by Susan Cairns
Before answering, I pull my knee up onto the couch and turn my body so we’re facing each other. “We met online. It’s unconventional. I don’t want your colleagues to think I’m so desperate I needed to shop for a girlfriend online. You know not everyone accepts what dating has evolved into. I just don’t want to feel awkward when I have to meet these people.” I sound defensive, but I don’t care. I don’t want people I’ve never met to have a preconceived notion of me.
She blows out a deep breath. “I didn’t realize you felt that way. You do realize that a lot of couples meet online, that it’s not something out of the ordinary anymore. Or, are you embarrassed by the way we met?”
“Of course not”—I throw my hands out in front of me—“but I just figured that was something we’d keep in our circle.”
“The friends I have at work are a part of my circle.”
“I meant our families,” I explain.
“Are you telling me that none of your friends know how we met?”
“No, I didn’t think it was necessary to tell them.” I’m starting to sound as defensive as she is.
“Huh, okay.” She turns away from me and pushes off the couch while grabbing her bowl.
I make sure she’s not looking at me before I roll my eyes. “Jennifer, listen, men aren’t the same as women. We don’t talk about things like that.” I follow her with my eyes as she moves through the living room to the kitchen.
“I’m aware. I just thought that maybe, considering you moved here, you would have told some of your friends about how we met,” she calls back, while I assume she’s rinsing her dish and putting it in the dishwasher, based on the sounds.
“I told my brother. He’s my closest friend,” I yell to her.
“He’s your brother, there’s a difference.” She comes back to the couch, stopping in front of me instead of sitting down.
“Hey…” I reach for her hand. “I didn’t have the kind of relationship with my friends at work that you do. Honestly, my brother is my best friend. I didn’t really keep in close contact with the friends I had in high school and college. I didn’t mean to upset you. I’m nervous about how people will react to the way we met. That’s my own insecurities.”
She blows out a big sigh, looking at me with sad eyes but a hint of a smile on her lips. “It’s okay, I get it. I didn’t keep in touch with my friend from high school or college either, which is why I have close friends at work. They’re the people I spend most of my time with, but trust me when I tell you this, they won’t think any less of you because of how we met. They only want to see me happy, and I’m happy that you’re here.”
With a tug on her hand, I pull Jennifer into my lap then kiss her forehead before she burrows her face into the side of my neck. “I’m happy to be the one making you happy. I just need to get over myself and make a good impression when I meet them. They have to be pretty amazing people if they’re in your life, right?”
“They are and they’re going to love you, regardless of how we met or what you do.”
“Good. How about we head to bed and watch some TV, unless you have work to do?” I ask, turning my head so I can see Jennifer out of the corner of my eye.
“Nope, I’m all worked out for the day,” she replies, sitting up on my lap then looking into my eyes.
For a minute I think she’s going to kiss me, but instead she runs her hand down my cheek and neck before standing and reaching for my hand. Sometimes I think she’s going to make a move, take us to the next level, but she always pulls back. I don’t want to push her because I know she wants to take things slow, but my conversation with Jordan floods my brain, along with images of Taylor, and I question what I’m doing here.
I have to keep moving forward with Jennifer—I want to give us a chance—so I take her hand and let her pull me off the couch. After giving her hand a quick squeeze, I fall in line with her as we walk toward the bedroom. We go our separate ways at the bathroom door then meet up again before slipping under the covers.
As I’m flipping on the TV, Jennifer slides in next to me and rests her cheek on my chest while her arm goes around my waist. Before we make it halfway through an episode of Big Bang Theory, she’s out like a light and I’m fighting to keep my eyes open, so I click off the TV and pull her in tighter. It feels good to fall asleep with someone in my arms.
Tipping my head down, I place a quick kiss on the top of her head. “Good night, Jennifer.”
Chapter Six
Reid
After spending the past few days with an almost too-professional Taylor, I’ve decided to bribe some of the fun back out of her with a piping hot nonfat latte from Starbucks. Thankfully, Casey was more than willing to let me know her drink of choice—after she caught me snooping around Taylor’s cube before leaving last night. Not surprising, from what I’ve heard about Casey, that wasn’t all she offered. I now know what Taylor’s favorite mixed drink, wine, and beer are, along with what she orders when they call out for lunch. If I didn’t know any better, I would think that Casey was feeding me information as a way to woo Taylor, something she shouldn’t even be considering, but I’m grateful nonetheless. It also makes me wonder what the two of them talk about when they’re not at work, like if I might be their topic of conversation.
Shaking those thoughts out of my head, I pick up the drink carrier from the passenger seat of my Jeep and head through the nearly empty parking lot to the reception door. I’m early, so Brian isn’t here to buzz me in and of course my hands are full. It probably would have been easier if I only had two drinks to balance. I could have just ignored Casey’s order, but since she helped me out, I figured the least I could do was get one for her. Although right about now, I wish I had kept the shoulder strap clipped to my briefcase, rather than tucking my laptop up under my arm and hoping it doesn’t slip and smash against the floor. However, with a little more maneuvering, I free up my right hand so I can dig my access card out of my pocket, slide it through the reader, then pull the door open without letting anything move an inch.
Once I’ve rebalanced myself, I head right to Taylor’s desk. It’s a long shot, but based on what I’ve seen every day with the exception of my first, I’m pretty sure I’ll find her sitting behind her computer, immersed in a file or tapping away at her keyboard. For the past two days, I’ve come in to find her reading materials Miranda gave her to prepare for her new role. In all my years at CBD, I never saw one of the younger associates taking that much initiative. Which also happens to make her that much more appealing to me.
The sound of clicking on a keyboard meets my ears before I turn the corner to find Taylor typing out an e-mail. “Morning.”
When I see her jump at the sound of my voice, I wish I had made a little more noise.
She swings her chair around so she’s facing me with her hand on her chest. “Holy sh—Jesus, Reid, you scared me.”
“Sorry, I figured you’d be here, so I thought I would grab you a coffee on my way in,” I say, leaning my hip against the door to her cube.
She looks at me skeptically. “Starbucks?”
“Yeah, a little birdie told me you drink nonfat lattes.”
“Hmm, I guess I can assume the same little birdie had you get her a mocha frapucchino with extra whip?” she asks with a raised brow and the hint of a smirk.
“Possibly,” I reply, setting the drink carrier on Taylor’s desk before slipping the latte out and handing it to her.
“So what’s with the coffee? Peace offering? Bribe? Did you do something that’s going to require groveling?” Taylor says before taking a small sip from her cup.
“Not at all, or at least I don’t think so, but I guess that’s up to you to decide.” I mimic her look with a smirk of my own and a raised brow as I step back to my spot at the door.
“Well, now you’ve got my attention.” She leans her chair back, crossing her right leg over her left knee. “Tell me, what kind of trouble could you have caused your first week of work?”
“I’m guessing that since you can’t come up with something off the top of your head, there’s probably nothing, unless you’re planning on ambushing me when we meet with Miranda?” I return her teasing tone.
“Hmm, I guess that’s for me to know and you to find out.”
A chuckle escapes my lips. “Well, now I’m paranoid,” I say, trying to mask my amusement with a concerned tone.
“Miranda doesn’t usually get here until closer to nine, so we have some time to go over things before we have to meet with her. Why don’t you get yourself situated and I’ll be in as soon as I finish these e-mails?” Taylor uncrosses her legs and starts to turn her chair back toward her computer. “Oh and Reid?” She stops, lifting her head so she can look me in the eyes.
“Yeah?”
“Thanks for the coffee, and thank you for asking Casey how I take it. This is definitely hitting the spot this morning.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll see you in a few?” I ask, sounding unsure even though she already said she would brief me before our meeting.
“Yep.” She turns away from me completely.
After picking the drink carrier up from Taylor’s desk, I head down the cube hall to drop off Casey’s coffee. I’m not surprised to see her desk empty, so I leave a note on top of her cup saying, “Thank you” with a smiley face. Her drink order was an iced coffee, which is now sweating all over her desk. I probably should put it in the refrigerator, then I could thank her in person, but she did weasel her way into my order, so I think I’ll let her deal. I’m sure I can expect Casey to give me shit about not only the warm coffee, but also the puddle later. All of which will be worth it.
Casey’s also planned the welcoming happy hour for after work today, which Taylor called “just another reason to drink.” But Casey said they go to Fran’s every Friday, so why not celebrate the new guy while they’re at it? That’s exactly what she put in the e-mail anyway. Considering my previous coworkers didn’t do a damn thing when I left, I’ll take the excuse to drink as a compliment.
At my office, only a few cubes away from Casey’s desk, I turn on the overhead light. I usually skip the harsh florescent lighting, preferring the natural light from the windows, but it’s overcast today. I’m also not sure working with Taylor in a near-dark room is the best idea, especially after the flirting. It might make it a little hard to keep things on a professional level.
After getting my computer set up—thankfully I haven’t had any issues with getting it docked since my first day—I bring up my e-mails and see the most recent is from Taylor. I want to dive into it just to see what she could have wanted in the two minutes since I was at her desk, but I have several from the night before that need my attention first. So I scroll to the bottom of the unread list and start to work my way through them. It’s not until I hear a soft tap at the door that I reach the e-mail that’s been calling for my attention since I saw it, but instead of clicking on the envelope, I look up. Standing in the doorway with her right hip resting against the jamb, arms crossed, with the coffee I brought her holding steady in her right hand and a portfolio tucked under her left arm, is Taylor.
Trying not to give myself away, I give her a slight smile. “Hey, come on in.”
“I was planning on it,” she returns with the same flirty tone as she crosses to the chair in front of my desk. “Unless of course you want to go to the meeting without my debriefing.” She pulls the chair around to my side.
“I’m not worried about what you’re going to say if that’s what you’re thinking.” I turn back to my computer to show her my lack of concern.
“All right then, I guess I’ll head back to my desk and finish what I was doing.”
“Or you can stay and we can go over things so I don’t look like a dipshit in front of Miranda.” I turn my head to meet her sparkling blue eyes.
“But you do it so well!” A smirk crosses her lips as she pitches her left eyebrow.
“What are you trying to say, Ms. Lewis?”
“Something I wish was true, but you hide your ignorance so well.”
“I’m learning, and apparently it’s enough to keep the deer-in-the-headlights look away.”
Taylor situates the chair under the open space behind my desk, then she takes her seat, crossing her right leg over her left again before looking at the Great Lakes portfolio she set on the desk in front of her. “Could be that, but I’m starting to think you’re just really good at bullshitting.”
“You kind of have to be when you work in sales and trust me, nothing is more competitive than marketing.”
“Lesson one, perfect the poker face.” She makes a check mark motion with her finger on the leather of the portfolio.
“Not necessarily a poker face, but you need to make sure you’re presenting yourself with all the confidence you can muster up.”
“Muster? Really?”
“What, people still say that, don’t they?” I ask, mocking confusion as I wait for her to make some comment about my age.
“I guess…” She bites her lips together to stop from laughing. “We should probably go over things. Miranda will be here in a few minutes and I want to make sure we catch her immediately, or she’ll get sucked into something else and push back our meeting.” Taylor opens the portfolio to reveal a list.
“Okay, so what’s on the agenda?”
“Well, we have to get you introduced to your new clients, so I’ve been working on reaching out to them. I probably should have been CC’ing you on the e-mails, but I figured the first time you meet them should be in person. They, of course, know you’re aware of who they are and what their companies do, but since I’ve been working with them for so long, I want it to feel as if I’m passing the torch.”
“I get it, makes sense,” I say, though my tone doesn’t confirm my understanding.
Taylor looks at me for a minute, probably trying to figure out my reaction. “It’s just that they’ve gone through this twice now, first with Lindsay, now with me. And I know they should expect that things will change hands, but they trust me and they might have had the impression that I wasn’t going anywhere any time soon. So I wanted to break it to them gently.”
“You don’t have to justify yourself. I do understand. I just have to put myself into the mindset that these are small businesses, not large corporations. They have the expectation of a more personal experience. Like you said, they probably didn’t think their accounts were going to be handed over to someone new again, especially so soon after Lindsay introduced them to you.”
“Right, and I had to help most of them build from the ground up.”
“You mean my predecessor did?” I joke, knowing full well that Lindsay didn’t do shit.
“I really hope you’re joking, because if you’re not, I’m going to go back to my desk and let you go into Miranda’s office blind.”
“You know I’m joking. You’ve more than shown me the amount of work you put in for these clients. I didn’t say it before, but I’m impressed. You definitely have a knack for project management—”
“And with a little marketing training, I’m going to be a showstopper. I know, I’ve heard it before, but I’ll believe it when I see it.” Taylor sounds defeated and turns her face back toward the desk.
“Hey.” I grab her chin to turn her head back toward me, not releasing her after her eyes meet mine. “I know you’re probably sick of hearing this, but you’re still young. You have so much time to grow and learn.” She gives me a weak smile, and I almost lean in to kiss it off of her lips. “I’m not saying age has anything to do with the fact that you’re not in my position. I’m just saying you have so many more years of opportunity ahead of you.”
“And you don’t think you do?” she asks without pulling out of my grasp.
“No, I’m done. I did the whole ‘exploring my options and gaining experience’ thing
. Now I’m interested in settling down with the career that’s going to take me to retirement.”
“I think you be might selling yourself short,” she says with a shake of her head as she pulls back, making my hand slip down to the armrest of her chair.
And with that shake of her head, I can see she’s closed off. It’s my fault though—I went too far. I should have never touched her face, but I couldn’t help myself. I’m treading dangerously. Not only is it inappropriate because I’m her superior, but there’s Jennifer too.
“We need to get to this list,” Taylor says, making sure to put as much confidence in her voice as she can. “So like I was saying, I’ve reached out to the clients. We’re probably going to meet with them over dinner first, as long as it’s okay with Miranda, then go for a tour of their businesses. We always try to do the icebreaker before diving right into business.”
“And a business dinner is an icebreaker?” I ask, making sure to mimic her overly professional tone.
“It’s not in a business setting, so yes, it helps with introductions. But we have to run everything by Miranda before I cement the plans. Considering it’s what she would do, I don’t think she’s going to have a problem with it.”
“Sounds good. It’s probably better to get to know the people I’m working with, gauge their reaction to me before I walk into their businesses and start making suggestions. Although that is what they’ve hired us for,” I say, challenging her to see if I can get her playfulness to come back.
“That’s where you need to start thinking with a small business frame of mind.” Taylor looks directly into my eyes, almost captivating me. “You know this, we’ve talked about it. These companies are their lives. Most of them have sunk everything they have into starting them, without knowing what they were getting into. Yes, that’s why they hired us, but you have to build their trust if you want them to accept your ideas.” She pauses to see if I have anything to add, but I keep my mouth shut. “When I e-mailed them, I gave them your background and explained that you’re well-versed in marketing, which is what they need at this point.”