{"id":7683,"date":"2021-07-05T16:47:10","date_gmt":"2021-07-05T16:47:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jackiepaxsonauthor.com\/?page_id=7683"},"modified":"2021-07-12T01:31:29","modified_gmt":"2021-07-12T01:31:29","slug":"13-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/jackiepaxsonauthor.com\/index.php\/my-books\/a-drama-geek-finds-love\/13-2\/","title":{"rendered":"13"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Eason<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I stepped off the elevator to the executive floor.&nbsp;&nbsp;It was buzzing with activity.&nbsp;&nbsp;I held a large coffee and a pastry.&nbsp;&nbsp;My stomach was in knots.&nbsp;&nbsp;If this little peace offering didn\u2019t work, I didn\u2019t know what I was going to do.&nbsp;&nbsp;Human resources would probably be calling me down sometime today if it didn\u2019t.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Finding my way down the hall, I passed Wilder and Kai\u2019s offices.&nbsp;&nbsp;By the looks of it neither were in yet.&nbsp;&nbsp;It got quieter as I approached my office.&nbsp;&nbsp;The only thing I heard was typing.&nbsp;&nbsp;I almost tripped when I saw Skylar sitting at the desk.&nbsp;&nbsp;She looked more beautiful each time I saw her.&nbsp;&nbsp;Striding up to the desk I stopped and waited for her to look up from her typing.&nbsp;&nbsp;Her eyes snapped from the screen to me.&nbsp;&nbsp;The fire I saw there turned me on like a light switch.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis is for you.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;I put the coffee and bag on the desk.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhat is this?\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Taking a deep breath, I said, \u201cIt\u2019s a peace offering.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Her eyes tightened slightly.&nbsp;&nbsp;\u201cNot an apology?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt is the beginning of an apology.&nbsp;&nbsp;I know I have to do better.&nbsp;&nbsp;I promise you this, I will never make you feel the way I did yesterday, Ms. Albright. I am sorry.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She pulled the coffee to her and the bag.&nbsp;&nbsp;Opening the bag, she sniffed.&nbsp;&nbsp;\u201cChocolate chip danish?\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cUh huh.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cA coco caramel latte from The Beanery?\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYep.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;I felt pride swell in my chest.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou called Dylan.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;It was a statement not a question.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I felt heat flame my cheeks. \u201cI didn\u2019t want to screw it up.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She nodded then went back to her typing.&nbsp;&nbsp;I\u2019d hoped for a better reaction.&nbsp;&nbsp;With a sigh, I walked toward my office.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAt least you didn\u2019t spill it on me this time.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;Her voice barely above a whisper.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cGood morning, Mr. Hill.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;Edie\u2019s voice cut through our little standoff.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cGood morning, Edie.&nbsp;&nbsp;How are you today?\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Edie looked between me and Ms. Albright. \u201cEverything alright here?\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before I could answer, Ms. Albright stood.&nbsp;&nbsp;\u201cI\u2019ve just been getting Mr. Hill\u2019s schedule ready for him for the day.&nbsp;&nbsp;I\u2019ve also been checking the email.&nbsp;&nbsp;I have a few questions for you when you\u2019re settled.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Edie blinked then said, \u201cAbsolutely.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;Her gaze fell to the coffee and pastry.&nbsp;&nbsp;\u201cI\u2019m glad I brought my own breakfast.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ms. Albright looked away but not before I caught the blush creeping up her neck.&nbsp;&nbsp;She sat back down and went back to typing.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMs. Albright, when you are done with those emails could you please come in and brief me of my calendar?\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYes, sir.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;She mumbled.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I nodded and gave Edie a smile.&nbsp;&nbsp;Leaving them to start their day I escaped to my office.&nbsp;&nbsp;The door shut silently behind me.&nbsp;&nbsp;I looked around the office that was once my father\u2019s.&nbsp;&nbsp;It didn\u2019t feel right. I was still standing in the middle of the office when a soft knock pulled me out of my thoughts.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYes?&nbsp;&nbsp;Come in.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;I hurried over to the desk.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI have your schedule, Mr. Hill.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;Ms. Albright walked over to the chairs in front of my desk.&nbsp;&nbsp;Her eyes fixed on the floor.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOk&#8230;I\u2019m ready.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She began listing one meeting after another that I wasn\u2019t interested in.&nbsp;&nbsp;Most were other departments trying to \u201cwin\u201d me over to get more funding or promotions.&nbsp;&nbsp;As her voice droned on a thought popped into my head.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhat are you doing for lunch?\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;I blurted out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She looked up from her pad.&nbsp;&nbsp;\u201cExcuse me.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Clearing my throat, I said, \u201cWhat are you doing for lunch?\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not sure.&nbsp;&nbsp;Do you need me to work through it?\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNo.&nbsp;&nbsp;I\u2019d like you to schedule us at Pedro\u2019s.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She looked down at her notepad.&nbsp;&nbsp;\u201cMay I ask why?\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI like Pedro\u2019s.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI meant why do you want to have lunch with me.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I scratched my neck.&nbsp;&nbsp;It was a nervous tick I\u2019d done since I was in diapers.&nbsp;&nbsp;If my mother were there she\u2019d smack my hand.&nbsp;&nbsp;\u201cWe got off on the wrong foot.&nbsp;&nbsp;I\u2019d like to have lunch so we could get to know one another again.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I watched her bite her lip.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not going to human resources if that\u2019s what you\u2019re afraid of.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis has nothing to do with that.&nbsp;&nbsp;I want you to know that if you feel you need to go to human resources then please do.&nbsp;&nbsp;I will never stop you.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She nodded.&nbsp;&nbsp;\u201cYour schedule is pretty packed but I could probably squeeze in lunch around one.&nbsp;&nbsp;Does that work?\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIf you need to shuffle some meetings and appointments then do that.&nbsp;&nbsp;This lunch is my priority.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Her eyes met mine.&nbsp;&nbsp;\u201cAll right.&nbsp;&nbsp;If there isn\u2019t anything else you need from me, I will call Pedro\u2019s and work on finishing the report Edie said you needed for your nine o\u2019clock meeting.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThank you, Ms. Albright.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She stood gracefully and left.&nbsp;&nbsp;My eyes wouldn\u2019t leave the sway of her ass.&nbsp;&nbsp;I knew it wasn\u2019t something her boss should be doing but I was still a man and my body was drawn to her like a magnet.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>***<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAre you ready, Ms. Albright?\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;I approached the desk she and Edi were sitting at.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She looked at Edie.&nbsp;&nbsp;\u201cGo ahead, Skylar.&nbsp;&nbsp;I think I can handle things while you\u2019re gone.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Edie gave us a smile then grabbed the phone that had begun to ring.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe can take my car.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;I said as we waited for the elevator.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She stood there quietly clutching her purse tightly.&nbsp;&nbsp;The ding of the elevator drew my attention.&nbsp;&nbsp;Kai and Wilder nearly run us over.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cEason?&nbsp;&nbsp;Where are you headed?&nbsp;&nbsp;Don\u2019t we have a meeting in a half an hour.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Wilder asked.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt was pushed back to three.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;Ms. Albright corrected.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Both of their heads snapped to her.&nbsp;&nbsp;I watched as the two of their gazes pinged between us.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI will see you two then.&nbsp;&nbsp;Come on, Ms. Albright.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Wilder raised an eyebrow in question but just moved out of the way.&nbsp;&nbsp;The meeting at three was going to suck.&nbsp;&nbsp;I could already see the interrogation he was preparing.&nbsp;&nbsp;Ignoring that for the time being, I pushed the button to the lobby.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe aren\u2019t going to the garage?\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNo.&nbsp;&nbsp;I have a driver when I\u2019m not going to my parents house.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOh.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIs that ok?\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She shrugged.&nbsp;&nbsp;\u201cSure.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>More awkward silence.&nbsp;&nbsp;I needed to figure out a way we could communicate without the awkward.&nbsp;&nbsp;I\u2019d encountered small glimpses of what could be and craved more of that.&nbsp;&nbsp;The elevator let us out at the lobby.&nbsp;&nbsp;We walked through the bustling lobby.&nbsp;&nbsp;I saw my driver waiting for us.&nbsp;&nbsp;He pushed off the car as we walked through the doors.&nbsp;&nbsp;I waved him off.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Open the door, I did a little bow, \u201cMy lady.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She looked at me with an inscrutable look.&nbsp;&nbsp;\u201cThank you.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I watched as she slid in over.&nbsp;&nbsp;Joining her I sat next to her in the cool interior of the car.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re ready, Steven.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;He nodded and the car pulled smoothly into traffic.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The city passed by quickly.&nbsp;&nbsp;The drive to Pedro\u2019s was a short one but with the dense quiet in the car it felt like hours.&nbsp;&nbsp;The pressure to want to talk to her overwhelmed me but I pushed it down.&nbsp;&nbsp;What the hell could I say?&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe are here, sir.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;Steven announced.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The door was opened by a valet.&nbsp;&nbsp;I stepped out of the car then held my hand out to help her exit.&nbsp;&nbsp;She hesitantly placed her hand in mine and got out of the car.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Leaning into the car, I said, \u201cI will text you when we need pick up.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYes sir.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I shut the door and followed Ms. Albright into the gorgeous Mexican restaurant.&nbsp;&nbsp;A mariachi band played in the corner of the grand entranceway.&nbsp;&nbsp;Beautiful murals colored the walls while a waterfall trickled behind the hostess stand.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe have a reservation for Hill.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;Ms. Albright said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The hostess nodded, grabbed menus and lead us to a table.&nbsp;&nbsp;It was situated in a corner.&nbsp;&nbsp;The restaurant crowd was thin.&nbsp;&nbsp;I was pleased to see we wouldn\u2019t have to yell to be heard.&nbsp;&nbsp;Ms. Albright reached for her chair but I got to it first to pull it out.&nbsp;&nbsp;A flash of surprise crossed her face but she looked away before I could think more of it.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThank you.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;Her voice was barely audible.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I took the seat across from her.&nbsp;&nbsp;She hid behind the giant menu.&nbsp;&nbsp;Pedro\u2019s was one of my favorite restaurants and I knew exactly what I wanted.&nbsp;&nbsp;It wasn\u2019t a traditional restaurant for business meetings but I didn\u2019t really care.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Clearing my throat, I asked, \u201cWhat looks good?\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cUhm\u2026probably just a salad.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I grimaced.&nbsp;&nbsp;\u201cA salad at a Mexican restaurant?\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWell, it\u2019s all pretty\u2026\u201d her voice drifted off.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAll what?\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She sighed.&nbsp;&nbsp;\u201cIt\u2019s expensive Mr. Hill.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Mr. Hill thing was beginning to bother me.&nbsp;&nbsp;It shouldn\u2019t have because I was her boss after all but when she said it, it felt like an insult.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cFirst of all, I\u2019d like you to call me Eason.&nbsp;&nbsp;Second, there isn\u2019t one item on here that I can\u2019t afford.&nbsp;&nbsp;Please order whatever you want.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not sure it\u2019s appropriate.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhat isn\u2019t appropriate?\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cCalling you by your first name.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I leaned closer to her.&nbsp;&nbsp;\u201cWe are going to be working closely with one another.&nbsp;&nbsp;I\u2019d like you to call me Eason.&nbsp;&nbsp;If it makes you feel better you can call me Mr. Hill when there are other employees around.&nbsp;&nbsp;But, when it\u2019s just you and I, I\u2019d like us to address each other by our first names.&nbsp;&nbsp;Okay?\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She stared at me then back at the menu.&nbsp;&nbsp;\u201cI\u2019m Skylar.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A smile curled my lips.&nbsp;&nbsp;\u201cI know.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I watched a blush color her cheeks.&nbsp;&nbsp;Every time I saw that it highlighted just how beautiful she was.&nbsp;&nbsp;The waiter broke into my reverie to take our orders.&nbsp;&nbsp;When Skylar ordered something more than a salad, I felt like I\u2019d won a small victory.&nbsp;&nbsp;The waiter disappeared in a flash and we were left with just each other.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis wasn\u2019t what I expected.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She waved her hand around.&nbsp;&nbsp;\u201cI\u2019ve never been here.&nbsp;&nbsp;I pictured the walls covered in gold and diamonds.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I snorted.&nbsp;&nbsp;\u201cSeriously?\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Skylar shrugged.&nbsp;&nbsp;\u201cI\u2019ve never been in an upscale restaurant.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cDylan\u2019s never-\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI told you.&nbsp;&nbsp;Dylan and I are just friends.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;Her voice snapped like a whip.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Raising my hands in surrender, I said, \u201cI know.&nbsp;&nbsp;I just meant as friends you never came to a place like this.&nbsp;&nbsp;I mean Dylan\u2019s family is just as rich as mine.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOh well, Dylan and I don\u2019t have that kind of friendship.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHow did you meet?\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms.&nbsp;&nbsp;\u201cWe worked together at the 9<sup>th<\/sup>&nbsp;street video rental in high school.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHuh\u2026I remember something about him working a part time job in high school but I didn\u2019t know where.&nbsp;&nbsp;That\u2019s pretty cool.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYeah.&nbsp;&nbsp;All of us who worked there are still pretty close.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cReally?&nbsp;&nbsp;I don\u2019t think I even have one friend left from high school.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s kind of sad.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cLife gets in the way.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She nodded.&nbsp;&nbsp;\u201cYeah but we make sure to get together every month.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThat takes dedication.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAt this point it\u2019s more like habit.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cCan I ask what you do every month?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe watch movies.&nbsp;&nbsp;Every month one of us gets to pick a movie.&nbsp;&nbsp;We all have different tastes so one month would be horror and the next would be adventure and so on.&nbsp;&nbsp;Half the time we just talk shit and throw popcorn at each other.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;Her eyes got big when she realized she\u2019d just cursed.&nbsp;&nbsp;\u201cI\u2019m so sorry.&nbsp;&nbsp;I didn\u2019t-\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt sounds like a lot of fun.&nbsp;&nbsp;I\u2019d love to join some time.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We stared at each other.&nbsp;&nbsp;What the hell had come over me to ask for an invitation to my assistant\u2019s outing with her friends?&nbsp;&nbsp;I was losing my mind.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHere we are.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;The waiter dropped off the food.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThank yo-\u201c&nbsp;&nbsp;Before I could finish the waiter leaned over and set my plate on fire.&nbsp;&nbsp;Two things happened at once.&nbsp;Skylar screamed and I became drenched in water.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOh my God!&nbsp;&nbsp;Are you ok?\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;She stood next to me.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cUhm\u2026what just happened?\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;I looked down at my soggy lunch and drenched shirt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYour plate was on fire.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMa\u2019am, that\u2019s how the meal comes out.\u201d The waiter brought over a few extra napkins.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOh no\u2026\u201d Skylar crumpled into her chair.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s ok.&nbsp;&nbsp;Don\u2019t worry about it.&nbsp;&nbsp;Thank you for saving me from my lunch.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt was a mistake.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;She blushed.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I reached out and grabbed her hand.&nbsp;&nbsp;\u201cIt\u2019s ok.&nbsp;&nbsp;It was an honest mistake.&nbsp;&nbsp;I need to change before my meeting with Kai and Wilder anyway.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She looked at our linked hands then at me.&nbsp;&nbsp;\u201cOk.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I began eating my soggy lunch and the mariachi band circled our table.&nbsp;&nbsp;They danced around holding out some extra napkins.&nbsp;&nbsp;The singer draped two over my shoulder to help soak up the water.&nbsp;&nbsp;Skylar started laughing.&nbsp;&nbsp;Her laugh was infectious.&nbsp;&nbsp;By the time the song was finished and I tipped them we were smiling while eating our food.&nbsp;&nbsp;I\u2019d totally forgotten it was water logged.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Right then I realized, I was in trouble.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/jackiepaxsonauthor.com\/index.php\/my-books\/a-drama-geek-finds-love\/14-2\/\">Chapter 14&#8211;><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Eason &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I stepped off the elevator to the executive floor.&nbsp;&nbsp;It was buzzing with activity.&nbsp;&nbsp;I held a large coffee and a pastry.&nbsp;&nbsp;My stomach was in knots.&nbsp;&nbsp;If this little peace offering didn\u2019t work, I didn\u2019t know what I was going to do.&nbsp;&nbsp;Human resources would probably be calling me down sometime today if it didn\u2019t.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Finding my way&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":7631,"menu_order":14,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-7683","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>13 - Jackie Paxson Author Page<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/jackiepaxsonauthor.com\/index.php\/my-books\/a-drama-geek-finds-love\/13-2\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"13 - Jackie Paxson Author Page\" 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