Paul manhandled me into his sleek car, ignoring my futile attempts to tell him work needed to be done.
He sat in the driver’s seat, smiling. “Just shush. I know you need food so just indulge yourself.”
I sighed as I tried to calm my mind from stressing too much. Whilst more than glad he was taking me away from work, I was panicking about facing Mr. Collins with an unmet deadline.
I stared out the window as we trundled down the road. “Where are we going?”
“There’s a little pub I often come to when I’m not busy. They serve good food and it’s private.”
I grinned, watching the scenery fade from the hustle and bustle of town into winding back roads. After twenty minutes, he pulled into a gravel park sat round the back of a light green-coloured pub. A black wooden frame hung off the side of the building—‘The Dog and The Bone.’
We walked in through a side door, its creaking hinges informing me of the aged setting I was about to step into. A roaring open fire warmed me from one side, old oil paintings hanging over its brick red breast. Red and gold wallpaper covered the walls, contrasting the aged floral carpet we stood on. A dark wooden bar to the right housed a stout, grey-haired man with a broad grin.
“Paul, how lovely to see you. We missed you last week.”
Paul smiled as he ambled over. “Hi, Phil. How are you doing? I was busy last week, sorry.”
“No worries. Usual?”
Paul nodded. “And a Tia Maria and Coke for my friend here, please.”
“Do I not even get a choice in what I want to drink?”
He grinned as he led us over to a table. “Stop being awkward.”
We browsed through the menu in silence, placing our orders with Phil before he left us alone with our drinks.
“Do you come here every week?” I asked.
He hesitated before answering. “Yes. If I can.”
“What do you mean if you can?”
He pursed his lips. “I have a family business to take care of after I finish at Collins’s.”
I raised my eyebrows, a mixture of surprise and intrigue pricking at me. “Oh. What kind of business?”
He scratched the back of his head, licking his lips before he answered. “Um, it’s a little difficult to explain.”
“I’m all ears.”
He attempted a smile but his eyes held a blank stare. “It belongs to my parents but as they insist on handing the business down to me at some point, they kind of insist I’m as much a part of it as they are.”
“That’s understandable. They’ve obviously spent a long time building it up for you.”
He nodded.
“So what is it exactly?”
He chewed his lip for a second. “They’re in the leisure and entertainment industry.”
Thinking of cabarets on cruise ships, my eyes lit up. “That sounds fun. Like holidays and stuff?”
“Yes, that kind of thing.”
“Oh, I see. So you come here for a night off or something?”
He nodded. “Wednesdays are the only nights when I’m not really needed so I tend to make the most of my free time and come here for decent food and peace and quiet.”
I nodded, understanding his situation.
Taking a sip of my drink, I began to think of my ideal holiday. It used to be between the Maldives and going to a horse ranch to learn to rope cows. My ideal spot had been Texas whilst dad had always wanted to visit Colorado. I would go one day, in honour of him. For now, my dream was ruined as my mother had shacked up with a young rancher in Texas. It was a sore spot and we hadn’t spoken for months.
Before I could pry further on his business, our food turned up on two huge oval plates. There was so much of it that it spilled over the edges.
My mouth dropped open. “I’m never going to eat all of this.”
He grinned. “Get your fill.”
I laughed before tucking into the delicious meal before me. It was nothing fancy, just a home cooked lasagna, but it was delightful.
Paul smiled as I groaned in pleasure. “Good?”
I nodded. “Almost as good as you.”
***
After a quiet ending to our evening last night with nothing more than a simple kiss before we parted ways, I arrived at work a little before seven in the morning feeling rather rested and relaxed. Being the only one in the building, the eerie silence sent chills down my spine. My solitary footsteps echoed up the empty staircase, making me check behind me every few seconds as paranoia began to creep in.
I walked into my office and dumped my bag on my desk with a defeated sigh. I glanced at the stack of paperwork on top of my keyboard; a bright yellow post-it note sported a heart stopping message:
Thought I’d give you a helping hand. XXX
I picked the papers up and scanned through them. My jaw fell open in shock. They were the minutes from the directors’ meeting—complete. My scrawled notes were stacked in my filing tray. Had he really done this? I was gobsmacked to say the least—and now annoyed that I’d gotten up early for no reason.
I frowned, deciding I’d just bag the time up and use it on another day when I was a bit quieter. I made a cup of tea before settling at my desk, looking through the minutes for errors and typos. It was all perfect. I actually couldn’t have done a better job myself. How on earth he’d read my terrible notes I had no idea.
Just after eight, in strode my Greek god. “Hello, you,” he said.
“Morning,” I said, giving him a sly smirk. “You could have told me you were doing this. I wouldn’t have bothered coming in at seven otherwise.”
He crossed his arms over his chest and raised his eyebrows as he mimicked a high-pitched voice. “Oh, thank you, Paul, for helping me. That was so nice of you. I really appreciate it. What can I possibly do to thank you?”
I gave him an exasperated look that clearly said for fuck’s sake.
He put his tongue in his cheek. “Well, seeing as you’re offering to thank me…”
I snorted. “I don’t think so. Thank you, though. I am grateful.”
“You’re very welcome. I didn’t want you stressing and I couldn’t be doing with politics from Collins if you were late with them.”
I frowned, not quite understanding his comment but let it go. “I need July seventh off. Dress shopping with Molly.”
“She’s actually going through with it, then?”
I nodded.
“That guy needs a medal.”
“Hey, she’s my best friend, you know.”
“Sweetie, I think a lot of people would call her that. Namely men.”
“Paul!”
He laughed. “Yes, okay. Fine. Put it on your holiday sheet. If you get my drift.”
I frowned, not quite catching on. “Are you saying…?”
“Yes. Now shush about it and make me one of your lovely teas. Please.”
I relaxed back in my chair, soaking in the fact he was giving me a day off for free. I couldn’t help the grin folding over my face. Sleeping with a director seemed to be full of perks.