Chapter 80
“I’m not staying tonight,” I told Maria. “That man can go fuck himself.”
I opened the group message we had with Megan and Rachel. “Maria and I are going out tonight, you guys in?”
“I am all for you sticking it to that man for what he’s done,” Maria said. “But I don’t want you to do something you’ll regret. I know how much this job means to you.”
“Yeah well, my irritation with him is outweighing my job loyalty right now. I’m leaving here at 5:00, like I was scheduled to, and I’m going to get shit-faced,” I said.
“Mm, I like this new Hazel,” Maria raised one eyebrow at me. “She’s fucking hot.”
I winked at her and she walked away towards her desk.
My phone buzzed twice with messages from Megan and Rachel.
“Hell yes,” Rachel said.
“Just tell us when and where!” Megan said.
I smiled. I sent them a link to where the bar was and told them to be there at 7.
“Be ready to get messy,” I wrote.
At 5:00, I shut down my computer and picked up my purse. I pulled the canvas Dylan painted for me out of my desk. Without a word or glance at Logan, I slipped away from my desk towards the elevator.
I stepped onto the elevator once it opened. I heard my phone buzz in my purse. I had a feeling it was Logan. I ignored it.
I stepped out of the elevator and began walking towards my car. I heard my phone buzz several times in a row, indicating a phone call coming in. I groaned and pulled it out of my purse. Unsurprisingly, it was Logan. I pushed the button to send the call to voicemail. I quickened my pace. I had to leave before he ran downstairs to stop me from going.
I threw my stuff in the front seat and peeled out of the parking garage. My phone buzzed once again and I glanced at the screen briefly. I couldn’t make out what it said with the quick glance, but I saw the message was in all caps. I desperately wanted to reply with a middle finger emoji. Instead, I rolled down my window, stuck my hand out of the car, and raised my middle finger towards the office building until it was out of sight.
I smiled. I felt better than I had in a long time.
The voicemail prompt began, and Logan ended the phone call with a sigh. He buried his face in his hands. What was he doing? He wondered. Trying to keep Hazel away from Dylan or potentially other guys. She was an adult, she could spend her time off work with whoever or wherever she pleased.
And yet, the thought of it threw him into a fit of jealousy he could not shake.
He unlocked his phone to message Dylan. “Want to go to that bar we went to over the weekend?”
He watched the three little dots pop up under his message, showing that Dylan was typing, and then they disappeared. They came and went a few times before a message finally popped up.
“Are you going there to check on Hazel?” Dylan responded.
“I just want to go out for drinks,” Logan wrote back.
“Uh huh,” Dylan’s response came immediately this time.
“Forget it,” Logan wrote. “I’ll just go by myself.”
Dylan didn’t respond to that. Logan angrily swiped up on his phone to close the message thread. Wasn’t Dylan also concerned by Hazel’s behavior? He should have been on board with keeping an eye on her to keep her safe, Logan thought.
He turned off his computer and grabbed his briefcase. He needed to go home and change, he didn’t want to miss Hazel at the bar.
A little after seven, I sat on a stool at one end of the bar. My friends had gone to freshen up in the bathroom, and I was designated drink watcher.
I noticed a man approaching out of the corner of my eye. I turned to look at him and smiled at the sight. He looked to be maybe mid-thirties, with his short brown hair combed neatly over his head. He had stunning blue eyes. He was quite easy on the eyes.
“Hard day?” He asked with a grin, pointing at the drinks.
I laughed. “Something like that.”
He gestured at the stool next to me. “May I?” He asked.
“Please do,” I said with a smile.
“I’m Eric,” he said, holding his hand out to me.
I shook it. “Hazel,” I said. “Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise,” he smiled at me. “I’d offer to buy you a drink but it looks like you’re covered.”
“For now,” I winked at him.
He laughed. “Well, when you’re ready for another it’s on me.”
“Why thank you,” I said. I thought for a moment. “How many drinks have you paid for tonight?”
He looked taken aback for a moment, then laughed. “More than I should have, probably. My wallet’s going to feel it in the morning.”
I gave him a smile. Then, an idea hit me. “Do girls ever buy you drinks?”
He pondered my question. “Sometimes,” he shrugged. “You offering?” He gave me a sly smile.
I laughed. “I was just thinking, what if we make a bet?”
“What kind of bet?”
“Let’s see who can get the most drinks bought for them. Winner picks their prize?”
He let out a single, loud guffaw. “That seems pretty unfairly stacked against me,” he said. “I saw how the guys were looking at you when you walked in.”
“Nah,” I said. “The whole time you’ve been sitting here, the woman behind you has been checking you out.”
He turned to look, then turned back. “Okay then,” he smiled at me. “Guess I know where I’m starting. What do you want if you win?”
“How about dinner and a drink that I actually earned?” I said.
His smile grew wider. “Sounds good to me. I want the same if I win.”
“Deal,” I said, extending my hand. He shook it.
“Okay go!” I said, jumping off my stool.
He leapt off of his and made a beeline for the girl that was checking him out. I looked towards the bathrooms. Maria, Megan, and Rachel had walked out and were heading back towards me.
“Hey,” I said when they got back. “I made a bet with that guy over there that I could get more drinks bought for me than he could. How do you feel about buying me a round?”
Eric, who was not too far from me, turned when he heard it, “Hey, that’s cheating!” He said with a laugh.
The other girl, looking confused and a little annoyed, stood and walked away from him. Eric watched her go and turned back to me. “Dammit,” he said. “I was so close.”
Megan walked over to him and put an arm around his shoulder. “I’ve got you, baby,” she said with a wink.
“Oh, is that how’s it’s going to be?” I said to Megan. “Okay…I’ll remember that.”
Megan pulled a twenty from her bra and handed it to me. “Don’t worry babe, buy yourself a couple on me.”
We all turned to Rachel, who threw up her hands in defense. “Oh no, I’m staying out of this one. I’m here to make men buy me drinks.” She gave us a wink and walked away with the one she already had.
I heard my phone buzz in my purse and I inwardly groaned. If it was Logan again I swear to God…
I pulled it out. It was Dylan:
“Are you at that bar we saw you at on Saturday?”
I ignored the message and started to put it back in my purse when it buzzed again.
“I’m sorry to bug you if you are, I just wanted to give you a heads up. I think Logan might go there to find you.”
