by J. P. Comeau
Yuslan came out a few minutes later. “Is everything all right out here? Jorge, why do you look so stressed?”
If there were anyone who could give me some much-needed advice, it was Yuslan. He pulled me into his office.
“I had no idea that Ginger was working from home all week, Yuslan.”
He nodded while handing me a cup of Cuban coffee.
“Did something happen between the two of you? And be honest, Jorge. You should know by now that I can tell when people are lying.”
“Well, kind of, Yuslan. There’s a miner’s strike in Africa. I have to go down there for a while to fix everything and try to get the miners back on the job. Normally I’d send Ria, but she’s out of the picture. Anyway, when I told Ginger, it upset her, and she hasn’t spoken to me since. And I can’t say that I blame her either.”
“Why don’t you have someone else that can go instead of you? If you fired Ria and that was her job, it seems to me that you have to fill that position.”
“That’s the thing, Yuslan. Ria screwed me so badly that I don’t think I can ever trust anyone ever again.”
He shook his head while folding his hands across his lap. “Jorge, only a foolish business owner would try to juggle everything at once. You can't handle every aspect of your business!”
“I know, Yuslan, but what else can I do? That woman robbed me of nearly a million dollars!”
He looked me up and down while smiling. “Something tells me that you’re doing just fine without that, Jorge. A million dollars to you is probably fifty or a hundred bucks to the average working American.” His cheesy words of wisdom made me chuckle, and I realized he was right.
I felt my face flush at bit. “Well, I suppose that’s true. But I can’t think of anyone to take Ria's position right now. I need someone with a strong work ethic that I can trust. Knowledge of the diamond industry would be a plus, but not necessary. It’s really just basic human resources and accounting.”
“That’s what Ginger does here, Jorge. She’s our accountant and takes care of human resources.”
“Yes, and she loves her job here. I could never ask her to quit just to work with me, especially after the hell I’ve put her through these past few weeks.”
Yuslan leaned forward and put both of his hands on my shoulders. “Jorge, arrangements can easily be made. There are ways around this, you know. Maybe she can work part-time for the salon remotely while taking care of the miner’s strike. Or perhaps we’ll give her a temporary leave of absence.”
“No,” I said while defiantly shaking my head. “It’s not just having her switch jobs, Yuslan. She loves it here. You should see her face light up when she talks about the Lavender Dreams Spa. This is her family. I would never take that away from her.”
“As part of her family, I am ordering you to offer Ginger the job until you find a suitable replacement. You know you want to offer it to her. The second I heard that Ria quit, I knew that you’d want Ginger in that position. And the fact that you don’t want her to leave her family here, at the salon, proves to me that you are a man now, Jorge.”
Listening to Yuslan speak was like having a heart-to-heart with your father, minus all of the guilt. There was something about him that understood things that were left unsaid.
“Are you sure, Yuslan?”
He stood up and wrapped his arms around me. “Of course, I’m sure, Jorge. Just remember to invite my wife and me to your wedding.”
I chuckled at his comment. “But we’re not even engaged, Yuslan.”
He winked at me as we walked back to the reception area.
By the time I got to Ginger’s condo, I had an entire speech in my head. The longer I pounded on her door, begging her to answer it, the more of it I forgot.
Ginger finally opened the door and let me inside. “What do you want, Jorge?”
“I know you’re upset about me going to Africa, but I have an idea. What if you went with me?”
My offer did not sit well with her.
“Why on earth would I go to Africa with you, Jorge? This isn’t a romantic vacation for us! You’re going there on business.”
I took her hand and led her to the couch, where we sat down next to each other. “Please hear me out, Ginger. I went to the spa and spoke with Yuslan.”
“Why were you at the spa?”
“Because I couldn’t leave for Africa without hearing from you first. You have no idea how much pain I’ve been in this past week, without hearing your voice or seeing your face. Anyway, Yuslan suggested that you do Ria’s old job until I find someone else to do it.”
“Are you kidding me, Jorge? First, you ask me to be your fake fiancée, then we nearly go through with a fake wedding ceremony, and now you want me to do Ria’s job?”
When she puts it that way, I can see why she’s so upset.
“I know that the spa is like an extended family for you, Ginger, but Yuslan said they’re more than willing to work everything out.”
“You asked Yuslan before me? What is wrong with you?”
I held up my hands, desperate to calm her down. “Oh, God, no! No, Ginger. That’s not what happened at all. I went there to beg you to talk to me, and Yuslan is the one who suggested that you do the job.”
Her face started to soften.
“There’s no way in hell that I’d ever ask you to do such a thing! I told him I could never ask that of you because of how much you love your working there!”
“Well, I appreciate you not being the one to mention me leaving first. But as much as I love you, Jorge, it’s been nothing but stress ever since we got together. I mean, our time in Paris was amazing, but we’re right back to square one.”
“I know. Why don’t you think about it and call me in the morning?”
Ginger nodded and walked me to the door, where I left without either one of us saying another word. And by the time I got back to my downtown office, it hit me: she wasn’t wearing the ring anymore.
23
Ginger
That night I tossed and turned in bed trying not to think about Jorge and me in Africa, working together to insure the miners were doing their job safely. I imagined how impressed Jorge would be with my negotiating abilities too. Finally falling asleep, I dreamed he would propose in some special way to me.
I woke up, gasping for air right as I was about to answer him.
I was aware Jorge needed an answer about Africa right away, and I wasn’t prepared for that kind of pressure, which was odd, since I’d always worked well under the gun. But he was asking me to uproot my life for who knew how long, walk away from a job that I was in love with, and live in another country for possibly a few months.
As I watched the waves crashing against the shore from my balcony, I wondered just how far I’d go for Jorge. This past year had been all about my becoming a strong, independent woman. And independent women didn’t abandon their lives for some guy. But it had also been the year that I had gotten to know Jorge, and I didn’t want to throw away our relationship. The problem was that so much was happening to me all at once, and I told myself that anyone else in my position would also be stressed out.
Deciding that Jorge would have to wait a little bit longer for an answer, I put the whole Africa situation in the back of my mind and went into work that morning.
“Good morning,” Eva said as I walked through the door.
I tried my best to put on a happy face, but she saw right through my façade.
“You don’t look so good, Ginger. What’s wrong?”
I shrugged while sipping my coffee. “It’s a long story that I can’t get into right now. How are things with you?”
“Still single and lonely. I can’t find any part-time jobs, either.”
“Are you sure that you want another job, Eva? I know you’re lonely, but that’s a lot of commitment on your part. Even though you’re single, really think before applying for a job.”
I made my way into my office and tried to focus on work.
Thankfully I enjoyed what I did for a living, so it kept my mind occupied for a while. But that quickly dissipated within an hour, and all I could think about was Jorge.
My phone kept ringing off the hook, emails were piling up, and several employees had come into my office with concerns they should have been able to deal with on their own. A few of them noticed that I wasn’t my usual self, either, and said they would come back another time. That made me feel even worse, though.
By the time lunch rolled around, I knew I had to make a decision.
I sat outside with my sandwich and salad, listening to the seagulls and waves crashing against the ocean. If I went to Africa with Jorge, I would be saying goodbye to the Lavender Dreams Spa. It wouldn’t be such a big decision if Jorge could have given me a time frame. I wanted to at least give Yuslan a head’s up ahead of time for when they could expect my return. But if I decided to go with Jorge, it could be anywhere from a week up to a year.
There’s no way in hell that I’ll leave the spa that long.
Sure, Yuslan noted that I’d always have a place here. But it would only be a matter of time before they’d need to fill my position. My biggest fear was getting an email while I was in Africa that said, oops, we’ve hired someone to take your place. Thanks for your time with the company. Guadalupe and Yuslan had always made me feel like a daughter, but they had a business to run.
Guadalupe came out to join me, not saying a word as she sat down across the table. All she did was stare and smile at me as I nibbled away on my sandwich. I knew she was waiting for me to tell her everything about Jorge and Africa. Even though she and I hadn’t discussed it, Yuslan undoubtedly told her everything after our talk.
“Oh, Guadalupe. Why did I ever get mixed up with Jorge in the first place? None of this would be happening if we’d just remained friends.”
She shook her head at me while clicking her tongue. “It would have been impossible for the two of you just to remain friends, Ginger. You must know that by now.”
I tilted my head at her while sipping my water. “I don’t know about that, Guadalupe. Jorge is an attractive man who could get just about any woman he wanted, and I’m just some accountant who works at a spa. I think I just got lucky.”
“Luck isn’t what brought you two together, Ginger. Jorge chose to be with you.” She always had a way of knowing exactly what to say. “Before he met you, Ginger, wasn’t he a womanizer? One of those men who goes gallivanting with numerous women, hopping from one to the next, and barely remembering any of their names. But not you.”
I thought about my relationship with Jorge and how much it had evolved over the past year. We didn’t have a romantic start, that was for sure. Chase had passed me off to him at Paris’s wedding last year because he had wanted to dance with Margo, and I found him to be utterly boring. But as I looked back at that night, I realized that I wasn’t bored by him at all.
I was just obsessed with keeping Margo away from Chase.
“That’s true. Jorge has been with many women, and just thinking about him sleeping with Ria makes my skin crawl.”
She shook her head while putting her hand on top of mine. “Ria is out of the picture now, Ginger. You need to forgive him for his past mistakes and look toward the future. That woman could throw herself naked at Jorge, and he’d probably run away screaming. He’s with you now—only you.”
I chuckled while picturing that scenario, knowing that Guadalupe was probably right. “As much as I love Jorge, Guadalupe, I can’t go to Africa! I love my job here, and you just gave me a huge raise. You guys are like a family to me.”
“Ginger, you forget the most important thing about families. No matter what comes between them, they’re bound by love. Sure, there are moments when your family gets on your nerves, and you want nothing to do with them. For example, when Yuslan conveniently forgets to take out the garbage and I’m stuck doing that job.”
I giggled as she complained about her husband. They were two peas in a pod and were adorable even when they bickered.
“But you’ll have to have someone else do my job while I’m gone, Guadalupe. I can’t tell you how much work I have to do. In fact, I should have had a working lunch hour instead of sitting out here. It’ll require someone doing it at least forty-hours per week.”
Guadalupe rolled her eyes at me while smiling. “That’s for me to worry about, Ginger. The sooner you get your ass to Africa, the sooner you can return and have your job back. We’ll probably just hire a temporary person, anyway.”
I felt better knowing they’d go with a temporary employee instead of filling the job while I was gone, then having to move that poor person into another position.
“Do they even have temps who specialize in accounting?”
“You can get a temp for just about anything nowadays. I’m sure there’s someone with your degree just looking for a position, who is registered with a temp agency. If they do a good job, maybe I’ll create a position just for them to sign on. But again, Ginger, all that matters is that you accompany Jorge to Africa.”
The more Guadalupe spoke about her plans for filling my position, the better I felt about the whole ordeal. I honestly had no problem leaving Miami for a while. Margo was busy with Chase and the baby, and Eva would soon be occupied with a part-time job…or boyfriend.
“Are you sure, Guadalupe? Because Jorge doesn’t even know how long we’ll be gone. If they’re requiring him to visit the diamond mine, then I’m assuming it’ll be longer than a month.”
“Yes, dear. You know how I feel about alto, oscuro y guapo men! Now go tell Jorge that you’ll go to Africa with him.”
I grabbed my food and rushed back to my desk, eager to finish all of my work so that I could break the good news to Jorge.
The rest of the afternoon went by quickly, and I was able to get all of my work done by four o’clock. I had considered texting Jorge that I’d agreed to go with him to Africa but decided to surprise him at the office.
It was his usual night to work late, so on my way to his downtown office, I picked up his favorite kind of sushi and a bottle of white wine. I had put my engagement ring back on, too, and giggled whenever someone complimented its beauty. Even the cashier at the sushi restaurant said she’d never seen something quite as exquisite before, and when she asked when we were getting married, I simply said that we hadn’t set a date yet.
By the time we get back from Africa, though, I’ll probably be officially engaged.
Knowing how much he loved the French pastries in Paris, I picked up a box at a local bakery. I knew Jorge had repeatedly said that nothing in Miami was nearly as good as what we had eaten in Paris, but it was the next best thing. I also picked him up a chocolate-covered sugar cookie in the shape of a heart, hoping it would ease any tension between us. Even though I was right in standing my ground, I didn’t want anything to get in the way of us being together anymore.
My heart was racing a mile a minute as I made my way up to his floor. The past week had been a living hell for me. As much as I loved and cared about Jorge, I had to stand my ground. But the further apart we were from each other, the more depressed I became, and I began to realize what it felt like to really be in love with someone. I had even come close to calling him a few times, but I was unsure of myself.
Once again, however, I had Yuslan and Guadalupe to thank for showing me the light. They were a couple who proved that anything was possible when you truly loved each other.
I rode the elevators up to his floor, my feet practically shaking in their shoes. If everything went according to plan that night, Jorge and I would be making love on his office desk.
Phew, it's hot in this elevator.
The elevator doors opened to his floor, and I was thrilled to see all of his employees gone for the day. That meant that it would definitely just be the two of us in his office, feeding each other sushi and French pastries, sipping white wine, and then running our hands all over each other like wild animals.
A
s I turned the corner toward his office, I noticed a pair of black high heels standing in front of his desk.
Please let that be his secretary.
Curious to hear what they were saying, I practically tiptoed to his door, careful not to make any sudden movements. And I had every intention of doing that until I reached his door, too, until I got a full look into his office.
The bottle of wine and cartons of sushi slipped out of my hands as my mouth fell open. Chardonnay seeped onto the pink marble floor as I saw Ria in his office, leaning across Jorge’s desk as she spoke. It was impossible to see his face, but she was dressed to seduce in a tight red dress.
The sound of the wine bottle breaking caused both of them to turn around. Jorge jumped up from his desk while Ria smirked at me.
I flew down the stairs instead of taking the elevator, ignoring his pleas to stop the entire way down.
I am never falling in love again!
Walking in high heels had never been easy for me, but I practically ran in them toward my car. Jorge’s feet were speeding up, but I got into my car before he could catch me. The tears were falling down my face so fast that I could barely see. I heard him screaming my name as I revved the engine and peeled out of the parking lot.
“Screw you, Jorge Stein!” I said it so loud at the first traffic light that the woman in the car next to me looked over. But I didn’t give a shit.
I should have known they’d get back together! He probably saw her at The Spicy Pineapple and was turned on by her, then thought he’d sneak in a little after-work action! I can’t believe I bought all of his lies!
I ripped my heels off while walking into my condo, where I promptly shut the door and locked it. I knew Jorge would probably be banging on my door later on, but at the rate I was going, I’d be fast asleep by the time that happened. I couldn’t remember the last time I had cried so hard.
Before taking off all of my clothes and getting into bed, I powered off my phone. There were several missed calls and text messages from Jorge.