot on the couch and settle there, forcing myself not to stare at him like I want to.
But come on. He’s tall, dark, and handsome. He has sexy square glasses and amazing hair. He smells deliciously blue-green. What girl could resist that?
So I do sneak a few peeks. Just some tiny ones, every now and then. And I only get caught once.
It’s Luca’s long, loud sigh that alerts me. “Miss Marigold,” he says. “What you’re doing is very distracting.”
“Well, are you ready to go over your schedule?” I say. “I might stop staring at you if I could stand next to you instead.”
He leans back in his chair and gestures for me, and I pop up immediately.
“Did you read through?” I say, pointing to the agenda now off to one side on his desk.
“I did,” he says dryly, “and I have some complaints.”
I smooth my hands down my fitted shirt and flowy skirt. “I’m sure you do,” I say, “but unfortunately,some of these items are nonnegotiable.However,” I add quickly when he opens his mouth to argue, “some of them can be finagled.”
When he arches his brow at me, I lean across him and grab the paper, sliding it over to the corner of the desk where I’m standing. “What I really insist on is face-to-face time with your employees. You don’t have to purely socialize if you can get that time in elsewhere. If you have a question for someone out there”—I wave in the direction of the office door—“instead of calling them and barking an order, go out and ask them in person. If you pass someone on your way to the break room or bathroom, speak to them.That’swhat needs to happen.”
He grunts but doesn’t argue, so I go on. “You also need to spend thirty minutes with the sun lamp on. It doesn’t matter when.”
