Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

DAYRA

Of all the places in the world for Zane Moore to be, Scotty’s Place was not one I ever imagined having to worry about running into him at. Leon, the man that has been sitting next to me for the last thirty minutes, has gotten drunker by the minute and the more he drinks, the less respectful he is. I’ve had a few too many buttery nipple shots and my head is swimming, but I’m still coherent.

I know that I’m coherent enough to say no. His grip on my wrist tightens and I cry out in pain, trying to free my arm from his grasp. It’s no use. That’s when I see him. Zane. Standing there, demanding Leon let go of me. When Leon asks, “Or what?” Zane knocks the shit out of him.

I stare, mouth agape as the room swirls a little around me. Leon punches Zane back and I know that he fucked up. But before Zane can react, another man knocks Leon out.

“Dayra, look, I’m sor?—“

“Thank you,” I say, not letting him finish his sentence. Zane looks at me, his face unreadable, but he doesn’t say anything.

“That guy was being a jackass,” the other man says. “Hi, I’m Johnny. Zane’s older brother.”

I shake his hand. “Dayra. I work for Zane,” I say, slurring my words. The alcohol and its effects are getting to me.

“What are you doing out here? Did you drive?” Zane asks, his tone more of a demand than a question though.

“My aunt lives up the street. I’m staying there tonight because I knew I’d be drinking. My aunt drove me. Dolly’s going to bring me home.”

He must be satisfied with that answer or pissed off by it, which one i’m not sure of though, because he storms off to the bar where his drinks are.

“Don’t mind him. He’s a grouch when it comes to the holidays,” Johnny says, nodding at Zane with his chin.

“You don’t know your brother at work, then. This is his normal behavior,” I counter.

“ Hmm …” Johnny rubs his chin as he stares at Zane.

“It was nice to meet you. Let me go console the Grinch.”

Johnny takes a seat next to a clearly annoyed Zane and I sit in my corner of the bar, watching him. They have a very tense exchange before Johnny leaves abruptly. Maybe I’m not the only one he talks to this way.

I open my phone and send a text to my Uncle Ken asking him to come get me. I know my cousin Dolly would’ve brought me home, but I no longer feel like being here.

Uncle Ken arrives in ten minutes flat and I smile when he walks through the door. He’s always been my safe place, always coming to rescue me. I may be thirty, but when I’m around Uncle Ken I still feel like that little girl excited to spend the weekend at my aunt and uncle’s.

“You have a few too many?” Uncle Ken asks.

I nod, sighing.

“Let’s get you home.”

I take his arm and stumble out the door without so much as a glance back at Zane, who’s still sitting at the bar, looking angry at the world as usual.

The car ride to their house feels like an eternity, with the world spinning and my stomach churning. I almost don’t make it, but we pull in the driveway when I was just about to ask Uncle Ken to stop the car. I throw my door open and take two big steps into the grass before I start vomiting.

Shots get me every time but I just can’t seem to help myself some days. After I throw up everything in my stomach, I wipe my mouth with my shirt and make my way inside. Uncle Ken is sitting on the steps waiting for me when I walk up.

“You okay, Day?”

I nod. “Yes sir. Sorry. I’m going to try and go to bed now.”

“I made the bed in Dolly’s old room for you. I’ll grab you a trash can for beside the bed.”

I walk inside and take the small trash can before heading to the room. There’s a bathroom that connects to this room and the other spare room so I splash some cool water on my face and run a wash cloth over it. I gargle with some mouth wash and fall into the bed.

I spent so many nights in here as a kid that it still feels like home. The room is no longer spinning and it doesn’t take long before I’m dead to the world. I wake the next morning with a pounding headache. I sit up and roll out of the bed, nearly screaming when I roll on my tailbone. It hasn’t hurt at all when I’m sitting but I must have hurt only one specific spot because when my weight was on it, that was intense.

I pinball off the wall and make it to the bathroom to pee then brush my teeth with a washcloth since I didn’t pack a toothbrush. I gargle with the mouthwash twice for good measure and tip toe out into the kitchen.

The smell of coffee brewing has me salivating. I find Uncle Ken and Aunt Cindy sitting in the living room watching the news, drinking coffee.

“Good morning,” I squeak from the back of the couch.

“Good morning,” they say in unison.

I pour myself a cup of coffee and join them in the living room.

“Dolly’s home if you want to say hello,” Uncle Ken says.

“I’ll let her sleep, she probably didn’t get in until the early hours of the morning.”

“Suit yourself. What are your plans for today? Are you going shopping with all of the crazies?”

I shake my head no. “I went shopping one time on Black Friday and that was enough for me.”

He chuckles and Aunt Cindy nods her head in agreement. “You won’t catch me out there getting trampled over a tv.”

I laugh and sip my coffee. I miss the slow mornings here. It’s so comforting and welcoming, something that my own home was missing for most of my childhood. Well, something that is still missing. I don’t feel this at home at my own childhood home.

“I’m about to head home. I have a tiny girl who is waiting for me to come home.”

“Oh, that’s right! Why didn’t you bring her with you?” Aunt Cindy asks.

“I wasn’t planning to stay this long.”

“Next time, bring her anyway! We would love to snuggle that little thing.”

“Yes ma’am.”

I gather my things and head home. It’s gloomy outside today and all I want to do is crawl in my bed and nap with Reese Piecie snuggled up next to me. I run into random drizzles of rain on the way home and the temperature keeps dropping. I have the heater on my feet but I still have a chill.

I pull up to my little house and rush inside just in time. The sky falls out after I make it inside. I open the back door for Reese and she just stares up at me, as if to say what do you want me to do with that? . I laugh at her and pick her up, giving her a kiss on her small cheek.

“I don’t blame you, little girl. I wouldn’t want to go out there either.”

I turn the heater on in my bathroom and turn on the shower. I need a shower and a proper tooth brushing before I can lay down. I spend the rest of the day napping and then I spend the entire weekend in bed, lounging and relaxing before I have to return to work on Monday.

I haven’t heard another word from Zane and I won’t dare be the one to text him. Even if curiosity is getting the best of me. I want to know how he ended up out there. Was he stalking me? Did he have some sort of tracker on me? I let these thoughts plague my mind for days before I finally convince myself to put them down and not think about it. I don’t care why he was out there. It’s none of my business.

His brother was nice. Much nicer than he is. They favor one another but where Zane’s eyes are light, Johnny’s are dark. His hair is longer and fuller whereas Zane’s is in a high and tight. He was wearing a wedding ring and he seems like a happier, wiser version of Zane. I almost wish he were my boss. I bet he wouldn’t hate me.

Monday morning is just as hectic as every other Monday, except it’s storming and I’m late. The rain doesn’t let up and I have to make a run for it in the pouring rain, in heels and a skirt with no umbrella. I come from a household where umbrellas weren’t a regular thing, so its’ not a thing I think of until I need it. I make it into the office soaking wet with my hair hanging down and stuck to my face.

I walk straight to my office and close the door, not wanting to have to deal with anyone. I open my computer and take off my blazer, hanging it on the back of my chair to dry. I run my fingers through my matted hair and try and style it as best I can.

My emails load and I see one from Zane to the entire media staff, calling for a meeting at seven-thirty. I look at the clock on my computer. Eight-fifteen. I groan and lay my head in my hands, elbows leaned on my desk. I press my thumbs to my temples and take a deep breath. It’s definitely Monday.

I already know that there will be repercussions from this and my anxiety is brewing in my chest already at the thought of what my punishment will be. The last time I missed a last minute meeting, I got a whole week’s worth of extra work tacked onto my already full plate.

I sigh and lift my head, turning my attention back to my computer screen. My cell phone dings with a text message, the sound making me jump.

Zane: Where are you?

I roll my eyes but type out a reply with my professional voice.

Dayra: In my office. I was late this morning and didn’t see the email for the meeting. I apologize. That was my mistake. I will do better.

I hope that my text is sufficient because I don’t know that I have the energy to defend myself today. I wait, holding my breath for a response. A few minutes go by with nothing and I wonder if he’s going to storm in here, eyes filled with that anger they always carry, and yell at me or at the very least, bitch at me with that stern tone.

Twenty minutes passes, nothing. An hour goes by. Nothing. Finally, I cannot sit and wait any longer. I walk down the hall to his office. The door is slightly ajar and he’s sitting at his desk, looking at something on his computer screen. He’s wearing blue light glasses and I never realized how good he looks in those. I stare for a moment longer than I should then knock on the door before he catches me ogling him.

I can only imagine the comments he’d have for me if he knew I found him attractive. Physically, anyway.

“Yes?” He asks, without looking up.

I enter his office and he finally looks away from his computer screen.

“You look like a wet dog,” he says, his tone flat.

“ Uhh , thanks I guess? I got caught in the storm and was already late so it was either run through the rain or wait it out for God knows how much longer in the car.”

“Don’t you own an umbrella? A raincoat?”

I sigh. “Yes I have both and just chose to get completely drenched in the freezing rain.”

“I didn’t ask for your sarcasm.”

I take a deep breath and ignore his statement. “Can you tell me what I missed in the meeting this morning?”

He grabs a folder that has my name on it and he slides it across his desk in my direction. I grab it and open it to find detailed notes on the material that was discussed in the meeting.

“Thank you.”

I turn to leave but Zane grabs my wrist. “Hey. How’s your wrist?”

I show it to him, mark free. “It’s fine. Thank you…for that.”

“He had it coming. Why were you even entertaining him anyway?”

“I wasn’t. I was just drunk and he was nice at first. But the more he drank, the more disrespectful he got.”

“You got lucky. You should really be more careful when you’re out alone.”

“Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind,” I say, turning on my heel and leaving his office.

Part of me wanted to fight with him and tell him that he isn’t my father and I don’t need him to tell me what to do or how to do it, but I’m tired. I’m tired today and I’m calling it a win that I was able to get out of his office without an absolute knock down drag out.

I quietly make it back to my office and close the door behind me, exhaling as I lean against the door with the folder pulled in tight to my chest. Being around Zane feels a lot like running. I am always exhausted when I finally get away from him and there is so much relief once it’s over, but I get such a high from fighting with him some days.

There have been many days where he has made me cry and said some very hurtful things, but on the days where the banter is there and we bicker, it’s absolutely exhilarating. I take a seat at my desk and flip through the pages in the folder, wondering who he conned into typing up these notes for me.

It had to be Jade or Xena, they are the only two that do whatever Zane or Mark ask of them. They’re new and trying to make their way in this industry. Social media marketing is new, for the most part, and it is growing rapidly. There are hundreds of new people ready to take your job at the drop of a hat, so you have to be good at what you do. You have to bring value to your company or be fucking the boss in some cases. Not that any of the girls here are, and if they are, I sure as hell don’t know about it.

I can’t picture Zane sleeping with anyone here, and the thought sends a pang of jealousy through my veins. I most certainly don’t want to sleep with him. Or Mark for that matter. Mark is a fifty-something, overweight, bald headed teddy bear. He’s the most kind and nurturing boss, polar opposite of Zane with his demeaning comments and rude glares. I don’t know how he makes it in this business being as grouchy as he is.

A knock on my door pulls me from my thoughts. It’s Jade. Her blonde bun is piled high on top of her head with her long bangs hanging down and tucked behind each of her ears. She’s wearing a long blue dress that nearly touches the ground and she’s grinning ear to ear when she enters my office.

“Yes ma’am?”

She claps her hands together cheerfully. “Want to put up the office Christmas tree with me on our lunch break?”

I smile, bright eyed and excited. “Yes! Oh my gosh, yes!”

“Okay, perf. Meet me in the lobby in about thirty minutes. I had Chad from accounting get the tree out of the storage closet downstairs already and the boxes of ornaments are already in the lobby!”

I should have known that Jade, who shares my love of all things Christmas, would be just as excited as I am to put the Christmas tree up. That’s just what I need in my life today to make this monotonous Monday a bit more exciting.

I grab my Bluetooth speaker from the bottom drawer of my desk and head to the lobby at eleven-thirty. Jade is already putting the tree together and I turn on Christmas music, setting the speaker on the receptionist counter.

The office is mostly empty, everyone having left for lunch aside from Mia, who takes lunch an hour later than everyone else so that someone is always here to answer the phones. She pops her head around the corner of the lobby and smiles when she sees us putting up the tree.

Jade fluffs it as best she can while I sort through the boxes of ornaments. Jingle Bells plays through the office and the three of us sing along as we hang ornaments.

“The only thing that would make this better is some eggnog!” Jade says, hanging a silver ball ornament on the tree.

“ Ooh , I’ll have to bring some tomorrow for us!” I say, hanging a gold ball ornament.

Mark has always insisted on a silver and gold Christmas theme at the office. I’m not sure if it’s because of the song from Rudolph or if it’s a family tradition in his family or what, but these are the ornaments he wants. I don’t care what color they are, as long as I get to decorate and look at the pretty lights. I love to stay late and bring my laptop into the lobby during Christmas time. I kill all the lights aside from the Christmas tree and work in the peace and tranquility of Christmas.

I’m so lost in the happiness of decorating and singing that I’m startled when a man speaks.

“I didn’t realize our Christmas party was so early this year,” Zane groans, looking around the lobby.

“Oh, don’t be a Grinch! It’s Christmas.”

“It’s November.”

I roll my eyes and hang another ornament on the tree.

“It’s literally the most wonderful time of the year,” I counter.

“ Ah , yes. Singing and presents and eggnog, oh my,” Zane calls over his shoulder, complete with his hands waving in the air as he walks to his office.

Asshole.

We finish decorating the tree and put all the extra ornaments and decorations that we didn’t use into a tote and stuff it in the corner.

“I’ll put the tote away later this week. For now, it can serve as a present under the tree,” I say, plugging the lights in.

The glow of the tree warms my soul and happiness overwhelms me. It truly is the most wonderful time of the year.