Brooke never did come back after lunch that first day. I shut her laptop down for her and packed it away on the storage unit behind her seat so that it wouldn't be in the way once I was done working on the TDFL site. I ordered a nice dinner, chicken piccata this time, and then started pulling my office sleeping stuff out from the storage cabinet behind where Brooke sat. I was here often enough that I had it down to a well practiced science. I had a full sized air mattress, sleeping bag, two pillows and a portable electric air pump to inflate the mattress stored away in the room, and they were all well used over the years.

               After washing up and brushing my teeth in the bathroom, I changed the music to a sleeping playlist, and then got myself to sleep. Yeah, I missed my bed, but I was a lot more productive staying here then wasting an hour of my day going back home and then returning back in the morning. I had a weeks' worth of clothes in the cabinet, so I'd just take them home on Saturday to wash when I got back from Chicago. I'd give Brooke more of a chance to help, but I had to talk to her first. That meant she had to show back up.

               My little phone alarm had me up at 6am, and I groaned before I deflated the mattress and then cleaned up the sleeping gear. Once the space was clear, I used it to do a little light stretching and pushups, then made my way to the building's first floor for a shower.

               One of the perks of our building was that there was a gym that was down there. As employees in the building, we got a deep discount on membership, which was very handy on days like today. Other office buildings in the area didn't have gyms, so their employees used the one in our building, though without the discount. I used the gym a few days a week just to keep myself in shape, but on the many days when I slept in the office, I also used the gym showers so that I wouldn't look like I was in the office all night.

               After I got a bagel and a coffee, I was back up in the office and ready to work by 7am. The website for the TDFL was coming along well, and I couldn't wait to show it to Monica this weekend. I wasn't able do everything I wanted since I didn't have pictures of all the competitors, nor any videos or an events calendar, but those pages had frames that I could add those things to as soon as the information and graphics were available to me. I even planned ahead and left places for Nike logos to show the sponsorship tie-in if and when that happened. If she liked it, then we could upload it to their web host, and they'd be much more professional looking.

               I was feeling good about that.

               A little before 8am, Carley came in with our copies, and then solemnly slid them across the table to me. "I'm sorry, I should have brought these up yesterday. I was just too embarrassed. God, I'm so stupid!"

               "Carley, don't worry about it, okay?" I stood up, and then walked over to give her a hug. "I'm sorry we interrupted. Are you okay?"

               She shook her head into my shoulder as she softly cried. "No. I'm pregnant."

               "Holy shit, I didn't think it worked that fast!" I said in surprise. That was not the reaction I was supposed to give, I know, but I was indeed shocked.

               She snorted a little, which was a good sign, then hit me lightly on the shoulder. "No. We've been doing that for a couple months. I don't know why I said yes to him, but I guess I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Now I'm pregnant, and he doesn't want anything to do with it. You don't have to say it, I know I'm an idiot."

               "Is it his?" I had to ask. "And you're not an idiot, people make mistakes, okay?"

               "Yeah. I haven't been with anyone else since a New Year's Eve party over six months ago. It's his." She was still crying a little, though at least she was beginning to calm down a bit. Jax wasn't worth fighting over.

               "What do you want to do? It's your baby if he wants nothing to do with you." If he wanted nothing to do with his child, then she was the only one with an opinion that mattered.

               She was silent for a minute, just clutching my shirt. "I want to keep it. I know I'll be a single mom, but my mom raised me on her own and I can do the same. Even if the father is an asshole, I know that I'll give my little baby a good life."

               I nodded silently, wondering how many other women in this office had been put into a similar situation by the two assholes. If I hadn't hated Jax and Bryan before, then I certainly would have now. "If you need anything, anything at all, you let me know. You're a friend, and I'll do all I can. But please, stay away from him, okay? He's already with everyone else, so protect yourself. Report it to HR in the UK if you have to, don't go to the one here."

               Over her shoulder, I saw the door to the room open, and Brooke slipped in, a scowl appearing on her face as she saw Carley. Was she really upset about seeing her with Jax yesterday? But, why? She said she was a lesbian, so Jax wasn't someone she should be interested in, and Carley was very straight. Or had I somehow done something? That didn't seem possible since I hadn't seen her all night.

               "Thanks Kris, I'll see you later," Carley said with a sniffle. She gave Brooke a little wave, and then left, no doubt heading back to her desk.

               "Good morning," I said to Brooke as she got her laptop off the storage cabinet behind her.

               "Morning," she replied in a flat voice.

               She was obviously in a shitty mood, and I wasn't patient enough to deal with it. She'd been gone for a lot longer than needed for a simple lunch, and I was already unhappy at her lack of commitment. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised based on the rest of her family, but she'd seemed as though she actually wanted to try doing the job correctly.

               Silence reigned in the room, other than music and the constant clicking of keys, for the next few hours. Where before, I thought she might be upset at Carley, now I was certain she was upset at me instead. I just had no idea what I could have done when I was nowhere near her all day.

               But I was sick of the situation, so I had to ask.

               "Are you going to tell me why you're upset? Or do you like the tension too much to bother?"

               "It's nothing," she snapped back. "Just not in a great mood today."

               I just shrugged and sighed. There wasn't much I could do if she wasn't going to talk. It wasn't like we were best buddies, having only spent one morning working together, so I could hardly expect a deep and meaningful conversation, but if I'd done something to upset her, I at least needed to know what it was so I could work through it with her.

               "The bad mood seems directed at me. Did I do something to upset you?"

               She just stared at her laptop, with her lips set into a thin line. Even upset, she was a striking woman, and I couldn't help but wonder if those lips ever pouted. Or if they'd be soft if I kissed them. Or maybe if I bit one and pulled it back before I released it and kissed her until our lips were swollen and bruised. It had been a while for me, and it wasn't easy to sit here and not notice her.

               "Stop staring," she growled. "I wouldn't want to be a homewrecker."

               What the hell did that mean? Just what went on at that lunch yesterday? "Brooke, I have no idea what was said yesterday at that lunch, nor do I care. You're supposed to be working with me and learning how to do the job. If you can't do that, then I'll find someone else to train you. This attitude isn't going to either of us any good."

               She looked back up at me, her face expressionless. "We don't have to get along for you to teach me, so just teach me."

               I really just wanted to reach across the table and throttle her. I had no idea what this damned game was, but I didn't appreciate it at all. "How far have you got on the dolphin resort?"

               She sighed. "Not too far. I'll get further today."

               "Fine. Let me know when you've reviewed it and we'll see what you think of the new proposal, and if you can come up with some new ideas to help with it. Once you finish that, I have another you can work on." I wasn't going to cut her a break because she missed over half the day at some fancy lunch. If she wanted to keep doing that, then I knew exactly what kind of person she was going to be.

               "I'll be done today," she assured me, her eyes downcast.

               But it didn't work out that way. Just before noon, Jax and Bryan pulled her for another lunch. She looked up at me, blushing in embarrassment, and then left with them. Once more, I didn't see her for the rest of the day.

               It happened again on Wednesday and Thursday, and by Friday morning, I woke up ready to cut her loose. She was obviously not ready for this job, at least not the way I thought she wanted to be, based on what she'd said on Monday morning.

               So, of course, that was when she decided to surprise me.