On cue, my phone rang.
“Everything okay?” Jared asked on the other end of the line.
I covered my eyes with my hand, attempting to calm myself before I spoke. “Everything’s fine. It’s . . . Sasha was just here.”
“Oh. That explains it. Is she leaving her coffee mug on your papers, again?” Jared chuckled. For whatever reason, it amused him that the woman got under my skin in such a way that I couldn’t think straight.
I sighed. “No. She’s . . . I can’t say what I want to, so I just won’t.”
“You do own the company, you know. You don’t have to work with her.”
“Right now, I’m an intern, Jared. And,” I sighed again, watching her flirt with the human resources manager, “don’t tempt me.”
“Think you could slip away a bit early today?” Jared asked.
“Probably. Why?”
“It’s your first day back to Brown tomorrow. I thought we could get on the bike, head to the oak tree, and have some lunch.”
“The oak tree?”
“The one I’ve wanted to take you to: where my father took my mother.”
I smiled. “That sounds fantastic, but I have a meeting first.”
“Right,” Jared said, pretending he’d forgotten.
I straightened my skirt at the waist and then pressed the button for the third floor. My entire last day of freedom could have been spent with Jared, but Mr. Patocka asked that the interns come in for one last meeting before school began. Some of them were leaving, and he needed to redistribute responsibilities. I had looked forward to this meeting all week only because it was Sasha’s last day. That alone was cause to celebrate.
“Interns.” Mr. Patocka began looking through the papers in his hand. He always said “interns” as if it left a bad taste in his mouth. “Anna, Brad, and Evan will be leaving us, leaving Shannon, John, Nina, and Sasha with new responsibilities. I would like to say . . .”
Mr. Patocka’s words blurred together after I realized he’d put Sasha in the wrong category.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Patocka?”
“Yes, Miss Grey?” he said, obviously irritated. I was well aware that had any other intern interrupted him he or she would have been promptly asked to leave the meeting, but everyone knew, including Mr. Patocka, that I wasn’t just an intern.
“I think you’ve made a mistake. Sasha isn’t staying,” I said as professionally as I could manage.
“Still not paying attention to your briefs,” Sasha snapped. “I’m staying on through the school year.”
“What?” I said, my tone sounding more disgusted than I’d meant. I looked to Mr. Patocka, who nodded while looking incredibly bored with the turn the conversation had taken.
“I . . . She . . .” I stumbled over my words, trying to think of a way to save face after I’d made it so clear that I was shocked and dismayed at the news.
“It’s okay, Nina. We still get to be office mates,” Sasha purred. Her smile was that of a cat being polite to the bird just before she ate it.
“Moving on,” Mr. Patocka continued. “Sasha, you’ll be taking over Brad’s duties, Shannon, you’ll be taking over Anna’s duties, and John will be taking over Evan’s. I expect those departing to make sure those staying behind have exact instructions.”
“What about Nina?” Sasha said, glaring back at me over her shoulder.
Mr. Patocka sighed. “Nina will be training with Grant during the school year, Sasha. Try not to make me feel as though I’m babysitting more than I already do, please.”
“With Grant?” Sasha groused.
Grant was second in command at Titan. When Jack died, he assumed the management responsibilities until I was ready to take over. Working with him was not something I looked forward to; I had spent my teenage years watching Grant suck up to my father and, to Jack’s amusement, shamelessly flirt with me.
Jack saw something in Grant that I couldn’t—or wouldn’t—see. Not only did he give Grant promotion after promotion he tirelessly tried to persuade me to go out with his up-and-coming, incredibly intelligent, star employee.
While being within five feet of Grant usually made me a bit nauseated, Sasha had been scheming to land a job as his assistant since her first day. Mr. Patocka’s decision to place me in the very position she’d been working for all summer would no doubt push her beyond any irritation she’d had for me before.
I smiled at the thought. This would mean an all-out war.
“Is there a problem, Sasha?” I asked, trying to preserve a bit of respect from my future employees.
“Problem? Not at all,” Sasha said with the sickeningly sweet laugh that liberated her from most awkward situations she’d created for herself. “I apologize, Nina. I didn’t realize you were so sensitive.” She smiled.
I looked to Mr. Patocka. “Are we finished here?”
“I’m finished with the meeting, but I need you to come to Grant’s office with me, Nina. He needs to brief you on a few things before you start back next week.”
The other interns filed out of the room, shaking hands and saying their good-byes. I nodded to each of them as they made a bee-line to the elevator, but not before meeting Sasha’s cheap grin with one of my own.
Mr. Patocka escorted me down the hall and into the elevator, punching the button for the fourth floor, where my father’s office still resided. Grant’s office was on the opposite side of the floor, parallel to Jack’s. Half of his walls were covered in degrees and pictures of polo ponies, and the other half allowed the sunshine to pour in from large windows that overlooked Fleet Rink.
Mr. Patocka knocked on Grant’s half-opened door. “Er, Mr. Bristol? Nina’s here to see you.”
“Bring her in.”
I walked into his office and sat in a puffy green chair, feeling amiable for a change. Grant had worked for my father for ten years, and, like every clichéd rise-to-the-top story, Grant started at entry level. The only thing that would have made his story any more boring would be if he’d begun in the mail-sorting trenches, had we kept a mail room. But Grant didn’t begin his days at Titan as a mail boy.
He’d begun as an intern.
“Nina,” Grant greeted me over his thin square glasses.
“Grant,” I acknowledged with a nod.
Grant looked at Mr. Patocka and smiled politely. “Thank you, Eugene.”
Mr. Patocka ducked from the door and shut it behind him. Even though I saw Grant as somewhat of a weasel, the rest of the employees regarded him as their personal savior.
“Okay, what’s with all the formalities, Grant?” I said, crossing my arms.
“Give me a break, peanut,” he smiled.
He sat in his chair, leisurely crossing his ankles on top of his desk. I frowned at his ridiculous argyle socks. They resembled the very thing I hated about Grant Bristol. He was handsome in an annoying, maddening way. His light brown hair and clean-shaven baby face made most women at our office swoon. He was well dressed and well spoken, and I suppose he was even funny at times. All of which made me want to plant my fist straight into his square chin. He reminded me of the typical soap-opera star. His words were fake, his smile was fake, and his very presence affected me like nails on a chalkboard.
“Ugh! You know I hate it when you call me that. If we’re going to work together, you’re going to have to stop that, Grant. I mean it.”
“Anything you say.” He smiled with his too-straight, too-white teeth. “I want you here when you’re not in class. If I could do it, you can do it. No excuses.”
Attempting to keep my temper in check, I stood and offered a small grin. “See you tomorrow.”
“One more thing,” Grant said. I turned and waited. “Nice skirt, peanut.”
I stomped out of Grant’s office, trying not to kick anything on my way out. When I pushed through the front door, I saw Jared’s Escalade parked against the curb across the street as usual, only this time he stood against his door, looking extremely uncomfortable while Sas
ha leaned against his car with her shoulder not six inches from him. I could see that he was trying to be polite as he kept his arms crossed, careful not to react to her flirtation, but my eyes zeroed in on Sasha giggling and touching his shirt, chest, and arms with every other word.
“Nina! Hi, sweetheart,” Jared said, my interruption a relief. He pulled me into his arms and made a show of planting a kiss on my lips.
“Hey, Nina,” Sasha gushed. “I was just telling Jared that we should double date sometime.”
“No,” I snapped, my patience far beyond its limit. Jared walked me to the passenger side and opened the door. “I can get into the car on my own,” I said acerbically.
“Nina.” Jared smiled, amused at my mood.
“Don’t ‘Nina’ me,” I said, looking straight ahead.
“Well,” Sasha called from the other side of the SUV, raising her eyebrows. “I guess I’ll see you on Monday. It was nice to finally have a chance to talk to you, Jared.”
Ignoring Sasha’s final attempt for his attention, Jared watched me for a moment, trying to decipher my emotions. Finally, he walked around to his side and slid in beside me. He watched Sasha trot across the street and then shook his head. “You don’t honestly think I was—”
“No. I don’t think you were flirting with her,” I grumbled.
Jared pulled away from the curb and nodded. “Good because that is completely ridiculous. Not only am I madly in love with you she’s . . .” Jared shook his head, making a series of disgusted faces as he tried to think of the correct description. “She’s something else.”
“That’s a word for it,” I said, crossing my arms.
“How was your meeting?” he asked.
“You mean you don’t know?”
“I kept tabs, but it was difficult to get the details with Sasha two inches from my face. Is Grant still a jackass?”
“Yes,” I nodded.
“What’s wrong?” Jared paused a moment and then his eyebrows shot up. “Oh.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing. I didn’t mean anything,” Jared said, trying not to smile.
I shook my head, watching the trees pass by the window. Eli had once told us that when we made a commitment in a physical way, Jared’s senses concerning me would be heightened. I still wasn’t sure what that entailed. Jared never let on that anything had changed, but when his former urgent curiosity about the motives behind my moods or feelings had all but disappeared, I knew something was different. I cornered him on more than one occasion to explain his new attunement, but he always seemed to maneuver his way out of the conversation with an efficient and irresistible diversion.
“Do we still have lunch plans?” My attention focused on the passing landscape outside the window.
“Absolutely. I have a surprise for you,” Jared said, taking my hand and pulling it to his mouth.
My mood quickly changed as the warmth from his lips shot up my arm. “I love surprises.”
“I know,” he said against my skin.
2. Gone
“Carved your name in a tree? That’s so sweet!” Beth squealed.
“Yes, in a tired, done-three-billion-times kind of way,” Kim droned, unimpressed.
I ignored her, smiling at Beth. “He brought me to a field that had a lone oak tree in the center. We rolled out a blanket for the picnic lunch he packed. It was perfect.”
“You’re up,” Kim said, elbowing me.
“Oh,” I said, briefly glancing to the menu hanging from the ceiling. “Large coffee. Black.” The girl behind the counter nodded, and punched the buttons on the register, waiting for my check card. I nudged Beth. “Did you want anything?”
“Nah, not today.”
I rolled my eyes. “She’ll have a large skinny mochachino, please.”
“I said I didn’t want anything,” Beth said, feigning annoyance. “And since when do you drink your coffee black?”
“We’re not going to have our morning coffee talk on the first day of school without coffee,” I said. “I know things are tight for you and Chad right now. Moving is expensive. It’s not a problem.”
“I’m not a moocher.”
“Southern hospitality. Isn’t that what you call it?” I winked.
“You’re a Yankee,” Beth muttered.
The girl turned to make our drinks, and Beth leaned in. “So the tree . . .”
I smiled. “The carving was amazing and brilliantly detailed. I’ve never seen anything like it. He walked me to the other side, and his parents initials were carved there, too, from, like, years ago.”
“No way!” Beth shrieked. She looked around, settling down before her next question. “So have you guys set a date for the wedding?”
I looked down. “Er, no, But it was a nice lunch.”
“A nice lunch?” Kim asked.
“He didn’t mention it,” I said.
“Well, that’s a first,” Beth teased.
It wasn’t hard to guess why Jared’s questions about a wedding date had tapered off. He was worried about the nightmares, and he didn’t want to make them worse. I knew Jared wanted to set a date. As the weeks passed and I was still reluctant to discuss it, he had begun to get anxious. Once the sleepless nights began, the wedding was the furthest thing from his mind.
We took a spot by the window and updated each other on our summers. Beth and Chad had cut back on their hours at their jobs because of the fall semester. Money was scarce, but they were enjoying playing house. Kim had traveled to see family but returned early.
“My dorm room missed me.” She smiled.
“How did you get them to let you in?” Beth asked.
“I have the gift of persuasion,” Kim said, rubbing her fingers together.
“So you traveled most of the summer, didn’t work, and you had enough money to bribe the powers that be at Brown University?” I asked. “Right.”
Kim shrugged. “I robbed two banks and a liquor store on the way to Chicago.”
“Nice,” I said, taking another sip.
“So Ryan’s in the Army?” Kim asked.
“Kim, geez,” Beth said, shaking her head.
I nodded. “He wrote me a letter and just popped it in the mail on his way to war. Like it was nothing. Like a freakin’ birthday card.”
“Or a post card,” Kim added.
“With soldiers on it,” Beth said. She looked down, trying not to smile.
“With green and black faces and big guns.” Kim smiled.
Beth waited a moment and then spoke again. “In camo speedos.”
“Lying on a hammock on the beach with ‘Greetings from the War’ in big yellow bubble letters.” I frowned.
Beth giggled before making a poor attempt at a straight face. “It’s not your fault.”
“It’s completely my fault. I should have stopped him.”
Beth’s smile disappeared. She touched my arm. “Nigh, you didn’t know to stop him.”
“No, I sure didn’t,” I said under my breath, knowing Jared could hear.
We tossed our empty cups into the trash before making our way to campus. The walk seemed longer than the years before. I remembered walking down the same street, wondering if I would run into Jared, hoping I could steal another moment with him. A smile touched my mouth as I looked behind us. The Escalade was parked across the street, half a block away.
So much had changed since I had sat on the park bench. Life had gone from bad to worse to wonderful to unbelievable, and now my days were as mundane as any other college sophomore. If only I could close my eyes without seeing my father, but that was asking for too much.
Beth would steal a peek at me now and then. Finally my curiosity outweighed my aversion to her lengthy explanations.
“Okay, Beth, do I have something on my face?” I asked.
“A booger,” Kim said without expression, pointing to my nose.
“I have a booger on my nose?” I gasped, my hand flying up to cover it.
“No,” Kim said.
Beth smiled. “It doesn’t look like you’ve had much sleep is all.”
My hand didn’t leave my face without wiping my nose a few times, and then I made a face at Kim. “I haven’t, I guess.”
“You guess?” Beth persisted.
“Bad dreams,” Kim said.
“How did you know?” I asked.
Kim shrugged. “Just a guess. What are they about?”
“Mostly Jack.”
Beth’s mouth slipped to the side, and then she frowned at Kim with disapproval. Kim didn’t flinch.
“What about your dad?” Kim said.
I scratched my head and watched for traffic—stalling, of course, uncomfortable with the direction the conversation had turned.
“Just the way he died. But it’s different.”
“Different how?” Kim prodded.
Beth stopped mid-step. “Geez, Kim! Knock it off already!”
“Sometimes talking about it can help, Nina,” Kim said, ignoring Beth.
“Not today,” I said, looking up the aged brick of the business building. “I’ll see you guys at lunch.”
Class was endless. My mind filled with thoughts of Sasha, Jared, and Claire waiting in the unforgiving desert sun to save Ryan from himself. As time wound down, I felt more and more angry. Guilt followed me everywhere I went, and the lack of sleep left me irritated. By the time class was dismissed, I pushed through the door, paying no attention to the flabbergasted looks of the students I shoved past.
Kim stopped me in my tracks. “Whoa!”
A few breaths were necessary before I could speak. “Sorry, I was . . . I don’t know.”
“Class was that bad, huh?”
“I don’t remember,” I said, rubbing my temple where it had met with Kim’s bony shoulder.
Kim looked down the hall and then back at me. “Okay. What’s going on with you? You’re not yourself.”
“I’m just tired,” I said, sliding by her to escape down the stairs.
On the Greens, the closest bench took the brunt of my anger when I slammed my backpack into it before sitting down in a slump. My next class was in ten minutes, and I had no motivation to listen to the monotonous rules and itinerary.
The Providence Trilogy Bundle: Providence; Requiem; Eden Page 40