Read Online Intoxicated by Alicia Renee Kline - Free Book Online Page B

the last nine years.
    Everyone seemed friendly enough, though I
suppose they could have been shooting daggers in my direction the
minute I spun around to go back to my office. I had quite a bit to
do, the most important task in my opinion being to figure out what
everyone’s workload looked like. My plan was to distribute
applications evenly until I had a feel for each individual’s work
product. That way I would hopefully not appear to be playing
favorites.
    The morning flew by and before I knew it, it
was time for lunch. I had purposefully not packed anything from
home, partially because I had a phobia of being the new girl in the
lunchroom and more importantly so I would get a feel for my
surroundings. I had passed a number of fast food restaurants on my
way to work; I chose to stop at the nearest burger joint and enjoy
something totally greasy and bad for me. When I cooked, it was
typically healthier fare so I considered myself entitled to cheat a
little bit.
    When I returned to my office, I noticed two
things that weren’t there before I left. The first item, the box of
reference materials George mentioned, was placed right by the door,
and I nearly tripped over it because my eyes were focused on the
second. Atop my desk was a large vase filled with red roses. If I
were to guess, I would have said two dozen of the flowers. I didn’t
have to consult the accompanying card to know who they were
from.
    I plucked the tiny envelope from the plastic
holder and removed the card inside. The handwriting was feminine in
appearance, and so not Eric’s, even though the arrangement was from
him. Since he was two hours away, if not more, it didn’t surprise
me that there wasn’t a personal greeting. I seriously doubted that
he would drive all the way to Fort Wayne to write three lines on a
card.
    Especially not the words on this particular
card.
    “Congratulations on your promotion,” I read
aloud softly. “Yours, Eric.”
    I threw down the card in disgust. Not even an
“I love you”. This very card could have been sent to a business
associate without raising any eyebrows whatsoever. Change the roses
to daisies or carnations, and there would be no trace of romance or
attraction.
    For the rest of the day, I worked in a jungle
of roses. I stared up at them occasionally, shooting them dirty
looks. As flowers in an office setting were prone to do, these
brought visitors to my desk. Lots of people commented on how
beautiful they were. I considered passing them out to the highest
bidder. Instead, I snatched them up at the end of the day and
loaded them into the Honda.
    Blake wasn’t home yet when I arrived. I
carried the offending flowers through the kitchen and slammed them
down on the table. Excess water splashed out of the vase, and I
wiped it up carefully before I began dinner preparations. As usual,
I decided to cook for three. Better to make more food than
necessary than take the risk that Matthew wouldn’t show up.
    With the oven preheating, I ran upstairs to
change out of my work clothes and into a pair of sweats. When I
returned downstairs, Matthew was seated at the breakfast bar. His
presence frightened me for just a second. I paused to collect
myself before coming into view.
    “Nice flowers,” he appraised, gesturing to
the vase. “From the boyfriend?”
    I nodded. “Did you read the card,
though?”
    He shook his head. “Should I?”
    “Go ahead. I don’t care.”
    I opened the refrigerator door and busied
myself removing ingredients from the shelves. Tonight I was making
chicken. I piled everything I needed into my arms and unloaded the
items on the counter as Matthew read the message.
    “Wow. That’s kind of odd.” He returned the
card to the envelope and sat back down.
    “You think? And I don’t even like roses.”
    “Don’t all girls like roses?”
    “I’m not like all girls,” I said simply.
    A smile spread across his features as he
watched me work. If it would have been anyone else,