by A. L. Knorr
Antoni spoke kindly to the waiter in their native tongue for a moment before he asked me, "Do you like strawberries? It's what they have for dessert tonight."
"Of course!"
The waiter nodded politely and left.
"I graduated with a degree in Business Admin and was lucky enough to win a four month internship at Novak as part of my final year. I must have done something right because Lambert Pykelk, the Director of Business Development, offered me a permanent position as his assistant. Before long, he started inviting me to strategic sessions which was how I was able to work more closely with Martinius."
The waiter returned, cleared away Antoni's empty plate and set a bowl of lumpy pink soup with a dollop of something white and creamy on top. I thanked him in Polish and both men smiled. I had probably butchered the words.
Antoni watched me inspect the dessert. "It's strawberry soup with white chocolate mousse," he explained.
I took a spoonful of the soup and closed my eyes as the tart sweetness filled my mouth. I swallowed and smacked my lips. "Wow. Seriously. I want to take a bath in this." Antoni laughed, which made me laugh. The sound was goofy and contagious. "Please continue with your story, sir." I took a scoop of the mousse.
Antoni took a bite and went on. "Martinius asked me if I'd like to take on the role of his P.A. and I jumped at it. I manage his personal schedule and attend meetings with him, but I really took it because I want to learn as much as I can. He's a brilliant businessman."
"I can imagine. So, what's the long term goal then?" I asked as we finished off the soup.
"Well, I'd be lying if I didn't say that I hoped to be a contender for Director of Business Development. Novak has a great reputation and low turnover. We tend to promote from within. But I'm young and there are a lot of smart people who have been in the company for a long time. I'll have to put in my time and really prove myself if I want to be taken seriously down the road."
"Man, you sound so driven," I said, licking the last of the dessert from my spoon and looking sadly into my empty bowl. I looked up at him. "I still have no idea what I want to do with my life."
"You'll figure it out," he said, smiling. "One day at a time."
"What are you doing chaperoning a teenager around instead of climbing your company ladder? You must resent me a little bit." I was mostly joking but I must have hit the nail on the head because he paused, his mouth half open as though he wasn't sure what to say.
"You're far too astute for someone so young," he said, finally.
"Am I right, then?" My cheeks coloured with embarrassment. I didn't want to spend time with someone who saw me as a waste of time.
"Let me just say that firstly, when Martinius asks a favour of me, I find it easy to put aside my personal feelings. Serving him is a pleasure. And secondly, even if I had concerns about spending my time this way before I met you, I am happy to admit that I was sorely mistaken. This is just where I need to be right now."
My mind skipped over his sweet sentiment, caught by something else he said, "Martinius asked you to host me as a favour? Why would he do that?"
He shrugged, "Something to do with wanting to keep your mom focused on the salvage, I suspect. She'll do her best work if she knows you're well taken care of. Martinius doesn't do anything without a good reason."
The waiter came to clean away our dessert. He put two, steaming mugs of in front of us, saying something to Antoni.
"How kind," Antoni said, peering at the brown liquid. "It's a complimentary digestive tea."
I sniffed it. It smelled like dirt. I blew on it and took a tentative sip. It tasted better than it smelled, sort of like liquorice.
"Tell me more about your dad," Antoni said. "What was his name?"
"Nathan. He used to play guitar and sing to me every night before bed. He'd sing me made up songs and tell funny stories. A lot of times they featured my mom as a princess. He was pretty nuts about her."
There was a pause and he held my gaze, his eyes lingering on my face. For a moment I forgot what I was saying.
"I'm sure he was," he said, softly.
I cleared my throat. "He was a hardworking guy, my dad. A carpenter. He never had to advertise a day in his life because everyone knew that he'd get the job done right. He was also a great hockey player and played in a beer league over the winter."
"Ah yes," laughed Antoni. "The famous Canadian hockey game. You know we Poles aren't so shabby at hockey ourselves."
"I have heard that. In fact, I'm pretty sure my father played with a few Polish guys."
"Is that a fact?"
"Well, no," I laughed. "I was only eight when he passed away so I can't say for sure."
"What happened?" His brows pushed downward, his pupils roved my face. I couldn't decide whether his attentiveness meant he was attracted to me or just that he was an active listener. It was impossible to guess what he was thinking. He would make a very good politician.
"He died on the ice. Heart failure. It was a real shock for everyone because he was still so young. We never even knew he had heart issues."
He shook his head and made a single 'tsk' sound with his tongue. "What a shame. And your mom never remarried?"
I tried not to laugh. "No, my mom isn't interested in remarrying. She's more focused on dodging men than dating them. Her passion is diving. Who knows, maybe one day she'll fall in love again. But I haven't seen her take an interest in anyone since my dad died."
"Well, I'm sure she has her hands full if she wants to stay single. You don't see women like your mother every day." He smiled, his eyes lingering on mine.
"Are you crushing on her too?" I took a sip of my water, keeping my eyes on him.
He laughed. "She's pretty amazing, but no. Your mom..." he paused and leaned in to whisper, "...she scares me."
I laughed. "Dude, you have no idea."
As we pulled up to the garage and left Antoni's Jeep for the valet to park, I was surprised by how much I had enjoyed the night. I found myself sneaking glances at him when he didn't know I was looking, trying to search within myself for how I felt.
Before we went into the manor for the night we stood in the yard to admire the stars. We walked out into the darkness, the soft grass cushioning our footfalls. His hand went to the small of my back, a caring gesture as we couldn't see where we were stepping. The clouds had finally broken and the black sky was filled with fairy lights. He dropped his hand from my back when we stopped walking and looked up.
"Wow. Gorgeous," I said. This sky looked different than the one I was used to.
"Yep. We might actually get a nice day tomorrow. If it's warm enough would you like to go to the beach?" He turned his face towards me in the dark.
"Yes, please. I love the ocean." How could I not, with a siren for a mother?
Our serenity was interrupted by boisterous male voices. Two people had entered through the gate at the end of the driveway. I recognized their voices: Eric and Jeff. It was obvious they'd had a few drinks. They weren't aware of our presence.
"Idiot Pollacks," spat Eric. "If they wanted the job they shouldn't be such shit divers. Old man Novak ain't stupid. He knows pros when he sees 'em. That's the last time I'll spend my money in that pub."
"Ha!" Jeff responded. "Your money? Does your bookie know you're drinking his earnings away in Poland?"
There was the sound of a fist making contact with a body and air leaving a chest by force. "Shut up, jackass. You're gonna help me make it right."
They disappeared around the side of the manor. We heard a door open and close.
"I'm sorry," I said. I was embarrassed and horrified that Eric had used a racist slur. Simon would have been mortified.
"It's not your fault," Antoni answered. "I know men and I know drink. I also recognize men with gambling problems, and I think that guy Eric is in a bit of trouble."
"How do you know?" I asked as we climbed the steps to the main entrance.
"I've overheard them in the evenings a coupl
e of times now. They like to play poker and he gets a little too involved, let's say. They invited me a few times, which I appreciate but I don't know how to play poker. Besides, they play for real money and I'm not interested in losing mine that way."
We went through the foyer, the lights had been dimmed for the night and the space was full of shadows. We went up to the first landing, where Antoni and I needed to go our separate ways. Suddenly, I felt awkward, like it was the end of a date. "Thanks for another great day, I had a lot of fun," I said, clasping my hands in front of me and feeling like an idiot.
"Thank you too. It's not every day that I get to spend time in such lovely company and be paid for it," he responded, smiling.
And there it was. He was being paid to take care of me. In the game of he likes me, he likes me not, I just swung back in the direction of not for the tenth time that day. I was getting a little seasick. I gave him a boyish shove on the shoulder with my fist. "Night, Antoni."
"´Spij dobrze," he responded, and turned away.
My phone vibrated when I was just outside my suite.
Georjayna: Who's the cute marine?