by Brooke Page
I noticed Sawla staring at me, practically shooting daggers into my head with her narrowed eyes and tightly pursed lips. What did she have against me, anyway?
“When does this start?” I asked, tilting my head to look at Tyler. He was much closer than I had expected, and the fresh whiff of his sporty cologne had me taking a deep breath to remember where I was.
“I am actually going there today instead of Cleveland. You and Corey will be there next week Monday,” he smiled.
I frowned. In one week? How was I supposed to prepare to leave for five weeks in one? I looked away from his grinning face, needing to clear my head.
“Something wrong?” he asked concerned, his hand running up the curve of my spine then dipping back down my lower back.
I squirmed and he lowered his hand frowning. Yes. Something was very wrong. But I couldn’t talk to him about it now.
“I’m just surprised. That’s all,” I said quietly, trying to feign normalcy to our coworkers.
He studied me as though he was trying to figure out if he needed to fix something he did.
“Let’s go to my office,” he murmured, as though he was reading my mind.
I wanted to roll my eyes at him. We couldn’t just leave the meeting. RJ was done speaking, but everyone was still mingling around. If I left now with Tyler on my arm it would look very bad.
“I will meet you there for lunch.” I hesitantly turned to talk to Cooper. I felt Tyler’s cold eyes on me then the warmth of his hand was back to where it was previously. Even though I was slightly irritated with him and we needed to talk, his touch still soothed my nerves. But that was soon squashed when I noticed Corey watching Tyler’s fingers on my back. I took a step away, continuing my conversation with Cooper.
“Congrats, Becca. I would give my left arm to be able to work in Miami for five weeks during January and February,” Cooper said with his big, white smile.
I smiled back. He was right. I shouldn’t feel weird about this. Most people would love it if their work took them somewhere warm during the coldest months of the year. In Michigan, January was awful. Talk about down and dreary, being trapped in blankets of snow. I was being whiny and needed to look at the positives of this situation.
I turned to face Tyler, who was listening intently to RJ and Nathan. His hand was still on my back, and he moved it to my side when I turned. Looking around, I noticed departments were heading back to their floors, so I felt it would be okay to break away and talk to Tyler.
“I’m going to use the restroom, and then can we talk?” I asked.
“Of course, my office?” he asked, rubbing my side. I nodded my head and left the room, very aware that eyes were watching Tyler’s display of affection.
After using the restroom, I checked myself out in the mirror, played with my hair and applied gloss and headed towards his office.
He wasn’t there yet when I walked through the door and either was Cooper. They must have been down in the conference room still. I slowly meandered to Tyler’s desk, sitting down in his chair. I noticed he had put up the framed pictures of Wrigley field being built. They tugged at my heart. He really did enjoy my gift. I didn’t even realize he brought them this morning. I turned in his chair and accidentally bumped his computer mouse, revealing his screen saver. It was a collage of the two of us from the mistletoe scene at Christmas. When did he have time to put that together? I wanted to cry. Everything Tyler did pointed out that he loved me and wanted to be with me and only me, but why did I suddenly doubt everything we had conquered? I hated that the constant thud kept replaying in my mind. How could Tyler put up with me leaving the state for so long? Was he trying to get rid of me so he could start to spend time with Margo? I felt queasy, and I’m sure my face was pale from that horrible thought.
“Sorry, Nathan was ranting about something, and I couldn’t get away,” he said with annoyance.
I quickly stood from his chair. “It’s fine.”
Tyler studied me skeptically. “Are you feeling okay?” He rushed to my side.
“Yeah, I just got light headed for a second that’s all. I’m fine, really,” I said, trying to regain my composure.
“What did you want to talk about?” he asked, trying to reign in his nerves.
“Why did you pick me to do this huge project?”
Tyler’s worrisome face turned into a smiled. “Because you are wonderful at what you do. And Edna Enterprise requested you personally. She liked you and wanted a woman to be on the team. I was so proud when she was talking about how impressed she was with your work.”
His eyes were sparkling as he reached for my hands. “Do you want to go? I guess I should have asked you first, but I thought it would be a fun surprise.” His expression was unsure now, probably matching mine.
“It is kind of a huge decision to make in a week’s time,” I said, trying to look anywhere but at him. “Do you want me to go?” I croaked.
Tyler looked at me skeptically then his face fell. “Of course I want you to take care of this account. I have faith in you, Becca.”
“That wasn’t exactly what I meant,” I whispered.
He searched my eyes, trying to figure out what I was going to say.
“How often will I see you within the five weeks?” I asked quietly, looking up at him.
“Oh, Becs… I will be there every weekend with you, or you will be here. Did you think I was trying to get rid of you?” he asked in disgust.
I shrugged my shoulders. “I don’t know what to think anymore.”
“What do you mean?” he asked nervously, moving his hands to my face, stroking my cheeks with his thumbs.
“I just wanted us to be out in public so badly, but I didn’t like how everyone looked at us when you touched me. It felt like they all were saying, oh, so that’s why she is going to Miami. And then I know how possessive you can be, and to think you would just let me leave for Miami for five weeks seems odd. I saw red flags, that’s all.”
Tyler’s face fell. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have touched you in the conference room. We agreed we were going to be professional, and that was not very professional at all.” He moved his hands from my face to my shoulders, bringing his body so it was flush with mine. “I guess I have just gotten used to touching you freely, and I can’t keep my hands off of you anymore,” he smirked.
His face became serious again. “Honestly, I didn’t think too much about how much I wouldn’t see you with this account. I knew it would be a great opportunity for you, and I figured you would love it. But now I am getting a little worried.”
A smile escaped my face. He wasn’t thinking about how the five weeks would affect him, but how they would affect me and my career. He knew I wanted to move up and be successful, and he knew I enjoyed the warmer climate.
“You are right. We will see each other every weekend. Maybe you can come and babysit us every now and then, you know, make sure we are getting our job done like you do when you go to Chicago and Cleveland,” I said seductively.
His eyes began to smolder. “You know what babysitters do to me,” he flirted.
Uh, talk about a mood killer. Why would he say that! I frowned, my expression very bothered by his statement.
He laughed. “Oh, Becs! I’m kidding!”
I tried to step away from him, still bothered by his ridiculous comment, but he stopped me, wrapping his arms around my waist and rubbing my nose with his. “Don’t be mad. Besides, I would be the one preying on you, just think how fun it would be.”
I grunted in disgust. “It would so not be fun to reminisce about you and that old bitch. Sorry but I’m not into foreplay when it has to do with your past.”
He winced at my bluntness then threw his head back and groaned. “It wouldn’t. You are all I think about. I. Love. You. Okay?” he said sternly, bringing his head back to me. Our foreheads were nearly touching. “Now kiss me,” he demanded, his lips merely inches from mine.
I let out a slight smile, enjoying his com
mand then puckered my lips to his.
I wanted to believe he was joking about enjoying the company of a babysitter for all the wrong reasons. I was going to need to make a mental note to never bring up the word babysitter again. He might be okay with joking about his old fling, but I wasn’t and never would be, especially when his old nanny was still knocking on his door.
Chapter 18
I was sitting in my desk chair, focused on reviewing the mock-up prints for Enterprise. It was going to be a huge task, and I hoped five weeks would be enough time to please Edna. It was nearly 7:00pm, and both Will and Corey had already left.
“Becca, it seems you have your father’s work ethic.” I looked up at the voice that was walking my way and was startled to find Detective Anderson. “Are you a workaholic like your father?” he asked smiling.
I smiled back, refusing to let our conversation get awkward like last time. Maybe I needed to just come clean, and then I wouldn’t feel like I had broken the law by not being completely honest with him about mine and Tyler’s relationship.
“No, I don’t normally stay this late. I just got put on a team for a very large project and wanted to familiarize myself before we headed out of town,” I said truthfully.
He looked down at the prints, studying them for a moment, silence taking over us.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about my relationship with Tyler. We don’t really want it to be a big thing at work. I’m sure you understand.”
He shrugged his shoulders. “Of course I understand, fraternizing with coworkers is normally against company policy, and I am all for rules.”
I stared down at the prints, not sure how to respond to his comment.
He laughed at my discomfort. “I’m just giving you a hard time. So you do commercial plans, yeah?”
I nodded, giving him the best smile I could.
“You wouldn’t happen to be in charge of the Chino account would you? RJ has cancelled our meeting three times now, and he had promised to show me the plans for his up and coming warehouse builds.”
I shook my head no, curiosity filling my brain.
“No, I’m not. I didn’t even know he had an account.”
“So you know Lee Chino?” he asked cocking his head, grabbing a rolling chair from the empty cubicle next to me.
“I don’t know him personally. My father knew him when they were young and still sees him from time to time.”
Detective Anderson furrowed his brows at me. “Does he do business with Lee?”
I shrugged my shoulders again. “I’m not sure. Honestly, I saw him at the Christmas Eve service for the first time in years. I didn’t even recognize him.”
Anderson straightened his head, tapping his finger on my desk. His demeanor was making me uneasy, and his interest in Lee Chino only proved Lee was up to no good.
“You wouldn’t be able to show me Chino’s prints, would you?” he asked nonchalantly.
“I can look in our shared folder, but other than that I’m afraid I wouldn’t know where else to look,” I said, turning in my chair to one of my computers. He rolled next to me, eyes intent on the screen.
I opened the folder and scrolled through the documents, looking for anything that would hold the name Chino. I found nothing.
Detective Anderson sighed and rolled back in his chair then stood. “Thank you for looking for me Becca,” he said politely while putting the chair back in its place.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help,” I apologized.
He gave me a half smile. “You did what you could. Have a great evening. And tell your father hello for me, would you?”
“Of course. Have a good evening yourself.”
Detective Anderson smoothly left the room and patiently waited for the elevator to take him to the main floor. I sunk in my chair after he left. Why was he snooping around so much? And why was RJ avoiding him? From the sounds of it, RJ and Lee were up to no good, and I wanted to be as far away from whatever they were planning as soon as possible.
~
I promised Heather I would go to her house after work each day. Ray had been working late and she was having the baby blues and needed help with Emmett and Josie. I was more than willing.
“I’m so thankful you have been able to come and help me with Emmett and Josie, Becca. I don’t know how Mom put up with those late nights and the three of us for all those years,” Heather said while patting Emmett’s little back.
Josie was sitting on my lap playing with a doll. “I know, I don’t know how you are putting up with it. I thought Ray didn’t work a lot of late nights?”
She sighed, and tears started to threaten her eyes. “He isn’t supposed to, but he told me he has a lot of work due in January, and he will be able to spend more time at home once it’s done.”
“I’m sure he’s right. Don’t worry about it, and I am here. So is Mom. I know she drives you crazy, but at least she can entertain Josie for a while,” I sympathized.
She sniffed and held Emmett close. “I know, I just need him right now. I hate that he comes home at 10:00pm at night. We are both exhausted, him from work and me from the kids. I know it’s only been three days, but Becca I’m all sorts of emotional right now,” she croaked, letting out a slight gasp.
I set Josie on the floor and came over to sit by her. “Do you want to call him? Maybe he can work from home tonight?”
She shook her head no. “He can’t focus with the kids being loud. Or that is what he tells me. He says if he were home he would be holed up in his office for longer than if he were at the office.”
“Becca, I’m afraid I’m turning into Mom. I didn’t want this,” she sniffled, going into full blown tears.
I rubbed her back soothingly. We were both afraid to have the same life as our mother.
“No, it’s just a busy time of year for Ray. Otherwise he is home at night for dinner, right? Don’t let baby emotions pull everything out of perspective.”
“Yeah, you are probably right,” she sighed, wiping her tears off her cheek with her free hand.
Even though I kept a smile on my face, I knew what she was worried about. Whenever Tyler and I started to talk about marriage I would bring up the traveling and inform him that when we had a family that I didn’t want him to be gone all week. With how the Conklin business was growing, he would have to start traveling between even more cities than he already was. I hated the thought of him being completely gone Monday through Friday. At least my father was home late at night.
Just then Heather’s phone rang, and her lips trembled. “It’s Ray,” she whispered.
“Answer it. Hearing his voice might brighten your mood.”
She sniffed again and said hello, but instead of sounding happy to hear from him, tears started to fall from her face. “I just miss you,” Heather croaked into to the phone.
I got up and took Emmett from her then motioned for Josie to come with me. I was going to get her ready for bed then hopefully Heather could relax and talk to Ray without worrying about completely losing it in front of Josie. I knew she hated crying or getting upset in front of her daughter.
“Auntie B, where’s Tyler?” Josie’s little voice asked as she stepped into the bathtub. I was sitting on the toilet holding Emmett.
“He’s working,” I said, gently rocking Emmett.
“Like Daddy?”
“Yep. Tyler works like your Daddy.”
“Do you get sad like Mommy when Tyler is working?” she asked, reaching for her toys that were stashed in a mesh bag in the tub.
This kid was too smart for her own good. What two-and-a-half- year-old thinks to say something like that?
“Of course I miss him, but I know he has to work. I get to see him still. Just like you and Mommy get to see your Dad. Sometimes we just have to be patient.”
She nodded her head and started to focus more on her toys. I thought about what I had told Josie. Yes, patience is what I was going to need to have for Tyler too. The next five
weeks were going to be the ultimate test.
~
Tyler came home from Miami late Wednesday, and I was grateful for his company. He met me at my condo. I was already in bed and hearing the door opening put my mind at ease. I heard his footsteps down the hall and rolled to face the door. I didn’t wear anything provocative to bed, just some simple sweats. My monthly friend unfortunately had made its appearance on Monday, and I wasn’t exactly in the mood. There would be time for romance with him on New Year’s, and I was almost positive he would be dead tired from non-stop meetings from the past few days.
When he stepped through the doorway, my heart fluttered. He was pulling at his brown tie, his eyes tired and searching for me. His shoulders relaxed as a half grin spread across his face.
“Hi, how was your flight?” I asked, lying on my side with the glow of the lamp from the side table, giving me a view of my most precious person in the world.
“Long and bumpy. I enjoy the shorter flights to Chicago and Cleveland better,” he grumbled, flopping down on the bed next to me. I quickly snuggled next to him, wrapping my arms around him and holding him tight. I breathed in his scent, feeling very warm and serene.
“I missed you,” he murmured into my hair. I squeezed him tighter.
“I missed you, too. Are you finally going to tell me what we are doing for New Year’s?” I asked, my lips brushing along his neck.
A low groan escaped his throat causing me to grin. I kissed his neck again with more pressure, enjoying feeling his sharp inhale of breath with my hand on his chest.
“Pack a bag for a warmer climate. We are flying out tomorrow morning,” he murmured, moving his neck to the side, allowing me access for my mouth to travel up to his ear.
“A warmer climate? Is that the only hint you are going to give me?” I whispered in his ear.
“That depends,” he said, tying a delicious groan to the end of his sentence. His eyes were closed as I kissed back down his neck, sucking harder. I began to unbutton his shirt, noticing he didn’t have an undershirt on. His skin was smooth, and the muscles of his pecks were exposed more and more with every button I reached. Maybe I would become in the mood, and knowing Tyler, he wouldn’t care what was going on down there. When he wanted it, he wanted it.