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Chapter Two

The end of the work day finally arrived, and I walked the three blocks to my apartment building. The minute I stepped into the studio apartment, I let out a deep breath and lay my head on the door. The small kitchen to my left was spotless, other than one bowl in the sink from the oatmeal I'd barely had time to eat this morning. Clothes sat in a laundry basket right in front of my dresser, my unmade bed sitting across from the small TV I'd had since I was in college. I set my keys and purse on the dining room table next to the kitchen and went to lay on my only comfortable piece of furniture. I clicked the TV on and started to look for anything on TV to help me get my mind off of today.

Nothing could get my mind off of the events that had happened.

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't help but wonder why my boss had been acting so differently today. I tried to think of all the possibilities that could have flustered Miss Lennard. Maybe she had gone out the night before, had way too much to drink, and almost forgotten to even make it to work that day. No, I've never even known her for going out, especially not on a night before work. I thought again. Maybe she woke up and after she got ready for work this morning an alien popped up from under her bed and scared the living daylights out of her, causing her to fall and mess up her hair and makeup, and rip her tights, and she didn't have enough time to fix any of that so she cried a bit on the way to work. Well, that seemed a little too far fetched to be what happened.

My mind was interrupted by my phone beeping on the table across the room. Of course, it was Friday and Eloise wasn't going to let me stay home again. Every Friday she called to invite me out with her girlfriends, and every Friday I turned her down. She'd beg for a while, but eventually she'd give in when I'd promise to bring her coffee the next morning and help her get through her hangover. It was a ritual for us.

But tonight, I didn't want to stick with my normal routine.

I went over to the table and picked up my phone. Sure enough, a picture of Eloise flashed on the screen, just like every time she called. I answered with my usual, "Hey, girl, what's up?"

"Stacy!" she screamed into her phone, sounding as though she had already had quite a bit to drink. "Come out with us! We're at the new bar by work and the bartender is so cute! You have got to meet him!"

I laughed, and replied, "Okay, give me some time to change and I'll meet you there." I heard silence over the phone. Well, almost silence. The music was obviously very loud at the bar.

"You-you're really coming out?" She sounded shocked.

"Yeah, you've always wanted me to, haven't you?"

"Of course, of course!" She perked up quickly. "Get here soon!" With a click she hung up the phone, and I went over to my closet. This was the part I was most scared of about going out. I've never been good about dressing "sexy" or "hot". I wasn't even sure I owned anything that could qualify as either of those things. However, I did notice a black crop top that Eloise had given to me a while ago and I had still never worn. If she picked it out, it had to at least be okay.

After finding a pair of skinny jeans and tall black boots, I slapped on some makeup to make myself as "sexy" as I could. I was ready to go.

Did I really want to do this? No, definitely not. Did I need to do this? Absolutely. I grabbed my purse, locked the door behind me, and headed for the bar.

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The bar was crowded, as I expected. It took all my effort not to turn around and leave. Eloise spotted me a few seconds after I stepped in the room, and I was immediately stuck with my plan of being here.

Eloise was sitting on the bar counter, hair perfectly tousled, flames flickering with the light. She was in a tight dress that seemed to be riding up, but she was too drunk to care. When I was in hearing distance, Eloise called out to me.

"Stacy! I'm so glad you're here!" She got down off the bar, almost falling into my arms. I turned her awkward fall into a hug, and then steadied her. "You look great! Hey, I got you that top!"

"Yeah, I don't think I'd fit in here with anything I got myself, so thank you!" I replied. We walked over to the bar and sat. The bartender, eyes sparkling as he greeted Eloise and me, seemed to linger close as he got our drinks.

"Is that the guy you were talking about on the phone?" Eloise nodded, giving him a little wave. "He's not too bad. But he seems more your type." Eloise looked at me, and then her eyes widened.

"Oh yeah, you met Mr. Sexy-Boss-Man today!" she said, then leaned in close to me. "You have to tell me everything!"

A small blush heated my face at the mention of Mr. Hawler. "Well, um, there's not much to tell," I said, trying to hide my blush. "I, uh, knocked him over like the idiot I am, and then he introduced himself to me." I shrugged but smiled, remembering how nice he'd been about the whole thing.

Eloise beamed at me. "You are crushing hard on our new boss, girl!" She squealed a bit. "What are you gonna do about it?"

I shrugged again. "I don't think I should really do anything, honestly. He is our boss. Plus, there are more important things going on right now."

"Like what?" Our drinks finally showed up in front of us and Eloise grabbed hers as if it was her life support. I took a small sip from my Rum and Coke, trying to decide what to say next.

"Well...Miss Lennard was acting really weird today," I said.

"I did see her come in looking like a hot mess today, which definitely isn't normal for her," Eloise said, looking thoughtful.

"Yeah, well, I'm hoping I can find out why. And maybe, I don't know, help somehow."

All of a sudden the bartender came over and turned all of his attention to Eloise, who gave her attention to him as well. "I have a ten minute break, would you like to dance for a bit?" Without a word, Eloise nodded her head, winked at me, and left with the bartender. I was sitting there alone, sipping on my drink. My thoughts started taking over again, but then they were interrupted by my phone vibrating in a pocket. Who could be calling me?

It was Miss Lennard. And when I answered, all I heard was her crying.