The Little Life

Chapter Sixteen

I sat in the bathroom for a few minutes before deciding to leave. I didn't want to go back to Jacks office because I wasn't sure if that was over, but I didn't want to bother Tristan anymore. I decided on the latter, stopping first at Jacks office to listen to what was going on inside.

No use. Soundproof doors.

I walked back to the bar and sat down. To my surprise, Tristan was nowhere to be found. I was starting to get sleepy so I walked to the first door and opened it. It was a pretty normal living room type room with three couches surrounding a large marble coffee table. There were a couple of smaller tables on the sides of the couch with chairs at those as well. I laid on the bigger couch and stretched out, then curled up into myself and fell asleep in no time.

I woke up to the sound of Jack talking quietly on the phone. My head was sitting in his lap, and my face buried in his shirt. I noticed a fluffy blanket draped over me and pulled it into me more, then nuzzled my face in his shirt, not wanting him to know I was awake. I listened as he spoke to whoever was on the phone about numbers and other boring stuff I didn't care about. He slowly pet my head as he spoke, making me let out a soft noise conveying my comfortableness.

There were a few minutes of this before there was a knock on the door. "Hey, boss we're about to open up."

"Five already?" he sighed, "where did the day go."

I pretended to wake up and stirred a bit, rubbing my eyes.

"Well good evening, sleepyhead" Jack said through a smile. "I'm sorry my meeting with Devan took so long. She hadn't had her review yet so I figured I would do it while she was there"

I smiled back and replied, "I didn't want to bother you guys so I looked around and talked to Tristan but then I got sleepy so I came in here. I'm sorry I should have asked but-"

"Shh don't apologize, baby girl," he said and I made a weird squeaking noise. "What?"

"Nothing" I blushed and hid my face in his shirt again.

He found my chin and made me look at him, then raised an eyebrow at me. He could do or say whether he wanted at that moment and I would die.

"I just...I like that" I said as I bit my lip. Not in a seductive way, but in my stupid nervous habit way.

He smiled at me and glanced down at my lip, then frowned. "You're bleeding."

I ran my tongue along the portion of my lip I had just been chewing when I tasted the metallic tang of blood and blushed. "Oops"

"Are you hungry?" He said as my stomach growled at just the right moment.

I nodded as he threw the blanket off me and stood up, holding his hand out for me to take. I accepted and stood up, following him to the bar that was now filled with patrons. I tensed at the sight of the crowd and Jack noticed, pulling me into him as we walked. We walked past the bar and straight into the kitchen.

"Aye boss! Who's the little lady?" The man who I assumed to be the main cook asked in a heavy New Jersey accent, making me giggle.

"This is Calysta. Calysta, this is Danny. He's the kitchen head"

I remembered Jacks words from earlier with Devan so I spoke up, "Hello."

"What can I do for ya, boss?" Danny asked as he wiped his hands on a towel and threw it over his shoulder before putting his hands on his hips.

"Well, I was hoping you could make us a snack while I finish up some paperwork. Nothing too heavy though, we're going to dinner."

I looked up at him in protest but knew it would be no use, so I just stood quietly.

"Sure thing. Hey, thanks for your advice with the misses. Got me some brownie points" Danny said as he winked at Jack and went to cooking.

"We'll be in my office. Just have Tristan bring it in" Jack said before leading me back towards his office.

Once we were inside I laid back on the floor to work on my unfinished puzzle while Jack sat at his computer working on the tasks before him. Every once in a while I would look up to see him staring at me with a smile on his face. It was cute and made me blush, which he got enjoyment from. Not long after we were back in the office, though, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Jack said and Tristan opened the door holding two plates server style. One balanced on his arm and one on his hand.

"For the pretty lady," he said, handing me a plate filled with sliced fruit and a homemade uncrustable. "And for you, boss," he said as he sat a plate down on Jack's desk with unknown contents. Upon further inspection, I realized it was half of a chicken wrap and french fries.

I sat in silence as I ate my food and listened to Jack and Tristan talk about hockey. I listened closely, trying to learn as much about Jack as I could. He and Tristan seemed to have a good relationship. They were both very relaxed in their conversation. After listening to them talk for about ten minutes, I was finished with my food and went back to putting together my puzzle that was almost completed.

"Look! I'm all done!" I said excitedly as I pointed to the now complete puzzle in front of me. I realized after I spoke I had interrupted Jack. I blushed and looked at the floor, half from embarrassment and half from the guilt of cutting him off. "Sorry..."

To my surprise, he smiled then stood up from behind his desk and walked over to me. He bent down and made me look at him, "Sweetheart, you were just excited. That's okay. Just don't make a habit of it" he smiled at me and kissed my forehead. He glanced over my puzzle and spoke. "You did a very good job, Princess"

I cleared my throat to shake some of the blush from my cheeks before shooting him a soft smile.

"Well I'm almost done here if you're ready to go?" He asked and I nodded, taking apart the puzzle and placing the now disassembled pieces back in their box. 

"Good talking with you, Tristan" he said as he shook Tristan's hand before he left, leaving Jack and I alone again.