by Sierra Rose
“And that’s wonderful. Let’s keep it that way.”
“Like I said, my lips are sealed. We wouldn’t want a whisper-fest.”
“No, we wouldn’t.”
“How does one go public with the juiciest morsel of office gossip? Make a boardroom announcement? Or put it in the company newsletter?”
She laughed. “Or we tell Joe. He’d get the rumor mills pumping nicely. He has the biggest mouth and everyone will know by the end of the day. That, or we leave a group event together. I guess that makes it pretty obvious. But the office gossip can be relentless.”
“Yeah, I’m not quite ready for the drama yet. So let’s not blab to Joe. Or anyone. And we’re not lying. We’re just not telling.”
Britt laughed as he chuckled.
***
Todd looked at Britt and smiled as she walked to her desk. “How was your weekend?”
“Great,” she said. “And yours?”
“Peachy. But I stayed up too late watching T.V. Good thing I live on coffee.”
He nodded, and then walked toward the coffee machine in the break room.
Marj grabbed Britt’s arm. “He’s going to drive me to the vending machine!”
“Why? Because he’s going to drink all the coffee?”
“If I have to spend the entire morning, every single Monday answering that exact same question to everyone here, I’m going to scream.”
Britt chuckled. “We should just hand out cards.”
“Like the size of a business card?”
“Yeah. It can say: I had a great weekend. Thank you. Spent time with my grandma. How was yours? Then he can hold up his card.”
Marj laughed. “I’ll see you later.”
“Okay.”
That morning Jack and Britt were chatting up a storm at the photocopier, exchanging meaningful glances. Seeing Jack made Monday mornings so much better.
“You’re breaking the rules,” Britt whispered.
“Which one?”
“No lingering looks.”
He shot her that dashing smile. “But you look so damn beautiful.”
“Jack!”
“We’re going to navigate the minefield of workplace romance just fine,” he said. “You’ll see. How about lunch?”
“No long lunches. That’s like stepping on a minefield.”
“Then a short one?”
“No getaways. It’ll draw suspicion.”
“Want to sneak away to the stair case?” he asked seductively.
“Yes. Wait! No.”
He winked. “The elevator then?”
She grinned.
“The storage closet? The bathroom? The copy room? My office? I don’t care where. I just know I need my lips on yours...desperately, right now, this very second.”
Britt stared deeply into his pretty eyes. “I absolutely love the way you kiss me,” she whispered ever so softly.
“I love the way you caress my face, so soft, gentle, and romantic,” he said. “Please do that while kissing me right now. In a hidden place of your choice.”
Britt laughed. “Stop. I’ve got work to do.”
“Yes you do.”
“Not that kind of work. And you have meetings all morning.”
“They drag on forever.”
“At least you don’t have to sit next to Becky in a cubicle and listen to how loud she types on her computer.”
“Annoying?”
“Just a little.”
He chuckled.
When Amy came, they immediately took a step back.
“I need those forms right away, Britt,” Jack said.
“I’m on top of it.”
“I wish,” he mouthed when Amy turned her head.
Britt laughed.
Jack called Britt on her cell phone. “Amy interrupted before I could ask you. Still want to meet my pops after work?”
“I know your dad very well. He’s my boss. Remember?”
“Ha-ha. You know what I mean. Want to still meet up with him so I can properly introduce you as my lovely girlfriend?”
“Yes. I’m nervous, but I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
“Great. And don’t think I’m not thinking about kissing you right now. It’s pure torture seeing you all day, and not being able to touch you or hold you in my arms.”
“You can wait. It’ll just make it all that more special.”
When Tina came over, Britt pretended like she was talking to an employee about the payroll. Jack chuckled.
“I’ll let you go,” he said.
“I’m on top of it.”
“I so wish!”
“Have a wonderful day,” she replied. “I will get that problem fixed for you as soon as I can.”
“I’m counting down the minutes and the seconds.”
After lunch, Jack stopped by Britt’s cubicle. She never even looked up because she knew he found the perfect excuse to see her. He was bringing her a box with copy paper for her printer.
“Do you have that package for me?” she said in a professional voice.
“Yes, I do. I have this box, too.”
Britt burst out laughing. She glanced around but nobody was looking or even around. He handed her the box and she thanked him, then set it next to her printer.
“Only a few more hours to go,” Britt said.
They talked for a few minutes before he left. Nobody suspected anything. They carried on underneath the cloak of invisibility. The last thing they wanted to do was turn their love affair into a soap opera. And dating the boss’s son could come with major pitfalls. The biggest one Britt could think of was being accused of favoritism.
Dating Jack went beyond the excitement of a fling. Britt loved the way he accepted her and loved her for who she was. She loved the way he loved her unconditionally. Jack made her feel happy, content, comfortable, and secure. She loved that Jack was her best friend in the whole world and that she could tell him anything. They’d talk for hours on the phone or late into the night. They even talked the entire night away after lovemaking.
Britt loved that Jack’s voice was the last voice she’d hear before she went to bed, and he was also the last person she’d think about before she fell asleep. She could also be herself around him at all times. And tonight...Jack was introducing her officially to his dad as his girlfriend.
She felt like this was the real thing. And that made her heart soar.
***
Jack brought Britt to the hospital to see his dad. They were going to tell him everything. Britt was a nervous wreck.
“Stop fidgeting,” Jack said.
“Easy for you to say. What if he doesn’t think I’m good enough? I’m just a bookkeeper, nothing more.”
“You’re a damn good one, the best I’ve ever seen.”
“But what if wants you to be with a rich doctor or surgeon or something.”
“My dad’s not like that. He could care less if I was dating a college student with no money. He only cares about my happiness. Because he’s awesome like that.”
She smiled.
He pulled her close. “My dad is going to love you. Hell, he already knows you and says nothing but great things. You have nothing to worry about.”
“Does he know how we met? That you took me home? Picked me up?”
“I love the way we met. We both had this crazy attraction and we couldn’t take our hands off each other. I’d never wanted any other woman more than you.”
“One-night stands have a bad reputation.”
“It might’ve started off with a one-night stand, but it turned into something so much more. What we have, it’s special and it led us straight to love. There’s no rule on how to meet someone. It’s all just chance and timing. And it’s silly to think you can’t have a future with a one-night stand. Besides, if I hadn’t met you that particular night, I would’ve met you at the office and I surely would’ve asked you out. So either way, we were destined to meet. And if you ask me, that’s fate.”
She cupped his face, tears welling in her eyes. Jack was a one-night stand Britt never regretted.
“I love you, Britt.”
“I love you, too.”
“So really, does your dad know how we met?”
“No, he thinks you just swept me away at the office, which is completely true.”
She grinned. He wrapped his arm around her and they walked into the hospital room. Her boss had the biggest smile.
“Hello, Britt,” he said.
“Hello, Mr.–”
“Please, call me, Dad.”
She looked at Jack and he laughed.
“I see you’re feeling better, Dad,” Jack said.
He smiled. “I’m a big jokester outside of work.”
“Oh, you’re kidding,” Britt said.
He looked down at my finger. “I didn’t see an engagement ring. But maybe in time I will, and then you can call me dad.”
She laughed. “Yeah, we’re just dating.”
“I couldn’t ask for a better gal to date my son. You are so sweet, talented, hardworking, loyal, and dedicated. And I hear you guys have this insane connection. Jack needs a girl like you in his life.”
“Thank you for all the sweet complements.”
“I mean every single word. And I’ve never seen Jack happier. I’ve been waiting for a girl to knock him off his feet. And I know you’re the girl that’s finally done it.”
Britt grinned.
“Jack has worked so hard and deserves to finally be happy. I can’t wait for him to settle down and give me about ten grandchildren.”
“Ten?” Britt asked.
His blue eyes twinkled. “The more, the merrier.”
“Dad, you’re going to scare her away,” Jack said, chuckling.
“I’m just excited for you, son. I know this is a new relationship, but I know how much you care and love this woman. She means everything to you, so she means everything to me also.”
Britt gripped his hand. “Thank you. I love Jack so much.”
“So how long are you two keeping this secret?” his dad asked.
“Well, Dad, you know how the rumors spread. Dating the boss’s son can cause all kinds of complications. We just don’t want the added stress. We want to focus on our relationship, not fighting off gossip.”
“I understand. My lips are sealed.”
They spent the next hour talking to him. He was the sweetest man and made Britt laugh. They had a few more visits over the next week and she saw a completely different side of him than at the office. He was always nice at the office, but so focused on work. Britt got to see the ‘fun’ side of him when he let go of work. And she could see where Jack got his charming personality.
***
Britt fell asleep with a smile playing at her lips. She dreamt of Jack. The two of them were on a long, lonely stretch of white sand beach with the sparkling turquoise blue perfection of the Caribbean Sea lapping at the shore. They were dancing across the wet sand in their swimsuits, laughing and kissing one another. She darted ahead of him and ran and he caught her, capturing her around the waist and kissing her neck. Little by little, their playful romping gave way to steamier caresses until they lay down right there on the hot soft sand and coupled swiftly, with fervor and desperation. He tugged aside her tiny pink bikini bottoms and filled her without even removing their clothes. He felt so big inside her, completed her so fully that she was shrieking, the piercing pitch of her own cries waking her. She stirred and sat up, felt her cheeks flaming with embarrassment at her graphic dream of a beach tryst with Jack. The piercing shriek came again and she looked around, confused, until she saw that her phone was ringing. It was the particularly high-pitched ring tone that had startled her awake, She rubbed her eyes and blinked at the screen blankly for a moment before recognizing Jack’s name and pressing accept to answer it.
“Hello?” she asked.
Britt was still half absorbed in her luxuriant dream, half in the discordant noise of early morning. It was still dark, she observed. Perhaps Jack missed her and couldn’t wait another moment to hear her voice.
“Jack?” she asked when he didn’t answer.
She heard a muffled static sound on the other end of the phone and shrugged, hanging up. Total butt-dial. He must’ve turned over on some cramped vinyl waiting room couch and bumped his phone which inconveniently redialed the last number called. She was debating whether to curl up and go back to sleep or get up and pee and then go back to sleep when her phone shrilled again. Because six a.m. sure came fast.
“Yes?” she asked.
“Britt, I need you,” a voice rasped on the other end. It was unrecognizable. If it was Jack, she never would have known by the sound of him, so altered, so hoarse.
“Is everything okay? Jack, is that you?”
“It’s me,” he managed and then a choking sound like a cough.
“Jack, is your dad—”
“He passed away!” His voice was high, broken, full of disbelief.
“No! He was fine last night. You said he was fine! I’ll—I’ll be right there. Are you at the hospital?”
She could hear Jack sobbing on the other end, a muffled, restrained burst of grief that tore at her heart. She pulled on jeans and a t-shirt and finger combed her hair up into a ponytail hastily. She called and left a voicemail at work that she wouldn’t be in that day, due to a sudden family emergency. She grabbed her purse and stepped in to her flip-flops, out of the apartment and on the way to her car within five minutes of hearing from her bereft, heartbroken boyfriend.
She made the drive to St. Teresa’s Hospital so quickly that it was all a blur. She put on her hazard lights and started switching lanes and passing people and running yellow lights. She figured anyone who stopped her would understand her urgency so she went with it. She parked at the emergency room and ran inside, ponytail flying behind her like a banner in her haste.
“I need to see Jack Fitzsimmons. His dad is—was—on D-wing.”
“Down the hall and to the right, then take the fourth corridor on your left. That leads to D-wing,” the security guard told her.
Britt took off running, her flip-flops slapping with an echo on the tiles of the stark hallways. She miscounted hallways and had to double back. She found D-wing and there was Jack, sitting dejected in a chair in the waiting room, head in his hands.
A fist seemed to clench around her heart as she paused just to look at him. She stopped short, her hand flying to her throat at the sheer grief just rolling off of him. She could feel his sadness, his shock. She dropped to her knees before him and gathered him into her arms.
“Oh, darling,” she said, her voice straining with an agony of compassion.
Jack’s arms went around her and she felt his shoulders shake. He clutched her tightly. The heat of his ragged breaths warmed her shoulder and she heard the choked sound of his sobs. She stroked his hair, gave him encouragement, and kissed the top of his head.
He had lost his father, his only parent. He was an orphan, alone except for his faraway brother who’d carved out a very independent and separate life in Australia and stranded Jack with the care and comfort of their father. She was only a girlfriend, a new girlfriend at that. She didn’t know his history, could not begin to fill the void left by his beloved parent. She stroked his hair, again and again. She felt completely helpless in the face of his obvious pain. Nothing she could ever say could mend this for him.
“What happened?” she asked at last.
“There was a blood clot in his leg. There was this thing...a machine that the hospital puts on your legs to keep the circulation while you’re bedridden. Well, he wouldn’t wear it. He said it was annoying and I didn’t try to make him do it. I didn’t think it was any big deal. But evidently, a clot formed and a few hours after surgery he just...the clot just...moved.”
“I’m so sorry, Jack.”
“I—thank you,” he said, choking up.
“What can I do to help you?”
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“I have to go downstairs and fill out a bunch of paperwork,” he said hopelessly. He sounded younger, forlorn.
“I could help. I’m a bookkeeper. I’m aces at paperwork.”
“Would you? Please?”
“Yeah. Sure. Just give me some basic info now, full name, address, social security number, date of birth, and I’ll fill in that stuff that’s always at the top of every form. Then I’ll go through the questions with you.”
“That would be great. Thanks.”
She produced a sticky note pad and an ink pen from her purse and Jack scrawled his dad’s information for her. Together they worked out the papers to release the body to the mortuary Jack settled on and completed organ donation forms and filled out what seemed like a million more papers in duplicate for no obvious purpose. Jack was finishing a cup of coffee and he turned to her.
“I have to call Charlie.”
Chapter 4
“Charlie?”
“My brother.”
“In Australia?”
“New Zealand,” he corrected. “I have to tell him Dad passed away and there’s going to be a funeral. He’ll have to be here. I’d rather not do it at all.”
“Do you want me to call him?” she said.
“Would you do that?”
“Sure. What’s his number?”
Britt called the number and a jovial voice answered.
“Hello.”
“Charlie Fitzsimmons?”
“This is old Charlie, eh?” he replied.
“Charlie, this is Brittney Collier. I’m calling on behalf of your brother Jack. I’m at St. Teresa’s Hospital just now and I’m sorry to say I have some very sad news.”
“Is it old Jakie boy, then?”
“Jack is doing well enough under the circumstances. It’s your father, in fact.”
“What’s happening?”
“Your father had surgery yesterday.”
“Yeah, Jack messaged me that it went righty-oh.”
“It did at first, but your father had a blood clot and he has passed away.”
He gasped. “No. Please tell me it’s not true.”
“I’m so sorry.”
He broke down and it took him a minute to regain his composure.
“Can I talk to Jakie?”
Britt covered the phone with her hand and offered it to Jack. He took it with resignation and from then on she could hear only his side of the conversation with his seemingly irreverent brother.