“I thank you for your trouble. And not a spot on the carpet. Well done, sir.”
“Anytime.”
“So, what brings you by, Simon from IT, or did you hear my screams of pain and come running?”
As if on cue, he rushes to my desk and sits on the edge, looking me over as if I’ve been attacked. ”Are you okay? Did something or someone upset you? The woman you were with—”
“Is my my mother. And her visits can definitely be categorized as upsetting.” I laugh with self-deprecation, then veer the conversation elsewhere. “But more upsetting still are the crimes against the English language that I’m currently weeding out of this doc.” I turn my laptop in his direction, so he can see the evidence. “Who knew it was possible, or even desirable, to use the word signage eleven times in one paragraph?”
“Wow. That’s got to be some sort of record.” He reads a few more lines and looks up. “That does not actually say ‘supposably,’ right?”
“It sure does.”
“You should get hazard pay.”
“You are not wrong, but I should also get back to work, so what’s up?”
“I um...I just, here,” and like a kid shoving a dandelion toward the object of his affection on the playground, Simon reaches into his pocket and drops a Snickers onto my desk. It’s haphazardly wrapped in a makeshift, rubber band bow.
“Snickers? Yum. Wait…do you need a gigantic favor? Perhaps a 465-page rough draft you’d like me to edit in the next two hours?”
“No favor.”
“Did you run into Wayne and order the rest of those god-awful mailboxes in my name?”
“Nope. No more mailboxes,” he smiles and pushes his glasses back up to the bridge of his nose. “Just thought you deserved a little nougat. I mean, I know you were going to get a candy bar, but then Molly showed up, and...I just thought you’d like one.”
Damn, this guy is adorable. And I’m kind of a mess for crushing on him, seeing as he’s about ten years younger than I am. Still, a girl can admire the view, right? I hold the candy bar up to my nose and inhale. “Is it bad that I’m getting a contact high? Thanks, Simon, you’re really sweet.” I smile in appreciation, and I’m guessing I’ll get a smile in return, but when I look up, I’m met with a scowl. What the hell?
