“No problem,” he says with a stiff nod. As he turns to go, I can see the tension in his jaw and my already roiling stomach splashes acid up my throat.
I curse beneath my breath, earning a raised eyebrow from the woman crouched beside me. “Sorry,” I say.
“No need to apologize,” she says. “But from one hard-working woman to another, it’s okay to take time off when you need it. Especially after, say, almost dying.”
I sigh. “It’s only my second day. I’m supposed to be the boss.”
She removes the blood pressure band with a firm tug and a crackle of Velcro. “Yeah, well, sometimes bosses need help, too. Even on their second day.”
“I need help all the time,” the man in the corner, who’s been recording my vitals on a tablet, says. “And the more I ask for it, the more my team respects me. Ain’t that right, Irene?”
Irene snorts. “The day you’re my boss is the day I throw myself into oncoming traffic, Teddy.”
“Theodore,” he says, with a shit-eating grin. “I told you, only call me Teddy when we’re at home. Alone.”
My brows shoot up. “You two are a couple?”
“Married three years,” Irene says with a smile.
“Yeah?” I glance between them. “And it’s okay? Working and living together?”
“Yeah.” Irene shrugs. “I only want to kill him once, maybe twice a week.”
“Same,” Teddy says, tucking his tablet back into the bag slung across his chest. “Vitals all look good. You’re going to be just fine, ma’am. But you’re lucky your boyfriend jabbed you when he did.”
My lips part to explain that he isn’t my boyfriend, but instead I hear myself say, “Yeah, I need to make sure my pen is easier to find from now on. It had been so long since I had a reaction, I’d gotten careless.”
“Happens to the best of us. But all’s well that ends well.” Irene gives my knee a friendly pat before she stands to stow the blood pressure cuff in her open kit resting beside the now stone-cold Wellington on the desk. “Wow. That looks amazing. No wonder you ate first and worried about nuts later.”
I nod with a wry grin. “Yeah. It was amazing. I’m going to add it to the lunch menu. Swing by after we’re open, and I’ll set you up with an order on me. My way of saying thanks for saving my life.”
“Your man saved your life,” Irene says, “but I’m not about to turn down free gourmet food. We’ll be back. For sure. I never met a mushroom I didn’t love.”
“Same,” Teddy agrees. “Remember that place in Brooklyn? What was it called? By the park?”
Irene moans as she zips up her pack. “Oh, yeah. The one with the sampler platter? I don’t remember, but we should hit it again soon. And then get dessert from Sweetie Pies. I’ve been craving their apple crumble since we finished the one at Thanksgiving.”
They leave instructions for aftercare, encourage me to get my EpiPen prescription refilled ASAP, and exit, lost in food memories, leaving me alone in the quiet office. I fetch my water bottle from my bag and take a deep drink, still trembling a little from the medicine, but already feeling much better.
I’m steady enough to head downstairs, but I linger in the office for another moment, wondering if maybe I’ve made a mistake.
Yes, I’ve seen work romances go awry, but I also know lots of people who make it look easy and fun. As long as I implement clear policies with the help of human resources, maybe it would be okay to loosen my “no dating where you work” policy. Even if things went sour between Cameron and me personally, I think we could keep things professional on the job. And surely, a disaster like what happened with Phillip is something that only happens once in a lifetime.
My stomach cramps and a sour taste floods my mouth. My hands begin to shake again, and my lagging palm sweat ramps up with a vengeance.
That’s what just thinking about my ex does to me.
I barely escaped San Francisco in one piece, and I’m not out of the woods yet. I’m just waiting for Phillip to figure out where I went, decide violating his parole is a good idea, and start making my life miserable all over again.
I must have a screw loose to even be thinking about seriously dating again.
Meeting up with a cute guy I met at a cooking class for casual sex and a couple weeks of fun is one thing. Hooking up with a man I’ll see every day at work is quite another. Now that I’m the boss, I have to be careful. I could get sued for unlawful termination if I fire Cameron after our romance goes south. Or, worse, be forced to work with someone I can’t stand, because I can’t find a legitimate reason to let him go.