you put in this morning. You have a good eye.”
“Thanks.”
He picks up the flowers and takes them out back to give them to her, and I can hear her yelling in happiness when she sees them.
It was a thoughtful thing for him to do.
Maybe Crow’s not so bad after all.
* * *
The next day my dad drops into work unexpectedly, food in his hands.
“Hey, Dad, what are you doing here?” I ask, giving him a big hug.
“I was in the neighborhood, so I thought I’d drop in and see how you’re doing,” he explains as he glances around the warehouse. “Pretty cool place. I brought you your favorite burger and fries.”
“Thanks, Dad,” I say, smiling at him. He always did things like this when I was working with Nadia. It’s what I love about him—he is so thoughtful.
Crow walks back out and sees us standing there, and quickly comes over.
“Dad, this is my boss, Crow. Crow, this is my dad,” I introduce.
Crow offers Dad his hand. “Nice to meet you, sir.”
“And you,” Dad replies, glancing over to me. “I hope you don’t mind, just wanted to check out Bronte’s new workplace and see how she’s doing.”
“Not at all,” Crow replies, eyes going to me. “She’s a great worker, we’re lucky to have her.”
Well, that’s news to me. I can’t look away from Crow as he says kind words about me to my dad, who appears extremely proud. In fact, his smile is wider than I’ve seen it in a long time. I’m happy, because I know how proud he was of me at my old job, so it’s nice to know that hasn’t changed with this one.
And Crow? I think for the first time I can see what everyone else says about him. He can be charming. Friendly. And yeah, he’s cute.
Dangerously so.
“She’s a great girl.”
“That she is,” Crow replies. “Do you want a tour of the warehouse? I can show you...”
He leads my dad away, like he came here to visit him instead of me, and shows him all of the fancy motorcycles, the two of them suddenly best friends.
I eat my burger and fries.
Alone.
Once the tour is done, Dad returns to me. “This place is pretty awesome.”
“It is, isn’t it?” I reply, smiling at him. “Thanks for the food, Dad. And for dropping by. It’s definitely made my day. Even if you’ve spent more time with Crow than you have with me.”
Dad just laughs. “I like him, he’s a good man.”
Is this my dad giving his approval for Crow? He’s my boss! I want to tell him that is not happening, but I don’t want anyone to overhear that conversation, so it’s going to have to wait for another time.
“He’s okay, I suppose,” I admit.
Sometimes.
“He promised me he’d look after you,” he adds, winking at me. “I better get going—Neville and I have some business to work out.”
“Nothing serious?” I ask, remembering their intense conversation at the barbecue.
Dad looks at me in surprise. “You worry too much. You know Neville, always has a scheme. We just have to discuss some things then we’re going to see a movie.”
It’s so cute that the two of them go on little brother dates, and make sure to spend time with each other as much as they can. They both have such an amazing bond.
“Okay, Dad,” I say, giving him a big, tight hug. “I love you.”
“I love you too, princess.”
* * *
Locking my apartment door behind me, I stretch my neck from side to side to release some of the tension. After placing the grocery bags on the kitchen counter, I pull out my phone and slump down on the stool at the bench. It’s been a long week, and I’m glad it’s finally the weekend.
My phone is pretty dry, apart from messages from my dad and Billie, one of my closest friends. What are you doing tonight? she asks.
Billie is the type of friend where we won’t speak for a few weeks at a time, lost in work, life and relationships, but our friendship is always as strong as ever. I know if I need her she will be here in a heartbeat, and vice versa.
Netflix and chilling, I type back.
Alone, I also add.
She replies instantly. Get dressed. I’ll be there in an hour.
I type out a few different messages, all stating that there’s no way in hell I’m leaving my apartment tonight, but hey, maybe time catching up with Billie is exactly what the doctor ordered.
I’ve showered and thrown