It was just too bad I had to incorporate it whenever Jared was around, when all I really wanted to do was drop the bullshit façade and let him know the real man underneath—scars and all. But if I did that, would he ever look at me the same again? Or would he realize what I already knew—that he was too pure for a tarnished and broken man like me.
Oddly enough, no matter how badly I treated him, he still stayed. And a teeny, tiny part of me wondered if maybe he wasn’t so pure after all. Did I really want to take a gamble and find out? Right now, the answer was a big, fat no. And for the foreseeable future, I knew that wasn’t going to change. So I did the only thing I knew I was a good at. I went back to work typing up my report for the loser husband and hoped a new assignment would fall on my lap soon.
2
Jared
I kept telling myself today was the day. The day that I’d finally get a smile out of my boss, Brennan Kade. I got up early. Put on my best fitting pair of pants and a red, button-down shirt, and stopped to grab him a cup of coffee. When I was completing my purchase, my mind blanked and I couldn’t remember how he took it. Did he like it black? Flavored creamer? One cream and two sugars? Or was it two sugars and one cream? So, during my panic-induced anxiety, I grabbed some packets of each and hoped like hell I hadn’t screwed up.
I’d been working for Kade Investigations for under a year, and during that time I’d tried not to take his surliness personal. At first, I did think it was me. That maybe he didn’t like how I dressed or my cologne. Maybe I breathed too loud or chewed with my mouth open. But as time went on, I realized it wasn’t my idiosyncrasies he didn’t like, his brusqueness was just how he was. Though, I did change my cologne to something not as potent, and I made sure my mouth was always closed when I chewed—I had manners, after all.
While I liked my job and was thrilled that he hired me with so little experience, a person could only take that type of environment for so long. There was no laughter, no idle chit-chat, and the walls were stark with the color palette drab. I couldn’t help but scour the want ads more than once with the possibility of finding a different place to work; even with the different options right there, waiting for me to submit my resume, I couldn’t do it. Not when guilt ate me so badly I was surprised there was any of my left. Something kept me there, something I saw in Kade’s eyes. I decided to make it my mission to make him smile. Only, I didn’t realize how large of an undertaking that had become until I was too late.
I sat down behind my desk and positioned the pillow I’d bought in order to make the chair a little more comfortable. Kade hadn’t spared any expenses for good furnishings, and I was surprised I even had a desk with a functional computer to call my own. Granted, the furnishings looked like something out of an office on one of those shows my grandmother watched back in the seventies, but whatever. They worked. And at least the computer and software were up to date.
After logging in, I went through my email, forwarded any correspondence to Kade I thought he needed to know, then opened the accounting software to go over expenses. Kade was putting my newly-minted criminal justice degree to use, and in doing so, I was able to help him keep his expenses down. Maybe I could convince him to buy me a nicer chair because of it. I had a feeling I’d be able to do that easier than getting a smile out of him.
I was working diligently, the only sound in the office were the keys as Kade and I typed away on our keyboards, until the phone on my desk rang. Granted, he had his own personal line, but he preferred I answered all calls so I could run interference if it was someone he absolutely did not want to talk to. Mainly, his mother. When he gave me the strict instruction to hold all calls from her, I knew better than to ask questions, and he gave me zero explanations.
“Kade Investigations,” I said when I answered the phone. I prided myself in my professional tone, even if the office was located in some tiny hole-in-the-wall at a strip mall.
“Hi there. This is Kade’s pal Dagobert LeBlanc, but he knows me as Dag. Is he around? I need to speak to him…about a private matter.”
There was trepidation in his voice, but that wasn’t the first thing that crossed my mind. As terrible as it was for me to admit, I was shocked to learn Kade had a friend. And wasn’t that awful of me? Sure he was surly, but maybe he was different around other people?
“Just a moment, please. Let me see if he’s available,” I managed to say.
“Sure,” was his dubious response, just before I put him on hold. He could probably smell my bullshit through the receiver, but Kade would’ve ripped my head off if I forwarded the call without a heads-up, first.
“Are you able to take a call from a Dagobert LeBlanc?”
Kade’s head snapped up at the question, and I could see his eyes narrow in questioning. “Dag? Did he say what he wanted?”
I shook my head. “Only that it’s a personal matter.”
His lips pursed and his strong jaw clenched as he pondered my answer. “Put him through.”
I pushed a few buttons to forward the call, and Kade snatched up the receiver before the first ring was even finished. I could only hear the clipped end of his conversation, but I tried to keep my focus on my work rather than pry. Luckily, the conversation was short, and soon more of his typing filled the room, and I could put all my focus back into my work rather than wondering who Dag was and wanting to know everything about them and their friendship. Had he seen Kade smile? How long had they been friends? Were they ever more?
That was none of my business. He was my boss. End of story.
A little while later, Kade announced he’d be back soon, and left without any further instruction. It was something I was used to, so I took the downtime to work on my schooling since I was studying for my master’s degree. Another bonus about the job was that during so much downtime, I was able to do my schoolwork, and Kade didn’t care. Mostly, because he didn’t know. He was gone so much, he had no idea what I was up to, and trusted me to hold down the fort in his absence. I ate my lunch at my desk, and buried myself in my studies as the hours passed by. I had no clue what Kade was doing, and figured it was another job. As long as I collected a paycheck at the end of the week, and it was a honest one, I didn’t care what he was doing.
I had just highlighted a significant paragraph in my book when the bell jingled, signaling someone had walked through the door. Thinking it was Kade, I snapped my book shut and glanced up to greet my boss and was surprised to see it was an older couple. Their wide eyes were haunted and filled with desperation, as well as hope. It was something I’d seen many times in the months I’d worked for Kade, and as much of an asshole as he was, he helped fulfill that hope many times. Yet another reason why I stayed. Yes, he might’ve been the reason so many divorce lawyers stayed in business, but he’d found many missing people, recovered stolen money, and gave many families closure they needed. Under that tough exterior beat a good heart.
“May I help you?” I asked.
“Are you Brennan Kade?” the man asked.
I shook my head and I saw his shoulders slump in defeat. “Mr. Kade stepped out, but I’m his assistant Jared Killroy. What can I do for you?”