16 The Highlight Of My Day

Staying up until 3 AM to finish that book was a huge mistake. Jonah had already been exhausted from working thirteen-hour days Monday and Wednesday plus freaking out about that near miss on Tuesday in front of his office and now it had all caught up to him.

He cursed Troy from the bottom of his heart for making him work on a weekend again when he desperately needed the rest. But there was one thing to look forward to about what would likely be a long and terrible day. Eden.

Dragging his weary behind to Freddie's in that smelly, itchy, and overall unpleasant dog costume was even harder than usual that morning but all of his weariness melted away when he saw Eden vacuuming. She didn't look terribly pleased to be there either but, the moment she spotted him, she flashed a dazzling smile his way and waved.

Jonah waved back with his heart hammering in his ears. That smile was lethal.

He didn't get the chance to talk to her before the doors opened and families came pouring in for the day. Weekends were the busiest times here and today was no exception.

The chance to talk to her didn't come until their breaks matched up around 2 PM. Since Eden worked from open to close, she didn't have her 'lunch' until about 4:30 PM before the dinner rush hit. Then her last break was close to 7.

She had told him all about her schedule when their breaks first started matching up. That had been helpful information in having Troy avoid the same ones on Fridays. Jonah wouldn't be the main one in trouble if she figured their secret out.

He ended up beating her to the break room by two minutes so he had barely enough time to take off the mascot head and have some water before she arrived. She plopped down next to him and threw back an entire handful of Sour Patch Watermelon at once.

"I hate weekends," Eden said flatly. She looked as if she had left a battlefield and he barely managed to hold back his laughter.

"Hey, you won't have to deal with them for much longer," Jonah soothed. "Just a couple more weeks before your schedule is more normal! At least I assume. What is your new schedule like?"

"8:30 to 5:00 Monday to Friday. A perfectly normal schedule with weekends and most bank holidays off. I'm so happy," she said with a blissful sigh.

Her happiness was contagious. He was thrilled for her; she deserved a better job. "That's awesome, Eden! Tell me more about it. I want to know everything they told you about what you'll be doing."

That was all the encouragement she needed. She launched into an explanation of what her duties would be based on the information the hiring manager had given her, using a bunch of technical terms he didn't understand but that didn't matter.

Eden had never looked so animated before. It was obvious that she genuinely enjoyed chemistry, even if she had originally chosen a science major because her mother wanted her to. She had confessed that little tidbit while they were talking about her job search last week.

After about five minutes of monologue, she stopped suddenly and asked, "Did you end up finishing that book? Was it good? Sorry, I ended up rambling."

Jonah was quick to refute, waving his hands in front of him innocently. "No, I loved hearing you talk about your job! I enjoy listening to people talk about their passions. But, yes, I did. Was it worth losing sleep over? Probably. Doesn't change the fact that I'm dead on my feet though."

Eden laughed. "What a glowing review. I'll have to check it out…but not start it so late that I have to stay up to finish it. What time did you go to bed, anyway?"

"…shortly after three in the morning."

"Geez, no wonder you're tired! You should have called in sick or something."

"I'm out of sick days," Jonah said ironically.

That was what had started all of this. Troy needed an emergency cover because he didn't have any left. And look where they were now.

He never would have met Eden if not for the original crazy favor that had been extended so his cousin could pursue his musical career. Despite how much stress this whole thing had caused him, he couldn't regret it completely.

Helping Troy out gave him a once in a lifetime chance to enjoy talking to a female in the flesh while remaining perfectly anonymous. Their interactions would have to keep him satisfied for the rest of his life considering how terrified all women were of him.

"That sucks," she replied bluntly. "I'm sorry. And here I am going off about chemistry when you're exhausted. I'm a terrible friend."

Jonah shook his head vehemently. "That's not true at all! You're a wonderful friend and I'm always happy to talk to you no matter what the topic is."

He realized how cringey that sounded immediately and wanted to backtrack until he saw the look on Eden's face. She was stunned for a split second before an even more brilliant smile than the one she gave him earlier spread across her face.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Talking to you is the highlight of my day," he confessed.

She was smiling so she didn't think he was weird. Being honest probably wouldn't backfire on him.

Eden shook her head and laughed lightly. "Nice to know I'm not the only one that thinks that. Talking to you is the highlight of my day too. You're easier to talk to than most of the people I know."

Jonah's heart flip flopped. If she really thought that, she would most likely be willing to continue their association over the phone for a while longer. He didn't have to lose her next week after all.

But that wasn't his biggest concern about all of this. What came after was. Taking things one day at a time might come back to bite him horribly later.

That didn't matter in the moment though. Right now, he was content to spend whatever time he could with the girl he liked. Nothing mattered right now but how happy and relaxed Eden seemed and the way she made him feel. The rest could be worried about when it inevitably happened further down the line.