Cloaked

by Shore, Lauren

  She was so unnerved, “Thank you, but I don’t deserve the job. I don’t deserve any of this. Thank you so much for all of these good deeds. I appreciate it more than you can imagine. You must be my guardian angel.”

  Glen wanted to be more than that, but he tried to keep it simple for now because he knew it wasn’t the right time. “Really, I need a secretary and you would need to train the replacement anyway. At least do as much to train a replacement for me. After all, it is only for a month.”

  Catherine knew at that moment Glen wouldn’t be interested in her as anything else permanent because as he said, it was only for a month. But, Catherine also knew Mrs. Upman could do the job. Instead of saying that she replied, “Well, I guess I owe you that much, at least.”

  Glen was happy that at least he had a month to make her see how much she meant to him and he would do just that. In the end perhaps he could put his mother’s ring on her finger which at the moment was almost burning a hole in his pocket by his drive to do it that second. But, Glen knew if he proposed now she wouldn’t think she deserved him and he wanted her to be sure and as in love with him as he was with her.

  Chapter 16

  Over the next month, Catherine was in much of a daze. She was moving stuff around her mother’s house; much of it removing the boxes her Uncle brought in to take things out and moving her own things back in. Catherine also changed the locks and was glad for the help Glen was giving her with everything when he took off work early, which was a lot of lately. Even Sweetie the cockatoo was getting somewhat attached to Glen. In fact, both girls loved his visits. Catherine was now in the office only half days helping the new girl get further customized to the work and where everything was located. She grasped everything rather quickly and for that Catherine was half glad because she got to be in her mother’s house and store getting things together embracing herself with memories. But, she was also pretty sad because the lessened work load meant she thought about missing her mother a lot.

  The only time she saw Glen in the last few days were the half days she was in the office training Glen’s new assistant. It was almost like an onslaught of work came on that grabbed his attention. Catherine sat at her desk in the office and prayed she would be lucky and he would come lend any help towards the store or the house today after work hours. It was more than usual that he would stop by and they would sit in the backyard by the fountain. Catherine’s mother’s house was a wide expanse built on many acres and had been in the family for generation upon generation. It was the one thing left to her and not her brother James by their parents. The backyard was large and had a fountain out from the house in the center a little while back from the house which was widely lit and provided Catherine with enough light to sit there and read a book or perhaps draw, even late at night. Also, it was very peaceful and serene for anyone to sit and relax, especially at night, where you could look up at the stars. There was even a switch to turn off the lights to see the stars more clearly.

  Today was somewhat of a normal day for Catherine. She went to work, as normal, to finish up the training of the new secretary, Mrs. Wells. She told Mrs. Wells a little more about the normal things that go on around the office and the lady laughed when Catherine mentioned using a pencil all the time on account of the boss changing his mind often. It turned out Catherine liked training the woman, but it wasn’t the same as her with Mrs. Upman. Even though she liked her, it wasn’t the kind of bond Mrs. Upman and Catherine share.

  Even though both were hard at work, Catherine and Glen still saw a lot of each other, whether it was because Catherine asked for help around the house or because they were in the office together. She thought it was surprising Glen would come over just to watch her paint by the fountain while he read. She wondered if he thought it was a waste of time, especially when Catherine prodded him to read something other than the Wall Street Journal. They got a lot closer over the month, but it seemed Glen kept a far but not too far distance from her.

  It was around the twentieth of the month and Catherine knew she had very little time before she left the office completely. She knew it was a long shot that Glen loved her back after what she did, but Catherine knew how she felt and how much in love she was with Glen. So, Catherine went in to talk with her boss ten minutes before she went home to ask him to come over for dinner tonight and disguised it under the pretext that she needed his help to move heavy furniture she couldn’t possibly lift by herself. She figured there was uncertainty with praying, she wanted his presence to be definite. Since it wasn’t unusual for Catherine to ask Glen for help moving something around her house he didn’t think any differently. He responded in the affirmative and told her, “I’ll be there around eight o’clock tonight. I have a lot of work to do, so I can’t be there before. Is that alright?”

  She smiled, “That would be great. See you then.” Catherine left the office, happy because she was able to do some shopping and a few chores before he came over. She walked down the hall and said goodbye to Mrs. Wells as she started to get ready. Her first stop was the supermarket. She decided to make steaks with a shrimp dish as a starter. By the time she was done with the shopping and back at her house, Catherine realized she only had two and a half hours left once she got to her house, so she started to hustle. She quickly made preparations for the dinner and Catherine ran up the stairs and jumped in the shower. It only took her an hour to shower, put on makeup, and get her hair done. As she was standing in the closet determining what to wear when the phone rang. “Hello?”

  “Catherine, it’s Glen.” His voice sounded hesitant and Catherine wondered what was going on.

  “I’m going to be a little early, is that alright?”

  Her head was screaming no, but Catherine said, “Sure, how early?”

  “Be there in a little less than a half hour. I’ll see you then.” Glen said just before he put the phone down.

  Catherine ran back in the closet and decided on the black slinky dress, never worn hanging in her closet. After all, why shouldn’t she wear something sexy once in a while and this occasion really called for it. She thanked god her makeup and hair was already done and ran down the stairs to see how the food was coming along. By the time the doorbell rang the food was nearly ready and Catherine was close to calm. She walked across the foyer and just then remembered her outfit was not totally complete; she was wearing no shoes. So, she ran back up the stairs yelling, “One second!” Catherine knew Glen did not like to be kept ready and threw on her shoes, ran back down the stairs, pulled herself together, and walked the remaining steps toward the door so she looked somewhat calm and stable as she opened the door.

  The door was opened and a nice aroma greeted Glen almost at the same time as he feasted he eyes on Catherine. He thought she looked amazing, but reminded himself that it wasn’t the right time yet to be thinking those thoughts; he needed the full month to open Catherine’s eyes. He didn’t want a half relationship, Glen wanted the whole thing and wasn’t sure Catherine was ready for that yet. But, he thought it was alright to enjoy himself a little tonight. He smiled at Catherine and handed her a paper bag. “You look amazing.”

  “Thank you.” Catherine looked into the paper bag, “Champagne?”

  “Well, I thought it would go well with dinner and I had some extra time. So, are you going to invite me in?”

  “Of course.” Catherine stepped aside as Glen walked past her into the house.

  “Are you hungry?”

  “Yeah, what smells so good? I’m starved.” He said walking further into the house.

  Catherine swung her hips a little and walked closer towards Glen, “Just a little something I cooked up.”

  “You mean we aren’t having a microwave dinner as usual?” He said backing up and walking towards the dining room.

  “We don’t always have microwave dinners; you are just usually here when I don’t have anything around to cook because I’m so focused on getting everything together. So, take a seat,” Catherine told him a
s she walked into the kitchen to serve everything.

  Glen threw his jacket on the chair at the dining room table, took a seat, and put his arms on the table, “So, okay, now it’s your turn to feed me right because your big strong man does all the hard labor around here.” He said is the most gruffly voice he could utter.

  Catherine laughed, showed her head through the doorway, and countered in her gruff voice, “Yes, sir Mr. Manly man.” She walked into the kitchen pleased everything was going as planned and they were having a nice time. The shrimp appetizer was ready and she brought it out to the table. “I know they aren’t the same as the wonderful food you serve at the office, but I like to think it’s pretty good.” She said while taking the seat next to him.

  Glen took a forkful to his mouth, “Mmm, you don’t do yourself justice, the shrimp are amazing.”

  The statement lit up Catherine’s eyes, “I don’t know, you could be pulling my chain.” Then she took a bite and said, “Okay, I admit it, they are good.”

  “Alright, alright, you do deserve to toot your own horn a bit.” Glen said as he was shoving the rest of his appetizer down his throat. Having no food at the office made everything take extra amazing.

  She had completely forgotten about the main course and gasped as she ran into the kitchen; Catherine let out a sigh of relief once she realized it wasn’t burnt to a crisp. “You are in for a surprise, it looks pretty good.” She called in to Glen.

  “Really? Good, bring it in and let my taste buds dance!” He joked with her.

  Catherine brought out dinner and set a plate in front of Glen as well as one in front of her place at the table. Then she walked back into the kitchen and took the bottle of champagne Glen brought she had put on ice as well as the two glasses into the dining room.

  As Catherine finished dishing out Glen’s plate and started dishing hers, Glen tasted the main course, “Wow, this food’s great. You make this yourself?”

  “You like it?” She asked when she handed a glass of the champagne to Glen, happy by his initial reaction.

  “Yes, very much.” As he took the champagne, he added, “Thank you.”

  They toasted together to the future and what it may bring, drank the first sip, which Catherine divulged was very good champagne, and ate the dinner. After Glen finished eating he asked, “So, where’s this couch I have to help you move?”

  “Couch?”

  “Yeah, you said to come by for dinner because you needed me to move a couch. Now, dinner was great, but I should move the furniture before I have too much champagne.”

  “Oh, couch! Um…there is no couch.” She said with her head turned down. “I’m caught, aren’t I?”

  Glen smiled inwardly and was happy that Catherine wanted him to be there, it would make it all the much easier when he set his plan to work, but he wanted her to love him and to trust him with everything, especially her heart. He knew that would take more time and knew that meant leaving now. So, as he walked towards the door, he said, “Well, thank you for dinner, it really hit the spot and I’m glad you had me over, even if it wasn’t to move anything. But, I have some work to finish up tonight, so I have to go.”

  Disappointed, “You aren’t coming back to the fountain? I thought you were done with work for the night.” She said trying not to sound to anxious.

  “I can’t. I’m sorry.” He took her hand and kissed it. “See you tomorrow morning,” he said as he opened the door and walked through it.

  “Bye,” she called to his back. Catherine wondered what was wrong and why he wasn’t interested in her. She thought she looked good and couldn’t figure out what happened, but assumed he didn’t want her or like her like that anymore. But, if nothing else, she would take his friendship.

  As the end of the month neared, Catherine was almost ready to open the art store and knew she would have to make a clean break from Glen and the office; she couldn’t afford to put any time into the Serentini’s office and run the art store. She laid in bed in her mother’s house, now hers happy to be out of the apartment waiting for sleep to come over her but not excited about leaving the office tomorrow. Glen would out of her life forever and she didn’t know if she could take it. But, after the full month of him not trying to make any kind of a move on her, staying pretty far away, and only coming over to help out; he made it clear he only wanted to be friends with her and Catherine didn’t blame him one bit considering what she did.

  Catherine walked into the office on the day she was leaving work to open her mother’s art store at the beginning of next week. She had mostly everything in place and was excited for what was to come. But, today would be hard on her, saying goodbye to Glen, the man she loved, the man that would be in her heart forever.

  Miss Richmond walked familiarly up to the elevator, not forgetting to say hello to Ernie the doorman. She made it a point to ask about his three kids and wife, who had all recently had a touch of the flu. He reassured her they were fine and wished her a good day.

  When Catherine got to the top floor, she walked outside of the elevator, said hello to Mrs. Wells, the new secretary, and sat at the desk beside her. “Anything you need to know before I leave today?”

  “No thank you Miss Richmond, I’m pretty sure I have everything down.”

  “Last day, you know.”

  “Are you excited?”

  Catherine wanted to say yes and be completely sure with her answer. But, unfortunately, she was not completely excited because of leaving Glen. She answered, “Yes” anyway though.

  “It must be thrilling to open your own store.”

  Catherine just dropped the subject because she knew it was exciting, but she couldn’t get her whole heart to agree with her. “Alright then, I’m going to say hello to Mr. Serentini and then get my things together to leave.” Catherine walked down the hall into Mr. Serentini’s office. “Good morning Mr. Serentini.”

  Try as he might, there was nothing he could say to get her to call him Glen at the office, even when they were alone in the room. But, he thought that would come with time, or perhaps the ring. “Good morning,” he smiled and looked up.

  “I was wondering if you would mind if I left in about fifteen minutes. Mrs. Wells is doing fine and doesn’t need my help anymore, so I should probably just get out of her way. I’m sure she can handle it.”

  “Actually, I do mind. I would prefer if you stayed the half a day.” Glen said quite formally.

  “I really do have a lot to do for the store…”

  “Catherine, we both know it could wait till tomorrow. Remember, I saw the store yesterday when I was helping you.” Glen walked over to Catherine and brushed her hair back, “Don’t worry, it will be perfect.” He assured her.

  She smiled, “I know.” He was so close; Catherine just wished he would kiss her. But, unfortunately, that didn’t happen and he backed away. To avoid an awkward moment, she said, “Alright, I’ll stay, what do you need me to do?”

  “I need you to take down some dictation for me.”

  “You don’t want Mrs. Wells to do it? I think she could use the experience.”

  “No, I would like you to.” Glen slyly said.

  “Alright, let me get my pad.” She told him as she left to get her pad and pencil. It only took her about ten seconds from the time she left and then returned took her seat.

  Glen decided he needed to keep her busy for the day to get her to stay and started to dictate a letter on the top of his head to some made up person. After all, he couldn’t let her leave so soon. It took him nearly one hour to dictate the letter and Catherine almost two more to type it up, with all the changes that kept coming in over the phone. By the time she was done with that and helping Mrs. Wells, Janice, fix a screw up with the filing it was nearly time to leave. Glen came out of his office and asked Catherine if he could show her home. She replied in the affirmative, but with a hint of question in her voice because her boss never left early, and Glen moved to get his briefcase, “Ready?”

  �
��Yes.”

  “Do you mind if I make one stop first?”

  “No, of coarse not.” Glen’s overpowering body joined her in the elevator as he pushed the floor of their destination and stood looking at Catherine.

  “You know, we are all going to miss you.”

  “Really, even after I screwed up everything for you?” She said quite skeptically.

  “You didn’t and stop thinking you did. Really, everything was great, you helped, and certainly not hurt everything or anyone. Catherine, you really are a nice, amazing person. Remember that and remember a lot of people think that.”

  “Yeah? Like who?”

  As if almost on cue, the elevator doors opened to the sixth floor to a scene much like Mrs. Upman’s party except everyone was there for Catherine. As everyone yelled, “Surprise!” She looked at Glen and smiled profusely as she was whisked into the crowd. Glen figured there was no other way to build confidence like this and she did deserve it after all her hard work and effort.

  The room was decorated with an ice sculpture for a wine rack and each table had cranberry tablecloths with gold trim that matched each of the curtains. There was a band at the other side of the room by the dance floor and everyone was dressed so nicely. The whole place looked like it came out of a castle. Everything was perfect with autumn colors and looked great against the fall setting. It was beautiful and everything looked to be set up perfectly. There were waiters and waitresses moving around the room wearing white gloves carrying plates of appetizers. Everything looked like a beautiful elegant performance, much like a ballet.

  There were crowds of people surrounding Catherine and telling her how nice she was and how much they liked her being at the office. Some told her not to go away so soon; while others told her to enjoy the break from work and they would miss her. But, Catherine liked the personalized messages she received the best. For instance, one of the Vice Presidents came specifically over to Catherine to thank her for giving them the food break a couple of months ago and told her how much she was an asset to the company and their sanity. Another told her she lightened the mood so much, it would be unbearable without her. Catherine couldn’t get enough, was so pleased with everything, and so happy with herself that she affected people in this way. She knew the party was Glen’s doing but realized the comments from these people was hers, she made them feel that way. Amazing pride reached through to her as she was having dinner and overjoyed with the whole event. As dinner ended and dessert began, she started to move over to thank Glen for everything and finally ended up reaching him by the time there was a little less than five minutes left in the party.