by Tina Martin
“I just had the perfect idea. Why don’t you get Bryson to help you with your emails?”
Kalina shook her head. “No way.”
“Come on, Kalina. Why not?”
“How about because I don’t know him? He does not have what it takes to do what I do. Everybody thinks my job is so easy, but it’s not. That’s why I told him to email me. I wanted to prove a point. I knew he would back out.”
“Technically he hasn’t backed out.”
“Sure looks that way to me,” Kalina said, scrolling through her email inbox on her cell phone.
“Okay, then I’ll make a little bet with you.”
“A bet? Since when do you make bets, Edith?”
Edith chuckled. “Never, but I’m going to make an exception this time. If Bryson sends a response to your reader’s question by midnight, then you will agree to let him help you answer further emails until you get your inbox under control.”
Amused, Kalina asked, “Are you serious?”
“I sure am. Now, do we have a deal?”
Kalina shook her head.
“What do you have to lose, Kalina? You said he wasn’t going to respond, right? So you have nothing to worry about, right?”
“If I agree to this and Bryson responds to the email, what if his answer is unacceptable?”
“I’ll review his answer, and if it passes my inspection, you will let him help you with the other emails. Okay?”
“Deal.”
CHAPTER 5
Kalina returned home after finishing another bowl of soup. And, instead of spending her Saturday night hanging out with Lizette, a friend who also doubled as her employee, she was busy in her home office, replying to emails:
Question: We’ve been together for a year. I know he’s not the one, but why is it so hard for me to leave?
Kalina quickly typed a reply. She’d answered this same question so many times before, the answer came automatically:
It’s hard for you to leave because you’ve established a relationship with this man. If you’re absolutely certain he’s not the one, then not only are you hurting yourself. You’re hurting him, too and wasting precious time. You need to sit down, have a conversation with him, let him know how you really feel and go from there.
She quickly went on to the next question:
Question: I’ve been dating this guy for three years and he will not make a commitment. Every time I bring it up, he tells me he’s not ready. I feel like I’m wasting my time. Should I stay or go?
Kalina’s response:
I think you know what you need to do. Instead of seeking validation, you should let him know you’re serious about a commitment. He’s been able to push it off for three years, so in his mind, he’s thinking, what’s another three years? If he wants you, he will not let you stay ‘out there’ and risk the possibility of someone else snatching you up.
Kalina took a breath, leaned back in her office chair and swiveled around to the television where the ten o’clock news was airing. The meteorologist was forecasting rain most of next week. More rain equaled more emails. Seemed the gloominess of miserable, rainy days made women, and men alike, ponder their relationship woes. The last stretch of rain had produced nearly eight hundred emails. Kalina was already behind. How would she ever catch up if all she ever did was fall behind?
Okay, Kalina. Focus.
She turned back to her computer screen, popped her knuckles and said, “Alright. Who’s next?”
Question: I’ve been seeing this guy for three months now and he will not take me out in public. I tried to recommend a restaurant last weekend and he found a reason why he couldn’t go, canceling at the last minute. Does this mean he’s ashamed to take me out in public, or does he already have a girlfriend and doesn’t want anyone to see him with me?
Kalina quickly replied:
It could mean that he is ashamed of you, but most likely, he’s seeing someone else and doesn’t want to get caught. Sweetie, if you’re with a man and you feel he doesn’t want to take you out and be seen with you, then this is not the man for you.
She clicked send then, as she was about to click on the next email, she saw a new email arrive in her inbox:
FROM: Bryson Blackstone
TO: Kalina Cooper
SUBJECT: Answer
Hi Kalina.
I used most of the day to think about the question from your reader, and I’ve finally come up with an answer. So, here goes:
It may be painful, but there is no reason why you should leave a man you love – a man that’s been faithful to you, a man you married – because he’s not ready to have a baby right now. Marriage is about making sacrifices. If you make this sacrifice for him, then surely, when the time is right whether it be two years or five years, he’ll make the same sacrifice for you if the love and respect is mutual. Why don’t you forgo the baby talk for now to help him chase his dreams? Let him know you’re willing to put off having children a little while longer, but that you are serious about having a baby. Take it one day at a time. When the time is right, it will happen. Whatever you decide to do, please do not give him an ultimatum. Men hate those.
Good luck.
--
B. Blackstone
_____
Kalina sat back in her chair, thinking that, not only was his answer brilliant, but it was well thought-out, well said. She couldn’t have said it better herself. Where had Bryson gotten so much insight into relationships? Steve Harvey? Or did he learn a lot from his own experiences of jumping in and out of relationships? Probably the latter. He looked like the player type.
Kalina closed her eyes, thinking about her aunt’s bet. Why did she agree to it? When Edith read his response, she would automatically declare herself the winner of the bet. And then I would have to let Bryson help me out with these emails. Ugh. I’d rather just do it myself. Then it dawned on her – what if Bryson didn’t want to do it. Surely the man had some sort of a day job. Maybe he wouldn’t have the time to do this anyway. That would make her day.
FROM: Kalina Cooper
TO: Bryson Blackstone
SUBJECT: Re: Answer
Sounds good. I’ll send your reply her way. Thx.
--
Kalina Cooper
Editor | CEO
The Cooper Files
_____
Kalina answered another question then she saw a reply from Bryson. Was the man sitting in front of his computer or what?
FROM: Bryson Blackstone
TO: Kalina Cooper
SUBJECT: Re: Answer
I thought we could discuss it before you sent it. You’re the expert. Not me. I want you to tweak it if some things are a little off. Will you be at Edith’s Café Monday evening?
--
B. Blackstone
_____
Kalina rolled her eyes. Nothing about his email needed to be tweaked, and she had a feeling he knew that already. Was he doing this to see her again? Trying to set up a date on the sly just so they could discuss his email? Kalina wasn’t buying it. Still, she knew she would be at the café. Normally, she was there every weekday after work. So she responded back, told him they could discuss it on Monday evening. He replied again, confirming, then had the audacity to tell her to relax and put the laptop down. She could see that sneaky grin on his face now.
She stood, left her office, then went to the kitchen to grab a wine cooler. When she saw Lizette calling, she quickly answered the phone.
“Hey, Lizzie.”
“Hey, woman. How’d it go with your mom?”
“Oh my gosh…I don’t even want to talk about it.”
“That bad, huh?”
“Yes. Bad. She kept asking for my no-good-father again and she’s losing her balance now, so I had the facility order a walker for her. That about sums it up. What have you been up to today?”
“Nothing much…the usual Saturday stuff. Did some shopping, laundry—”
“That reminds me…I have to do laundr
y tomorrow,” Kalina said, popping the top off the Sangria cooler and taking a quick swig. “I swear I need a personal assistant. There just isn’t enough time in the day.”
“Girl, I hear you. By the way, did you put a dent in those emails yet?”
“I’m getting there. I answered about fifty today. I still need to get an intern, although my aunt seems to have another idea.”
“What do you mean?”
“Okay, so there’s this guy she knows from her coffee shop. Apparently, he’s a regular customer. So he overheard me discussing one of the reader questions with my aunt and he decided to call me out, saying that I didn’t know how to answer the question, correctly. So I tossed it back to him, gave him my card and told him to email me with what his response would be, you know, just to shut him up and prove my point. I knew he wouldn’t email me back. So my aunt decides to bet me that if he did email me, and she found his answer to be acceptable, then I would have to let him help me answer other emails which would help me get my inbox under control. Which would, in turn, eliminate my need for an intern.”
“Girl, don’t tell me he actually emailed you?”
“He sure did.”
“And was his answer any good.”
“It was…spoken like a true professional, but I don’t have time to baby-sit anyone, especially a man. You know me…I don’t do small talk, chit chat…none of that nonsense.”
“Well, you said he answered the question professionally, right, so maybe he’s a professional…a get-right-down-to-business type of guy who doesn’t like small talk either.”
“I can only hope.” Kalina took another sip.
Lizette grinned. “What’s his name, by the way?”
“Bryson Blackstone,” Kalina responded in an exasperated sigh.
“Oh. I know a few Blackstones.”
“As do I…doesn’t mean I want to know him, though.”
“So what are you going to do? Tell your aunt he didn’t respond?”
“Nah…I can’t lie to my aunt. The only thing I can do is try to convince this guy that doing this would be a waste of his time. It’s not like I’m going to pay him anything.”
“What if he doesn’t care about being compensated?”
Kalina shrugged. “Then I guess I don’t have a choice but to work with him….and saying that out loud just made my stomach hurt.”
“It won’t be that bad, Kalina. Besides, you don’t even know if he’ll accept.”
“Whatever the case, my stomach still hurts.”
Lizette chuckled.
“Anyway, did you finish the blog post for Monday?”
“I did. I left it in draft form for you. You will see it on your dashboard when you log in.”
“Alright. Thanks, girl.”
“No problem. Now try to get some sleep.”
“Okay. See you Monday.”
After setting her phone on the countertop, Kalina turned up the bottle to her mouth and finished the wine cooler. Then she quickly ran upstairs, grabbed her laptop before retreating to her bedroom. She sat on the bed with a few pillows behind her back for support. Then she opened the laptop and positioned it on top of her thighs. She didn’t know how she would do it, but she made it a goal to get through at least fifty more emails before she fell asleep.
CHAPTER 6
Brnnng. Brnnnng!
“Huh?” Kalina said, startled, sitting straight up in her bed, her hair all over the place, even falling in front of her face, restricting her vision. She looked like a sleep-deprived Cousin Itt. Using her fingers, she brushed her hair from her face then looked around for her cell phone. She usually remembered to set her phone to silent before bed, but since she’d fallen asleep while working, she’d completely forgotten about it.
Brnnng. Brnnnng!
“Give me a flippin’ break,” she said when she couldn’t find her cell. It was somewhere in the bed. Under a pillow? Between the sheets? Tangled in the comforter?
Brnnng. Brnnnng!
Frustrated, Kalina raked all the pillows off the bed and there was her phone. It had since stopped ringing.
Figures…
She took a moment to collect herself. She didn’t know what time she had fallen asleep in the wee hours of the morning, but what she did know is that she wasn’t ready to get up right this instant. If she’d set the phone properly, she’d still be sleeping.
She pressed a button to turn on the screen and when she realized the missed call was from Edith, she dialed her right back.
“Good morning, Kalina,” Edith answered cheerily.
“Good morning, Edith,” Kalina said, followed by a long yawn. “What’s going on?”
“Just wanted to see if you would like to do breakfast, or shall I say brunch, this morning. It’s shaping up to be a gorgeous May day.”
“Umm…what time is it?”
“It’s a little after eleven. What’s wrong? Did you not get any sleep last night?”
“I did. I’m fine, and yes, we can meet for brunch. Did you have a place in mind?”
“What about the Omelet House? You want to meet me there in…let’s say thirty minutes?”
“Sure,” Kalina responded, raking her hair from her face again. “I’ll meet you there.”
“Okay, sweetie. See you soon.”
Kalina placed her phone on the nightstand, rubbed her eyes, let out another long yawn and said, “I so need a personal assistant. Ugh.” She fell back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling, dreading the day already.
* * *
When she arrived at the Omelet House, Kalina spotted Edith sitting at a booth next to the windows. Sleepy and all, she managed to work up a sincere smile for the woman who raised her when her mother wasn’t able to. And it amazed her how much Madeline and Edith looked alike, well before her mother became ill. Edith had gray hair all over, cut and cropped into a short style of curls that blended well with the oval shape of her face.
Kalina gave Edith a kiss on the cheek and said, “Don’t you look lovely this morning.” Edith was wearing a ruffled, coral top and a white blazer with a pair of dark brown slacks.
“I try,” Edith responded.
“I know I look a hot mess. I need some coffee. Has a server been by yet?”
“Yes. I told her to bring two cups of coffee.”
“Good,” Kalina said, picking up the menu, browsing through the breakfast side of it.
A few minutes later, the server returned with the coffee. Edith and Kalina went ahead and ordered their breakfast, then Edith asked, “So, did Bryson email you back?”
Kalina glanced up at her aunt. “He did.”
“And?”
“What do you mean?”
“Was his answer any good?”
“You were supposed to be the judge of that, remember?” Kalina took out her phone, pulled up her email account then clicked on Bryson’s email, handing the phone to Edith and watching her read it. When she saw the smile grow on Edith’s face, she knew she was in trouble.
“Yes. That’s perfect. Now, tomorrow when you’re at the café, ask him to help you answer some of the emails. He’s obviously a smart man.”
“How do you know he’s smart? Just because he can answer an email doesn’t make him smart.”
“Well, he does own his own business.”
“Doing what?”
“He owns a tree service.”
Unenthused, Kalina said, “Well, I’ll ask him about the emails, but only because I’m a woman of my word and a bet is a bet.”
Edith smiled. “Good. Hopefully he says yes. You need all the help you can get.”
Kalina took a sip of coffee.
“If your father had stayed around, do you think your life would be different?” Edith asked.
“Different, how?”
“Well, do you think you would view men differently? Maybe had gotten married, had some children and—”
“I don’t know, but I don’t want to speculate, because I don’t want those things anyway so�
�”
“You don’t want to get married and have children?”
“No…guess I got that from you. I like waking up and working without the distraction of a child.”
“But there’s more to life than working yourself to death, Kalina.”
Kalina chuckled. “Spoken by a woman who works herself to death.”
“At least I take the weekends off. You work all the time.”
“Hence, the reason a baby wouldn’t fit into my life.”
Edith sighed.
“Seriously, Edith…what would I do with a baby?”
“Love it. Nurture it. Take care of it and—”
“Wait, where is all of this coming from?”
“I’ve been thinking about it for a while now. You’re such a beautiful, intelligent woman and I don’t want you to grow up and be a lonely, old lady like me. I doubt it’s what Madeline would’ve wanted for you.”
“Edith…”
“Hear me out, Kalina. Now I know I told you that this is the life I wanted, but while I am happy with my success, I can’t lie. It’s been lonely. Extremely lonely.”
“But you have friends.”
“I do, but I’m at home alone. I go to bed alone, and I wake up alone. I don’t have anyone to share my life with. To sit on the front porch, on a damp Saturday morning, and share a cup of coffee with. To go for a walk on these beautiful days ahead of us. When I’m sad, when I feel overwhelmed and even when I just want to feel loved, I—” Edith paused, gathering her thoughts as her lips trembled.