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“Wine if you have it, please. Beer works too, depending on what you made.”
God, could I be so lucky to catch a buzz to end this day?
Chapter Nine
Carmen
My beautiful wife had us up twice the night before, and I felt like I’d been out all night partying instead of dealing with an insomniac. Of course, she had sleep problems on top of all the other things she dealt with. And, like the majority of her issues, the fitful sleeping was a product of her own bad habits.
I couldn’t keep lecturing her or scolding her for her unhealthy behaviors, though. Hell…I was getting on my own nerves. I could just imagine how she felt.
But we needed to find a way to stop bickering. It wasn’t in my nature to just Yes, dear her on everything we didn’t see eye to eye on, so that wasn’t a viable option. But anyone who witnessed her jump-down-your-throat reaction style to any and every topic would sympathize with me and what I was dealing with.
We both had to want this marriage to work. I couldn’t do all the bending all the time. Maybe we needed to go to counseling. My boss was known around the building as a therapy junkie, so maybe I’d pick his brain about the merits of a few sessions.
That conversation could dovetail with another one we needed to have. On my drive in this morning, I rehearsed my talk track regarding a salary increase. It had been a while since I had a raise, and he had to admit I did a really great job keeping him organized and running on time throughout the day. Now that I was financially responsible for two people, more money would definitely be a bonus.
Because she was up half the night, I assumed my wife would sleep in for a few hours after I left. But I definitely planned on calling her on my first break this morning to make sure she was spearheading a legitimate job search. Maybe there was something that suited her at Shark Enterprises. I made a mental note to talk with her about that and that I could put in a good word if she were interested.
Elijah Banks strolled past my desk with a mischievous grin taking up the majority of his facial real estate. He had just pocketed his cell phone, so whoever had been on the other side of the device just then could likely be credited for his affable mood.
Might as well strike while he was chipper. I loathed these types of conversations with an employer, but again, I had more than myself to worry about now. I waited for him to settle in at his desk before I picked up the phone to see if he had a minute to spare for me.
“Hey, Carmen. How can I help you?”
“Hi. Do you have a minute to talk?”
“Sure. Always. Do you want me to come out there?”
“No, frankly, I’d rather talk behind closed doors. I don’t know if you know this, but the gossip network in this building is shameless and far-reaching. I don’t need everyone in my business. I’ll be right in.”
After a few deep breaths, I knocked on his door.
“Come in,” he shouted from the interior of his office.
In the past, I had confessed to my boss how much I disliked confrontation. Especially with a superior. No matter what I told myself in an effort to calm down, my body wouldn’t listen. My stomach already grumbled from skipping breakfast in favor of sleeping a tad more. Now I was also feeling jittery from drinking coffee on an empty stomach and anticipating this conversation.
I closed the door behind me and took the chair in front of Elijah’s desk.
“You okay, dude?” he asked with his trademarked head tilt.
Fiddling with the cuff on my sleeve, I said, “Yeah, just a little off this morning.”
“What’s going on? How can I help you?” he asked, and his friendly vibe was helping me relax a touch. It was ridiculous to get so worked up the way I was, but years and years of conditioning from very strict parents was hard to just undo.
“Agatha moved in with me last night,” I rushed ahead and told him.
He and I were now connected in more ways than our original boss and assistant relationship, and once I started talking about the woman who was driving me crazy in every imaginable way, I rambled on for several minutes without a single pause.
Luckily, he was one hundred percent focused on our conversation and caught all the facts I blurted.
“And on top of everything else, she’s an insomniac. I think we were up more than we slept last night, and I know I can’t survive on that little sleep night after night.”
I finally finished and relaxed back into the chair.
Elijah wore a grin, and I scanned everything I just told him to find where he got humor.
“Why are you grinning like that?” I asked and winced when my defensive tone bounced around the room.
