by Amanda Uhl
She gave a throaty laugh, the sound overly loud in the small space. “We’re not sure,” she said. “We love San Francisco, but Seth is really concerned about the business.” She leaned toward me as if confiding a deep, dark secret, cupping her hand around her mouth. “We’ve been losing money. All he’ll tell me when I ask him is, ‘as long as it takes.’”
I watched the elevator hit the second floor. The doors opened but no one got on. “I didn’t think Seth was involved in the business these days,” I heard myself say.
“Oh, where’d you get that idea? Of course he’s involved. We were being sensitive to you and all. Val, I’m so sorry things happened the way they did.” She placed a pink hand on my arm. “I never meant to hurt you. It’s… We…”
I pulled away sharply and held up a hand. “Sorry, but I don’t want to hear this. It happened. I’m over it. Let’s forget it.”
I clenched the fist of my other hand and stared at the numbers as if I could make them go faster. But we were only at the third floor, and the damn elevator was taking way too long to arrive. As if on cue, the doors opened on the fourth floor and a man stepped inside. My heart beat out a rapid tattoo and my nostrils flared as Dark Water flooded my senses. Charlie. Why hadn’t he taken the stairs?
“Val, there you are. I’ve been hoping to see you. Took the elevator on the off chance I might catch you. Have you made any progress on our project?” He smiled, flashing me his perfectly straight and white teeth.
“Um…” I watched the elevator take off from four. My office was on sixth. Only a minute more. “Not really.”
Next to me, Deirdre sprang into action. I had always admired her assertiveness. “What project do you two have going on?”
Charlie stared at her blankly, like he was only now noticing we had company.
“Oh, sorry, I forget you don’t know me. I’ve heard all about you. You’re the creative genius who’s going to solve our financial woes, aren’t you? Larry has mentioned you once or twice. I’ve been dying to meet you. I’m Deirdre Simmons.” If her smile were any wider, she would swallow the elevator.
Oh my God. The nerve. Deirdre was flirting. With Charlie. She stole my fiancé and now she had the nerve to flirt with my…with my…with my what? Charlie and I weren’t a couple. What was I getting all worked up about? I ran a finger under the collar of my blouse, which felt as tight as a rubber band. Ding. The elevator was opening. I was going to make it out without saying something stupid or passing out. Just a few more seconds, and I would be free.
“Val, hold on a sec. I want to talk to you,” Charlie said as I stepped out of the elevator. He put one arm in the doorway to keep the doors from closing and turned back to Deirdre. “You and Val used to be roommates, right?”
Deirdre nodded and continued to smile. “Sure, but we haven’t been roommates in more than a year.”
“Because you’re engaged to her former fiancé.”
Deirdre’s smile remained, although it looked a little forced. “Well, that’s not exactly why—”
“You’d best be careful,” Charlie interrupted.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, you know what they say about cheaters. Once a cheater, always a cheater.”
I heard Deirdre gasp as Charlie stepped out of the elevator and the doors shut behind us.
He turned my way. “Why have you been avoiding me?”
“Did you… Charlie, what did you do?”
“With her?” He thumbed a hand at the elevator door.
“Of course, her. You know she’s engaged to the owner’s son. That was not exactly the brightest move. God, what were you thinking?”
Charlie shrugged and put a hand on my arm, pulling me into the closest conference room. “I was getting the rather large elephant out in the open. Somebody needed to, and I could see you weren’t up to it.”
“But you don’t even know her. Now she’s going to wonder why you would defend me. She’s going to think something’s going on between us.”
“Relax, Val. You and I both know nothing’s going on between us. Besides, what do we care what she thinks? Now grab a seat and tell me why you’ve been avoiding me.”
I struggled to shift gears. “I…I haven’t been avoiding you. I mean, I just saw you on Saturday…”
“Val, my office is not that far from you. I know when someone’s avoiding me. Unless you have a bladder infection, you can’t have to go to the bathroom every time I approach your cube. You do understand when we made this bargain I expected to be involved, right?”
“Of course.” I lowered my eyes so his sharp ones wouldn’t read anything in mine I didn’t want him to see. “It’s… I haven’t uncovered anything yet.”
“Well then, you need to tell me that. See, that wasn’t so hard, was it?”
He gave me a smile like I was five and had recited my ABCs, his dimple firmly in place. “Now, I have something important to tell you.”
He leaned in until I could feel his warm breath on my face, his expression serious. His blue eyes stabbed into me, all trace of his normal good humor missing.
“What?” I struggled to take in air.
“You were wrong about Seth not being involved in the business. While Larry owns the primary share, he’s signed over a small portion of Reynolds to each of his children.”
I sat on the nearest chair, stunned. “How can that be? Julie said…”
Charlie watched me intently. “That she stood to inherit her father’s company. I know. What she failed to relay is that Seth would, too. Larry did not disown him. Far from it.”
“But he sent Seth away. Larry told me he felt”—I gulped, angry tears threatening—“terrible about what Seth had done. He practically begged me to stay on. Said the firm needed me more than it needed Seth.” Heat rushed to my face. “God, I believed him.”
Charlie pulled out the chair next to me and sat. “Val, I’m sorry to spring this on you. But you needed to know. Larry didn’t lie to you. He did want to keep you. You were doing a fantastic job of managing the line and making the company large sums of money. He was afraid he would lose you to his competitor. He couldn’t afford it. I believe he also felt bad at his stepson’s actions. So he sent Seth and Deirdre away until you could recover. I think Julie spread the news that you have a boyfriend. They must have decided it was safe to come back. You’re going to have to get used to seeing them around and making decisions. Seth and Deirdre are here to stay.”
I hung my head, worn out, defeated. “How could I have been so naïve?” Had I said that out loud?
I glanced up to catch a look on Charlie’s face I couldn’t decipher. His blue eyes pulled me in.
“No, Val, not naïve. A decent person. I admit, I’d almost forgotten they exist.”
Chapter Eight
“Val, can you come in here, please? And bring those sales figures I asked for yesterday.”
Julie had tacked on a please, which immediately tripped my spider senses. What was she up to now? I checked the time on my laptop. Fifteen minutes after three. One hour and forty-five minutes until the weekend. I grabbed my file and made my way toward her office, stomach churning. Thank God it was finally Friday. It was exhausting dodging Charlie and Deirdre every minute of the day.
Julie was sitting in her usual position behind her desk, but she was not alone. For a moment, I did not recognize the tall man who lounged against the wall. His hair was longer and lighter than I remembered. His lime green shirt brought out the green in his hazel eyes. “Hello, Valleygirl,” he said, with a familiar, crooked smile.
Danger! My alter ego screamed, causing my stomach to take a nosedive into my bladder. Seth’s old nickname for me brought back a rush of feelings—affection, warmth, hurt, anger.
“Take a seat, Valerie. Seth wants to go over the latest sales figures with you. Me too, but I need to use the restroom first. I’m sure you two have a lot to catch up on. I’ll be right back.” And the witch took off, shutting the door behind her.
&nb
sp; I was trapped…alone…with Seth. “How’ve ya been?” he asked. “Take a seat.” He gestured to the chair next to me.
I hesitated. I didn’t want to sit. I wanted to toss the file in his face and scram. But I found myself filled with a sick curiosity. I pulled out a chair and sat, as he took the seat Julie had vacated. Don’t let the bastard manipulate you. Say something, anything. “Um…you wanted to go over these numbers?”
“Sure.” Seth held out his palm for the manila folder I was holding. I handed it over but he didn’t bother to look at it. Instead, he gave me another smile. “Julie says you’ve been seeing someone?”
Okay, this was too much. How dare he waltz back in here as if he owned the place, asking me personal questions? Wait a minute. He did own the place, or at least a piece of it. But he didn’t own me. “What is this? The inquisition? Stick to business.”
He stared at me, nonplussed. “So who’s the lucky guy?”
I curled my lip. “You won’t quit, will you?”
“Nope.” He grinned. “You might as well tell me. If not, I’ll have to ask around until I find someone who knows.”
I shrugged and crossed my arms. “I suppose it doesn’t matter. His name is George Haddad. You don’t know him.”
“Well, maybe we should rectify that,” he said, tossing the folder aside. “You and George should have dinner with Deirdre and me tonight.”
“What?” I faced him, shocked into silence, my mouth a perfect oval. It took a full ten seconds before I could close it enough to say, “Are you crazy? You, mister, dumped me and made off with my best friend, who turned out to be nothing of the sort! Why would I even THINK of going to dinner with either of you and introducing you to my boyfriend?”
“That’s what I thought. You’re still not over me.” He laughed. The sound grated on my nerves, causing me to dig my fingers into my palms and grit my teeth almost painfully.
“What? Oh my God! You…arrogant son of a bitch. Of course I’m over you. You made sure of that when you slept with my best friend!”
“My, my, the little kitten has developed claws.”
I stood suddenly, and there was a moment of awkward silence. Sick curiosity and a morbid desire to torture myself made me ask. “When’s the wedding?”
“Wedding?” Seth frowned. “Oh, yeah, that. We haven’t set a date.”
“Why not? Afraid of the altar? Or maybe it’s Deirdre?”
“Of course not. This has nothing to do with Deirdre, and everything to do with the company.” He threaded a hand through his long hair. “Sit down.”
I ignored him. He sighed. “I suppose you know the company has been losing money.” He picked up the discarded folder and flipped through the papers inside.
“I had heard something of the sort,” I mumbled. This was not where I had expected the conversation to lead.
He stopped on a page where I had highlighted recent sales expenses. He set the folder aside again. “C’mon, Val. You and I both know you’re much too smart not to make sense of these numbers.”
“What do you mean?” I knew what he meant, but was stalling.
“Lackluster sales. Weird expenditures. They don’t make sense. I mean a trip to Monaco. We don’t have business in that country nor plans to do business. And now he’s gone and hired a big-shot marketer who’s going to make it all better. This is the last straw. The old man’s gotta go.”
“What do you mean? What are you planning?” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
“If we don’t put a stop to it, he’ll run the whole company into the ground. You, me, and everyone else will be out of work.”
“Seth, I…I admit the new product line isn’t selling like we thought, but that’s not Larry’s fault. And spending has been a little…unusual, but if Larry authorized a trip to Monaco, he must have had a good reason. He built this company into the success it is today. Why would he want to ruin all of that?”
“He’s losing it, that’s why. Dementia.”
“Dementia?” I sat down slowly. “Has he seen a doctor?”
“He refuses to go. Says he feels fine.”
“Then why do you think it’s dementia?”
“It runs in the family.”
I gave him the evil eye. “What exactly are you planning?”
“We need to build a case. I need evidence—lots of it. Recordings, letters, paperwork. Whatever you can find.”
“What do you mean ‘we’? I’m not ousting Larry. Have Julie help you or Deirdre. I’m just the assistant product manager.”
Seth glanced at me, eyes intense. “As soon as I get what I need, I’ll fire the hotshot marketer, and you’ll have his job. Julie tells me you were upset when you didn’t get the position.”
I stood up. I could feel my cheeks burning. “Julie doesn’t know everything. I do want the position but not by cheating!”
I made for the door.
“Val, wait. I forgot what a goody-two-shoes you are. Listen, if you help me, I’ll make it worth your while. A bonus, vacation, tennis bracelet. Time with me. Whatever you want. I need someone on the inside. All you have to do is pay attention and record what you see. That’s not illegal or immoral. C’mon, what do you say?”
“Go to hell,” I said and fled, slamming the door behind me.
*****
“George? Can I ask you a question?”
“Uh-huh.”
It was Saturday night, and we were in the new building. George had gotten the key and the shop was officially his…I mean ours. Or technically his parents’ until George paid off the loan…or I mean we paid off the loan. What exactly was my role? My alter ego demanded an answer but I had none. I deflected her by asking George a question. He was busy taking measurements. Periodically, he would yell one out, and I would write it in George’s blue spiral-bound notebook.
“How did you get your mom to agree to Bernie’s suggestions and come up with the extra $10,000 to buy the building? When I talked to her, she was livid you were meeting Bernie. I couldn’t imagine she would listen to anything Bernie had to say.”
“Two feet by six for the main countertop. I didn’t.”
“What do you mean, you didn’t? She agreed to Bernie’s suggestions. You said yourself she agreed to sell off some of the old shop equipment and is renting out a station.”
“Write twenty-two by fourteen inches for the cabinet. Yeah, and she is. But those weren’t Bernie’s ideas, those were mine.”
“But those weren’t your ideas. Bernie suggested them. She told me so.”
George pushed his glasses up on his nose. “You know that and I know that, but Ma doesn’t. She thinks they were mine. Better not tell her any different.” George took one last look at the cabinets. “Okay, I think we’re done for now. Let’s go back to your place. I’ll make us dinner.”
I slid off the counter stool I had been sitting on. “George, I’ve…I’ve been thinking about us.”
George peered at me over the counter where he had been squatting. “What about? You mean opening Spice Boys?”
“Sort of. I’m… I’ve been wondering if you might want to get engaged now instead of waiting until the business takes off?”
Across from me, George’s look went from puzzlement to something else, something I couldn’t read. I began talking rapidly. “I mean, I’m not trying to pressure you or anything. I…I know the shop is going to be a success is all. And I’m thinking it would be a great time for me to get more invested in the business. If we got engaged, I could quit my job and be around to help you.”
George scratched his chin, considering, so I went in for the kill. “Think about it. I could take on the lion’s share of planning the wedding AND help you get the shop ready for opening day. We could still plan our wedding for a few years out. It wouldn’t have to happen until well after you’ve opened the shop. What do you think?”
George came around to my side of the counter. “Val, of course I want to get engaged.” He grabbed the counter stool next to me and sa
t. “This wouldn’t be the best timing. Ma really wants us to have a good income from the business before we get married. And don’t you think this is all rather sudden? I thought you loved your job.”
“Yeah. Yes, I do.” It was difficult to sit next to George and not blubber out the whole sorry mess. But something stopped me. Perhaps it was the way George looked at me, like I was unspoiled treasure. “I… Things have gotten complicated lately. At work. I was passed over for a promotion. Plus, the company’s losing money. It won’t be long before they start laying people off.”
George shrugged. “So, you look for another job. That doesn’t mean you have to be rash and quit.”
“I’ve been looking around. But the closest thing I can find is Abbott Labs in Lansing, Michigan. That’s pretty far away.”
George ran a hand through his hair and wrinkled his brow in puzzlement. “Isn’t that the company you hate? Why would you go work for them? Are things so bad at Reynolds you can’t take your time and find something local?”
I chose my words carefully. “They are pretty bad, yes. I…I need a change of scenery. I thought with you opening the shop and all, maybe I could take a break from Reynolds for a while. I could help you out, while I look for a better job.”
George sighed. “Is this about me and Bernie? Because I told Ma, and I’ll tell you, there’s nothing going on between us. I only treated her to ice cream because she came through for me.” George fiddled with his glasses, his face red.
“You treated her to ice cream? Bernie?”
“Yes. Don’t look so surprised.”
“But you and Bernie can’t be near one another without having an argument.”
“That’s not true. I don’t like to be told what to do is all.”
George took his glasses off and cleaned them with the edge of his T-shirt and then peered through them and wiped them again. “So you don’t mind I treated her to ice cream?”