Promised Box Set

by James Kipling

  David shrugged. “Still, it’s not everything I thought it would be.”

  “Well, nothing is exactly how we think it will be.” He smiled as the waiter came over to collect their order. David knew this was going to be an awkward lunch.

  ###

  Emily was again looking up at the clock that hung on the wall, and she watched as the second hand continued to go around and around. She was still waiting around the office for David to show up. Since he hadn’t returned, she was relatively sure that something was wrong. Granted, it was probably not any of her business, but she wanted to know if he was coming back. She liked knowing these things beforehand, that way she could plan out her day.

  Unlocking her tablet, she pulled up her calendar and was reminded he had a lunch date with Martin Hawkins, but that had been about three hours ago. Generally, he would call to let her know he was not coming back to the office. Emily wondered what had become of him because he was always prompt and generally considerate, so something was most certainly wrong since he had not arrived back to continue filing his report, or called to let her know his change of plans.

  As she was looking at her cell phone, she wondered if he had his phone on. He didn’t like using it and she always wondered why he was so hesitant to upgrade to the 21st century. Taking a chance, she called him and it went straight to voicemail, which was no surprise. She looked around the office. She didn’t really need to be here, as they were not expecting anyone today. She pushed her chair back and walked over to the coat rack that stood to the left of the door. Grabbing her jacket, she switched off the lights and was on her way out.

  Locking the office door behind her, she walked down the hallway. She remembered when she first started working there that the hallways were carpeted, and now they were tiled. It made it easier for maintenance, she was sure of that, and as she walked she could hear the slight echo of her footsteps. As she continued walking, she could see the other offices as she passed. There were dozens of them all throughout the building, and most were for legal practices. She knew their office was one of the smaller ones, which was fine because it functioned perfectly for what they needed. Emily wondered how much longer they would be here though. She knew that David was having issues, even if he did not want to say so out loud.

  She was alone in the elevator listening to the elevator music as she rode down. She knew most people disliked and even joked about elevator music, but she enjoyed the soft melodies. It calmed her and made it more bearable to be in here when others were crammed in. She disliked being in tight places and knew she needed to get over that, but for right now she didn’t need to worry.

  In the lobby she saw Tom standing behind the main desk. The main lobby entrance did indeed appear to be somewhat like a grand hotel, and Tom was the one who took care of the people coming in. He directed them to where they needed to go, even though a directory on the wall showed where the offices were located and who was in each one.

  As she was walking towards the door she waved and he returned it with a smile. He appeared to be sleep-deprived and she knew this was not his only job. He was twenty-three and working two jobs. He had stopped going to school in order to take care of his grandmother who was slowly dying. It was just him and his grandmother—the only family he had, and she could understand the feeling of being completely alone. She pushed open the door and felt the cold air hit her uncovered face. This was the time of year she despised. Beautiful to look at perhaps, but living with it was another thing altogether.

  Hailing a taxi and sliding inside, she instantly felt uncomfortable. Taxis on television looked clean, but in reality they were the furthest thing from it. The fabric seats were torn and there was trash in them. It smelled like smoke and there were bars between her and the taxi driver. She knew it was for their own protection, but she felt as if she were a caged bird.

  “Where to?” the driver said gruffly.

  “Amsterdam and 22nd,” she said.

  He nodded. She could not deny that their town of Primer reminded her a bit of Manhattan, but it was cleaner and not as compacted. As he was driving, she looked at her tablet. She checked for any e-mails or notifications she might have received, but there was nothing. Business was slowing down, but it was most likely due to the holiday right around the corner. People would rather pretend they had no problems until after the New Year came around.

  Finally the taxi arrived at their destination and she paid him. She had always tipped well, something her father had always taught her to do. She was out on the sidewalk in front of his condo. He lived modestly for someone who made as much as he had over the past eighteen months, but she respected that. He gave himself allowances to do certain things, and that was why he still had so much in the bank.

  Walking up the steps, she pulled out her set of keys. First she rang the doorbell. There was no answer, and then she checked the door. It was already unlocked. She knew he was very bad about locking his door, and that was something he needed to get in the habit of doing. Even living in a decent neighborhood, you never knew if there was an opportunist around.

  Opening the door, she slipped inside and locked it behind her. His foyer was small, but it was functional. It had a coat rack and a place to take off your shoes, and that was exactly what she did. Stepping onto the carpet, the first room that opened up was the living room, and that was where she saw him. He was on the maroon couch that had seen better days. That was the thing about him that bugged her. None of his furniture matched and it made her anxious. She had offered to take him furniture shopping, but he declined, saying he didn’t want to go because his furniture functioned and he didn’t need anything more than what he had.

  As she walked over to him, she realized he was in a deep sleep. Most people looked peaceful when they were asleep, but he seemed worried and upset. This past month had really gotten to him, and she wanted to be able to help resolve his issues, but he wouldn’t talk to her. Hell, she wasn’t sure he was able to talk to anyone.

  She could see straight through to the kitchen and noticed that he had dirty dishes piled up. He did have a housekeeper who came twice a month, but he obviously needed someone around more often to clean.

  Walking to the kitchen, she looked at all the crusted food on his bowls and plates. She knew this would take a while, so she got out her ear buds and plugged them into her phone. Listening to her favorite music, she started in on cleaning up the mess.

  Chapter 3

  He woke to the smell of cinnamon and wasn’t sure why. Sitting up, he felt a pinch in his neck and rubbed his eyes. He looked around the room and noticed that the carpet was vacuumed, his furniture dusted, and he could see there was a candle on the coffee table.

  He detected movement to the right of him and saw Emily there. She was wrapping up the vacuum cleaner cord and listening to music. Her hair was pulled back and he noticed a scar on her neck. He had never noticed it before, but then again she usually had her hair down.

  She seemed to realize she was being watched and looked up and saw him. She immediately yanked out her ear buds and smiled awkwardly. “Hey boss,” she said, “you didn’t call in or come back to the office, so I decided to check on you.”

  “And it looks as though you cleaned as well. Thank you.”

  There was an uneasy silence and he knew she had a question to ask, and that she wouldn’t ask it. He finally spoke. “Martin is cheating on Sasha. The only thing I have to do now is compile the information on it, that way she will be able to get something out of the divorce.”

  Emily was just as awkward as he was. He knew she was not too sure if she needed to console him or what. Comforting people was not something that either one of them were good at. He let out a sigh. “I’m fine. I know you want to know how I’m holding up and I am just fine.”

  However, as he said it, he knew he was anything but fine. He didn’t understand how something like that could happen to two people who seemed so perfect for one another. She could not have
children, and while that was difficult news, it was not such a bad thing. There are other ways to go about having children, or dealing with the issue, and cheating was not one of them. Martin had always told everyone that Sasha was everything to him. David was not sure how to process it all. He felt betrayed in a way somehow, and he was not sure how to explain it.

  “Boss, you are surely not fine, but if you insist, that is okay. I’ll go fix you up some coffee and we can just chat about anything. You know, if we can find a topic.”

  Emily walked away and he wondered what they could possibly talk about. He wasn’t sure they had much in common, but he had to admit it was nice having her around. It was somewhat comforting knowing she cared about how he was feeling. She seemed to understand him and he wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

  He watched as she walked back into the room with mugs in either hand. She smiled warmly at him and took a seat next to him. She had ash brown hair and piercing hazel eyes. She was petite and always wore slacks and a blouse. Everything about her was simple, and it was one of the things he liked about her.

  “So,” she began. “Look, I don’t know what else to talk about, but I do know we need to talk about you. There is something bothering you and I can see it, Boss. Can you please talk to me?”

  “Emily, after this case I think I’m done with the divorces. I want there to be something more out there for me. You know? I am sick and tired of seeing all this.”

  “What happened to you a month ago?”

  David was taken aback. A month ago? What had happened a month ago? He remembered. He shook his head. “That was just my breaking point, I guess. I mean, let me be honest here. I thought that this would be more like finding the kidnapped brother or finding who killed that unidentified woman. I mean, I am obviously good at catching cheating spouses, I just don’t want that to be all I do.”

  “Is that your final decision?”

  He looked at her and knew she wasn’t upset and he wondered why. He finally shook his head. “It is something I am thinking about,” he said. He took a sip of his coffee and Emily did the same. He couldn’t deny it was nice having her around, and that was the only reason he was hesitant to close up shop. If he did, it would most likely mean they would be limited on resources and he would have to let her go which was something he did not want to do. He wasn’t even sure he was capable of firing someone.

  They sat there awkwardly for the next hour or so. David wondered if she wanted to say something and didn’t because she wanted to remain professional. She was one of those professional people through and through; even though they were not at work she remained that way. He doubted she could ever be something else toward him. He wondered why, but he appreciated it. At the same time, he wanted her to feel comfortable enough to just talk to him without being afraid of what he would think.

  “So,” David said, after a long silence. “Would you like for me to drive you home?”

  Emily eyed him for a moment and finally nodded. She took the mugs and was heading back to the kitchen. “You need to have your cleaning lady in here more often,” she chided from the kitchen. “I don’t see how your office can be so clean and this place so… not.”

  David walked into the kitchen and watched her rinse out the mugs and set them down next to the sink. He walked over towards her and realized they were closer than what was comfortable. “I will see about having her come over more often then,” he said. “If that is what would make you happy.”

  She flashed him a smile and she nodded. “It is not good to live in a mess.”

  Sometimes when they would talk it seemed as if they were married, but he would never dare say that out loud. He took a step back and she brushed passed him. He could smell her perfume and it always seemed to be the same one. It was enticing, but she was his assistant, and despite how attractive she was, he knew they were coworkers and that was all.

  As he walked behind her he knew where his keys had been; but now they were not where he had left them. He loved living in a mess. He was able to function in a mess and he knew where everything was. It was organized chaos and he loved it.

  “Emily where are my keys?”

  Another smile was on her face. He wondered what she was thinking. Her mind seemed to always be in thought and he always wondered what it would be like inside her head. She walked over to the drawer in the foyer and there was a bowl sitting on top of it. She took out his keys with a clank and she tossed them over to him.

  Opening the door to the garage, he was more embarrassed. He had boxes stacked against the walls of his single car garage. His car doors could barely open with so much space taken up. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Emily looking at all of them.

  “Do you even know what is in all of these boxes?”

  “No, not anymore. I think most of them are empty, actually.”

  “Then why did you keep them?”

  “I guess because I never know when I’ll need a box.”

  She rolled her eyes and opened up her door carefully, sliding inside while he did the same. He had upholstered seats with cigarette burns in them. This was his first car and he had bought it the year before he had left for college. He looked to Emily and she was glancing around the car as if she was surprised by it.

  “What?” David asked, somewhat self-conscious.

  “You make a lot of money,” she began. “So I am surprised to see that you still have a car as old as this.”

  “Well, it drives well and it gets me to where I need to be without any issues, so I don’t really see a need to get something else.”

  “That makes perfect sense,” she paused for a moment. “You are not like other people, Boss. I respect that.”

  He smiled and he was not too sure how to respond. He clicked the button and the garage door was beginning to open. Backing out of the garage, he was surprised there were not more people on the road, and he looked at Emily.

  “Uh, where exactly am I going?”

  Emily moved as if she were uncomfortable, and looked at him. It seemed as if she did not want to tell him where she lived, but finally she did.

  ###

  Pulling up to her estate, he was stunned. She had about twenty acres of land and she only used five of it for herself. The rest of it had houses that she rented out, mostly during the summer months because it was right off the lake. He could see part of her residence from his office building, but would never have guessed that she owned it.

  “Boss,” she said slowly. “Is something wrong?”

  “No, nothing is wrong,” he began. “I knew your last name was Valentini, but I didn’t know you were the daughter of Josiah and Annette.”

  “You know of them?”

  “Of course I do! I mean your family is our version of royalty in this town. You have no idea what your father did for my family.”

  It was obvious that Emily didn’t know what to say, and she smiled. “Yeah, well you do know that they passed away, right?”

  “Yes. I heard about the accident they had two years ago. I am so sorry.”

  “I am not sure how to respond to that, but thanks, I guess. I inherited the house and it has just been me ever since. Well, thank you for the lift. Will I see you tomorrow?”

  He nodded. “Yes, I will be in the office tomorrow.”

  “Great. Bye for now, Boss,” she said, as she opened the door. She walked up to the iron gate, where she entered a code and he watched as it opened. He watched as she walked several yards to the main door and as she was beginning to open the door, she looked over her shoulder and saw that he was still there. He wondered if it was weird that he was waiting for her to get inside until he left.

  After she walked inside, he finally pulled away. His father had known Emily’s father back when he was younger. If it wasn’t for Josiah, his father would not be where he was, and that was why he had respected her family.

  Chapter 4

  He was standing in line the following mor
ning, feeling uncomfortable being around so many people. All of them were on their phones, either texting or talking. While most of them ordered, they were holding several different conversations and their attention were divided. No wonder it was so easy for people to forget things. He made it to the front of the line and ordered.

  Generally, Emily came down here to get their breakfast, but he wanted to surprise her. He knew what she liked and as he was waiting for everything to be completed, he wondered what his motive was to be here. Coming here was not normal for him and he did not understand why he was taking time out of his day to do this. He was avoiding going to work because he knew he was going to be meeting with Sasha this morning. She had wanted to come in and talk about something this afternoon, but he did not want to. He could not tell her what he knew, because he had yet to get all the information he needed for her to present to a lawyer.

  His order was finished and he grabbed the bag and the drink carrier. He had never realized before how flimsy these carriers were and he awkwardly walked out of the café onto the sidewalk. He was several buildings away from work and was walking in the crowd. For whatever reason, it seemed to be very busy today, but maybe he had not been as observant as he thought he was.

  Finally he walked into the building and saw Tom sitting there. He was half asleep and he didn’t even see David as he walked by. He walked over to the elevator and stepped inside, listening to the music as he was going up. He wanted to get stuck in the elevator so he could cancel his meeting with Sasha. Hell, he did not even know why she wanted to see him. Maybe she had found out on her own. Whatever it was, he was not thrilled about the meeting.

  The elevator doors finally slid open, he walked down to the second door on the right and opened it. Emily was already behind her desk and she was e-mailing someone on the main computer. The only time she ever used the main computer for correspondence was when someone was asking for information.