At the office

When Amanda arrived to the office, she could see April her assistant already working diligently at her crescent moon shaped desk just outside her own. Walking up and stopping in front of it she cleared her throat when April failed to notice her arrival. “Ahem.” when April looked up a strand of her dark hair falling loose from her pulled up hair. “Miss Gates, you know it is the weekend and as an hourly employee you need to be cleared for overtime.”

April smiled at Amanda “My time here saves you time ma’am, if you like I could call down to engineering and see if they can have a bed installed for you on my way out. Or alternatively we can just keep on doing what we have been for the last few months.”

“Heaven forbid I have to sleep here too; you can stay so long you can find me some coffee.”

April gave her boss a single nod and then opened Amanda’s office door. Inside the chairs were no longer covered in file folders and binders, the dark stained oak office desk only had a single small stack of folders off to one side, and at the center of the desk was a Venti coffee.

Walking past her assistant to her office Amanda walked around her desk examining the room. “April, I love you for the coffee alone, but you know most of those same files are going to end right back in here.” she said taking a sip of the rich dark roast with just a touch of hazelnut creamer.

“As much as I want your love Ms. Best the coffee was from Mr. Connors, he texted me this morning asking what kind of coffee you liked. He arrived about a half hour ago, seems to me he is sweet on you. So, I take it everything worked out with your boy.. With your daughter then? Taking another sip of the coffee Amanda looked around her office again admiring how it is supposed to look.

“To well actually, Bailey is on the way to the mall for a day of shopping with Mr. Connor’s daughter, my sister is playing chauffeur and the role of new friend will have to continue until they leave now.”

“That is a troubling development on one front, but on the other...” she said bobbing her head from side to side causing her long dark hair to sway. “That level of doing well if you can maintain it sounds like we both will profit, and it isn’t like the two of you have to do this for long. They go shopping today and the girls' text for the rest of the week, maybe see each other one more time and you can be done.” shaking her Amanda let out a sigh wishing that were so.

“No, young miss Connors seems to be a driven young girl, a sweet one at that. The two girls have plans for the week, even a date...”

April looked around seeing the empty office, but hearing the click of some keyboards from the bullpen. Closing the office door for some privacy she said. “Bailey and Candace are going on a date with each other?!”

Amanda let out a small, but sad laugh. “Bad as that would be, no. They are going on a double date; Bailey is going to be escorted by your brother.” at the mention of August, April started to laugh hard enough to hold her belly.

“That is rich, Bailey was always say we call it handsy with you but somehow I doubt that will be the case with my brother. He is a little bit of a dork and shy around girls, I would say at most they may hold hands, but considering the kiss you mentioned... Well Bailey better hope the boys don’t take the girls to a movie. I’m sorry it can’t be easy for you, but if this was a movie you would be laughing at the hijinks.” Amanda glared at her friend, but she was right if this was a movie it would be playing out like a romantic comedy, but she wasn’t going to admit it out loud.

“On that note, you said before you were willing to help. Is that still the case?” nodding her head April responded. “You don’t have to ask, even if my promotion wasn’t tied to your own, I would be willing to help you. What do you need?” reaching into her purse Amanda pulled out her car keys and handed them to April. “I need my guest room to have some decorations like a teenage girl fitting Bailey’s persona belongs in there. Can you do that?”

“I can leave in an hour; I am just finishing up a project. That comment about most of those file folders coming back into your office doesn’t have to be true. I have taken the liberty with checking with legal and IT. They said we can keep digital copies of the files on a work accessible drive. I’m thinking when the interns start up for the summer this would be a good task for them to continue, course legal also told me we still have to keep the physical copies. Once I finish the last few for you, I will be on my way out to help poor Bailey decorate her room.”

After April went back to her desk, Amanda went to go check in with Derrick. She found him setup in one of the smaller conference rooms, using it as a makeshift office. He was on the phone, but he made eye contact and motioned her in. “That can hold until this visit is over. Yes, it is important, but the time line isn’t pressing yet. Okay now Melody I have to go, you take the rest of the day off please. No that is not an order, just hoping you would like to spend some more time with your fiancé, it is what almost two weeks before the wedding. Okay then, you have a good day too.” putting down his phone he smiled broadly at Amanda. “Good morning, I had a feeling you would be in today.”

Holding up the cup of coffee she returned his smile and thought how infectious it was. “Good morning to you as well, and thank you for the coffee you got it just right.” Derrick made a motion for her to sit at the table with him and as she did, he replied. “Truth be told miss Gates told me how you like it, figured if I was going to surprise you, I should make sure I did it correctly.” he said while watching her closely, admiring the dedicated woman.

“Hey listen, we had a lot of fun yesterday. Honestly, I can't remember the last day Candace or I had a day like that. Then I found these waiting for me when I came in this morning.” he said holding up an envelope sliding it across the table to Amanda. Opening the unsealed envelope inside she found four tickets to a local water park. “Someone trying to butter up the boss? She said raising think blonde eyebrow. “Nothing like that at all really, our daughters' winnings from yesterday’s three-legged race. I figured the four of us could go before we left town, say maybe Wednesday?”

“Why Mr. Connors are you flirting with me and asking me out on a date to a water park?” she laughed before continuing. “I am afraid though that is not possible, I will not be able to take a day off with everything going on at the office right now.” truth be told a day relaxing in the sun and going down some water slides did sound like fun, but she couldn’t put Bailey through more.

Standing up from his seat Derrick walked around the table, pulling out a chair next to her and then turned Amanda’s chair to face him. “When was the last time you took a day off? You told me you have been so busy you haven’t even celebrated Bailey’s eighteenth birthday. We, that is me included can’t keep a teen girl locked up all summer, besides what would they say if we told them, they won tickets, but no we aren't going to use them.”

“Yes, but the work I need to do...” she was saying when she was cut off by Derrick taking her hand in his own. “Today is Sunday and we are both at the office, I’m betting if I looked at the building access logs, I would find you come in on weekends and stay late constantly for Mega Corp. The least Mega Corp could do is give you a day off.” Amanda tried to be stern and stick to her guns on this, she really did have work that needed to be done, and trying to keep this situation under control.

“Ms. Best, Amanda.. You are a leader here for this one department, if you can’t delegate at this level to take time for yourself how are you going to handle a promotion.” that was it then, he wasn’t threatening what she was working for, just pointing out one of her flaws she needed to work on, he was right and still holding her hand. “I can tell you agree with me, so it is settled then. I will pick you and Bailey up Wednesday morning for a day at the water park. Oh and one more thing Amanda.” he said as he gently rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb and smiled gently looking into her eyes. “You have the most beautiful blue yes I have ever seen, looking into them is like seeing the world reflected back to me on the ocean's surface.” his smile grew wider as an intense blush came to her cheeks. One hand came up to cover her mouth, the other stayed put in Derrick’s hands.”

“You are an incredibly brilliant woman with beauty to match, before you asked if I was flirting with you and asking you out. I was asking you out, but now I think you know what it looks like when I’m flirting.” the line was a bit corny, but she felt the romantic feelings behind it, causing her heart to flutter with excitement.

“Derrick... Mr. Connors, that is not appropriate work place behavior.” she said pulling her hand back, the blush still lingering on her cheeks though not as prominent. “True enough, I will stop such talk if you like. Just tell me you don’t want to hear me compliment you again and I will do as you wish.” the thought of him saying more things like kicked the blush back into high gear. Amanda looked away towards the ground. For a long pause neither moved or said a work, until Amanda stood up and moved towards the door. Thanking him once more for the coffee as she did, but not looking at him again before she left back to her own office, closing the door behind her she leaned her back to it. Placing her hand to her chest Amanda could feel her heart beating like crazy, that man was giving her feelings she felt she shouldn't be having. She had a loving boyfriend, who was doing something outrageous for her, but Bailey was never the romantic type and the way Derrick looked at her with the same shade green eyes saying those things just did something for her that she didn’t even know she wanted until now.