The elevator stopped on her floor. Zoe walked into work with a screaming headache that wasn't helped by M. Pearl McGuire's yelling.
"I want those files on my desk by three!" shouted the dark skinned woman. M turned in Zoe's direction and immediately stormed at her. "Zoe. I don't know if you knew this or not," she said with a kind of fake sweetness," but work starts at eight! Not nine thirty!"
Zoe put her head down and simply replied," I'm sorry."
"If your partner can get here at the right time I should assume that you could do the same!"
Zoe shot her head up. "What? How did Dan get here that quick? He only left my house at 7:30!"
"What was that?!" asked M with curiosity.
"Nothing. Never mind. Where is Daniel?"
"He's in there," she replied as she pointed to Dan's office. Zoe told M that she would never be late again and then Zoe made her way over to Dan's office. She quickly opened the door to see Dan on the phone. He was wearing the same clothes he had on that morning. The blue shirt was still wrinkled, face unshaven with that sort of ruggedly sort of look, and the circles under his eyes were so intense you would have sworn he was wearing eyeliner. He peered up from his desk.
"I'm so sorry. I really have to go. Bye," he gently put down the phone. "Um- hi."
"So what did you just go straight from my house to work? Did you even take a shower?" asked Zoe. She didn't realize why she came to Dan's office. Her plan was not to speak to him at all. Why did she have the urge to just be with him? Was it the fact that there was a small possibility that they had sex the night before? But that shouldn't make her want to talk to him. If anything it should make her want not want to have anything to do with him.
"I didn't feel like getting fired this morning thank you."
"Oh and you showing up to work a mess is a really good way not to get fired."
"Oh please! Why are you even in my office?!" Zoe put her hand on her head in pain.
"Dan, please don't yell," she whispered trying to get over the side effects of a hangover," do you remember how much I drank last night?"
"Apparently a lot. Are you sure you can't remember anything about last night?" he asked a bit softer.
"On the way home from dropping the kids at school I remembered…"
"Kids? Did you talk to them?"
"Well Cliff and I talked about his history exam he took yesterday and Hannah and I talked about her spelling test she is taking today."
"And Taylor?"
"Taylor had a friend come pick her up- wait why do you want to know if I talked with the kids or not?" Zoe asked being more confused than she thought she could be.
"Oh no reason just curious."
"I'm not buying it but not going there now." Zoe walked out of the room, closing the door with the door with minimum amount of sound. Dan sat back down in his desk placing his hands to his head. If she ever knew what happened last night he knew he would have no chance at all with Zoe. He had made a mess of things. If he would tell her what happened last night she might speak to him sooner than 100 years. Why didn't he tell Zoe sooner? He knew every little detail about last night and lied right to her face. He was thrilled though that she had not spoke to Taylor. If she had he would for sure be a dead man.
"Well Dan," he said quietly to himself," isn't this a great mess?" Then he heard a voice from the door speak.
"It sure is," replied M,"Now would you mind telling me what happened with you and Zoe?" Dan stood up as M closed the door and walked towards Dan. "And if you don't tell me I will fire you." The way she said it didn't make it sound like a threat but a promise.
Dan was half smiling. "That is our personal business. I don't have to tell you a thing. You don't scare me like you do everyone else."
"I know that I don't scare you. That's why when I say 'you will be fired' I mean it."
Zoe once again quietly closed her office door. She thought about earlier that morning. How she had slapped Dan. That had hurt her more than anything and she couldn't figure out for the life of her why. Why is he the only person in the world that I can like a dislike at the same time? He isn't getting to me though. I refuse to fall for him! He slept with me and took advantage of me. I do have to admit that I wish I could remember that. Zoe! I can't believe I'm thinking this! I did it with Dan across the hallway from HANNAH! This is insane! Ok calm down. You need to finish up this case. Just a bit of paper work and then your through. No more Dan! Don't think about him at all. She grabbed a pencil and stared at the piece of paper. This is absolutely no use. All I can think about is Dan. Ok if I finish my work I can go talk to Dan.
"Get this I'm making a deal with myself! That makes since though. I can't get in trouble for not working and then I can have a lot of time trying to figure out what happened last night. This should only take," Zoe looked down and flipped through a good 20 pages of paper work," three hours."