Modern Girl's Guide to Office Romance

by Gina Drayer

  “I know. I don’t know how we could replace her.”

  “We don’t,” Matt said. “We offer more money, a higher paying position. We make our company the better deal than whoever else wants to hire her. And you’re going to be the one to do it.”

  Jason stared at his monitor. The shifting colors and shapes of the screensaver bounced across the screen. An idea was forming in the back of his mind. “So you’re giving me carte blanche to get her back?”

  “Yes,” Matt said without hesitation. “And I don’t mean just to get her back for the company—I also mean for you to get her back.” Matt paused. “Like I said, I’ve never heard you talk about a woman like you talked about her right now. I know your divorce did a number on you, even though you never talked about it.”

  Jason’s throat closed. He rather felt like his brother was cutting him open and scooping out his soft insides. Had he been so obvious after his divorce?

  “You knew?” he asked quietly.

  “Of course I did. We all did. I’m your brother, Jason. I know we’ve never been the types to sob in each other’s arms after a breakup, but you should know that I’m always here for you. I want you to be happy. Kira’s the one for you. Christ, man, get her back. Beg, lie, cheat, whatever. Kiss her feet and apologize until she gets it. Go buy her a huge diamond and never let her go. Just don’t give up without a fight.”

  Jason couldn’t help but smile. “Thanks for the advice.”

  “You’re welcome. Now just don’t fuck it up. I’ll let the guys know what’s going on, and we’ll be waiting to hear that you’ve gotten Kira back—in both ways. Talk to you later.”

  Jason stared at his computer screen for a while longer, as if he could find the secrets to the universe in its moving pixels. Getting Kira to return to the company was one thing; getting her back with him was something else entirely. He still didn’t fully understand why she’d broken things off in the first place. An angry voice in the back of his head spoke up.

  Maybe their relationship had been one-sided, rather like his relationship with Bridget. He’d tried to love Bridget, but she’d never really loved him. Maybe he was making the same mistakes all over again.

  But Kira was nothing like Bridget. While Bridget had been glamorous and shallow from the very beginning, Kira never wanted anything more than his time and his support. Kira would probably balk at a big diamond engagement ring, like Matt had suggested. Knowing her, she’d try to talk him into getting some cheap stone so the money could be spent on Riley instead.

  Thinking about Kira and engagement rings only made his chest tighten. He loved Kira. Bone-deep, soul-searing, mountain-moving love. He’d felt it for a long time, and he wanted it all. The marriage, the kids, the PTA meetings. It was a terrifying—yet exciting—revelation.

  It also gave him even more of a reason to get her back. How could he live without the woman he loved? How could he let her walk away without trying his best to get her back?

  Taking up a notepad and pen, he began scribbling ideas, formulating a plan that he mentally dubbed Operation Reacquire Kira.

  Chapter 19

  Have a Breakup Contingency Plan

  Have a frank discussion about what will happen if the relationship ends. Breaking up with a co-worker can be just as complicated as ending a marriage. Think of this talk as an office pre-nup agreement.

  * * *

  Although she’d turned in her resignation at Millennial and accepted the position with Diane, she had yet to tell the most important person: Riley. She felt rather silly, being apprehensive about telling her fifteen-year-old that she’d quit her job. But she knew, it wasn’t about the job. Kira didn’t want to tell Riley that she’d broken up with Jason. Once she said it aloud, told her daughter, it would be real. Final.

  But she couldn’t put it off any longer. She started her new job on Monday. Luckily, her mom was coming over for dinner, and that gave her the opportunity to tell them both together. She wasn’t proud of using her mom as a buffer, but she really needed someone on her side.

  While she made dinner, Kira could barely concentrate, she was so jittery. It was silly, but she couldn’t get over the feeling that she was making a mistake, no matter what she told herself otherwise.

  “Do you need help in there?” Her mom poked her head into the kitchen.

  Even though she was in her late fifties, her mother was still a striking woman. She’d only recently allowed her hair to be its natural silver, having dyed it a variety of colors throughout Kira’s youth. They looked remarkably alike. Kira could almost see herself at that age. She could also see herself alone, like her mother. The thought made her want to sob.

  Get yourself together, Kira.

  “I’m almost done,” Kira replied, pulling a loaf of bread out of the oven. “Can you tell Riley to set the table?”

  Her mom gave her a once-over, and Kira couldn’t help the feeling that the woman knew all of her secrets from that one glance.

  “You look different, Kira,” she finally said, frowning a little. “Have you lost weight?”

  Kira rolled her eyes. “No. Although you know I refuse to keep a scale in the house.”

  “Well, you look thinner. And stressed.” She gave her another critical look, and then asked, “Is it a man?”

  Kira almost dropped the pot of spaghetti in her hands. “Why does it always have to be about a man?”

  “Because, nine times out of ten it usually is,” her mom said as if she were quoting an actual fact.

  “It’s not about a man.” At least, it isn’t about a man anymore, she thought rather sadly. “Can you take the salad into the dining room?”

  “Hmm.” With her arms crossed, her mom stood there and stared, waiting for more details. She had a skill that defied logic. Her mom could smell a lie a mile away and she could always ferret out whatever Kira was hiding. If Kira wasn’t careful, her mother would know every detail of her relationship with Jason before they finished eating dinner.

  Much to Kira’s relief, Riley came into the kitchen, ending the epic stare down. “Go help Nanny set the table. Dinner’s almost ready.”

  Riley shrugged, but didn’t complain. After her outburst when she’d sprained her wrist, Riley had been sulking, mostly because she was still grounded and stuck at home. She didn’t have to wear the sling she’d gone home with, and her physician had said that the sprain was mostly healed. But even though the physical trauma was on the mend, Kira wasn’t sure what she should do about this sulky teenager haunting her house. She could really use the exuberant Riley right about now.

  Riley grabbed silverware, leaving her crutch against the counter. Kira had tried her best not to scold her for not using it at home. But Jason had been right; Riley was growing up, and she couldn’t always be there to protect her daughter. The fall had been a good lesson, and Riley was more cautious. At least, she fervently hoped that was the case.

  Once all three of them were settled around the table, conversation flowed easily. Janice asked Riley about school, band, her friends, and her grades. Kira had opted not to tell her mother about Riley going to the college party and falling on the sidewalk while roaming the streets unsupervised. That conversation would lead to Janice scolding her for being too busy and not properly supervising Riley. When she’d told Riley that they were keeping The Accident from her grandmother, Riley hadn’t objected. They explained the stitches and sprain as a simple fall, leaving out all the other details.

  “School’s fine,” Riley said around a mouthful of spaghetti.

  “How are your friends? Danielle?”

  Kira made a face. She and Danielle’s mother Jenny had had a talk after The Accident, and although Jenny had been apologetic, Kira decided that Riley couldn’t go over to Danielle’s for a while. The two girls still saw each other at school, though.

  Riley just shrugged. “She’s good, I guess,” was her only reply.

  Her mother looked back and forth between the two of them. “You two have been awfully quiet
tonight. Anything you want to share?”

  Clearing her throat, Kira said, “I have news.”

  They both turned to look at her: her mom with anticipation and Riley with worry.

  “I put in my notice at Millennial, and I’m taking a position with Pink Moon Marketing. I start on Monday.”

  There was a long moment of silence. Maybe her announcement wasn’t clear. Riley opened her mouth to comment, but Janice exclaimed, “That’s great, dear! I’m so happy you came to your senses. They never deserved you over there.”

  Kira smiled at her mother’s insistence that she’d been right all along. “You remember my friend Diane, from night school?”

  “The chubby one with the bad dye job?”

  “Yes, but I wish wouldn’t call her chubby,” Kira said with a sigh. “Especially since she’s going to be my new boss. Pink Moon is her company, and she offered me a position a few weeks ago. I finally decided to take her up on it.”

  “That’s wonderful. Tell us all about it.” Kira couldn’t remember the last time her mom seemed this enthusiastic about a decision she’d made.

  “I’ll be doing a lot of the same work as I did at Millennial,” Kira started.

  “Don’t tell me it’s another administrative position.” Some of the sparkle faded from Janice’s tone. “You’re way too good for something so menial.”

  “It’s not,” Kira said through her teeth. Her job at Millennial had been so much more, but she could never convince her mother of that. Or her bosses. Or, apparently, her boyfriend. “I’ll be a project manager. I’ll be in charge of my own team.”

  “I assume it comes with a salary increase?”

  Kira nodded. But it wasn’t about the money. She made enough to live comfortably. She’d left because she deserved better. Or, at least that’s what she kept telling herself.

  “Congratulate your mother, Riley.”

  Riley made a face, mumbling “Congrats” at her plate.

  That couldn’t be a good sign. Kira ignored her for now. She’d deal with Riley later. Right now, she needed to get through this dinner. Maybe she should open that dusty bottle of wine in the back of the pantry.

  Her mom spent the next hour interrogating her with nonstop questions, some of which Kira hadn’t even thought of. As they discussed the move, she felt more at peace with her decision. She’d miss Millennial—and the people there—but overall, this was a good decision. It had to be.

  She deserved to expand her career and move up the ladder. Since Millennial hadn’t been interested in letting her do so, why shouldn’t she leave and go to a place that would appreciate her talents? Plus, the bigger salary didn’t hurt.

  While they cleaned up, Riley stayed mostly silent, only glancing at Kira periodically. A fight was brewing behind her eyes, and Kira just hoped it would wait until they were alone. And it almost did. Almost.

  As her mom gathered her things, she gave Kira a big hug. “I’m really happy for you, dear. Aren’t you, Riley?”

  And like that, the dam broke. “How does Jason feel about you leaving?” Riley blurted out.

  Kira stilled, while Janice looked at them both. “Who’s Jason?”

  “He’s my boss,” Kira replied before Riley could interject. She gave her daughter a warning look. “He’s sorry to see me go. Since he’s my boss,” she added quickly.

  “So he’s not upset?” Riley pushed.

  “Of course, he’d be upset,” he mother jumped in. “She’s a hard worker. Those are had to come by these days. If they want to keep employees like you, they really need to treat them better.”

  Kira looked directly at Riley and said, “That’s exactly what I told him. But we’ve talked this into the ground. Nanny doesn’t need to hear about every second of our lives.”

  Riley opened her mouth, but decided she’d better keep quiet. Sniffing, she gave her grandmother a hug and went into the other room to watch TV.

  “She’s been in a strange mood,” her mom remarked. “Is something going on at school?”

  “No, not that I know of. I think it’s just teenage angst.” Kira smiled a little. “Was I that annoying at her age?”

  “Oh, much worse. You were such a social butterfly and there was always some drama going on between you and one of your friends. And you complained all the time that I wouldn’t let you date. Don’t you remember how you cried when that senior boy asked you to that dance, but I told you that you couldn’t go?”

  Kira laughed. “Gary Alton was the hottest boy in school, and he asked me to the dance. I had to tell him that my parents wouldn’t let me go to the prom with him. I thought I’d die of embarrassment.”

  “He was three years older than you. I know what goes on at prom. There was no way I was going to let you go your sophomore year.”

  “Well, the no-dating rule didn’t help much,” Kira said with a sigh. “I still ended up pregnant and married before I graduated college.”

  “But look how you turned out. I mean, there were some hiccups along the way, but I’m proud of you, Kira.” Her mom’s features softened and she patted Kira on the arm. “I’m sure your father would have been, too. I’m just sad he didn’t get to see what a wonderful woman you’ve become. You’ve done well for yourself.”

  Kira swallowed against the knot in her throat. She had done well despite everything, but that didn’t stop her from feeling like she’d lost all the things that really mattered. What good did it do to improve her life when she didn’t have anyone to share it with?

  She missed Jason, plain and simple. And she knew, deep inside, that a career was well and good, but it didn’t keep you warm at night. Was it possible to have both? Maybe someday. But every time she imagined that mythical someday, the only one she could see by her side was Jason.

  After her mom left, Kira went into the living room to join Riley. Her daughter didn’t say anything or even look away from the TV.

  “You were pretty quiet at dinner,” Kira said. “Anything the matter?”

  Riley didn’t reply. She kept changing channels, though, flipping through the entire line-up before starting all over again.

  “Riley, I asked you a question.”

  Riley landed on some TV movie before sighing. “I’m fine,” she said.

  “You don’t seem very fine.”

  “I’m not the one who decided to quit her job for no reason,” Riley countered.

  Kira stilled. She knew Riley didn’t care one way or another about her job. This was about something else—or someone.

  Kira took the remote that Riley had placed next to her leg and turned down the volume, forcing her daughter to pay attention to her—or at least hear her.

  “I needed to change jobs, Riley. When you get older, you’ll understand that sometimes you just need to move on.”

  “So you leaving your job … does this mean you broke up with Jason?” Riley crossed her arms, waiting for Kira’s answer. “Is that why he hasn’t been around?”

  Kira sighed. “If you must know, yes. I decided to end things. We weren’t really compatible.”

  Riley stared at her, and then her eyes narrowed. “Are you serious?”

  “What, that we broke up? Yes.” Riley huffed an annoyed huff, and Kira touched her leg. “I’m sorry that he won’t be around anymore. I know you liked him, and I hate the idea that our breakup will hurt you. That’s one of the reasons I’ve always been so cautious about dating while you were growing up. Growing up without your dad is hard enough, I never wanted men to come in and out of your life. And this time is no different.”

  “If you were really sorry, you wouldn’t have broken up with him in the first place.”

  Kira drew back, not sure how to respond to Riley’s rancor. Had she liked Jason that much? Guilt flooded her already tumultuous emotions. She’d been so careful not to bring just any man home so that Riley wouldn’t have to suffer if a boyfriend ended up leaving. Hell, if she were honest, she hadn’t ever brought home a guy for that very reason.

  �
�Did you like Jason that much?” Kira asked quietly.

  Riley turned toward her. “I did like him, but that’s not why I’m mad.” Riley straightened her posture and crossed her arms. In that moment, she looked years older than fifteen. “Jason is a good guy, Mom. I know you think I’m too young or naïve to notice these things, but guys don’t just come over to cook for you when you're sick if they don’t care. They don’t do Netflix and Chill for two weeks without the chill part. And they don’t go to the hospital with you when your kid gets hurt.” Riley stared at her. “You know what I mean?”

  Kira couldn’t help but feel a little sad, hearing her daughter say those words. Not because they were wrong, or bad, but because her daughter was growing up, and she would soon be a young adult, on her own in the world. She’d underestimated her daughter’s maturity at times. Sure, she still often acted like a bratty teenager, but she also possessed an insight into human nature that was well beyond her years.

  “You’re right,” Kira admitted. “Jason’s a good guy. I’ve always known that. But Riley …” She touched her leg again. “Even if he’s the best guy in the entire world, that doesn’t mean we were meant to be. We just weren’t compatible.”

  “You keep saying that. What does that even mean?” Riley snorted.

  “We’re at different stages in our lives. Raising a kid is a lot of responsibility, and sometimes you have to make sacrifices. That’s a lot to ask of another person.”

  Riley rolled her eyes and the defiant teenager was back. “You know what I think?”

  “Do I want to know?” Kira’s voice was sad but dry.

  “I think you’re scared. You’ve finally found a guy you like—and who likes you—and you decide that it’s too much. So you run away, because it’s easier.”

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Kira took a deep breath, trying not to yell at her daughter. She was getting tired of people telling her she was scared. She wasn’t scared; she was being smart. Preventing disaster before lives were wrecked. “Riley, when you get older, you’ll understand how complicated relationships can be.”