Chapter 29

Andrew

“ C an you run to the back and take this paperwork to the offices?”

Todd’s decision to give me any type of responsibility surprised me, but since my blow-up, he’d been treating me a little differently. No one needed to walk on eggshells around me, but it was nice not having him so grouchy.

The stack of papers felt significant and special as I left the pharmacy and made my way to the back of the store. The managers all had offices back there, but outside of my job interview, I wasn’t back there often. My hands shook a little as I knocked on the door for the pharmacy manager. She was nice, but we didn’t see her all that often unless someone was really in trouble. I was surprised she didn’t come out and reprimand me the day I yelled at the customer.

“Come on in.”

Sweat rolled down my back as I entered Sofie’s office. She was a nice, older lady. She had gray streaks in her hair and had it pulled into a bun at the back of her head. The chair was facing away from me as she typed away at her computer, and a feeling of unease settled in as she continued to type away.

“Todd—Todd wanted me to bring these back?”

The wheels of the chairs squeaked as Sophie turned to face me. Her glasses gleamed in the fluorescent lighting overhead. “Well then, Hand them over.”

She had painted her nails a soft pink, and as I handed the stack over, I was too focused on such an insignificant detail. However, it provided me with something else to think about besides something not being quite right.

“Did he tell you why you were bringing them back?”

I swallowed around the thick lump in my throat. “He didn’t. Just asked that I do it.”

Sophie’s gaze traveled up and down my body. I locked up as she studied me. The urge to fidget, the grab at my sleeves and pull them lower over my wrists was unbearable.

“Mr. Hernandez, I asked Todd to do your performance evaluation. These are his findings. Are you comfortable with that decision?”

My stomach rolled. Todd hated my guts. If he had it his way, this was a surefire way to seal my fate and end my employment.

The words formed and died a dozen or so times. I wanted to express that I didn’t think Todd was the best choice for evaluating me, but there had to be a reason Sophie had chosen him to do it. When she removed her glasses and rubbed at the space between her eyes, she turned and set the stack on the desk without looking at them.

“I thought that might be the reaction. In all honesty, I knew there was tension there. But when Todd came to me and asked if he could do it, I didn’t question it. Do you at least want to know what he said? I assure you that no matter what it is, your job here is safe. I do like you.”

My hands shook as I ran them through my hair and stepped further into her office, closing the door behind me. “I think I would like to know.”

Sophie gave me a small smile before putting her glasses back on and picking up the stack once more. She sifted through several pages, nodding here and there, doing nothing to settle my nerves. Was it bad? Was it good?

“Mr. Hernandez is a hard worker. He came to our pharmacy with no formal training but has shown a willingness to learn. Despite things going wrong, he still comes in every day with a positive attitude. He knows when he needs to take a break, and it’s okay to say that he needs help.” Sophie looked up from what was scrawled in front of her. My heart pounded against my rib cage. This wasn’t what I’d expected at all, but she went back to reading. “Mr. Hernandez is a vital part of our team and I look forward to days when I have to work with him. He brings smiles to everyone’s faces with his friendly demeanor and go-getter attitude. ”

When she stopped reading, my shoulders dropped. I hadn’t even been aware that they’re risen so high as I listened. “That’s it?”

Sophie’s smile broadened as she set the stack back down on her desk. “That’s it, Andrew. You thought he would have said otherwise?”

I wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth and throw Todd under the bus. The guy was surly on the best of days, but he had taken care of me the day with the angry patient. Maybe I’d been seeing things that weren’t there.

“I think—I think I need to give myself some more credit.” I sighed, running a hand down my face, the adrenaline of the impromptu performance evaluation wearing off.

Sophie stood from her chair and approached me. She placed a manicured hand on my shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “You do. We have noticed the work you’ve put in here. I only regret that we haven’t been able to do more for you. I want to change that and work on getting you some more hours. We need a full-time tech, not a tech in training.”

While I understood what she was saying, and I was thankful, working in the pharmacy wasn’t my dream. It wasn’t what I’d gone to school for, but I was thankful for any type of opportunity at the rate I was going.

“Let’s get you back out to the front. I’m sure they could use your help. ”

I gave Sophie a tight smile and thanked her for her time. She went back to work as if I’d never stepped foot in her office. When I was back in the hall, I took a deep breath to calm myself. That hadn’t been something I’d been expecting today at all, especially from Todd, of all people.

My feet didn’t want to move as I made my way back to the front of the store. Was this my future? Living in dread of one bad performance evaluation throwing my career in jeopardy? I suddenly questioned a lot of things. It wasn’t as if I had kept up looking for work using my degree after I started doing my tech-in-training program. Maybe it was time to consider that again.

And that’s when I froze. Standing in the store’s front was Brandon. He had his arms crossed over his chest as he talked with Rebecca. He looked uncomfortable as she chatted away with a huge smile on her face. Suddenly, that panicked feeling from Sophie’s office was back. What the hell was she talking to him about?

Sense kicked in and I walked over to them as quickly as I could, just in time to hear the tail end of what she was saying.

“... it’s made such a difference. You light up his whole world.”

Oh... fuck.

Brandon looked up at me, his eyes wide.

“You said something?”

My throat closed off again as Rebecca turned to look at me. She smiled and threw an arm over my shoulders. “Andrew! I was just telling your boyfriend here how great it was to meet him finally. ”

Brandon’s eyes widened even further, his cheeks going pink and splotchy. He shook his head because I couldn’t acknowledge his question.

Before I could say anything and before I had time to save the situation, Brandon turned and ran from the store.

Rebecca’s arm dropped from around me as she stared after him. “Did I say something wrong?”

I sighed and turned to her. My chest ached, on the verge of exploding. My eyes stung because I’d just had a really emotional time between the unexpected meeting with Sophie and now this. “We...” I took another deep breath as I fought back tears. “We weren’t saying anything yet.”

“Oh. Oh my god. Andrew. I’m so sorry.”

What the hell was I supposed to do? There were still two hours left to my shift, and Brandon had just bolted from the store before I could explain.

“Fuck,” I muttered to myself as my fingers threaded through my hair once more. It probably looked like a giant mess at this point, the stress of the day showing.

“Hernandez.”

I turned to face my name being called from the pharmacy window. Todd stood there, a look of understanding on his face. If it weren’t for what had just transpired in the manager’s office, I would have assumed he’d be pissed about what was going on.

“Yeah? ”

“Go get him.”

I removed my smock and handed it to Rebecca. She gave me another sympathetic smile and apologized again. She had nothing to be sorry for. This whole not telling anyone thing was a bunch of bullshit.

Instead of hanging out for more begging for forgiveness, I left to find my boyfriend.