glances from me to the stage. “Just don’t stay all night.” She hugs me and then starts walking out of the club. She stops and hollers over her shoulder, “And don’t stay up all night, making those asshole real estate agents cookies for their showings tomorrow! You need your sleep.”
“I won’t!” I yell back.
I’ll just get up a couple of minutes early and throw some cookies in the oven while I’m getting ready.
I turn my attention back to Owen and his band onstage. At least I have Owen. He might not be perfect, but I love him, and he loves me back. That’s enough.
Jamie lays her head on my shoulder. “I’m exhausted. I’m not going to last much longer.”
I laugh. “I’ll get you into a cab then.”
I take Jamie to a cab, and then I go back to my seat to finish watching Owen play. I love watching him play, but I really wish he would book more weekend gigs and less during the week.
I rest my head in hands as I watch him continue to play. I know they still have three or four more songs before they finish their set. I can make it through. I close my eyes. I’ll just listen and rest my eyes…
“Olive!” Owen shouts, jolting me awake.
I jump awake.
“I don’t know why you even bother coming if you are just going to fall asleep,” Owen says.
“I’m sorry. I’ve had a really long day. Let’s just go back to my apartment and go to sleep,” I say.
He sighs. “My apartment is so much nicer though. Your apartment is tiny.”
“But my apartment is closer to my work, and I haven’t seen my cat all day. You don’t have to be anywhere in the morning.”
He shakes his head. “I’m going to my apartment. You coming?”
I think back to this morning—how late I was going into work because he’d turned my alarm off again, how long of a subway ride it was to get into work.
“I’m sorry. I can’t tonight. I’ll stay over tomorrow night,” I say.
Owen frowns and then leaves without so much as a good-bye kiss.
I love Owen. He loves me, I keep repeating to myself.
We’ve both just had a bad day today. Tomorrow will be better.
But then I remember that I have to deal with Sean tomorrow, and I realize that tomorrow is going to be just as bad.
3
Sean
It’s eight o’clock sharp when I make my way into Parks Real Estate Office. It’s not early by anyone’s standards, but considering I own a company that operates mainly in the evenings, it’s early for me. I expect to see an office full of life as I walk through the office. Instead, I find a mostly empty office.
What the hell? Does no one come to work on time?
I keep walking toward Jamie’s office. I need to take some time to make it mine if I’m going to be working here for a year in Jamie’s place. I can only handle so many motivational quotes and hippie incense.
“Good morning, Sean,” a sweet voice says as I walk to my new office.
I stop to greet the person when I realize it’s Olive. I cock my head to the side as I look at her sitting behind her desk. She looks slightly more put together today than she did yesterday. Her long hair is a little more tamed but still frizzy. She’s wearing dark dress pants with dress boots that are much more appropriate for the weather and the office, but somehow, it disappoints me. I quite enjoyed looking at her bare legs yesterday. She looks put together, except when I study her further. Her eyes have the tiniest of bags underneath them. Her lips are stifling the need to yawn. She’s exhausted.
“Coming into work early isn’t going to win you any favors if you are exhausted and worthless to the team, especially when it’s clear that no one comes in this early,” I say.
“I’m sorry. I mean…” She shakes off her apology. “I always come in this early. I try to beat Jamie in, so I can make sure the coffee is ready and everything is ready for her. I’m always the first to show up and one of the last to leave. That’s who I am. I’m sorry if I seem a bit tired. I had a bit of a long night last night. Tomorrow, I’ll be better.”
I narrow my eyes at her and resist the urge to laugh at her ridiculous apology. I continue into my office