Page 35 of Harboring Shantae

"Yes, I know that," Wes snapped. "Which is why I tried to fix things before she got back but obviously I only made it worse. Now I'll have to hear it from Jennie, because Nancy will surely tell my wife that I screwed up."

That was rough and the many downfalls of having significant others working in the same place. The irony of what he was about to discuss with his boss wasn't lost on him.

"She'll forgive you eventually. She always does."

"And which one would that be?"

Well, shit. He figured Wes would just agree with him and move on.

"Nancy. I can't speak for your wife."

Jennie wasn't as fierce as Trista, but she was no pushover either. The woman had to be tough to live with his grumpy boss.

"You wanted to speak to me about something?"

Now Panther was regretting his timing. It would've been easier if his boss was in a better mood.

"Yes. Shantae met with Trista earlier about finding a job. One of the things she said she liked to do was work with children. I think the plan is to go back to college to earn her degree in education but Trista mentioned working here so Missy didn't have to do both all the time."

Wes threw his hands in the air and walked to the other end of the large room. Normally this was the place where everyone gathered, but today, it was surprisingly empty.

"When did I lose control? When did the women start taking over?"

Panther figured that was more of a rhetorical question, so he kept his mouth shut. There was no reason to piss his boss off any more than he already was.

"I swear Trista thinks she runs this place," Wes continued, "and we all know Nancy actually does. And then there's my wife who, I swear, gets off on telling me what to do. Add in all the other wives whose main mission is to torture me and I'm slowly going insane."

Ah yeah, he wasn't touching that with a ten-foot pole. Nothing he said would end in his favor. It was better just to keep his mouth shut.

"Of course, Shantae would be an asset. Do you know how often I have to listen to the men bitch that they don't trust anyone with their kids? How Missy hasn't quit is beyond me. That woman is a fucking saint. But maybe with someone permanently in the position, the women will stop having a reason to show up all the time."

This was definitely going to stay as a one-sided conversation. The amount of rambling his boss was doing was highly unusual; add in the pacing back and forth, and Panther was convinced Wes finally lost it.

"Probably not though because I think the real reason they come here is to fuck with me."

Wes fell into a chair with a huff and his arms crossed over his chest. When a solid minute passed without his boss saying anything, Panther asked, "So is that a yes on hiring Shantae?"

He couldn't be too sure, and assuming anything at the moment seemed like a bad idea.

"Yes, it's a fucking yes to hiring her. Have her go see Nancy about getting set up in payroll. That way, I don't have to listen to her bitch at me some more."

"On it." He took one step before Wes spoke again.

"Not so fast."

Shit. So much for hoping his boss was too distracted to question him.

"I know it's only been a couple of days, but how are things going with Shantae?"

"She's good. Seems to be adjusting just fine."

"That's not what I mean, and you damn well know it."

He did, but the thought of talking about himself made him physically ill. He avoided it at all costs.

"I'm fine as well."

"Don't lie to me, Panther. We both know you were adamant that marriage wasn't for you. And while I'm a firm believer that people can change, this wasn't something you seemed willing to budge on."