“Neither, jerk.” I shoved at his shoulder.
Blue eyes sparking with amusement, he asked, “Then what brings you home only three hours into your shift? You weren’t supposed to get off until midnight.”
Shifting my position on the cushions to face him on bent knees, I bounced, unable to contain my excitement. “I got a promotion!”
“What? Babe, that’s great!” Sasha set Cannoli on the floor and pulled me into a tight hug.
When we broke apart, I explained, “Bennie called me into his office and told me he got an offer at a nightclub. Then he explained that the owners asked who he would recommend as his replacement, and he gave them my name.” I tapped my chest with a shaky hand, almost unable to believe the events of the past few hours. “I’m the new manager. Me! Can you believe it?”
His dazzling smile was nearly blinding. “Of course, I can. They’d be fools not to put you in charge.”
Heat rose up my neck and onto my cheeks, and I dropped my gaze to my lap. “I don’t know if I would go that far.”
A finger hooked beneath my chin, lifting my face. Sasha looked at me almost as if in awe. “You have no idea how truly incredible you are, do you?”
Why would I? No one had ever seen fit to praise me before. Not until this man barged his way into my life and decided he was never leaving.
Before I could let dark thoughts from my past creep in, Sasha dropped his hand and stood. Clapping, he declared, “We have to celebrate!”
You’d think I would be used to the emotional whiplash this man offered up on the daily, but nope. It still had a jarring impact each time.
“Celebrate?” I asked in a daze.
He was halfway to the door before he turned back to find me staring at him, jaw hanging slack. “Well, come on!”
Shoving off the couch, I sighed. “Where are we going?”
Pushing his arms through his jacket, he snagged his keys. “I know a great little ice cream place not too far from here. We’ll enjoy a celebratory treat while you tell me all about your new position.”
It was late, and I wanted nothing more than to chill out at home, but Sasha was riding high on my news, and I knew better than to try and argue when he got an idea into his head.
Ice cream it is.
The place was cute; I had to hand him that.
It had a retro 50s soda fountain vibe, with its metal countertop, red vinyl stools, and black and white checkered tile flooring. The sign at the hostess stand told us to seat ourselves, so Sasha pulled me into a booth in the corner.
The menus were tucked into a slot behind the napkin holder, and I plucked one out.
“What’s good here?” I asked, scanning the ice cream options.
“I like a vanilla cone, but you can get whatever you want.”
Peeking over the menu, I arched an eyebrow. “Vanilla? Really?”
Sasha shrugged. “What can I say? It’s a classic.”
Humming, I set the laminated plastic sheet down. “I’m more of a chocolate girl.”
Folding his arms, he leaned over the surface separating us. “And that’s why we fit so well together. You’re the dark to my light. It’s a perfect balance.”
There wasn’t enough light in the world to combat the darkness I’d seen, let alone balance it out. But I wouldn’t be the one to burst his bubble. It wasn’t hurting anyone to let him believe I was the yin to his yang.
A waitress came and took our order, returning quickly with our cones.
The first burst of the creamy confection hit my tongue as Sasha said, “So, tell me about your new job.”
Butterflies fluttered wildly inside my chest as I thought about earlier today and what this promotion would mean for me going forward.
