Stormy Attraction

by Danielle Stewart

  “If life hasn’t broken me yet, I’m positive I can make it through the night. You’re a good friend, Maribel. I wish my idiot brothers would find a girl like you.”

  “I might swear off men for a little while. I’m not feeling too fond of them.”

  “You looked pretty fond of Aden last night over drinks.” Junie nudged Maribel playfully and laughed. “I think you guys would make a cute couple.”

  “Maybe.” Maribel sighed and flopped back onto her bed.

  “Cheer up! Let’s get dressed and go rock this thing. It’s going to be great.”

  Chapter 25

  If awkward had a smell, James West’s house would stink. “I’m so sorry to spring these extra people on you.” Hugo addressed Libby West mainly because he thought James might pounce and kill him if he looked at him straight on.

  Libby was quick to welcome them all in. “Are you kidding me? I have so much food here, and I’ve been pestering James to please branch out and invite more of his employees over. I’m anxious to hear what you all do and how things are going.”

  “I’m Mathew Kalling, and this is Jessica.” The introductions of West Oil’s second in command were friendly but reserved. Mathew must know James well enough to sense his unease.

  Jessica, perhaps sensing the same thing, took a completely different approach. “Junie, I love that top. Red is absolutely your color.”

  “Thank you. I actually borrowed it from Maribel.” Junie pointed back by the door where Maribel was still standing with Aden.

  Libby waived animatedly over at them. “You two come in and make yourselves comfortable. I know hanging at the boss’s house is intimidating, but I can make him be nice to you, I promise. Aden and Mirabel, right?”

  “Yes,” they answered obediently.

  “And tell me what you do.”

  Mirabel cleared her throat and gestured with her chin at Hugo. “I’m his assistant, and I’ve been helping design the process for handling incoming complaints, concerns, and compliments.”

  Mathew laughed. “I’m guessing the compliment pile isn’t that big?”

  “It’s getting bigger,” Aden explained. “Hugo is great at engaging people. The way he’s got it worked out even some of the most adamant detractors of the company are beginning to warm up.”

  Libby smiled widely and looked over at her husband, who seemed to be sulking. “That’s wonderful. I begged James to find someone better suited than himself for a job like that, and I see he actually listened. And Junie what is it you do?”

  “I don’t work for West Oil,” Junie explained in a small voice.

  “Well, we’re glad to have you here tonight. Maybe we’ll be able to talk about something more interesting than oil futures.” Libby invited them all into the living room to sit.

  With stiff backs and pursed lips, they exchanged uncomfortable glances for a few long moments.

  “May I see you in the kitchen for a minute, Hugo?” James asked through clenched teeth.

  “No business right now,” Libby interrupted with a pleading voice. “They just got here. Can we please pour some drinks and chat like normal humans do? You know how important it is for me to try to help you be a normal human.”

  James rolled his eyes but reluctantly obliged as Libby kept driving the conversation forward. “So Junie, if you don’t work for West Oil, what do you do?”

  “I’m trying to prefect a product my father helped me design before he died.” Junie shifted nervously in her seat. That wasn’t the presentation point they agreed to kick off with. She was making it personal. But maybe she was reading her audience that now included Libby. Or maybe she was just nervous as hell.

  “I’m sorry to hear about your father.” Libby leaned across and touched Junie’s hand gently. “You probably don’t know how James and I met, but my father died out on a rig while working for West Oil.”

  “I don’t think we should rehash all that,” James said, looking suddenly embarrassed.

  “Of course not.” Libby perked up some and gestured for Junie to go on. “Please tell me about your father. You’re clearly doing something very special to keep his legacy alive. It would be lovely to hear about him.”

  “My father was a janitor. Six kids. Five brothers and me. He worked really hard, and we usually just kept doing things that cost him more money. Broken bones. Begging to go to cheerleading camp. He was a great man who never really seemed to catch a break. He was born with some heart problems and one day it caught up to him.”

  “That must have been hard for you kids to go on without him.”

  “We’d all had jobs for years by then and we knew, from his example, how hard you had to work to keep going. I was the first in my family to graduate college.”

  “That’s incredible. I feel like it’s important to tell people I didn’t always live like this. If you could have seen the falling down house I lived in, just trying to keep my brother in college. Our stories don’t sound all that different. So what is it you’re working on then?”

  “It’s a product for cleaning oil after a spill. My father worked as a janitor in a lab, and he came up with the basic product idea solely to make himself more efficient at cleaning spills and equipment at work. I’m trying to take his product and make something significant out of it. But it’s harder than you’d think.”

  “Did you hear that James?” Libby slapped gently at her husband’s shoulder. “How great is that? You should check out what she’s working on. I’m sure you guys could really get behind something like that. Don’t you think, Mathew?”

  Mathew and James looked at each other and a silent flash of wordless understanding transpired. “We wouldn’t have capacity for anything like that right now,” Mathew explained.

  “Libby, as you know our focus has been on staying profitable while ensuring the safety of our employees.” James cleared his throat and sat up a little straighter. “You’ve been a huge part on helping drive that initiative in your father’s name. Our labs and research and development teams are working on creating technology and equipment that will keep our people safe. I don’t think we’re ready to move on to the environmental impact of a potential spill that hasn’t even happened.”

  “Right,” Mathew agreed, shaking his head and running a hand over his chin as though he were at least giving this all some thought. Hugo knew better. The idea never stood a chance and, now that he’d pulled this stunt, Hugo didn’t stand much of a chance either. Maybe his father was right. The private sector might completely reject him once this got around and he’d be starting over. “We could make some calls for you though. I’m sure between James and I we could get you in touch with some people who might be interested.”

  “I’d hate for them to get all the credit though,” Junie said, looking pained by this possibility. “If you saw the numbers on this you’d know the resources you’d need to invest are minimal and the public perception would be so favorable. Do you really want to wait a few years before you cement your image as a corporation who cares about its people and the environment? You could do it in tandem with very little effort. I’ve already done most of the work.”

  Jessica smiled from behind her glass of wine. “Oh shit. This girl came to play. I want to hear more.”

  “Considering you don’t work at West Oil, I can’t see how your opinion would be relevant.” Like a brother scolding his sister, James gave Jessica a compelling look. Her bobbed hair flipped back and forth as she looked at Libby and Mathew to see where they fell on this issue. It was obvious Mathew agreed with James, but Libby was the wild card.

  Libby didn’t bother looking at anyone but Junie. She was sizing her up. Assessing her closely. “Did you come here tonight to make this pitch?” She looked a little wounded but more curious.

  “No,” Junie shot back. “Mr. West invited me here tonight to talk about it.”

  “I didn’t invite you here at all.” James stood up quickly and nearly spilled his Scotch. “Didn’t you hear your boyfriend apologizing
on the way in for the extra people?”

  Junie lost her breath for a moment and then replied, “I thought he meant Aden and Maribel. So wait, you didn’t want me here tonight? You’re not interested in what I’ve got to say?”

  “No.” James made no apologies, but Libby clearly wasn’t having this.

  “James, don’t be an ass. The girl has obviously put her heart and soul into this and you aren’t going to crush that over a misunderstanding.” Libby put a hand on his shoulder and eased him back into his chair.

  “It’s not a misunderstanding,” James explained. “Hugo here already tried to set up a meeting with Junie and I told him no. I also informed him that I thought he had enormous potential and I wanted him to take over the training division for the company. But not if he was going to be utilizing company time and money to try to get his girlfriend an opportunity every chance he had. I thought we had an understanding. You were going to let this go and take the job offer. That’s what you agreed to.”

  “You what?” It was Junie now who was on her feet, shooting daggers from her eyes at Hugo. “I didn’t have a meeting here tonight? You just invited me and let me waylay them in hopes that somehow they would magically change their minds. Do you know how stupid I must look right now?”

  Jessica poured herself some more wine and chimed in. “Actually you are very endearing, Junie. Hugo’s the one who looks like a complete ass right now.”

  “You took the job?” Junie asked, who looked like a wounded animal staring in the eyes of the hunter. “Then you thought this would be a good idea? Why didn’t you tell me rather than bringing me in here and letting me make a fool of myself?”

  “I regretted what I did, taking the job.” Hugo tried to form a coherent sentence but it wasn’t easy with her looking at him that way.

  “Oh,” she said knowingly. “This was penance. You thought maybe you could still get your fancy job and I could feel like I’d tried my best. We’d have a nice meal and everything would work out.”

  Libby drew in a deep breath and stood. “I think I have a pretty good handle on what’s happening here now. Everyone is going to sit down.”

  “I should go,” Junie said, her voice cracking with emotion.

  “No, you should get the time you were promised.” Libby sounded firm and unwavering.

  Mathew crossed his legs and interjected, “She was promised a meeting by someone who didn’t have the authority to do so. I think it would be better if we rip the Band-Aid off and just call it a night.”

  “You’re welcome to leave any time.” Libby pointed at the door. “But this is my house, and I’m not letting Junie walk out of here without at least telling us what she’s got. She deserves as much.”

  “Libby—” James began, but his voice was quiet, easy for her to speak over.

  “James, if that were me, wouldn’t you do anything to make sure I had my shot? When push came to shove for the two of us, you made sure I had a voice. Look at what we’ve accomplished together at West Oil. Look at the lives that will be saved and the safety equipment that will be designed and used by countless other companies. I am going to bring out my damn appetizers, and we are going to hear Junie out. If anyone has a problem with that, they can leave.”

  Libby eyed each of them to see if they were about to make a move to leave. After a moment, when everyone seemed to resign themselves to the fact that this was happening, Libby made her way to the kitchen for the appetizer she promised. “Hugo,” she called over her shoulder, “Now I would like to see you in the kitchen.”

  “Yes ma’am.” He was on his feet with his head down as he tried to wade through his shame and will his body to move.

  “You bungled that one,” Libby scolded. “Grab that tray and unwrap it.”

  “I can’t believe I did this,” Hugo admitted. “I’m better than this. I just wanted to get to a place where I wasn’t always wondering if I’d made it. What James was offering, that was going to be it. My opportunity of a lifetime.”

  “But?” Libby arranged some tiny sandwiches on a crystal tray.

  “But then I realized, a little too late, that Junie is my opportunity of a lifetime.”

  “It’s going to take real guts for her to sit in that room and face all of us. I can tell she’s got plenty of spunk, and I’m guessing she’s got the goods when it comes to what she’s been working on?”

  “She does.”

  “You should go.” Libby grabbed one tray and handed the other to him.

  “I should?”

  “Yes. She doesn’t need the added pressure of you in the room right now. Plus my husband is calculating right now how many years he’d spend in prison for throwing you out the window. You’ll want to go before he decides it’s worth it.”

  “You’re right.” Hugo nodded but a shot of pain blasted through his body. He’d wanted so badly for this to go well. He’d wanted both he and Junie to get what they wanted. Now the odds were neither of them would. “But I have something I need to tell her first.”

  “Good.” Libby gestured for him to follow, and they headed back into the living room where it looked as though no one had said a single word.

  “Junie, I’m leaving,” Hugo announced as though he were setting out on some voyage. “But I have to tell you something first. It doesn’t matter what happens in here tonight. If James and Mathew are too shortsighted to know you’re handing them a homerun, that’s a reflection on them, not you. You have fought so hard to honor your father and take care of your brothers. That’s the part that’s going to matter. I so badly wanted this for you. But I screwed up. I put my success before the opportunity you deserved. You can hate me for that, but know I’m going to hate myself much longer for it. Because at some point this will work out for you. You’ll get everything you need and want. And I’ll be left with the fact that the best thing that ever happened to me is gone. If I had taken a minute to think about it, to really weigh what some stupid job was compared to what you and I could have, the math would have been simple. You’re going to do great in here tonight, not because of me but in spite of me. I don’t deserve a thing from you, but I also don’t think I can leave this room until you know that I love you. You will always be my biggest regret, and I will always be your biggest cheerleader.”

  Junie’s eyes were fixed on her hands that sat idly in her lap. A few stray tears dripped down her cheek, and she didn’t bother wiping them. After a few thudding heartbeats Hugo knew it was time for him to leave. Everyone in this room would be better off if he did.

  Libby stood to show him out and tugged his sleeve before he hit the front steps. “Sometimes our mistakes, when we’re able to admit them, make us better people.”

  “I’m starting to think even the best version of myself wouldn’t be good enough for Junie.”

  “Well lucky for you, she gets to decide that.”

  Chapter 26

  Junie was sure Hugo would still pay for her room at the hotel, but she wasn’t going to stay there. It was too complicated now. Everything there reminded her of him. Maribel’s couch was a much less nostalgic choice. But unfortunately it came with unwanted conversation.

  “It seemed like he was really sorry.” Maribel poured them each a little cheap wine, a stark difference from what James was serving at his house. There were a lot of differences Junie could see all of a sudden. Texas wasn’t Boston. Maribel was nothing like her friend Val. The advice from Val would be clear as freshly cleaned glass.

  That dude doesn’t deserve to breathe the same air as you. He might not even deserve to breathe any air at all. Give me his information. I know a guy who can ruin him on social media. I’m talking about destroying him.

  “I’m sure he was sorry.” Junie took a sip of the room temperature bitter wine and pulled her knees up to her chest. “That’s how people get when they screw up and get caught. Sorry.”

  “I mean I think he regrets it. When he was telling me what happened—”

  “You knew?” Junie felt the acid b
urn of the wine creep up her throat and nearly come spilling back up. “You knew what he did?”

  “I didn’t know exactly what he meant but he alluded to the fact—”

  “You know what?” Junie planted the wine glass down on the coffee table and stood quickly. She slipped back into her shoes and stuffed everything she had brought to Texas back into her bag. “There is a lot of shit wrong with the place I come from. We are noisy and rowdy and uncultured. We hold a grudge. We screw up. But we don’t stab each other in the back. We’re loyal. I can’t believe you let me walk in there thinking I was invited. I can’t believe you didn’t give me a heads up.” Junie had her hand on the door as Maribel stammered to explain. It was clear Maribel hadn’t meant to hurt Junie, but there wasn’t a big enough difference between intention and outcome. Not right now. Not while she was hurting so badly.

  When the door closed tightly behind her, she had no clue what her plan was. Anyone within a hundred miles who she wanted to find comfort in had betrayed her. For as much as she wanted to get out of her hometown, the one thing she’d never felt there was this kind of soul-deep loneliness. She needed advice. She needed something that felt like home. It was too late to call anyone back home because they’d all instantly know how bad it was. They’d be helpless and they’d do something stupid.

  She keyed up Aden’s number and sent him a text.

  * * *

  Can you meet for a drink at the pub?

  * * *

  Aden: Should be easy. I’m already here.

  * * *

  She grabbed a cab and had to chuckle at the idea of Aden sitting in the old pub where he used to sling beers. He didn’t have to be there, things were looking up for him, but something still drew him back. Probably the same something that was drawing her there.

  “You’re not looking to brawl tonight are you?” She should have known Aden would have a beer and a joke waiting for her.