The rest of the morning was not productive at all as I waited to hear from Kevin and find out whether he was able to talk to Anna.
The uneasiness of the situation wasn’t what I was used to in my business or personal life. For as long as I could remember, I always had a good idea of what was coming next for me. If I was in a relationship, I could tell if it was going well or if it would be ending soon. That was probably why it didn’t devastate me when my ex-wife decided she couldn’t be married any longer. I’d felt her pulling apart from us for months before we actually had a conversation about it. The same went for work life. I usually listened to my gut and followed its recommendations for what to do. Sometimes I had to push myself out of my comfort zone in our business dealings, but even then, I could still feel that things were going to work out when everything was said and done.
Despite the ups and downs of this current business deal, my gut was telling me it was going to work out. Unfortunately, I didn’t trust that feeling at the moment. At that moment, I wasn’t sure my gut could be trusted to predict a damn thing.
By three o’clock, I hadn’t seen or heard from Kevin, and I definitely hadn’t heard from Anna. I’d gotten exactly zero work done and was calling it a day. I swung by Kevin’s office to check in and let him know I was leaving, but he wasn’t in his office.
“Hey, Zelda, do you know where Kevin is?” I asked.
“Yeah, he left around lunch time. Said he had some meetings and was going home after they were done.”
“Okay, I guess I’m going home too.”
My eyes could hardly stay open as I drove home and collapsed into my bed. I only got two hours of sleep before Clyde came bursting into the room after his day with Rosie. It didn’t matter how tired I was because when Clyde jumped into bed with me and smiled at me, I mustered up a second wind.
“Thanks, Rosie,” I said without leaving the bed. “Did you two have a good day?”
“We ate sand,” Clyde announced proudly. “But I’m not supposed to do that Rosie says.”
“Yep, don’t eat the sand.”
“I think more of it was in his mouth than in his stomach,” Rosie added. “He’s going to need a bath for sure. Would you like me to stay and do that?”
“Absolutely not, I’m looking forward to bath time tonight.”
“Can I take a bath in your tub?”
There were two main bathrooms that we used; one was in the hallway and across from Clyde’s room, and it was basically his bathroom since we didn’t really have visitors over very much. Rosie used that bathroom as well when she stayed the night. But then there was the master bath, and it had a giant jet tub that took nearly thirty minutes just to fill up with water.
“Sure, buddy. Let’s go for a swim in my tub tonight.”
“Yes!” Clyde exclaimed as he ran to his bedroom to grab his swimsuit.
When we took a ‘bath’ in my tub, we both just put our swimsuits on and played around in the water. The tub was too deep for Clyde to be in there alone, and it was much more fun when the two of us got to splash around together.
I walked Rosie to the door and peeked outside to see if Anna’s car was there, but it wasn’t. I hadn’t seen it since the night before, and I still had not gotten a reply from my voicemail or text message. The next thing on my list was going to her apartment, but I’d wait and see if she came into work the next day before I took that drastic measure.
“I’m ready, Dad,” Clyde said as he stood in the hallway with his favorite pair of Transformers swim trunks on. “Let’s go. I’m going to turn the water on. Okay?”
“Yeah, buddy, go get that water started.”
It was funny how energized I was even though I was still lacking sleep. Being around Clyde gave me the strength and energy I needed to keep going and finish out the evening. Emotions just weren’t my strong suit, and when I was younger, I’d pretty much successfully avoided dealing with emotions at all. But Clyde had changed all of that for me; for better or worse. I cared now. I cared about Clyde, Anna, Rosie, Kevin, and even Edward.
Since becoming a father, I’d been able to see how global the love that a parent has for their child is. And since losing Elizabeth, I’d also seen how a parent could be so selfish that they didn’t have that love. Even though I hadn’t been purposely looking for a romantic relationship, the friendship I’d been building with Anna was important to me. She was important to me. As Clyde and I played and had fun, I couldn’t stop thinking about Anna and how hurt she must have been by what she thought was going on. Without being able to see her and explain things, Anna would surely never forgive me.
After a bath and at least a dozen bedtime stories, I managed to get Clyde to sleep in his own bed. Within minutes of my head hitting my pillow, I was sound asleep and finally able to get some much-needed rest after a few stressful days.
Unfortunately, I’d forgotten to set an alarm on my phone, so instead of waking up at my normal time, I was awakened at eight o’clock when Clyde jumped into bed with me. He always had a level of volcanic energy in the morning that made me jealous. With age, that sort of excitement just didn’t come anymore.
“I’m sorry, Jason, he was eating breakfast and saw your car was still home,” Rosie said as she stood in the doorway.
“I know, you can’t stop hurricane Clyde,” I said as I grabbed him mid jump and held him up over me. “You look like you had a good sleep,” I teased.
“Yep, are you home today? We can go to the park? Or…”
“Clyde, you’ve got your new school today. It’s your first day of kindergarten,” Rosie said.
There are a few moments as a parent that I’ve been extremely disappointed with myself, and this was one of them. I’d been so wrapped up in work and my own life that I’d totally forgotten that summer was over, and it was time for Clyde to start school. What a huge thing for him, and I completely forgot about it.
“Oh, Rosie,” I winced as I climbed out of bed. “I haven’t gotten him any school supplies.”
“Clyde, go get your new backpack and show Daddy.”
Clyde ran off out of the room, and I was mortified as I stood there realizing what a crappy parent I’d been the last few months. Being busy at work had become my priority and not paying attention to Clyde.
“I’m so sorry, Rosie.”
“Don’t be sorry, Jason. My job is to make sure Clyde is taken care of when you can’t. He doesn’t care if you take him shopping. But I bet he’d really love it if you dropped him off for his first day of school.”
“Really, Dad? You’re going to drop me off at school?” Clyde said as he walked in carrying a Transformers backpack that looked packed with supplies.
“Yep! I’m taking you to school today,” I announced. “Give me two minutes, and I’ll be ready.”
“It’s okay, I have to eat my breakfast first,” Clyde said and ran in a near sprint back out to the kitchen.
“This is going to be a great day for him,” Rosie said and followed Clyde.
I grabbed some work clothes and threw them on before joining them in the kitchen. I made a quick piece of toast, and Rosie handed me a travel mug with coffee in it. The fact that I’d accidentally slept in that morning had worked out perfectly because I would have been very disappointed in myself if I hadn’t taken the opportunity to take Clyde to his first day of school.
As we were gathering our things to leave, there was a knock at the door. Rosie went to grab it, and there was Anna standing there. She was dressed in workout clothes and appeared to have just finished a run.
“Hey, Anna, I’m so glad you’re here,” I said almost too enthusiastically.
But Anna didn’t even acknowledge that I was talking to her. Instead, she kneeled down with some sort of toy in her hand and motioned for Clyde.
“Just like I promised you, my lucky Bumblebee Transformer,” she said sweetly as Clyde ran over to her and hugged her.
“You are giving it to me?”
“Yep. My brother gave i
t to me when I was scared to go to high school. I think he was joking, but I kept it in my bag, and I had the best time at school. I bet if you keep it in your bag, you will too.”
“My dad is going to take me to school today,” Clyde announced.
“That’s pretty exciting,” Anna said and looked up at me for a brief moment. “I bet he wants to make sure you have a great day.”
“Thanks, Anna, can you put it in my backpack?” Clyde asked as he turned around.
Anna slid the toy in his bag and then gave Clyde one last hug. Her eyes were so filled with sadness that I instinctively wanted to hug her too, but as soon as I started walking toward the door, Anna was walking away.
“Have a great day, Clyde; I’ll talk to you later,” Anna said and jogged over to her house.
Rosie looked at me with some sort of all-knowing glare, but she didn’t say anything. She grabbed Clyde’s hand and walked him out to the car as I followed behind them. Only when Clyde was buckled in, and the door was shut, did Rosie finally talk.
“So, what was that?” she asked with a smile and a little raise of the eyebrow.
“What was what? She’s our neighbor.”
“No, she looked at you.”
“What? You’re looking at me too,” I said defensively.
“She looked at you like a girl who is in love and has a broken heart,” Rosie said in her all-knowing way. “I guess I missed this. When did you and Miss Anna get together?”
“We aren’t together. We are friends who had an argument.”
“So, you did something stupid?” Rosie laughed.
“Yes, I did.”
“There’s still time to save your friendship; she clearly still has feelings for you,” Rosie said nonchalantly. “Make a good effort, though. Not the same kind of effort you made when you said you were going to stop eating bacon.”
Rosie and I both chuckled at her comparison. A few months prior, I’d been convinced by a news story that bacon wasn’t good for me. I told Rosie I wasn’t eating it any longer, but then the very next morning I grabbed a fast food breakfast sandwich that had bacon in it. Since then, Rosie used that to tease me, and it always made me laugh.
As Clyde and I drove to his school, I was smiling just as big as he was. This was a moment that I’d almost missed by being so consumed with my work. Since Elizabeth left, I’d made some big changes and worked hard to take the weekends totally off with Clyde. But this was just a reminder that I still had more changes that needed to be made.
Chapter 12
Anna
“You aren’t going to work again?” Patrick asked as I came in the door to our apartment.
“No, I’m not going back there. I hate them all.”
“That’s not true.”
“Well, I’m still not going back there.”
“So, you’re going to get a different job that pays you twenty-five dollars an hour for doing what you love?” Patrick said as he started to laugh. “Just so you know, I only make seventeen dollars, and I hate my job.”
“I don’t know, maybe I’ll start college.”
“Classes are already starting, so you’ll have to wait at least until the next semester and probably until the next fall.”
Patrick seemed like he was trying to get me to go back to work with Jason, and I just couldn’t do that. He was a rotten man without a conscience, and I didn’t want to be friends with him, work with him, or kiss him ever again.
I could find a different job. It didn’t matter to me. Jobs weren’t that hard to find; I’d just get out there and start applying to some. I could finish my college application material as well and start school the next semester. I did love business, and getting my MBA sounded like a really good plan.
“I’m going to take a shower so I don’t have to be grilled with your questions any longer,” I grumped as I went down the hall to our bathroom.
“Maybe it was all a misunderstanding,” Patrick blurted out. “You should at least talk to him first before you feed him to the wolves.”
“Why do men always defend each other? I thought you were on my side.” I huffed and slammed the bathroom door.
As I showered, I was getting myself more and more worked up thinking about Jason. It wasn’t just that he was trying to trick my father, but he was trying to trick me as well. He’d convinced me he was a good guy. I’d been utterly in love with him and thought he was so honest and respectable, yet he was going behind my back and going to sell my dad’s company off in tiny pieces? That wasn’t something a person I respected would do.
By the time I climbed out of the shower, my blood pressure was sky-high, and my hands were shaking with anger. I wrapped a towel around myself and stormed back out to the living room to talk to Patrick.
“He’s a liar, Patrick. I was falling in love with a liar.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I do. And you know what? I’m going to tell him that to his face. I have to tell my dad what’s going on before they lay this news on him, and I’m going to talk to Jason before I tell my dad.”
“Good, you should do that. Call him right now,” Patrick said as he handed me my cell phone.
“I’m going to.”
“Do it,” he encouraged.
I dialed Jason’s number, and it rang four times. Just before the voicemail picked up, Jason answered, and I could tell instantly he was driving and I was on speaker phone. I worried that Clyde might be in the car, so I didn’t yell and scream at Jason, which was what I wanted to do. “We need to talk,” I said firmly.
“I’ll be right over,” he replied and then hung up.
Patrick looked at me strangely as I put the phone down rather quickly for a phone call. I just stared at him for a minute as the brief conversation played in my head. Was he coming over this very second? I better go get dressed.
“Voicemail?”
“No, he says he’s coming over,” I replied.
“Good, you two need to have this conversation in person. I’m going to head in to work. Text me if you need anything. And give the guy a chance. A lot of times there are different ways of looking at a situation. So just try to see things from his point of view if you can.”
“I don’t know how ripping someone’s life work from them can be positive in any way, but sure, I’ll give him a chance.”
Patrick grabbed his bag and opened the door to leave, and there was Jason standing in front of our door. He was out of breath from climbing the stairs and hunched over with his hands on his knees.
“Wow, that’s a workout,” he said as he stood up and tried to slow his breathing.
“Okay, well, I’m out of here. Enjoy your talk,” Patrick said as he slipped past Jason and down the stairs.
“I need to get dressed,” I said quickly and then hurried back to my room.
Having Jason standing at my door threw me off and made me feel like I wasn’t in control at all. I took my time finding what I wanted to wear while Jason stayed out in the living room. First, I grabbed some jeans and a T-shirt but then decided I might want to look cute when I talked to him. I looked at my dresses and couldn’t find one that I liked and was basically standing there looking at my closet contemplating what I should wear and the implications of every outfit when Jason knocked on my door.
“Are you really getting dressed or just hiding in there?” he asked.
“Sorry, I’m getting dressed,” I said and put the jeans and T-shirt on.
“It’s okay. I’ll wait all day if I have to.”
When I finally came out of my room, Jason was sitting on my couch with one arm around the back cushions. He looked really comfortable there and so handsome that I had to look away to try and avoid getting swept away by his good looks. His blond hair was combed back nicely and his scruffy beard trimmed up. He was wearing a perfectly tailored dark gray suit and an aqua blue tie that made his eyes absolutely shimmer as he looked up at me. The slight smile spreading across his face simultaneously made me weak in the kne
es and angry all before I’d even said a word to him.
“I’m not coming to work today. I think it’s best if I quit.”
“Why?”
“You know why. Let’s not pretend here.”
He grimaced a little but still didn’t look upset at all by what I was saying. His delicious blue eyes kept staring at me like he was waiting for me to say something else, but I didn’t have anything to say. Jason was the one who should be apologizing and explaining himself, not me.
“Humor me and come sit down, please,” he said as he tapped the couch.
“You can’t win me over with that damn smile and charm of yours. I’m not falling for it. I heard you saying you were going to break up my father’s company. There’s no way you can deny it.”
“You’re right. That’s what we are going to do…”
“See you’re a liar and a crook, and I don’t want anything to do with you. Why are you even here? I can’t imagine that you need an assistant that much. I’m sure you can find some other girl to lie to.”
Jason rolled his eyes at me and then unbuttoned his suit jacket as if he was planning on staying awhile. He stood up and slowly took the jacket off before sitting back down and starting in on the sleeves of his shirt. “This is going to take a while,” he said as he began rolling up each of his shirt sleeves.
“What’s going to take a while?” I said as I crossed my arms and looked at the spectacle he was making of himself.
“Convincing you that I’m not a monster. It’s going to take a while, and I’m staying until I’ve done a good job of it.”
“So, you’re just going to invite yourself to stay here?”
“Yeah, I guess that’s what I’m doing. Do you want me to make some food? I’m hungry, and I bet you’re hungry after your run as well.”
“No,” I yelled as I stood up. “I don’t want you to make me any food. I don’t want to even talk to you. You can keep your ridiculous explanations—I don’t need to listen to them.”
Jason didn’t move a single muscle as he stayed put on the couch. He actually looked amused at me as I became more and more angry.
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