Work Sucks

Hi, readers!  I just wanted to give some quick updates and ask a quick question.  Remember that Thanksgiving starts on Wednesday this week, at least in Liv's world!  Due to several requests, Friday's post will be a continuation of Kinsley's story.  Apparently angry hate sex is where it's at ;)  Also, in response to a couple emails I've gotten, I wanted to ask you all to try to be patient with some of the current posts that aren't as exciting.  Not every post can be a grand slam, and some need to be a little more boring to lay some groundwork for the storyline.  Unfortunately, we're kind of to that point.  There's lots to come for Liv in the next couple months, so hang in there for now!

After Kinsley's post on Friday, I'm out of pre-written Friday posts.  I'm brainstorming a list of posts for upcoming Fridays, so I wanted to see if there were any requests.  I'll gladly do backstories, other perspectives of current events, or just random Liv and Brody posts that don't really continue the storyline, since all those things have been requested/well received.  If you have a general or specific request, please email or leave it in the comments and I will do my best to get you all what you want to read, within reason, of course.  Some requests just might not be possible because of the storyline or other factors, but I think you guys know I try my hardest to accommodate the requests that I get! 

As always, thanks for reading, commenting, and giving your feedback in polite and constructive ways!  I truly think I have some of the greatest readers in the blog world!
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Getting out of bed on Tuesday morning was almost painful.  What was it about long weekends that made going back to work even harder?  Shouldn't it be the opposite?  I got there a little early to get everything organized for the week.  I walked into the conference room for our staff meeting at 8:25 and felt the tension in the air.  Most of our meetings have felt similar for the past couple months.  It was leading me to seriously dread the meetings, which I had once enjoyed.

The meeting started out the same as always, with announcements and updates from Jeremy.  As we were staffing one of my coworker's tough cases she was stuck on, the discussion got a little heated.  Two of my coworkers disagreed on the best approach to take, and began loudly arguing their respective sides, interrupting and talking over one another.  A third coworker interrupted and stated that the original staff member was too emotionally involved, and everything erupted into yelling and chaos.  Since one of my main goals in life was to avoid conflict in the workplace, I attempted to melt into my chair and disappear.  While they were arguing, a couple other people got involved, trying to mediate, and Jeremy simply walked out of the conference room. Charlotte and I exchanged looks.

Jeremy returned and raised his voice to be heard over the arguing people.  He got the situation under control and then tabled the matter.  We were then subjected to a 20 minute lecture about respectful interactions and constructive feedback.  What a delightful time.

After work, I knocked on Cassie's door.  I hadn't spent any appreciable amount of time with her in what seemed like ages, and she had invited me over for dinner and wine.  I was happy to see her, and we quickly caught up.  She, like me, had been applying at other jobs, and she'd had a couple interviews and even an offer, but she had declined because she wanted better benefits and they hadn't been willing to negotiate.

"If I'm going to leave the job I'm at, which I actually like even if I'm underpaid, I want it to be for something that will be quite a bit better you know?" she said around a mouthful of pizza.  I agreed, and filled her in on my job search and that day's staff meeting.

"Wow, you people are animals.  All pent up rage after spending hours listening to other people's problems, huh?" she asked with a laugh.  I laughed with her.

"How's the love life?"  I asked, cocking an eyebrow at her.  She blushed, which was highly uncharacteristic of her.

"Well," she said, "I sort of met someone.  He's really great but I'm pretty sure he has no idea I even exist."  She explained that he was a new coworker of one of her friends, and her friend had brought him to something they had all done together.  She admitted that she had spent most of the day coming up with stupid reasons to talk to him, and while he had been friendly, he hadn't really seemed interested.  "His name is Ben, and he's a pharmacist at the hospital," she continued.  "I just hope that Justin brings him along again sometime."  I was sure that if he got to know Cassie, he'd definitely be interested.  She's pretty fabulous.

We hung out and caught up until nearly 10, when I finally headed home for bed.   I called Brody, but he didn't answer.  He called back while I was laying in bed, and I answered sleepily. 

"Sorry, did I wake you?" he asked.

"No, not yet, it's okay," I replied.

"How was your day?" He sounded tired.

"It sucked," I replied.  I filled him in on the staff meeting, then asked how his was.

"Also sucked," he said with a short laugh.  "I'm paying for being gone for 4 days, but that's okay.  It was completely worth it."

I heard voices in the background.  "Wait, are you still at work?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm leaving shortly but I could probably stay another hour or so and not run out of things to do."  Now I felt like an even bigger asshole for my little outburst on Saturday.  If it wasn't for that, he would have spent a full day at work on Monday and wouldn't be quite as behind.

"I'm sorry," I said contritely.  "I shouldn't have been such a brat this weekend."

He laughed.  "Liv, I'd be crazy busy even if I hadn't only worked half of Monday, I promise.  Don't feel bad.  I'm glad we stayed Sunday night."

"If you say so," I replied.  "Well, I can let you go so you can finish up and get home."

"Thanks.  We're on for tomorrow still, right?"

"Yeah, why don't you just come over?  I'll make dinner and we can have a relaxing night," I suggested.  "Just give me a rough estimate of about when you'll be able to make it and I'll get dinner made."

"That sounds perfect. I'm thinking it will probably be around 8, but I'll let you know tomorrow, okay?  Goodnight, Liv."

"Goodnight," I said.  I paused, and then, "I love you."

"I love you.  Sleep well."  We hung up, and I fell asleep quickly.

Work went fast the next day, and I got home around 7.  Brody had called at lunch and estimated he'd be closer to 8:30.  I changed into comfortable clothes and at about 8:20, I threw some water on the stove to boil and sauteed chicken, garlic, onions, and mushrooms in olive oil and a little lemon.  While that was cooking, I threw together a salad and picked out a bottle of wine.

At 8:40, the doorbell rang.  "Come in!" I yelled, since I had a hot pot of pasta in my hands to drain.  The door opened and Brody stepped in.  He took off his shoes and his jacket and walked into the kitchen.

"Sorry it took so long," he said, kissing me on the cheek.  "Smells amazing though."  I finished draining the pasta and poured two glasses of wine.

"Actually," I replied, handing him a glass, "Your timing is perfect."  He caught me around the waist and kissed me, his lips lingering on mine.

"Good, because I'm starving.  I accidentally worked through lunch and didn't even realize it until after 5."  I looked at him carefully.  He looked exhausted, with dark shadows under his eyes and two days worth of stubble on his face.

"Sit," I commanded, pulling out a chair.  I filled a plate with food and put it down in front of him before getting my own plate.  I watched him for several seconds and then asked, "When are you going to get some more help?"

He laughed drily.  "Soon, maybe.  But I don't have time to make an ad and screen resumes and do interviews."  The wheels started turning in my head.

"Cassie used to do HR stuff, you know," I said carefully.  "If you don't need or want a full time HR person, maybe she'd be willing to help out temporarily until you can get the people you need."

He looked at me, still chewing.  "That's actually not a bad idea.  And I definitely do need a full time HR person, or even two, because all the HR stuff was done through the main office in Miami.  I just have been so focused on trying to keep my marketing person and dealing with that that I haven't even had time for look for an HR person."  He thought again for a second.  "Have her send me her resume if she's interested."

I was a little nervous, because if for some reason it didn't work out, I didn't want to be responsible, but Brody needed help and Cassie needed a new job, so why not?

I took our plates to the sink and brought back the bottle of wine.  I poured myself another glass and looked at him.  He held his glass out and I filled it as well.  I took the bottle back to the counter and stood behind him, massaging his shoulders.  He groaned as I dug my knuckles into a tightly knotted muscle.  "If you're trying to seduce me, you have zero chance," he warned me.

"I'm not," I promised.  "But if I really wanted to, I bet I'd have a much better chance than zero."  He laughed and reached up for my hands, pulling on them until my arms were draped over his shoulders and my face was next to his.

"You're right," he said.  "You're hard to resist."  He turned his head and kissed me. 

We moved to the couch and he laid with his head in my lap.  I massaged his scalp and neck with one hand as I flipped through the TV channels.  "You're going to put me to sleep," he complained, shifting slightly.

"I'm not clear on how that's a bad thing.  Looks like you could use some," I retorted.

"That's true," he mumbled, his eyes now closed.  A few minutes later, his phone trilled shrilly from his pants pocket.  "Fucking hell," he muttered, sitting up and pulling it out.  He glanced at the screen, then silenced it.  "Sorry," he said, yawning.

"Why don't we just go to bed?" I asked.  He stood up and stretched, nodding.

Brody brushed his teeth and practically fell into bed.  I thought he was already asleep when I climbed carefully under the blankets but he rolled onto his side behind me and draped an arm over me.  I shifted to a more comfortable position and he pushed his face against my neck.

"Thanks for dinner," he murmured sleepily.

"You're welcome.  Now be quiet and go to sleep," I whispered back.  I felt him nod, and soon his arm around my waist went slack.