Chapter 139
Chapter 0139
I threw the box with the items from my desk into the back seat. I slid into my front seat and closed the door, and then I just sat, my arms down my side, my shoulders slumped forward. I hung my head. What was I going to do without work?
And, maybe the bigger question: Did I even want to try and prove my innocence just to come back here? Maybe this was the universe’s way of giving me an out from that place.
I put my keys in the ignition and turned them to start the car. I figured if nothing else, I needed to prove my innocence so I didn’t have to explain to future employers why I was fired from this company.
I let the car idle. I didn’t want to go home after that meeting, that sounded depressing as hell. I needed my friends.
I opened our group chat and typed: “Do you guys mind if I come over? I just got suspended from work and I need to drink about it.” They might be more willing to let me over this late if they knew I really needed it, I told myself. They would have anyway, but I just wanted to give them the heads up that I would be in at mood while I was there.
My phone exploded with several notifications at once!
Maria “WHAT!”
Megan – “Oh my god, of course, get over here.”
Rachel – “Who do I need to kill?”
I wiped at my eyes, which were still a little teary, and laughed. God I loved those girls. I put my phone on my passenger seat, pulled out of the parking garage, and sped off towards their place.
Logan had watched Hazel pack up her desk, then head down the stairs to the parking garage. He should have helped her pack up. He was kicking himself for not doing more than just helplessly watch her as she pulled all over her personal belongings out of her desk. But honestly, his head was still spinning from the whole evening. The frantic call about the client from Elena, the emergency board meeting, breaking the news to Hazel. He wasn’t sure how to act or feel in the moment.
He stared at the spot she had disappeared from view from. He wanted to run after her. To grab her and hold her and kiss her and tell her everything was going to be okay. He wanted to fire Elena, and any other person that ever treated Hazel badly at work. She didn’t deserve that. She was nothing but good to others.
He sighed. Clearly bringing Sabrina in was not enough to help him with his feelings towards Hazel. He looked at the clock on his phone, 9:30. It wasn’t too late, he bet his grandpa would still be up. He looked up his grandfather’s number in his phone and pressed call. He answered after the second ring.
“Hello Logan!”
“Hey gramps, you doing okay?” Logan asked.
“Oh, fine. I’m doing just fine. And yourself?”
“I’m doing okay,” Logan answered. “I just wanted to call any let you know that I’m ready to let you be my matchmaker.”
“Oh, wonderful! I’ll make some phone calls. Are you free this weekend?”
“I am,” Logan said.
“Okay then, we’ll talk soon!”
His grandpa hung up and Logan set down his phone. He was already wondering if this was a mistake, but Logan was starting to feel the pressure from his family to settle down already. Trying to find his actual wife had been a bust, and he quite frankly did not want to go through all that trouble again,
There was also his lingering feelings for Hazel. He needed to move on so he could go back to just having the one secretary.
He opened the bottom drawer of his desk and pulled out a bottle of whiskey. He took a long sip from it, shook his head from the bitterness of it, then returned it to where it came from.
“Guess I’ll see if it’s a mistake or not real soon,” he muttered to himself.
I walked up to the door, and the girls threw it open before I could even knock. They greeted group hug then handed me a glass of wine. The floodgates opened at their kindness.
me
with a
“Oh no, don’t cry!” Maria ran over to their box of tissues and brought the whole thing over to me. Honestly, I’m jealous. I could use a little time off work,”
I grabbed a few tissues with my free hand and sobbed into them. Megan and Rachel led me to the couch. and helped me sit. They wrapped their arms around my shoulders and let me cry it out. Finally, the tears subsided and I felt a little more calm. I wiped my nose and set the tissues in my lap. I chugged my wine.
I saw Megan nod at Maria, then nod towards the kitchen. Maria ran into the kitchen and came back a moment later with the whole bottle of wine. She took the now–empty glass from my hand and replaced it with the bottle.
Now that I had replaced my tears with wine, I was ready to tell them everything that had happened that day, from the time I had clocked in until the time I got to their door. Every jaw in the room had dropped open by the time I finished.
“Well, there’s my answer about who we need to kill,” Rachel said.
“Motherfucking Elena,” Maria shook her head.
“I have a sneaking suspicion that Sabrina is in on the whole thing too,” I said, taking a swig from the bottle.
Maria nodded. “I bet she is, that bitch is just as bad as Elena.”
I finished off the bottle of wine. It was amazing how one bottle of wine seemed to make everything better. I was suddenly very sleepy.
“I should home go, am…” I yawned, then hiccuped.
“Okay, no way you’re going anywhere in that condition, Megan said. “I’ll make up the couch for you.”
I shot finger guns at her as she walked away. “Pew, pew pew!”
Once she was out of sight I laid down. I was out before my head hit the armrest,
The next morning I woke up with a pounding headache, I groaned as I pushed myself to sitting. I cracked Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.
sit
my eyes open and blinked them open. Was it always so bright in this house?
I patted around the coffee table, looking for my phone. Once I did I held it up and squinted at the screen. and gasped. 11:13 am.
“Oh my god, I am so late!” I jumped up from the couch, which made my head feel even worse. I grabbed it and groaned again. I slowly lowered myself back onto the couch and closed my eyes agaih. I need to call Logan, let him know I won’t be in today.
I grabbed my phone again and froze, my hand covering it on the table. Oh, right. I’m suspended. I released the phone and leaned back into the couch.
“No man, no work, no reason to be awake,” I muttered to myself. I closed my eyes and instantly fell back asleep.