Chapter 2 2

What the fuck was that? I can’t believe I acted like that with my boss. Man, he smelled good. Stop! Stop! Stop Emerald! I needed to focus. I clicked into my company email and started answering and responding to emails that needed my attention. I forwarded a few to both Jet and Spinel, I printed the report needed for the 10am meeting.

Once the report was printed, I went into the conference room and set up for the meeting. I made sure there was a small drink trolley cart full of bottled waters, a variety of juices, and a few cans of soda, glasses, ice, and an ice scoop.

Juniper arrived for the second time today carrying more bagels, cream cheese, lox, a fruit tray, and a cold cut platter with a variety of cheese, and her house special pretzel chips.

“Thanks again, Juniper.” I said as I continued to set the room up.

“No problem. Are hot and hotter here yet?” Juniper asked, wiggling her eyebrows up and down.

I giggled, “Yes. Stop calling them that. Do it again and I’ll tell your tall, dark, smoking hot-as-fire husband on you.”

As soon as the words left my mouth, my head whipped to the open conference room door; I thought I heard a growl of some kind coming from right outside the room.

“Oh, ok…you think Caliban is hot, good to know.” Juniper responded, laughing as she shook her head.

“What is it with all the men around here? Why are they all so damn tall and good-looking?” I asked myself more than Juniper.

There it is again, that growling noise. Juniper didn’t react at all; I must be hearing things. Great, just great, nothing feels better than a little mental illness.

“It’s the water.” Juniper chuckled. “Anyway, girl, I gotta get back to the bakery. See you tomorrow morning.”

“Yes, you will. Thanks again, Juni. You’re a life saver.”

I finished up in the conference room, shut down my computer, sent a text message to Jet to let him know I was going to lunch. I checked my bank account $142 to get me through until the next payday in a week. Well, it’s better than nothing.

It could be worse. My room was paid up until next month, same as my cell phone, the medical bill payment plan already auto-debited out of my account for the month, all I had to worry about was gas for my car, and food. My toiletries were getting a little scarce, but I could make them last until next week.

I leaned forward and rested my forehead on my desk, contemplating going to the café downstairs and grabbing a lunch special for $9.99 or eating another bagel for lunch.

“Penny for your thoughts.” Spinel said leaning on my desk, his back to me.

“AHH! You scared me.” I said, flustered.

Spinel handed me a piece of paper, “Take this downstairs to the café, and add whatever you want for lunch and dinner to it. We will be working late again today, and I can’t have your stomach making that retched noise all afternoon. Samantha is expecting you, and Emerald don’t be cheap. Get whatever you want, and it better be a real meal. Don’t fight me on this, you’ll lose.” Spinel said as he pushed off my desk and headed to the conference room.

I guess my lunch and dinner issues are solved, for today anyway.

I made my way to the café downstairs, found Samantha and handed her the paper Spinel gave me.

“What are you having, Emerald?” Samantha asked, but it felt more like a test question.

“Umm, I guess for lunch I’ll have the Caesar salad and…”

“Nope. Try again.” Samantha instructed.

I shook my head, “He told you?”

“Yes. Now order properly. I don’t have all day, we’re busy around here.” Samantha said half joking, half not.

A small smirk crossed my face. Spinel was going to regret this. “For my lunch, I’ll have the steak Caesar salad with a bowl of the creamy tomato basil soup, a blueberry muffin, two chocolate chip cookies, a fruit cup, and a peanut butter yogurt parfait.”

“Nice, sounds good. Now what about your dinner? That will be brought up to the executive floor at 6pm this evening.” Samantha said with no reaction at all to my enormous lunch order.

“I’ll have the large dinner special, with half a roast chicken, the shrimp skewers, a loaded baked potato, the green beans and asparagus, a bowl of the chicken noodle soup, a garden salad with ranch dressing on the side, two extra dinner rolls, a piece of chocolate cake, and throw in a club sandwich on whole wheat.”

Samantha stood there for a minute, her eyes unfocused, then she retrained her focus to me. “More.”

“WHAT?” I exclaimed.

“Jet said you haven’t been eating lunch and living off bagels the last few months. I need you to sit down over there at the counter with a menu while I get these lunches made up and fill out an order slip for three meals a day for the rest of the week.”

“Oh, come on Sam, you gotta be kidding me. No way those two agreed to that or even said that.”

Samantha unfolded the piece of paper Spinel gave to me and showed it to me. Sure enough, there in his perfect handwriting was his and Jet’s lunch and dinner order, as well as a message, “Make sure Emerald adds FULL MEALS to this list and get her order for the rest of the week. Emerald needs to do this EVERY MONDAY until further notice. No exceptions, Samantha. DO NOT let her tell you no.” -S & J-

“Jet also told me to wrap up most of what you just ordered so you can take it home. I’m assuming you’d like to eat the steak Caesar salad here, and have the chicken and shrimp dinner sent up, with the cake and everything else wrapped up and bagged so you can take it home?”

“Yes.” I deadpanned, as I grabbed a menu and an order sheet.

Samantha chuckled to herself as she turned around and headed to the other end of the counter to wait on the three customers that sat down.

I finished filling out my meal sheet for the remaining of the week, still mad. I don’t do pity or handouts. I’m so confused right now, do my bosses know my financial situation? I want to walk back up to the office and yell at both of them.

Samantha brings over a box with the three lunches in it. I hand her my meal sheet, and she gives me the box.

“Have a good day, Emerald. Just so you know they only do it because they care.”

“Thank you, Samantha. I’ll see you later.” I respond, as I take the box with the food and head to the elevator that goes to the executive floor.

Once back on my floor, I take Jet and Spinel’s lunches to their offices and leave the lunches on their desks.

I go back to the kitchen and sit down at the table to eat my salad. I grabbed my phone out of my pocket and text a short “Thank you” in our group chat.