“Boss issues,” she said. “I can spot them a mile away.”
God, I hated how obvious I could be sometimes.
“I mean, it’s not…”
She laughed. “April, it’s OK. Like I said, you’re not the first to go through the Jason process. Which part are you at now? The one where he acts like he can’t control himself around you? Or how about the part where he acts conflicted, like he’s being torn apart inside? If you’re in those phases, be lucky—they’re the ones where you still get to screw him.”
“You’re serious about all of this?” We waited at a crosswalk, the two of us making our way across the street when the green light flashed. “He’s done this before?”
A sympathetic expression formed on her face. “I know it’s hard to hear. And I’m not telling you about it because I’m trying to make you feel bad or something—I’m doing it so you don’t get hurt when it happens.”
I said nothing as we approached the restaurant, Shauna opening the door and leading me inside. It was a hole-in-the-wall for sure, and the two of us sat down at a small table in the back. No one was there, which was what I wanted.
“If you start getting over it now,” she said as she propped the menu up on the table, “you can be ready when it happens. That’s the important part.”
The waitress approached, and Shauna ordered, getting a bottle of white wine and ordering two chicken pad Thais along with some spring rolls.
“Sorry to order for us, but trust me—I know what’s good here.”
“Yeah, sure.”
I glanced aside, and she offered another sympathetic look in my direction.
“There’s more, isn’t there?” she asked. “I can tell. Whatever’s going on, it’s about more than you just having a crush on the boss.”
Shit. I had no idea how she did it, but Shauna was seeing right through me.
She grinned. “Is it about…the other stuff?”
I was stunned. The waitress approached and poured two glasses of wine, leaving the bottle.
“What other stuff?” I asked, playing dumb. “What’re you talking about?”
“I know it’s hard to talk about,” she said. “But I can tell you know about it—Jason, what his job really is.”
My jaw nearly hit the table. I looked around, trying to see if anyone was listening in.
“Oh, don’t worry about that,” she said. “No one here speaks a word of English—it’s the reason I picked the place. Whatever you tell me stays between the two of us.”
“Then you know?”
“I know. Why do you think Jason picked me for the job? I keep all of his secrets. And I also keep a very, very close eye on things.”
“What do you mean?”
“Let me show you.”
She reached into her bag and took out an iPad. After a little swiping, she pulled out a security image. I gasped when I realized what it was.
It was from Jason’s office.
“That’s not…”
“You know exactly what it is. Keep watching.”
Sure enough, I appeared in the screen. I stepped over to the desk, got the information, and left with the hard drive.
“The old tape-and-fingerprint trick,” she said. “Nice work.”