Twenty-Four

Patrick

“Are you serious right now?” I asked my boss, Bailey, on Monday afternoon.

Up until this point, work had been great. I loved my new job and the clients I had already started building relationships with. I enjoyed working with Bailey and my other coworkers. But I didn’t like this. If I had been courted for this job because I knew the Wrights, then they were going to have another thing coming. I was not going to use my connections with them for business.

“Patrick, it’s not like I’m asking you to do something illegal.”

“The fact that you have to clarify should give you a clue.”

“I’m just saying that you have an in with Wright Construction. You’re dating the CEO. You could talk to them for us.”

“No.”

“Why are you being so obstinate about this?”

“If you want a lower price, then go with Jim Hogan Construction, Escoe Industrial, FX Contractors. There are a million options out there, but you and I both know that Wright is the best. They’re local, the highest quality, and the hardest workers by far. So, don’t ask me to do something I’m not comfortable with. Just figure it out without me.”

I grabbed my suit jacket off my chair and left the office. My mind was reeling. I probably should have stayed for the last half hour of the day, but I needed to clear my head. I couldn’t stand there and talk to her about all this shit another minute. She hadn’t wanted to bring it up, which meant she knew that I wasn’t going to be happy that she was fucking bringing it up.

I didn’t even know how she had found out about me and Morgan so fast. We’d only been out to the world for a total of three days, and suddenly, even my boss knew that I was dating Morgan Wright.

I’d been stupid happy all weekend with Morgan, and now, I was dealing with this. All I wanted to do was go talk to her, but she really didn’t need more shit on her plate.

Ready to take out my frustration on the first person who looked at me wrong, I headed to the gym. I always kept my bag in the back of my truck for occasions like this when I didn’t get in my typical morning workout. I usually went with Austin. That, at least, hadn’t changed. But, today, I didn’t want to see anyone I knew. I wanted to vent into the weight room.

I stripped out of the workday suit and into running shorts and a Dri-FIT T-shirt. I grabbed gloves out of my bag before heading into the room. The gym was already filling up with the afternoon crowd. People who came in to get their workout in after work were usually the ones who weren’t morning people. I went through a quick warm-up and then started with free weights.

I’d thought that this would make me feel better. Less angry at my boss for trying to use my relationship with Morgan to get ahead. But I wasn’t feeling less angry. If anything, I was feeling more so. With each bicep curl, I got more pissed at the situation I’d found myself in.

Had I only been recruited to the position because of my friendship with the Wrights? Because I’d worked for the company for that long? Did everything in my life revolve around the Wright family?

I loved them. They were great people. Austin was my best friend. Landon was a close second. Jensen had gotten me out of more than one bind. Morgan was my new girlfriend. Sutton was like a baby sister. But, Jesus Christ, my entire life sometimes felt overshadowed by their greatness.

Sure, they were Texas royalty here in Lubbock. Sure, they had a Fortune 500 company. Sure, they were a landmark family in the community. But I wasn’t chump change. I was something outside of the Wrights.

Fuck, I knew this wasn’t the main issue. I was taking out my own irritation on the fact that it was associated with the Wrights. The real issue was being taken advantage of. As if it was an appropriate thing to do to try to convince me to use my friendship to help my boss get ahead.

I moved to the bench press, and one of the gym employees moved in to spot me. I’d seen him around, and I probably knew his name if I thought about it. But I wasn’t really in the mood to be the friendly guy I normally was.

The thing I hated the most was that I should be able to take this to Morgan. That was what a relationship was for, right? But it was dumb. She was the CEO. She didn’t need to be dealing with my petty squabbles with my boss. She had enough to deal with as it was. Plus, I was pretty sure I’d made my position about this clear to Bailey. There was no way I was going to use my relationship to further her agenda.

I’d never even had a real relationship before, and I knew that was against the rules.

I felt really alone with this. If I told Austin, he’d take it to Morgan. She’d wonder why I hadn’t told her first. An unexpected downside of dating your best friend’s little sister. If you could even consider there being a downside where Morgan was concerned.

I eased the bar back into place and sat up, dripping sweat.

“Good work today, Patrick!” the employee said behind me.

“Thanks,” I said with a half-grin.

“Hey, can I ask you a question?”

I toweled off. “What’s that?”

“Is it true that you’re dating Morgan Wright?”

“Wow. Good news really does travel fast.”

“So, yes?”

“Yeah, we’re dating.”

“Man, what’s that like? She’s so uptight and brainy.”

I arched an eyebrow. “You’re saying that about my girlfriend.”

The guy raised his hands. “I didn’t mean anything by it. I just didn’t think she was your type of girl. What does Austin think?”

“First, there’s nothing wrong with Morgan being a strong, successful woman. If you think that makes her uptight and brainy, as if brainy is a bad thing, then you don’t know her. And, second, I don’t think I really had a type of girl before Morgan. And Austin’s cool with it. Thanks for asking.”

I started to walk away, and I could hear the guy trying to apologize. But, really, even though he’d been nosy and kind of a dick, my reaction had been heightened by my current anger. I was a ticking time bomb.

I finished my workout in the weight room and then ran a couple of miles on the treadmill. I was worn out by the end of it. The last mile really did me in. Finally, I was able to stop thinking so much. This newfound aggression was something I was not used to. I was usually a laid-back kind of guy. The one who didn’t have a care in the world.

But, when it came to Morgan, everything was different. She had turned my world upside down. Brought meaning in my life that I hadn’t even known I was lacking. I had been waiting my whole life for Morgan, and I hadn’t even known it.