Over the Hedge Read online

  Crystal started cackling. “That would probably get you the wrong type of attention.”

  She slowly started pushing herself on the swing, rubbing her nose in that way she did when she was uncomfortable about something.

  “Umm… you think I should give this marriage to Brian another chance?” she asked.

  “I can’t tell you what to do because I’m not in the marriage with you to know what goes on behind closed doors. Besides, why would you want marriage advice from a woman that’s been single for more than six years.”

  “Yeah. Well, with your new t-shirt you might be the one getting married next,” Crystal said, squeezing my hand.

  We started catching up about our week when I heard my dad calling us from the edge of the park.

  “Lucky, bring Crisis along and let’s get home. You know she bound to catch a cold since she ain't wearing but half her clothes out here.”

  “Daddy, that’s not even funny!” Crystal hollered back. “You know I’m your favorite!”

  “No, you are not. My favorite is sitting over there in that stroller with your momma,” he said, pointing at Fat Bastard.

  “Daddy, are you talking about that overweight cat?” I asked, looking shocked. It had taken my dad a lot longer to warm up to F.B. than Mom.

  “Dang it!” I jumped up from the swing, almost falling over when I lost my balance. Lucky for me, Dad was there to catch me before I face planted. I reached down and saw the thong on my right sandal had broken.

  Another one bites the dust.

  There wasn’t much point walking back to the house wearing one shoe, so I opted to make the journey back barefoot.

  “Yep. Fat Bastard is the son I never had,” Dad replied, putting his arms around our shoulders, “The best part is I know I don’t have to spend the rest of my life savings on a fancy cat wedding.”

  Crystal and I exchanged a surprised glance. Apparently, our father had heard a bit of our conversation.

  “How do you know FB doesn’t want to get married?” I asked with a smirk.

  “Oh, he can get married all he wants. But as the father of the groom; paying for it is not my responsibility.”

  We laughed all the way back to the house listening to my dad’s jokes.

  I was lonely, but I could never complain about not having a great family. I planned on taking Crystal’s advice to see if I could fix that loneliness. The first step would be being brave enough to introduce myself to someone.

  CHAPTER 4

  LASHAWNDA

  My day had gone from bad to worse in a matter of minutes after I arrived at work.

  Dr. Barnes returned from his lecture series in a terrible mood. As usual, I went to his office to find out if he needed anything. I knocked on the door and was surprised to see it yank open with him glaring back at me. His expression was a mixture of anger and irritation.

  “Good morning. How was the lecture series?” I asked, assessing his office in hopes of figuring out why the sudden shift in his mood.

  He ignored my question as he walked in front of his desk and started pacing. I took it as a sign that it did not go well. I tried to ask in a very calm voice about the details and received the kind of tongue lashing I hadn’t gotten since my first week on the job. I had made a huge mistake back then by booking him a seat in coach instead of first class for his trip to New Orleans.

  It was the first time we got into a shouting match. I was easy going, but the last thing I would tolerate was disrespect from my boss. Dr. Barnes apologized, and we hadn’t had an incident since then. But it seemed like that was about to change.

  “Damn it, Price! I thought you had more common sense than to ask such a ridiculous question. It’s quite obvious my trip went to complete shit.” His voice was so loud, I was positive the entire office floor heard him.

  He began pacing again, with his left arm folded underneath his armpit and his right rubbing his chin. Every few steps, he would stop and tap his fingers against his chin before dismissively flashing his fingers as though his previous thought was impossible. After watching the scene for a few minutes, I finally decided to leave him to his musings. There was no point trying to get him to have a real conversation when he was in one of his moods. And I was sure he had already dismissed me from his thoughts.

  I returned to my desk and started going through emails. One of my responsibilities was receiving all of Dr. Barnes’s messages. The entire process could be overwhelming, but it was quicker and sometimes the only way for his colleagues to get a timely response.

  “Dang it,” I cursed under my breath as I read the message from Brad Ealey, the lead grant manager. I plucked the headset from my phone and dialed his extension.

  “Brad Ealey,” he answered in a bored tone.

  “Brad, this is Lashawnda.”

  “Hey. How are you today?” I heard his voice perk up slightly.

  “I’m good.”

  “So, to what do I owe this pleasure?” he asked.

  I fiddled with the cord of my phone. Brad’s voice was beyond sexy. The man had a smooth baritone that reminded me of a radio show DJ. When he started a few months back, I was so busy watching his lips move in a meeting I completely missed the most crucial part. Thank God for my dark skin, because my cheeks were flushed with embarrassment when everyone in the room noticed my blunder. Brad didn’t give me a hard time. I honestly thought there was a possibility he would ask me out. However, that was well over six months ago.

  “I need a favor,” I started hesitantly.

  “For a beautiful woman, I’d do just about anything.

  “Well, I hope that means something for me,” I bumbled. “Anyway...I got your message about the New-Gen project. The previous lab manager was supposed to send me some figures regarding the number of specimens that were processed last year, but he’s out on vacation and won’t be returning for three weeks.”

  “You want me to push back the grant deadline?”

  “Please?”

  I could hear clicking on the other end of the line. “Honestly, I would love nothing more than to say yes. But this is the second extension the funding agency has given. If we don’t get it submitted by 4:59 pm, then we’ll be losing out on the chance to get a multi-million-dollar grant.”

  I rubbed a hand across my brow, fighting my frustration. “Why can’t today just be smooth sailing like I wanted?”

  “Because you’re amazing, and you can handle it,” Brad encouraged.

  “Yeah. I’ll believe that when I see it. Let me get off this phone so I can go drive myself crazy for the next six hours,” I replied. After I hung up with Brad, I settled in to get my task accomplished. The sound of Dr. Barnes’s door flying open and hitting the outside wall made me jump.

  “Those ignoramuses thought they could pull one over on me!” Dr. Barnes shouted as he passed by my cubicle.

  Lord, please don’t make him stop.

  I was going to be tied up all day trying to get the figures put together for Brad. The last thing I needed was having to manage one of his outbursts today. Any other day, I could handle it, but just not today. Unfortunately, the universe was not on my side.

  Fifteen minutes later, Dr. Barnes appeared behind me, holding a hammer and a pouch I prayed didn’t contain nails.

  “Price, we’ve got some work to do,” he said with a determined nod.

  I scrunch my brows together in confusion. “Okay…um… what type of work are you talking about, exactly?” I asked, eyeing his hand movements as he twirled the hammer. Before he could answer, one of the maintenance workers tapped on the side of the cubicle wall.

  “Hi, Sal. Long time no see,” I said giving the elderly man a friendly smile. He was a petite man with cocoa brown skin and stark white grey hair. His jovial smile and full beard always put me in mind of Santa Claus.

  Sal was one of my favorite people that worked at H&G. His sunny disposition was a fresh addition to some of the more somber people around the office. On the evenings I worked late hours, he
would always make it a priority to walk me to my car. He had a daughter who worked in New York as a fashion designer, and he loved showing me pictures of his grandchildren.

  “Hi, Ms. Lashawnda. I’m working the early morning shift now, so that’s why you don’t see me anymore.”

  “Well, I’m glad. Ms. Gladys must be happy to have you at home with her at night.” I walked around my chair, giving Sal a hug.

  “She does. But, now I gotta watch all those reality shows with her. She got hooked on that Real Housewives in Atlanta. I can’t tell what she sees in those people and their messed-up lives,” said Sal, shaking his head and returning my hug.

  “Sal, I didn’t call you up here to make kissy faces with my assistant,” Dr. Barnes said tersely. “Where are the supplies I asked for?”

  Sal walked around the cubicle and came back with a stack of wood cut into planks of various lengths. “Here you go, Sir. This was all I could find in the supply room, but I’ll look around some more to see if there are others.”

  I looked on slack-mouthed from the wood to the hammer in Dr. Barnes’s hand. I was afraid to ask what he planned on doing.

  “Close your mouth, Price. You’re lucky we’re not working out in the Everglades. A fly would have surely found a place to lay its eggs.” His voice was deadpan as if he’d just asked me what the weather was like today. But the image his words evoked caused me to snap my lips shut.

  Dr. Barnes walked over to the cart and pushed it into his office, with Sal and I following close behind. Without a thought, he knocked off all the neatly stacked papers on his desk and piled the wood there.

  “Sal, did you bring the saw?” he asked turning to the older man. Sal handed him a small saw with a red handle.

  “Let me know if you need anything else. Just dial extension 3000 and Gwen will route your call to me, Ms. Lashawnda; It was nice seeing you again.” He walked out of the office, shaking his head in amusement.

  “Dr. Barnes, can you please tell me what you’re doing with all this stuff?”

  “We are going to create something,” he replied, rubbing his hands together.

  “Dr. Barnes, as enjoyable as that may sound, I don’t think you’re allowed to use a hammer and saw in the office. What about the other people on this floor?” I asked, hoping he could see reason. The man had done some crazy things before, but this was a bit much.

  “That’s your problem, Price; You care too much about what people think. Now, grab that chair over there, I think we can use the arms for something.”

  “What! No, Dr. Barnes. You can’t be serious. I’m not passing you that chair. Cutting up the office furniture is out of the question.”

  “Well, leave if you’re not going to be of any blasted use,” he bellowed, brushing past me and grabbing the chair himself. With a pair of scissors and more muscle strength than I thought possible for a man in his late sixties, he started ripping apart the upholstery.

  “Oh crap—the grant!” The sound of my computer chiming made me run back to my desk. I got lost in pulling information from the data files until I heard a loud curse from Dr. Barnes’ office. His door flew open and banged against the wall for the second time that morning.

  “Price! I need some ice and a bandage,” he said before slamming the door again.

  I sighed and sent up a silent prayer for God to give me patience today. I pushed back my chair, bumping my knees against the file cabinet as I ran over to the lounge. I found a Ziploc bag and filled it with ice. When I opened the door, Dr. Barnes was holding his thumb in one hand and had totally dismantled the chair.

  “Dr. Barnes, please tell me what you are doing,” I pleaded, handing him the bag of ice and the bandage I’d pulled from the first aid kit.

  “I’m thinking,” he answered, annoyed.

  “Thinking?”

  He sighed and started speaking as if he was talking to someone dimwitted. “Yes, thinking. When I was a young boy I would work outside in my father’s work shed; it was at those times I came up with the best experiments. The smell, the feel, the sound of the hammer hitting a nail—it was all I needed to mentally design the best project that would win me first prize in the science fair.”

  He reached for the hammer as a look of nostalgia spread across his face. I didn’t have time to watch him relive his childhood. I left his office with another long sigh. I could do this. I could get through this day without losing my mind.

  Unfortunately, it didn’t take long before other members of the office started sending me emails inquiring about the noise coming from Dr. Barnes’ office. Some people even came by to ask me to make him stop. Like I had any control over that man. The noise was getting to me as well, but instead of complaining, I slipped on my headphones and started humming along to the music to drown out the banging.

  I had meeting notes from months of correspondences between the lab team and other members of the research department to compile into one cohesive document. As much as I wanted to enjoy the antics, adequately putting together a grant that would bring in millions was much more important.

  A very loud explicative came out of the mad scientist’s ‘workshop’. I got up from my desk, lost my balance, and bumped into the open drawer. The sharp edge caught the material at the front of my shirt and ripped it from the middle of my chest downwards.

  “Dang it! Another blouse to take to the seamstress.” I scrunched up my lips as I eyed the damage.

  The little Indian woman that owned the small shop by my house was making a killing from the abundance of clothes I brought to her weekly.

  I pulled my oversized hobo bag from my drawer. The container of pins I kept on deck was coming in handy once again. I was attempting to pin up the ripped material when I suddenly got the feeling that someone was watching me.

  I looked up to see the face of a drop dead gorgeous man with green eyes staring at me over the hedge of my cubicle. His hair was so dark it almost looked black, but the overhead lights showed subtle hints of brown mixed in. He had a strong square jaw that came together to form a proud chin with a small cleft. His lips were full and rosy in color. The corners of his mouth gave the appearance that he laughed often.

  From the description I heard from Jenny and the other ladies in the office, this was definitely the new lab manager. And, his looks did not disappoint at all. If anything, I could say that the women did not give him enough credit. The man was smoking hot, and he was tall!

  His eyes… They changed color from clear emeralds to a murky green. I followed his gaze to my hand clutching the two halves of my shirt. The exposed lace of my red bra peeked out around the mounds of my breasts. Instinctively, I pressed my hands against my chest. My eyes flew back up to his. His cheeks reddened as if he’d been caught violating my privacy. A nervous smile crossed his lips, and he nodded briefly before turning around and continuing down the walkway.

  Wow!

  I carefully pinned my shirt and chuckled under my breath. The flushed feeling that I got just from looking into those green eyes was unlike anything I’d ever experienced. I shook off the mental distraction and got back to work.

  A few times I caught myself daydreaming about the mystery man’s lips. I pulled up Dr. Barnes’s email and filtered through the ones from HR.

  Sean...

  His name was Sean Colcord.

  Curiosity got the best of me, so I pulled up the emails from the lab and read through some of the ones he wrote. His tone was forceful, even through text. I could tell he was young, not too much older than myself. But, the authoritative way his staff memos were written spoke volumes.

  A knock sounded on my cubicle. I quickly exited from my bout of prying.

  “Hi, Lashawnda. Sorry to interrupt you, but I’ve got to get the expense reports for Dr. Barnes recent trip.” Mallory stepped into my cubicle.

  “Oh, gosh. I haven’t had time to put those together yet. I’ve been so busy trying to get everything compiled for this grant,” I responded.

  The task of getting the rep
ort together took some time. I usually had to sit down with Dr. Barnes and go through his entire itinerary, so I could get receipts for food, travel and other expenses he picked up while away. And, with the mood he was in today, I was doubtful it would get done. “Is it okay if I gave it to you on Wednesday?”

  “But, no later than that. Thursday is the end of the month, and I want to get them in before then.”

  “Thanks. I’ll be sure to get it done in time.”

  “What’s that banging?” Mallory asked, turning toward the racket coming from Dr. Barnes’ office.

  I shook my head and laughed.

  “That’s my boss reliving his childhood and thinking,” I said, throwing up air quotes around the word. “He claims the sound and scent of building something helps him get his thoughts together.”

  “Is he crazy? He can’t be mad enough to think it’s okay to do that in the office. This isn’t Home Depot,” Mallory replied with a shocked expression.

  “Yes, I’m pretty sure he’s crazy. But, to tell you the truth? I can’t wait to see what he builds,” I said, laughing with a bounce of my shoulders.

  “I hope you never decide to leave this place. They would never be able to find someone who could deal with him like you can,” Mallory said her goodbyes, and I was once again left alone to get back to work.

  It was almost three o’clock, and I wanted to send the files over to Brad so he could put them in the source document. Halfway through the editing, I started to panic when my monitor went blank, and a blue error screen showed up.

  “Nooo!” I roared. “This is not happening.”

  I shut down the computer and rebooted it. It started up with no problems, but while loading my drives, it shut down again. The machine was finally cooperative on my third try, but to my horror, I was unable to retrieve the last version of the document I was working on. I immediately called the IT department for tech support. No one picked up, but I left an urgent message. It took thirty minutes, but they were finally able to retrieve a more recent version of the file.