by Beth Rinyu
“What? Get the hell out of here! You stick with what you know best—computers—and leave me and my feelings to me. Which for the record, you are dead wrong about.”
He shrugged his shoulders. “Okay, but my mother used to say, ‘One would never put that much energy into hating someone unless they really had some hidden feelings for them.’ Just sayin’!” He flashed me a toothy grin and began to type away on the keyboard.
“Well, you can tell your mother I do have feelings for her.”
“Oh?” He raised his head from the computer with an inquisitive gaze.
I took a seat on the other side of my desk. “Loathe, despise, detest…shall I continue?”
“Wow, I get it, but I thought you Southern boys were supposed to be gentlemen.”
“Only when there’s a woman worthy of that chivalry, and trust me, a girl like Rose Perkins is not.”
“So, what are you gonna do? Sulk and be miserable every time she’s around? I got news for you, buddy, that’s gonna get exhausting after a while.”
I leaned back in my chair and put my feet on my desk. “Oh no, I don’t plan on sulking…I plan on putting her in her place and bringing her down a few pegs.”
“And how do you plan on doing that?”
“That’s my little secret.” I smiled just imagining the look on her face when she was finally brought back to reality.
Chapter 10
___________________
Rose
I HARDLY HAD TIME to stop and catch my breath in the week that passed. Between putting together the makeover piece and gearing up for our first male article, my days were filled. Instead of answering Confused & Unhappy in the way I really wanted to, which was dump the bitch you’re with and here’s my number, I listened to the logical side of my brain. It had been four days since I responded, and I had yet to hear back from him. I sat at my desk and refreshed my email, hoping for some type of reply, but came up empty. I went into my sent files and re-read the advice I had given him a few days ago.
Dear Confused & Unhappy,
I would go with your gut on this one. If you want to know for certain then ask her before the trip but know that her reply may cancel the trip altogether, depending on the outcome. If you just want to go, have a good time and temporarily put your doubts on the backburner, then ask her after the trip, again knowing it may not end in the manner you had hoped for. Whatever you do, do not ask her while you are on the trip, otherwise you’ll be stuck with each other, arguing for the rest of your time there. Whatever the choice you make, I hope it works out…remember, the outcome may sting a little, but it will eventually subside. Good luck!
~ Miss Demeanor
I read the last sentence over again. I had made it sound so final, maybe that’s why I hadn’t heard back from him. Perhaps, he went with my advice and wasn’t happy with the outcome or maybe she really was in love with him and not using him for his money like I’d thought. She was getting her happily ever after with my Prince Charming who magically showed up in my inbox. I was losing it. I had fallen for someone online just because he had the one thing I was after in a man—money. I was being totally ridiculous. For all I knew, he could’ve been some crazy psychotic killer who kept bodies in his basement and not at all the wealthy, successful person he portrayed behind the screen. Get over it, there are hundreds of rich, suitable men in New York City. I’ll find one in person—not over the Internet.
I lifted my head to the faint knock on my door. “Ready for the meeting?” Marisa asked, standing in my doorway, looking out of sorts.
“Oh yeah, let me grab my notebook…I’ve got lots of ideas to hopefully piss Alex off some more.”
She managed her best smile, but I could tell something was definitely wrong.
“Is everything okay, Marisa?”
She nodded, and tears welled in her eyes.
“Oh my god, what happened?” I blurted out when she turned her head, and I couldn’t help but notice the bad makeup job she did trying to conceal the black and blue mark on the side of her face.
“It’s nothing…really.” She walked ahead of me to avoid my inquisition.
It was definitely something, and even if she was too scared to tell me, I was going to find out what it was. She filed into the conference room, making sure to take a seat far away, trying to dodge any more questions from me, no doubt. I took a seat between Lucy and Kent, happy I was spared from sitting next to Mr. Personality this week.
“Nice shoes,” Kent remarked.
“Thanks.” I smiled. Whenever I needed a compliment, Kent was the one to go to. I paid close attention to Marisa with her face buried in her phone. When she lifted her head, her eyes were even glassier than before. Something was definitely not right. She wasn’t in her right frame of mind. Alex walked in behind Mr. Andrews, and I got angry when I realized I was checking him out a little longer than I should have. I couldn’t lie, even to myself, despite the fact he was an arrogant prick whose bank account was probably as small as his personality…he was a nice-looking guy.
Mr. Andrews started the meeting with his normal bad jokes that everyone feigned laughter over then went around the table for our weekly updates and suggestions.
“So, Alex, have you thought of any ideas on how to incorporate the female staff into being a part of Him?”
All eyes were on him as he picked his head up from whatever he was paying attention to on his phone. I impatiently waited for his answer, knowing how much he didn’t want for this to happen. “Actually, I have.” He was upbeat with his reply, not at all what I was expecting.
“Okay, let’s hear it.”
“I was thinking about having them do something that’s the exact opposite of what they would normally do and then write an article on the experience.”
“Such as…” Mr. Andrews waited for him to elaborate.
“Like Laurie hates sports, so maybe have her go with Keith when he’s covering a game and write about the experience.”
“I like that idea. What are your suggestions for some of the other women?”
He cleared his throat. “I, umm haven’t really thought about it. I wanted to bounce the idea off you first and see what you thought about it.”
“I love it.” Mr. Andrews adjusted his glasses and looked my way. “What would you suggest having Rose do for her article?”
My face heated when I sensed all eyes on me. I dropped my head and stared at the table, just imagining what horrible adventure he was conjuring up. Skydiving. Fire juggling. Swimming with sharks. The possibilities were endless.
“I-I, umm…like I said, I really haven’t thought much about any of the others.”
“Surely you must have something in mind for Rose,” Mr. Andrews badgered.
Why was Mr. Andrews doing this? I thought he liked me.
I peered up from the table for a brief second. Alex shrugged his shoulders, seeming just as distraught as I was. “I-I...I guess maybe, have her volunteer at a homeless shelter.”
Oh, God. He couldn’t be serious. Me…volunteering in a homeless shelter? I’d rather take my chances with some of the other alternatives I was certain he had in mind for me. I lifted my head and caught his gaze, expressing my irritation, which only seemed to fuel his ridiculous plan even more, as a slow, satisfying smirk spread across his face.
“Actually, now that I think about it more, that would be a really great idea. I’m sure Rose has never done anything like that before in her life. Maybe it will do her some good.” Alex grimaced.
I pursed my lips, shooting him daggers with my eyes. He met my glare with the same intensity.
Mr. Andrews raised an eyebrow, appearing to be deep in thought. I waited in angst for him to rescue me from this ludicrous idea his nephew had set in motion. “That’s brilliant, Alex.”
“What?” I whispered. There was no way I was doing this. None. I’d donate some old clothes, I’d have my father write out a check for food, but there was no way in hell I was setting foot into some dir
ty old homeless shelter.
“Although, I don’t know how safe it is for a young woman like Rose who doesn’t have any experience with this type of situation going at this alone, so, Alex, you’re gonna go with her.”
“Uh…no!” He shook his head.
“You volunteer all the time, so just bring Rose along with you,” Mr. Andrews reasoned as if it were no big deal, completely overlooking the fact we hated each other’s guts.
Suddenly that dirty old homeless shelter didn’t seem so bad when I sensed the frustration on Alex’s face as he struggled to get out of the corner he had backed himself into.
“I’m sure Rose will be just fine going by herself.” Alex played it off, trying his hardest to veer off topic.
“Actually, I wouldn’t feel too safe doing that on my own.” As much as I didn’t want to go with Alex or at all for that matter…I was going to make him pay for his little game he was playing.
“I agree,” Mr. Andrews chimed in. “Then it’s settled. You’ll go with Alex.”
I lowered my head, stifling my laughter as he let out a frustrated breath and raked his hand through his dark wavy hair. Being in his company for longer than five minutes was torture, so this was going to be pure hell. But he was the one who started this game. Now I’d be the one to end it—at his expense, of course.
Chapter 11
___________________
Rose
“DID YOU NOTICE ANYTHING off about Marisa this morning?” I asked Lucy as we sat down to lunch in my office.
“Other than her running out of the meeting to go home after the phone call that came through…not really. But then again, I really didn’t get a chance to talk to her this morning.”
“She seemed upset over something, and then I noticed—”
We both turned our heads to the tap on my door.
“Sorry to bother you, ladies, but there was no one at the front desk to sign for this.”
“Oh, I got it!” Lucy eagerly jumped up and smiled widely at the FedEx guy. His smile back bordered on flirtatious. He couldn’t take his eyes off her as she scribbled her name on the signature pad. “It’s W-a-t-e-r-s.” She spelled her last name for him as he punched it into his tablet.
Lucy had come out of her shell a lot in just a short amount of time. She was starting to wear her hair down a little more often, experimenting with lipstick and mascara, and even dressing up her frumpy clothes with stylish earrings and necklaces. I planned on making an appointment for her and Marisa with my aunt Kate’s hairstylist. They thought the magazine was paying for it for their makeover article. They didn’t need to know that I was—actually, my dad was. It was my way of paying them back for making this new venture a little easier on me.
“You have a nice day, Lucy Waters,” he said in a deep Irish accent.
She giggled when he gave her a wink. Her face was still a slight shade of red when she turned around to face me.
“He was kind of cute, don’t ya think?” I remarked.
She shrugged her shoulders and bit back a smile, divulging her thoughts without even saying a word. I smiled inside and began secretly plotting.
“I better give this to Alex. It looks important,” she said, staring at the letter she had just signed for.
I couldn’t help but glance at the return address on the envelope. My curiosity piqued when I saw it was from a Law Office in Georgia. I wondered what kind of legal troubles Mr. Personality was having.
I finished my soup and hopped on my laptop while Lucy delivered the letter to Alex. I ignored all the other emails for my column that had come through in the last few hours and focused on the one that was sent just a half hour ago from none other than Confused & Unhappy. Taking a deep breath, hoping the advice I’d given him had panned out, I clicked on the mail icon and opened his message.
Dear Miss Demeanor,
Sorry for being MIA. I was in Paris working on some new business ventures. I’ve been really thinking about what you said, and I think I want to approach her about this before the trip. I don’t want to take her if her intentions are less than genuine. I will reserve that trip for that special someone who only has my best interest at heart. I figured it would be best to do this in a public place. That way if she decides to freak out, I have witnesses. So, if you hear of a murder happening at the Starbucks on Lafayette and 7th tomorrow evening around 6 p.m., it was nice conversing with you…LOL. In all seriousness, thank you for the advice, too bad you are just some unknown cyber-bot who isn’t even human. I think you and I would have made a great couple.
Oh my God. This was fate, it had to be. He was going to confront this woman about her intentions, and even though he was hopeful, I knew better. She was going to break his heart in the middle of that coffee shop. Shouldn’t I at least show up incognito as a concerned stranger to talk him off the edge and help mend his broken heart? He said it himself—we would make the perfect couple. We had to meet to see if that was true, and he had made it easy for that to happen by mapping it all out with the time and place. It was as if all the stars were aligning in my favor and after tomorrow night I would turn Confused & Unhappy into Certain & Ecstatic.
“What are you smiling about?” Lucy inquired when she made her way back into my office.
I pulled in my bottom lip, knowing I should be keeping my plan to myself, but I was bursting inside to tell someone.
“Can you keep a secret?”
“Umm…yeah.” She nodded, not seeming too convincing.
“Lucy, you promise?”
“I promise! I promise!” she sang.
“Come here.” I waved my hand, motioning for her to come behind my desk. “Read this.” I pulled up the email and she moved closer to the screen to read it.
“Oh my God, he’s gonna confront her.”
“Yup!” I nodded. “And she’s gonna break his heart.”
“How do you know?” Lucy asked.
“Because I just do…there’s no way a girl goes from not wanting to marry to begging for a ring in three months’ time. She’s clearly after his money.”
“You never know, maybe she does really love him.”
“Lucy, you’re living in a world of fairy tales. Trust me, she is after his money.”
“Don’t you feel a little bad that he’s going to have his heart crushed?”
I popped a piece of gum in my mouth and grinned. “A little, but maybe I’ll just happen to be there to pick up the pieces.”
Her eyes widened. “No way! How are you going to do that?”
“Maybe I’ll just happen to be at that same Starbucks tomorrow night the same time he is.”
Lucy shook her head. “I don’t like that idea, Rose. He could be some sicko.”
“Relax, I’m gonna scope him out first and then I’ll approach him.”
“Wow, I admire how you’re not afraid to go after what you want.”
“Life’s too short to be afraid. Just like you shouldn’t be afraid to go after the cute little Irishman who was in here just a little while ago.”
Her face turned a bright shade of red. “Oh my God…never!”
“Why not?”
“First of all, he wouldn’t be interested in me.”
“He was totally flirting with you!”
We both laughed, lifting our heads to find Alex standing in the doorway.
“Can I help you?” I asked, slamming my laptop closed.
He stared at us questioningly for a moment before speaking. “Lucy, what time did this letter come?”
“About ten minutes ago.”
He rubbed his hand along the side of his face, appearing to be deep in thought. He didn’t seem to be his normal put together self, but as much as I hated to confess, he did look kind of sexy sporting a five-o’clock shadow on his normally clean-shaven face. “Is that all, Mr. Andrews?”
He snapped out of it and met my gaze. Clearing his throat, he turned around to make his exit.
“Oh, Mr. Andrews,” I called.
He
did an about face and rolled his eyes. “What?” He didn’t try to hide his annoyance.
“When should I schedule this little project you volunteered me for?”
“What do I care? Do it whenever you want.”
“Okay, so I take it you’re going to work around my schedule then?”
“Umm…no. You’re a big girl. I’m sure you’ll do just fine on your own.”
“Nope...no can do. You heard your uncle. I’m to go with you.” I flashed him a sarcastic grin.
“I don’t have time for this nonsense right now.” He turned his attention away from me. “Lucy, did my uncle say when he’d be back?”
“He was just grabbing something to eat, then he had a quick meeting downtown. He said he’d be back in a few hours,” Lucy replied.
“Thanks.” He wasted no time making his exit.
“Oh my God! He’s the biggest dickhead on the planet!” I vented. “Now all of a sudden, it’s nonsense…well, he should’ve thought of that before he volunteered me for something so stupid! God, I hate him!”
Lucy giggled at my frustration. “You are definitely an anomaly.”
“A what?” I creased my eyebrows in confusion.
“It just means you’re different. All of the other women who work here fall all over him and think he’s so gorgeous, and you’re the exact opposite.”
“No one gets under my skin as much as he does…no one!” I shouted.
“Careful there, Rose. Once he gets under your skin, he’s a little closer to your heart.” Lucy grinned.
_______________
I spent the rest of the afternoon dishing out more advice. I was earning my pay from helping Daisy S. deal with her overbearing mother-in-law to giving fashion advice to Kelly from Queens. I felt like I had earned my PhD in counseling. As I read over some of my replies, I actually did sound like I knew what I was talking about. I glanced at my watch, surprised to find it was after six o’clock. I had to skedaddle if I was planning on keeping my seven o’clock dinner plans with Aunt Kate. I gathered my things and headed out. The office normally cleared out by five, so it was like a ghost town as I made my way down the hallway. As I got closer to Mr. Andrews’ office, I noticed the light shining under his half-closed door. I stopped dead in my tracks when I heard his nephew’s voice coming from behind it.