Reunion Romance

by J. L. Ryan

  “ Oh…same ol’ same ol’,” she lied. “How have you guys been?”

  “ We have been good. We were hoping you would come home for the Independence Day Barbeque this year.”

  When she was living at home, she loved the barbeque. However, she was now twenty-five and had moved away nearly seven years ago. She only went home for the occasional Christmas when she didn’t have to work. “I think I’ll have to work that day and won’t be able to come back.” Again, she stated a lie.

  There was a long pause on the other end, before her mother spoke up. “Please try. Your sister has some news and we would love to see you.”

  News? Marisa thought. “I’ll see what I can do. I have two weeks to see if I can work it out.”

  “ So, you are going to try?” Her mother sounded hopeful.

  “ I said I would, but I can’t make any promises,” she snapped, then felt bad that it came across that way. “I’m sorry, Mom. It’s just things have been busy.”

  “ I understand,” her mother replied and Marisa knew that she really had no idea. “We just really miss you.”

  “ Yes, I know. I miss you guys, too.” When she lived at home, her best friend was her sister, who just happened to be only five years younger than her. It was tough on all of them when she decided to take off right out of high school. “Hey, I better go. I hear the doorbell.” She spoke, just wanting to get off the phone. “Goodbye, Mom.”

  “ Goodbye, Honey. I’ll talk to you soon.”

  “ Okay,” she quickly hung up the call and pushed her phone away from her. She didn’t have time to worry about her parents, too. She sighed, closing her eyes.

  She prayed that she would find a job quickly and all of this could be put behind her. She unplugged the bath and stepped out of the tub. She would get some much needed rest and then spend all day job searching, if necessary, until she had the perfect one.

  ***

  She crossed off the second job on her list and glanced over the openings. She wasn’t having the best luck, but she still had several positions open that she could apply for. She drove a few blocks and turned a corner, where a large law office stood in front of her. She parked the car and crossed her fingers, heading up to the door. When she entered, she looked around until she saw a wall that had several names on it.

  She walked over and glanced down at the listing. “Martz, Tucker, and Bradley Law Firm,” she whispered and then glanced up at the wall and noticed the name in gold letters. She headed in the direction the arrow pointed, to where she was brought to a narrow hallway.

  She saw the glass door with the name of the law firm and she went inside. She looked around to find a lot of bustling going on and people on the phone, talking over copy machines. She noticed a blonde woman, staring at her computer, but she didn’t seem too distracted by other things going on. So, she approached her. When she didn’t look up, she cleared her throat. Finally the woman looked up, clearly annoyed. “May I help you?” She snapped.

  “ Uh…” Marisa looked down at her chicken scratch on the notepad. “I am interested in applying for the job.”

  The woman rolled her eyes, “You and every other teeny bopper.”

  “ I’m not teeny bopper. I’m twenty-five and…” she began, but that made the woman appear even more annoyed.

  “ Yeah, did I ask?” She replied, rolling her eyes.

  Marisa felt awkward in that moment, nearly stepping back, apologizing for wasting her time, and leaving. “Um, I—“

  “ Go through that door,” she interrupted, “until you will find a large desk and you can ask about the position there. This is a mail room only and we don’t handle such things. If you would have come through the other door, you would have clearly noticed that.” She laughed with sarcasm and then went back to her work.

  Marisa wanted to say, did I ask? However, she refrained from being sarcastic and headed toward the door. She opened the door to find a much more reserved area. She walked up to the desk and a middle-aged redhead looked up and smiled. “Hello, may I help you?”

  “ Yes, I would like to apply for the position that I saw online.” The girl nodded, “Of course. The way interviews are being handled is by being interviewed on the spot. It usually lasts about a half an hour. Are you free to stay?” Marisa’s eyes got big and she nodded, “Of course.”

  “ Great. I will see if the boss is available. Please, have a seat over there,” she pointed to the chairs and Marisa went and took a seat. She found herself extremely nervous, as she scrunched the paper in her hands and waited for a response. It was about five minutes later, when she was walking back to her. “You may follow me.”

  Marisa attempted several short breaths, to gain her composure. When they reached a door, she noted that she was still as nervous as ever. The woman opened the door, allowing her to walk into an office. The moment she got inside, she saw a tall, dark, and gorgeous guy sitting at his computer. Her voice escaped her, as he looked up.

  He had the most magnetizing blue eyes, with brown wavy hair. His smile was charismatic and she was completely gone. “Hello. Please have a seat.” He motioned to the chair in front of his desk. She sat down, unable to function while looking at him. He smiled, cocking an eyebrow and giving her a peculiar look. “Why don’t you start off with something about yourself.”

  She searched for the words, realizing that she had to say something. “Um…my…my name is Marisa Jamison.”

  “ Ms. Jamison, it is a pleasure meeting you.” Again he smiled and she was caught off guard. “My name is Jeffrey Bradley, one of the lawyers here.” She smiled, still unable to speak. “Why don’t you tell me about your experience.”

  She looked down at her hands, then slowly her eyes went back to him. “Well, I don’t really have much experience. I currently work at a restaurant.”

  “ For how long?” He asked, taking down notes.

  “ Five years,” she replied, hoping to soon start breathing regularly again.

  “ It is true that this is different from a restaurant, but you have to have customer service skills.”

  “ I definitely have that,” she spoke, suddenly feeling a bit better.

  He smiled, “Tell me why you would want to work in a place like this?”

  “ Well, the restaurant I work in is getting ready to close and a lot of positions that I was looking at require more experience. I think this would be an interesting job.” She shrugged, “I am a quick learner.”

  He took down some more notes and then looked up. “Well, there have been several applicants. Some more qualified than others. The pay is competitive and we offer a strong benefits package. You would start at $55,000 a year.”

  She nearly fell off her chair. “Are…are you serious?”

  He nodded, “Did I stutter?” His face was blank, like he had flipped a switch and joined the dark side, but then quietly laughed and she shook off the strange feeling she had.

  “ No, but just a bit taken aback.”

  He nodded, regaining his smile. He then stood up and she figured that the interview was over. She was bummed to realize that it was only about fifteen minutes and she figured that that was not a good sign. She stood up and shook his outstretched hand. “When can you start?”

  Her jaw dropped, “I’m sorry?” He shot another glare in her direction. “When….can…you…start? My assistant quit last minute and I need a replacement.” He stated, slowly easing out the words.

  “ As soon as you need me.” She conceded, knowing that she would have to work around her work schedule. She just was elated by the turn of events.

  “ Okay, then I will see you tomorrow.” He sat down and went back to his computer.

  She processed the words in her mind, but before leaving she glanced back in his direction. “Tomorrow is Saturday.”

  He nodded, “I’m aware, Ms. Jamison.” She paused at his door, but he looked up. “Is working a Saturday not a possibility for you?”

  She was worried that he would snatch the job away,
so she quickly shook her head. “No, Saturday is great. Thank you!” She left his office and silently celebrated that things were looking up. Tomorrow was a new day and she wouldn’t focus on everything she lost, but everything she was gaining.

  ***

  It wasn’t until she was home and in bed that she even thought about how she didn’t know what time she should be there. She decided to just go in at eight o’clock and hope that that was fine with him. She dressed in her dressier clothes and headed to the office. When she got there, there was another car in the parking lot.

  She parked and went up to the door. As she walked through the offices, she noticed that the once bustling of a mailroom, was deafly quiet. She glanced around the room and then went to the other part of the office.

  She opened the door to find that it was also quiet. She casually walked down the hallway, the only sound was the clicking of her black high heels. She went to his door and saw him through the glass door, busy at his computer.

  She knocked softly. “Come in!” He called. She entered, but he didn’t bother looking up. “You’re late,” he mumbled, continuing to type away.

  “ I…I’m really sorry. We didn’t really…“

  He put up his hand and looked at her, “Don’t let it happen again.”

  “ Yes, sir,” she mumbled.

  He stood up and walked around the desk, glancing over her outfit and causing her to feel awkward. “You also don’t have to be so dressed up, unless we have a meeting.” She glanced down at her outfit and frowned, but didn’t say anything. “Follow me,” he ordered. They left the office and headed back down the hallway. He pushed a door open and they entered, bringing her into another office. “This is your office. You can decorate as you please, but don’t get too caught up in it. You will do a lot of work in my office and be expected to do whatever I ask of you.” He hesitated, a heated stare appeared. “Whatever I ask you. Understand?”

  She took a step back from him. She felt a strange sensation as he spoke to her. It was like he was cutting to her core and she couldn’t understand what was happening. “Yes, I understand,” she spoke, but she wasn’t sure if she really did.

  “ Perfect.” He leaned over the phone and pressed a button. “When you need to talk to me, press this button. It will buzz and inform me that you are calling me. When I call you, you will hear a buzz and you answer by pressing this button.” He looked at her, shifting to stare into her eyes. “Do you need to take notes?”

  She nearly laughed, then shook her head. “I think I have it, but thanks.”

  She couldn’t help but notice how his demeanor was different from the interview. He was belittling and acting like he was better than her. She felt like a child he was training to ride a bike or use the restroom. It was a different phase that she wasn’t expecting. “Suit yourself.” He shrugged, heading out the door. “Get comfortable with the office and I will get with you soon.” Marisa was sure that if she were thin and beautiful, he would have treated her better.

  “ Thank you,” she mumbled, walking around the desk and sinking down in the chair. She felt out of her element and hoped that it was just nerves, because she was already hooked into the job. The money would be more than enough to keep herself in the apartment. She started messing with the computer, getting a feel of the drawers in her desk, and swiveling in her chair, when she heard the phone buzzing at her.

  She stopped what she was doing and stared at the phone.

  She pressed the button that he showed her. “Y…yes?”

  “ Jamison, come to my office,” he ordered. His voice was almost gruff.

  “ Yes…” she started to say, but she heard a tone that signified he was no longer on the intercom.

  She rolled her eyes and headed back to his office. She went into his office and put on a smile. He stood up, with a pile of papers in his hand.

  He walked around and handed her the papers. She looked them over. “Follow me,” he ordered.

  She willingly did so, as he led her to another room. “Am I going to remember where everything is?” she asked, laughing lightly.

  He turned around and his gaze was cold and distant.

  “ Do I need to draw you a map?” He asked, with no sign of teasing. She shook her head and he turned back to the filing cabinets. “You are to file these forms by date that they were completed.” He pointed to the date and then looked up at her, “Understand?”

  She nodded. “Good!” He mumbled, heading out of the room and leaving her alone. She frowned, turning back to the filing cabinet. She didn’t know why he had to be such a jerk, but she wasn’t going to jeopardize it by questioning his actions. He was the boss and that was what she would keep telling herself, because it was going to pay the bills and that was what mattered most.

  ***

  Marisa woke up to the knock on her apartment door. She glanced at the clock and frowned, “Six o’clock?” She mumbled, putting on her robe and stumbling to the door. The knock happened again. “Coming!” she called, hoping it didn’t across as gruff. She opened the door to see that Jeffrey Bradley was at her door.

  She quickly pulled the strap tighter around her robe. She was not used to awkwardly standing in front of her boss, wearing just a nightie and a robe. “What are you doing here?” She asked, realizing how rude it came across. She didn’t care; she figured that it still wasn’t as rude as he had been the past three days.

  “ I told you we had meetings today.” He brushed into the apartment. When she turned around, she saw that his eyes were casually washing over her body. “Are you going to be dressed like that for every meeting we have?”

  She looked down at her outfit and then glared at him. “Smart…” she finally said. “If I would have known that you were going to be here at the early light of dawn, I would have been sure to put on a formal gown.”

  For the first time, since he hired her, she noticed a smile on his face. She had to take a step back, because she didn’t expect for a simple smile to melt her heart. “I apologize. You are most correct. I didn’t tell you about the fact that I like to prepare for the meetings. Since the first one is at eight o’clock, I was just trying to get a head start. I can come back.”

  As he was passing her, she reached out and grabbed his arm. He turned to look at her and she shrugged, “You’re here now…you might as well make the best of the time. Have a seat at the kitchen table and I will hurry and take a shower, get dressed, and be back before you know it.”

  “ If you insist.”

  She rolled her eyes. She didn’t really feel like she had much choice. “I do.” She left him standing there and hurried into her bedroom, where she grabbed a change of clothes and then went into the bathroom. She would make it a quick shower and then be out there and ready to start the day. She barely had time to think, before she was turning the shower off and getting dressed. She threw her hair back in a ponytail and went out to the kitchen.

  He looked up, “That didn’t take long,” he muttered.

  “ Told you I would be fast,” She replied, sitting down across from him.

  “ Indeed you did,” he replied, pushing the paperwork in front of her. “We are meeting with Troy Houser. He is suing his ex for full custody of his two children.”

  “ That seems harsh,” she mumbled.

  “ Excuse me?” He asked, looking intently at her.

  “ I just mean that she’s their mother. Why would he do that?” She shook her head, leafing through the papers.

  He opened another folder and pushed it toward her. She looked down to see a picture of a little girl, a bruise on her arm. She looked up at him, “Is there proof that the mother did this?”

  He shook his head, “No, but that’s why I’m here…to find proof.”

  Marisa snickered, “Whatever makes you sleep at night.” She put the folder down and closed it up.

  “ What do you mean by that?” He asked, clearly angered by her attitude.

  “ You may be looking for proof to prove something that
isn’t there. Maybe you are defending the wrong person. Ever think of that?”

  “ Why are you so convinced that he’s in the wrong? You know nothing about this case.”

  “ Maybe not, but I’m just saying that you shouldn’t just believe him because he’s your client.” She spoke, crossing her arms and staring at him.

  “ Duly noted, Jamison, but I don’t recall hiring you to be a lawyer. This is my case and my job is to prove that he is the better option for those two kids.”

  “ Even if he’s not?” She asked, calmly.

  “ It’s the price a lawyer pays. You don’t always get the innocent one.” He pulled the papers back toward him and continued to leaf through the files. She watched him, but she felt a feeling of dread inside of her. She heard a knock at her door. Their eyes met, as she got up and went to the door.