I'm a moron. It's the single explanation for why I'm even considering leaving the apartment on my Friday off."You've already agreed to go, so you'll have to come out sometime." Aspen slumps against the bathroom counter beside me."Why did I agree to it?"She jumps up to sit on the counter and leans against the mirror while giving me the once over. "Tell me again what happened in his car."My face heats at the allegation in her question. "We walked four blocks so he could drive me home two." I still can't get over the fact he drives the little car around even with parking. "Then we talked.""Uh huh. You 'talked.'" She air quotes talked. "Remember I was here when you tried to sneak in the door that night."I've already explained this twice, but I try once more to make Aspen believe me. "I'm not kidding. I told him about my mom and the job thing." I don't mention I cried for most of that conversation and Trey sat quietly beside me and rubbed my back. It was sweet, which is co

Aspen's fingers move on her phone screen as we ride in the backseat of Licorice, the black Escalade driven by Jake."Mar and Amanda are going to meet us on the hill," Aspen relays the information I assume she read from her text. "That's the best thing about them having to drive in. They always get there before us."Her brown eyes brighten a little with the declaration as she shoves the cell phone in her back pocket. Jake takes a turn a little quicker than normal and I'm forced to grab on to the door handle to stop myself from sliding across the leather seat."Drive slower, Jake. We don't want to get there too early." Aspen taps him on the shoulder in a playful gesture. She loops the long scarf around her neck and pulls on the end tightly. "Do you think it will snow this year?"I look out my side window curious to what prompted her question. Everything looks normal as people walk the streets in the same thin fleece jackets they've been wearing the last few weeks. "Has it ever sn

"WE DON'T USE IDS, but you'll learn everyone eventually. There aren't many of us." Finn shuffles more of his papers and places one on the table in front of me. "Sign here."I sign my name for the sixtieth time today and he takes the paper back. Finn came back this morning and took me on a tour of the first floor offices. There aren't cubical walls. Instead, the desks are staged in a sort of circle. Actually I'm not sure there's any kind of reason to the layout. I envision on move-in day everyone picked a random spot in the room they liked and set up shop. We met each of the guys and even a few girls and so far they all seem nice and happy to have a new receptionist. I hope I can live up to the hype Finn's given everyone here.While I completed the first batch of paperwork, Finn taught me the phone system and rules for running the desk... there aren't any. He promised if I used common sense on the job I'd be fine, but I worry. If it's that easy, why couldn't keep someone in this pos

"I'll set up the doughnuts when they get here in about twenty and then place the lunch order between ten and ten-thirty." I sum up my morning plan to Finn as we walk into the RDA building together.He opens the door for me and I slide past him to drop my purse off at the front desk. My black Gucci heels click on the tile floor as I walk to the small coat closet where Trey and I had our encounter Monday.Trey wasn't here yesterday, off to some meeting elsewhere in town, but I haven't missed him leaning up against my desk watching my every move as we walked in this morning. I'm pretending he doesn't affect me. He's a little more dressed up today in a pair of tan khakis and a light blue long sleeve button down shirt. He hasn't rolled up the sleeves yet, but it won't take long. His face is still soft even with his ever trimmed stubble and he doesn't appear to be upset about my attempt to ignore him. I'm not sure if that's good or bad. By the time I leave the small room, his smirk borde

The large lobby clock counts down the seconds and I chart each one as the second hand ticks its way around the circle. Eleven minutes and twenty-eight seconds until the work day ends. Eleven minutes and twenty-six seconds until I skip out those doors happy to have survived this Melvin filled day.I wonder how many people quit because of Melvin? Why does Finn keep him? Ten minutes and fifty-six seconds. Aspen's man comes off as sweet and laid back. Maybe he has a soft spot for Manic Melvin? Ten minutes and fifty-one seconds. Maybe Menacing Melvin has an important job? Like if they created bombs, he'd be the guy with the second launch key. Would anyone trust Melvin with the second key? I wouldn't.At ten minutes and forty-seven seconds, there's movement to my left and my eyes automatically track it. There's nothing on the desk except a few pens and the pop-up calendar. Weird. I hope a spider or some other creepy crawling hasn't tried to make my desk his new home.Ten minutes and th