by BWWM Club
Afterward as she lay on his chest, snoring softly. Finn kissed her on her forehead.
“I love you,” he whispered.
They spent the rest of Sunday just enjoying one another’s company and making love all day long.
Courtney went to work on Monday in high spirits. Tori, the receptionist grinned at her.
“You’re happy this morning. Good weekend?” she asked.
Courtney gave a knowing smile.
“The best,” she replied as she headed to her office.
“I bet,” Tori said.
Her mood was short lived when she entered the conference room where she was working on her first project with Jeanie. Before she could say anything Jeanie was upon her.
“So I heard you went to the Harrison gala,” she said sipping her ostentatious twelve dollar coffee, looking at Courtney through narrowed eyes.
“Yes. I did,” Courtney replied.
“I thought so. I got the expense report. There was a discrepancy. Seems they billed us for two rooms instead of one. So you stayed at the Waldorf. How was it? I’ve always wanted to stay there.”
She didn’t like what Jeanie was implying.
“I wouldn’t know. I just used it as a dressing room.”
“I see. Courtney you’re a hard worker but, you need to be careful. People tend to gossip.”
“Is there something you’re asking me Jeanie?” Courtney asked her hands folded.
“Not at all. My mistake,” Jeanie said returning to the file in her hand.
Courtney was infuriated. She excused herself and went to the restroom. Angry tears threatening to flow over. Were people under the impression that she was sleeping with Darren Foster? That it was his reason for making her a project manager? The rest of the day went by without incident but Courtney was mentally exhausted by the time she left for the night.
Finn was waiting for her. He had made spaghetti. She didn’t want to tell him what was bothering her but he could tell she had a hard day. After dinner, he sent her to take a shower. When she came out, Finn was waiting for her on the couch with a bottle of wine.
“Come here beautiful,” he said.
Courtney laid on the couch with her feet in Finn’s lap. They listened to music while Finn rubbed Court’s feet. She fell asleep shortly after and Finn carried her to bed. When she woke up to the smell of coffee, she smiled, heading to the kitchen but Finn was gone. He left a note saying he would see her later and that he had put on coffee. I love him, Courtney thought to herself.
Courtney was aware of the stares she received when she got to work the next morning. So when Darren summoned her to accompany him to a meeting and she passed a giggling Tori and another colleague she was already at her limit.
After lunch with Darren, she was returning to her desk when she spotted Jeanie talking to Barbara, who liked to be called Barbie, the pretty brunette junior architect who was helping them with the project. Jeanie said something and then the pair glanced over at her. She didn’t know if they were talking about her or not but she held her head high and continued walking. But she had had enough of Jeanie and her accusations. She needed to vent to her best friend. So she sent Kim an email about the dragon lady.
Kim
I swear I am at my wits end with this evil bitch. Tell me again that this is where I want to be. Tell me again that my salary is worth this. I hate her Kimmy. I wanted to work for this firm because of their urban development and restoration projects. But not at the expense of being judged for what they think about my morals instead of as a designer. That this IS my foot in the door. That I can survive this jealous vindictive harpy who is just jealous because a man she idolizes pays no attention to her while she throws herself and her horrible boob job in his face. She thinks I’m after her job. No thank you. I didn’t get hired to be a doormat. I don’t even want Darren Foster. Now she’s spreading rumors that I slept with him after the gala. Like I’m the type of person who would sleep my way to the top. I am so insulted. You should see how they look at me. I hate her. No wonder her husband left her. She is a horrible person. I would have left her too.
I need drinks after work! Help!
Court
What Courtney didn’t count on was forgetting to uncheck the auto cc that copied her co manager, Jeanie, on emails. After hitting send she realized her mistake too late. She really tried to prevent her from reading it but as she raced to Jeanie’s office, she could tell by the look on Jeanie’s face that she was too late.
“Jeanie I…” Courtney started.
“I would rather not discuss this Ms. St. James. And we can keep this between us,” she added softly.
“Jeanie I really am…”
“Will you excuse me? I need to make a phone call,” Jeanie said dismissing her.
Courtney felt terrible. She wasn’t the type of person that purposely set out to hurt anyone. She didn’t mean what she said. She was just so angry at Jeanie for her accusations. No, that wasn’t exactly true. Jeanie hadn’t actually accused her of anything. She vowed to apologize but when she went to her office less than thirty minutes later Jeanie wasn’t there.
Courtney checked the conference room but Barbie was the only one there.
“Have you seen Jeanie?” she asked.
“She left for the day,” Barbie responded.
“Oh,” Courtney said turning to leave,
“Courtney, she told me about the email. You know she’s not that bad once you get to know her. She’s had a hard year. You know, with the divorce and everything. She caught her husband cheating with his co-worker. They were together since high school. She took him back and it happened again. She’s a little withdrawn but you didn’t know her before then. She has a lot on her plate. You should give her a chance.”
“I have given her a chance. She just, she’s so judgmental of me. She thinks...” Courtney trailed off.
“She really doesn’t and you would think with her personal situation she would be. She talks very highly about you, she defended you at lunch when people were insinuating you had something going on with Mr. Foster. I’m ashamed to admit I was one of them. Everyone thinks you’re just another Melissa.”
“Who’s Melissa?” Court asked confused.
“Mr. Foster’s wife. She used to be his secretary before they got married. Jeanie assured them that your work ethic spoke for itself.”
Courtney didn’t think she could feel any worse until then. She didn’t know what to say as she turned to go, Barbie called after her.
“We all make mistakes Courtney. Jeanie is not as unforgiving as you think.”
Courtney bought Chinese and knocked on Finn’s door. His company would make her feel better. She briefly told him what had happened but didn’t mention the why. She wasn’t exactly lying to him but she also didn’t want to think there was anything going on with her and her boss. Finn was understanding and listened to her lament. After they ate, Courtney laid on the couch still feeling down. Finn stood in the corner pacing slightly back and forth.
He was working on a painting. Acrylic on metal. Courtney watched him work for a minute.
“You’re so lucky you're just an artist and don’t have to deal with the stress of work,” Courtney said after a while.
Finn turned to look at her with a strange expression on his face.
“Yeah. Very lucky,” he said softly before turning back to his canvas.
He stared at it for a long time, not working, his back to Courtney.
She walked up behind him and kissed him on the neck.
“Want to go to bed?” she asked.
“Not tonight Court. I’ve had a long day too.”
“Oh, okay,” she said. “Well, see you tomorrow?”
She was thinking about work when a sudden burst of inspiration hit her. She called Barbie.
“Barbie. Sorry to call so late. I had a question…”
The next morning, after doing some reconnaissance work, Courtney stopped at her favorite mom and pop bakery and bo
ught four red velvet muffins and one poppy seed. She stopped at the café on the corner and got Jeanie’s normal complicated latte and two regulars.
Jeanie walked in to the conference room. Barbie and Courtney were already there looking at some documents on the computer.
“Good morning,” she said softly.
“Good morning,” Courtney responded. She walked over to Jeanie and handed her the latte and box of red velvet muffins.
Jeanie opened the box.
“Red velvet,” she said with a smile.
“Not just any red velvet, the best red velvet in the city. Truce?” Courtney asked.
“Of course. How could I say no to red velvet?”
Jeanie looked over at Barbie who was trying hard not to eavesdrop, she took a bite out of her poppy seed muffin and tried to hide a smile. Jeanie smiled, Barbie knew red velvet was her weakness but she made sure she got a poppy seed for herself.
“Okay, Courtney. Let’s shut those cynics up and show them what we’re made of.”
Courtney left work in high spirits. It turned out that Jeanie was much nicer than she first thought, and actually very brilliant. They worked well together, and was making progress on the project. She was a good mentor for Courtney.
When she got to her apartment there was a note on her door from Finn. He had something to take care of and could no longer have dinner with her. They had spent almost every day together for the past few weeks. She had been neglecting her friends so she decided to call and see if anyone wanted to grab dinner and drinks. Kim and a few others were down and said she would meet her at Cantina Bar at around seven. When Court got there, she was happy to see her friends until she spotted Alicia.
“Hey stranger,” Kim said kissing Court on the cheek.
Everyone said their hellos.
“We’ve already ordered a round of mojitos,” her friend Lauren said.
“Nice,” Court replied. Mojitos were her favorite drink at Cantina.
Court already knew she was in for the third degree when she saw the smirks on everyone’s face. Of course Alicia and her big mouth would have filled them in by now.
“So Court,” Nicole said grinning. “Tell us about the boy toy.”
On the way home Courtney thought about the conversation. She had gushed about Finn. It felt good to talk about how she felt. She told them he was an amazing artist. Of course Alicia was quick to point out that painters barely made any money but Kim jumped in, explaining she had many clients that would dispute that. Courtney had shot her friend a grateful look and Kim had winked. Lauren, being Lauren of course, wanted to know how sex was with a white boy. Courtney almost choked on her drink. She told them that the preconceptions were false and that to be honest, it was the same as with any man. She blushed when she recalled how Finn had made her feel, this was not unnoticed by her friends. Later, when Kim walked her to the train station, she told her she was happy she was taking a chance.
“You look real happy Court,” Kim said.
“I am really happy,” Courtney replied.
She really was.
Chapter 5
The next few weeks were particularly hectic for Courtney. She found out that being the co-project manager of her first design project required a lot of time. She was working late hours practically every night. She barely had time to see Finn and canceled several of their dates. She was off on the weekends but she was usually so exhausted all she wanted to do was hang out at either her or Finn’s place. Then when they did hang out, she slept most of the time while Finn worked on his art.
“Courtney,” Finn said shaking her awake.
“Yes,” she said.
“Hey, it’s nearly five. Do you want me to grab some food?” Finn asked.
“Yeah sure,” she said yawning.
“Pizza okay?” Finn asked.
“Sure. Whatever you want,” she said sleepily.
Later while they were eating Finn dropped another bomb on her.
“So I’m running out of space here. For my art I mean.”
“Oh, I see what you mean,” Court said looking around.
Finn’s work had overtaken the living room with canvases and supplies for his sculptures.
“I found a really great studio space. In Harlem. It’s in an old warehouse.”
“Nice. You need more space,” Court responded.
“So I won’t be home much,” Finn continued slowly.
“Oh!” Court said taken aback. “Well with work I won’t be around much either” she conceded.
“Yes, I know, but I just wanted to give you the heads up,” Finn said.
*****
True to his word Courtney didn’t see Finn much for the next few weeks. So she was excited when he called her Friday morning asking if he could take her out for lunch since he was in the area. They made plans to meet at her office at one but by ten she had to call him back to cancel. She really wanted to go but Darren had requested that the team have a working lunch. He seemed disappointed.
“Well, what about dinner tonight?” he asked.
“Sure,” she quickly responded. She had missed him these past few weeks.
“Good, I can’t wait,” he said. “Because there is something I have to tell you. Great news and I want to do it in person. I'll make your favorite. What time do you think you'll be home?” Finn asked.
“Not too late,” Courtney said. “We’re working through lunch so I should be home at about six thirty.
“Perfect,” Finn said before hanging up.
Jeanie came in at that moment to discuss some changes to the design.
Courtney rubbed her neck. She was so tired. She glanced at the clock. It was already ten to nine. She hadn’t realized the time. Courtney checked her phone. She had missed five calls from Finn. There were three voicemails waiting for her. She was nervous to check and sure enough they all were from Finn. The first asking if she was going to be late. He had already grilled the shrimp but wanted to know how far she was so he could make the pasta. The second message, he called concerned because it was almost eight and Courtney had not called him back. The final message he said that he had called the office and found out she was working late. 'I guess you got too busy to call and let me know' he said sounding a mix between sad and irritated. Courtney called Finn but got his voicemail. She felt terrible. He had planned this great dinner for them and Finn had said that he had something important to talk to her about. She couldn’t believe she let the time get away from her.
When Courtney got home she went straight to Finn’s apartment but he wasn’t there. She felt even worse when she entered her apartment. The little table was set, a large vase of purple tulips sat in the center. There was shrimp scampi in the refrigerator along with a chilled bottle of champagne. Court kicked off her shoes and undressed. She went to bed without eating, angry at herself for ruining a special evening.
She awakened to knocking at her door. Her head was spinning and she was exhausted. Finn had brought breakfast. He held out a cup of coffee and Court took it gratefully.
“Hi,” he said.
“Hi,” Courtney responded sheepishly. “I’m so sorry about last night.”
“It’s okay. I get it. You got busy,” he said but Courtney could tell by his tone that it really wasn’t okay.
“Finn, I really am sorry,” Courtney said.
“It's fine,” he responded looking at the floor.
“I really didn't know what time it was. I got so busy with work,” Courtney said, trying to explain.
“Yeah I know,” Finn retorted. “You were so busy that you didn't even have the decency to call and let me know you weren't coming.”
“Really Finn?” Courtney asked getting angry. “You don't get it. This isn’t just my job, this is my career. I have to do this. I’m sorry if work comes before hanging out with you. You wouldn't understand.”
“Yeah, you're right,” Finn said hotly, a little angry himself. “I wouldn't understand, after all I'm just an artist. Right?”
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“What do you mean by that?” Courtney questioned, her voice rising in volume.
“Oh, you know exactly what I mean. You're always reminding me that I wouldn't understand what you're going through because I don't have a ‘real’ job.”
“I never said that. And if I did, I didn’t mean it that way. It’s just you can work whenever you want on your art or not. It's not like there are any consequences if you don't work! I'm trying to prove my worth. Do you think it’s easy being a black woman in corporate America? Especially at an architect firm? An industry notoriously famous for male dominance?”
“Courtney,” Finn said laughing and shaking his head. “Are you listening to yourself? Just because I don't have to clock in anywhere doesn't mean I don’t take my work seriously. This is my dream. I'm trying to prove my worth too but you wouldn't understand that because all you think about is what you want. This is my life Courtney. It’s not a hobby as much as you like to dismiss it as such.”
“That’s insane Finn,” Courtney said incredulous. “I've never downplayed your art.”
“Oh you're right,” Finn said really irate at this point. “That's why you never ever make concessions for my schedule. It's all about you and your job. I took time off to spend with you. To make this thing we have work. This thing, whatever we have that you won't even let me know where we even stand.
“This again?” she asked. “Why do we always come back to this? Why do you always have to put labels on us? Why can't we just be you and me?”
“Are you ashamed of me Courtney?” Finn asked quietly.
“Of course not. Why would you even think that?”
“Because every time your friends call to make plans you find excuses as to why we can’t make it,” he replied.