the side.
“In that meeting, Townsend mentioned something about you wanting more responsibility. I’m betting a job done well here leads to career advancement for you. I’m new to Cypress and need to prove my value, so they’ll keep me on once this merger goes through.”
He works his jaw as he stares at me for a minute. “Why the hell would I care about your career?”
“You shouldn’t. I’m not asking you to. But you care about your career. Don’t let your anger at me get in the way of your dreams.”
He blinks, looking baffled, but he recovers quickly. He glares for another minute as if his mind were volleying between the different possibilities.
I hold my breath, waiting for whatever he decides. Eventually, he seems to come to the same conclusion I have.
He runs a hand through his hair, shaking his head. “You’re right. This fucking project is taking all of my damn energy, and I’m still not getting half the shit done that needs finishing.”
I push out a breath, feeling relieved that he’s finally starting to make some sense on the matter.
“We’ll meet.”
“Great. I was thinking of a Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday schedule. And before you say no,” I insist, holding up my hand to stop him when he looks as if he’s about to interrupt, “a short thirty or forty-minute meeting by phone or once a week isn’t going to cut it. You know this. I’ve got at least three different lawyers calling me daily with new updates. And I’ve lost track of all the numbers accountants are throwing at me each day. That’s in between the calls and meetings I have with counselors on their specific needs and wants for improvement.”
Mark sighs, staring off into the distance before his gaze returns to me. “Same on my end. Three days a week is probably the minimum.”
“I can squeeze in weekends, too.”
He eyes me. “Don’t push it.”
I hold up my hands.
“Call Suzette and have her put you in my schedule.”
“Starting today.”
He blinks.
“We’ve only got weeks to see this thing through. We’ve already lost three days.”
“Fine. Today. Whatever.”
“Great. I’m already in your schedule.”
“What? How?”
“Same person who told me you stop at this coffee shop every Thursday morning. Suzette. She may not know the ins and outs of this merger, but she’s great at memorizing a schedule. I’ll see you at four. You should plan for this to be a long day.”
I gather all of my nerves to give him one last look before I walk around him in the opposite direction, to where I parked my car. Though I don’t turn around to see, I feel as if he’s watching me walk away. The little tingle that moves up through my legs along my back body tells me as much.
Part of me wants to pivot and stare him in the eyes again. The other part of me wants to break out into a run to hide behind something. I don’t want him to see me. To see all of me, the way he used to. Even in high school, he had a way of looking right through me to see what others couldn’t.
Sighing as I slam my car door closed, I press my palm to my chest. Yep, my heartbeat is rapid enough to make one think I just sprinted that last block.
I close my eyes and steady my breathing to slow it down. At the same time, I remind myself, Don’t get too close.
It’s after seven o’clock at night when I pull into the driveway that evening. Another long day, but for the first time in a few days, I feel like I’m making some progress on this thing at work. And that’s only after my first one-on-one meeting with Mark this afternoon.
He remained cold and distant during the meeting, which I expected. But he showed up ready, with notes, files, and paperwork in hand. As I suspected, he was more prepared and better equipped to handle my inquiries directly than Suzette ever could. Given the headway we made in a few short hours, I’m feeling at ease when my cell phone rings as I sit in the car.
Smiling at the name displayed on my phone, I pick up with a, “Hey, Desiree.”
“I can’t believe I got you and not your voicemail,” she responds.
Desiree is my best friend. I was initially friends with her older sister, Deirdre. Deirdre and I became instant friends the moment we met in college in Seattle. She was fearless, opinionated, and spirited. She was everything I wasn’t,