Sign Me Up by Dulcie Dameron
Jamie
of reckoning for my new boyfriend and me.
Yes, that’s right. I said boyfriend.
After Parker and I made up, we commenced with some more delicious kissing, then he officially asked me to be his girlfriend. Cue girlie inner squeal! But now, it’s time to face the music and tell our boss that we’re choosing our relationship over our jobs.
Potentially. If it comes to that.
Parker squeezes my hand as Stefan’s office looms before us. I meet his eyes and offer him the most reassuring smile I can muster under the circumstances. Parker said he wanted to meet with Stefan alone first, which I tried to argue with, but he insisted. He said there’s another matter he needs to speak with him about and I didn’t pry.
He kisses me on the forehead before heading into Stefan’s office, alone.
Minutes pass and my anxiety rises, wondering how our boss is taking the news of us dating. I don’t want to have to quit my job, but that’s exactly what I plan to do if Stefan tells us dating each other goes against company policy.
Parker needs his job. And as badly as I want the interview with Paris, I can’t let him sacrifice himself for me.
I thought I’d be depressed at the prospect of giving up my job for a relationship, but I already know that what I have with Parker is long-term, especially considering we’ve already said love words. But it’s more than that. Dating my best friend is like already knowing where I’ll end up. Because now that we’ve crossed the hurdle of what if, everything else is just…when. I no longer wonder if I’ll get my chance at the white-picket fence life, chasing our kids around at soccer games. It’s just a matter of when it will happen.
Finally, Parker emerges from Stefan’s office with a tentative smile, the Sign Language interpreter following him out. Not giving anything away, he signs, Your turn, then gives my upper arm a reassuring squeeze. I suck in a breath, then move forward, already dreading what’s about to come next.
I sink down in one of the two leather seats facing Stefan’s desk as he steeples his hands together. “Thanks for meeting me this morning. I’d like to get right down to it if you don’t mind.”
“Sure,” I say while I fold and refold my hands in my lap.
Stefan’s eyes land on me, assessing. “Well. I suppose congratulations are in order.”
My brows lower. “C-congratulations?”
He nods. “On you and Parker dating. I have to say, I kind of saw it coming.”
I let loose a weird, breathy laugh and shake my head. “Um, wow. I feel you’re taking this super well. I thought there might be some company policy against dating or something.”
Stefan cocks one salt and pepper eyebrow. “There is. But it doesn’t apply to the two of you anymore.”
I tilt my head and grip the edge of Stefan’s desk. “I’m sorry? I…don’t understand.”
Both of his eyebrows lift this time, and he taps his joined hands on the desk. “Parker is no longer employed at the Gazette, so the company policy doesn’t apply.”
My mouth falls open. “What? H-he doesn’t...do you mean he…” Stammering, I whip my head toward the door, ready to leap from the seat and book it to Parker’s cubicle. “Did you fire him?” I blurt.
Stefan’s chair creaks as he sits back, and I meet his gaze again. “No,” he says as he folds his arms over his chest, his suit straining against him as he does. “He quit.”
My stomach takes a nosedive. And not a good one. More like you’re on a tilt-a-whirl and about to take a hard left, right into the side of the cart kind of dive “Parker quit?!” My voice comes out as a high-pitched squeak.
Stefan nods. “I hate to lose him since he’s a hard worker, but he said he feels called to do something else.” With a shrug, Stefan knocks his knuckles on the desk. “I don’t blame him, really. He’s talented and it seems a shame to have him sitting in a cubicle wasting his potential.”
I’m so stunned by my boss’s words, I momentarily clam up.
“Now that we’ve settled the matter of you and Parker, there’s something else we need to discuss.” He grabs the stress ball from his desk and begins squeezing.
I’m still so sick over Parker quitting his job, I don’t even know what to think. “Okay,” I respond robotically.
“It’s about the interview with Paris Dawson.” Stefan meets my gaze. “I know things have been a little…intense…lately with these employee morale boosting activities. Truthfully, they didn’t pan out like I’d hoped. It was a bust, to say the least.”
“I don’t know if I’d say that,” I chime in, instantly regretting speaking up, but knowing it’s too late not to finish the thought. “I mean, I do feel like I know my co-workers better than before.”
He gives me a deadpan look. “And has your morale been boosted?”
I pinch my lips together, not wanting to lie, but not wanting to crush his dreams, either. “Well…I mean…”
“It’s alright. You can tell me the truth. I already know it was a disaster.”
My words to Mike about letting his boss call the shots in his life come to mind, reprimanding me. If Stefan wants the truth, maybe I should give it to him, in all its raw unedited glory. I inhale a steadying breath, then release it. “Mr. Sanders, to be honest, I think it was wrong of you to force us to participate in the morale boosting activities if we wanted to be considered for the interview.”
He blinks and his mouth pulls tight.
“And I think the activities you chose were better suited for kids, not adults. Plus, you chewed me out when that kid electrocuted himself and that was wrong too. I didn’t deserve it.”
He blinks. And blinks. Without saying a word.
I roll my lips together and clear my throat, shocked that I just let it all out like that. If there was ever any hope of me gaining the interview with Paris, it deflates the moment I realize I just told my boss off. But Parker already quit, so why not lose the only other thing that gave me hope of a future here too?
“Is that all?” he finally asks.
“Mmhm.” I can’t manage another word. Not when I know I’m about to get fired for telling off my boss.
After an eternally long silence in which I think he’s going to slap me with a pink slip, he releases a long, tired sigh. “I’m sure you’re right.”
My eyes bug out of my head. “I am?”
He grimaces. “All I wanted was to bring the employees of the Gazette together. I realize that we’re all a bit different here. We’ve all got our own ideas of what makes a good story and I’ll admit there is a certain…eccentricity about some of the employees.”
I smirk, thinking of Les and his love for useless facts, of Gladys and her rhinestone jumpsuits, even Jordy and her bubbly personality.
“But it bothered me when every single person in the office rated the friendliness a one or two on that email survey,” Stefan continues. “That’s not how I want to run a workplace.”
I make a face, gripping my knees. I knew it.
“And adding in that bit about you guys participating for the interview was really just to make sure I’d have full cooperation with this exercise. It wasn’t to have you and the others compete…it was to bring everyone together under the guise of working toward the same goal.”
I nod, still shocked that my boss genuinely cared about our feelings toward the office environment. Then an idea pops into my head. “Um, Mr. Sanders, could I just give one last suggestion?”
He waves a hand, motioning for me to go ahead. “I think the morale of this place would be boosted if you…our boss…praised our efforts a bit more. You know…a little positive reinforcement?” I try for a pleasant sort of smile but fear it’s more of a wince.
“It’s not that I think you’re a bad boss, because you’re not, it’s just that whenever we do something well, it’s almost like you downplay it so we don’t get a big head or something. But then if we do something poorly, it’s always brought up in a meeting as a learning moment.” I put those last two words in air quotes for effect. “And having our failures brought to light for others to learn from isn’t exactly something employees enjoy.”
He sets the stress ball down, leans forward, and steeples his fingers again. “I see.” His blank expression gives nothing away, and I can’t help but fidget under his stare. “Well, I thank you for your honesty. I’ll take everything you’ve said into consideration.”
Huh?“You will?”
“Yes. I will. It takes guts to be honest with your boss. And I already know I struggle with affirmations, according to my therapist.” Whoa, he sees a therapist? “But we’re working through it,” he says, with a confident smile. “Now, back to what I’d hoped to speak to you about…”
Oh, right. The interview.
“I’ve decided to have you do the interview.”
My heart skips a beat. “Really?”
Stefan nods in the affirmative. “Yes. I think you’ve proven that you have the guts to ask her the hard questions, but also the integrity to write a truthful piece of journalism. Besides, your investigative techniques are on point. You might’ve used embellishing details in some of your past stories, but they were never false. And you’re a woman. It makes sense to have someone with shared experiences tell Paris’s side of the story.”
My mouth falls open at the praise my boss is giving me.
“Now,” he says, a smug smile flitting over his face. “How’s that for positive reinforcement?”
A grateful smile breaks across my face. “Thank you so much, I don’t even know what to say!”
He eyes me thoughtfully. “There might be one way you could thank me.”
My brows lower as I sit up a little straighter. “Sure. What can I do?”
Looking at me over the rims of his glasses, he says, “I can’t help but notice that ever since your grandmother passed, there are times at work when you seem to struggle with anxiousness. It’s never affected your job, but I hate to see you suffer like I did. And I’m sorry if anything I’ve ever done has worsened it.” His chin drops as he reaches into his coat pocket and hands me a card with a woman’s name next to some fancy letters that I know mean she’s a doctor.
“This is my therapist, Dr. Gregario. She’s helped me through so many things…including my grief.”
My eyes snap to Stefan’s. “Your grief?”
His eyes follow the movements of his fingers as they tap against his desk. “I lost my wife to cancer eight years ago. It was extremely difficult at first. But with Dr. Gregario’s help, it’s been…bearable.” He meets my eyes, his softening. “Jamie, your work is impressive. You’re always on time, always submit your articles in a timely fashion…but if you’re struggling with grief or anxiety, talking to a therapist can help.” A sour pit lodges in my stomach. “Now, I’m saying this not as your boss, but as a friend.”
My lips part as if to respond, but nothing comes out.
“And like I said, I’m not bringing this up because it affects your work…but just speaking as someone who deals with his own issues, seeing a therapist has been life-changing in the best way. Grief is a heavy thing to have to carry alone. And I know you and Parker are close, but…” He lifts one shoulder in a shrug. “Still. It wouldn’t hurt to try to see a professional.”
I turn the card over in my hands, the sharp edges biting into my skin. “Thank you,” I murmur, truly stunned by the offer of goodwill my boss just handed me and equally surprised he noticed my inner struggle these past few months. Raising my gaze to his, I smile. “I really appreciate this, Mr. Sanders. And…I’m sorry to hear about your wife.”
His responding smile is dim, weak, speaking to the grief he still carries. “Thank you. Like I said, I’m…dealing with it.” He knocks his knuckles on the desk and stands, then reaches out to shake my hand.
“Alright, well, thanks for taking on this project for Paris. She’s eager to get her story out into the world.”
“Believe me, it’s my pleasure. I’m ecstatic to get to work with her.” He gives me a few more quick details about when the interview will be as we walk out of his office and hope blooms within me. It’s a warm, welcome feeling that has me envisioning a future with way more possibilities than ever before.
When Stefan steps back into his office, I stare at the card in my hands and consider all he shared with me. He didn’t have to tell me about his wife…he didn’t have to share the name and number of his personal therapist…but he did so as a friend.
I’m beginning to see a less cyborg version of my boss and a more human one the longer I get to know him. Maybe there’s hope for the employees of the Gazette, after all.
Parker is seated in my desk chair when I get back to my cubicle. He spins to face me, a hesitant look on his face. I offer him a smile as I discreetly pocket the business card Stefan handed me. I know Parker has witnessed the grief-induced anxiety I deal with sometimes, but I’m not ready to confess that I might need to see a therapist to overcome it yet.
Soon, though, I promise myself.
He goes to get up and offer me the chair, but I place both hands on his shoulders and hold him in place. I get right in his face and speak in a low tone, but make sure to enunciate my words. “You quit your job for me.”
His lips twist up on one side in a crooked half-smile as he signs, Not just for you. For us.
I rub my hands over his shoulders, squeezing them. “But why? We were supposed to do it together, if it came to that.”
He tugs me down onto his lap and brings his hands around me so he can still sign a response. I have plans for something else. And I have a decent savings. I’ll be fine for a while.
I’m not sure I believe him, but he nuzzles my neck and peppers kisses along my throat, cutting off any more arguments from me. I want to thank him while simultaneously chewing him out for doing something so rash, so stupid without consulting me first.
But with his lips and teeth gliding across my skin, I can do nothing but release a girlish giggle. And then I remember what else I have to tell him.
I lean back and turn toward him. “There’s something else.”
He gives me a slow nod, as if telling me to continue.
“Stefan offered me the interview!” I whisper-squeal.
A huge smile lights up his face as he twirls us around in the chair. He squeezes me tight from behind and presses a kiss to my temple. I tilt back just far enough to look into his eyes.
“I love you, Parker. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
He brushes back the hair from my face as his eyes rove over my every feature. Then, closing the space between us, he gives me the sweetest, most tender kiss. When he holds the sign for love against my chest, my heart melts. Until he swiftly changes it into a sword finger and proceeds to tickle me until I can’t take it anymore.
When I’m breathless from laughing, I rest back against his chest, still grinning like a girl who just got a promotion—at her job and in love. A month ago, I’d never have guessed my life would’ve taken such a startlingly romantic turn, nor would I have believed that my boss was as human as I was.