by Lynn Galli
Although Raven’s tone had been exasperated when she told me, she sounded more resigned than upset that her cousin was such an idiot. I would have wanted to kick him from the sales department down to HR to make him reverse his decision. Instead, she’d been told as soon as she found out, which was a week after the fact. By then, nothing could be done. Well, I was going to rectify that.
“Thanks for calling, Jos.” Zina greeted me an hour later in the café where we’d agreed to meet. “I could use the distraction.”
“Hi, Zina, I’m glad you could make it on short notice.”
“I’ve got nothing better to do with my time right now.” Zina referred to the fact that she no longer had a job, thanks to Robert’s insecurity.
“I believe I owed you a lunch anyway, right?” On cue, the waiter approached, and we placed our orders.
“So, what’s new with you?” Her blasé attitude over losing her job for no apparent reason made me chuckle.
“I’m sorry about your job.”
“Oh, I know it’s not your fault, Jos. Is that why you asked me here? You thought I got laid off because of your recommended cut in workforce?” She grasped my forearm, concerned for my visible guilt.
“No, I know why you got fired. It wasn’t because of my consultation, but it was because of me.” Or because Robert was the most insecure ass alive.
“That’s not true. Those layoffs stopped weeks ago.” I steeled myself to tell her the truth. “Yeah, but you were fired because I told Archie that you could do Robert’s job better than he could.”
Zina’s eyes bugged out as she rocked back in her chair.
“You said what, woman?”
“I recommended to Archie that he demote Robert to senior sales rep and give you the CSO position. Of course, he thought I was joking.”
Her head shook as she worked her way through my news. She’d braided her hair sometime since I last saw her.
The tight weaving patterns rounded precisely over her skull and left more of her face to see. “When did you tell him?”
“After the presentation to the sales department.”
“If you’re so sure that’s what got me fired, why’d it take so long?”
“Because, idiot that I am, I told Robert the same thing when I saw him Friday before last. He definitely took me seriously. I’m sorry, I should have known he’d retaliate against you.”
Zina’s head shake turned into a sinister smile. “I wish I could have been there to hear you tell that jerk that his AA could take his job.”
“That’s what you’ve got to say?” I huffed in disbelief, barely noticing the waiter drop our lunches off at the table.
“I get you fired and you’re only wish is that you’d seen Robert hear me call him incompetent?”
“Sure. That woulda been a riot.” She took a bite of her lunch like it was any other day. “Don’t worry, Jos. That right there was worth having to update my résumé and begin a job search. I didn’t like working for him anyway.”
“Well, how about me? Would you work for me?” She dropped the fry that she’d raised to her mouth and stared at me blankly. The usual rapid retorts stayed locked in her brain. “What?”
“I’ve always had the luxury of picking my clients carefully, and I’ve never been rushed to move on to another project. But lately, I can’t keep up with the requests. I’ve been contemplating hiring someone to help out, run the business while I’m out consulting. Train someone on conducting part of the research for me so that I can spend more time on analysis. Would that interest you?”
“Are you serious?”
“I could take on more clients, focus on the parts of consulting that I like best, and not worry that I’m missing out on other interesting projects because I’m running around trying to tie up all the loose ends.” Until I made the offer, I hadn’t realized how much I needed someone.
“You didn’t work with me for that long. How do you know if I’m qualified?”
“Zina, you’re a rarity. I see maybe one employee like you in every twenty companies I analyze.” I smiled at the modest look that crossed her face. “I can offer you a thirty percent raise and a car allowance. You’ll work hard when we have clients, but you’ll get the same breaks that I take in between clients. I can’t say that I’ll always be a dream to work with, especially when the client is an asshole, but we’ve always had a good rapport. I think it’ll work out great.”
“Not that I was worried about that, but the fact that you said ‘work with’ not ‘work for’ tells me you would value any employee.”
“You game?”
“I’m game, set, and match, sister. Sign me up.”
“Great.” I sighed with relief. This would work out beautifully. My dad had been bugging me to get some help for years. I couldn’t ask for someone better. “Can you start next week? It’ll give me time to get you a laptop and set up a network so we can work from our homes until I think of something more permanent.”
“Sounds good to me. Thank you, Joslyn. I appreciate the opportunity. I know I’ll learn a lot from you.” I imagined I’d be learning just as much from her. This would be a massive change for a normally independent person like me, but I had to attribute my lack of anxiety about it to my relationship with Raven. Being with her had opened up so many experiences I’d never considered before.
I felt like there wasn’t anything I couldn’t undertake, and the knowledge was empowering.
Chapter 22
A whole weekend together. I could hardly wait to see her. The past three nights had been spent at long dinner meetings with potential clients. It was getting ridiculous how much I missed her when we were separated. To make matters worse, my next client was out of town. I’d be leaving Thursday after next for two weeks. This was the first time in my consulting career that I thought about canceling out on a client because I didn’t want to be gone for that long.
When I heard the car drive up, I raced to the front door and flung it open. I didn’t want to waste one second of this weekend. The sight of my dad’s truck, followed by Marco’s shocked me. “Hi there, best girl.” Dad stepped down from his truck with a big smile.
“Hi, Dad. Was I expecting you tonight?” My brain tried to sift through the conflicting thoughts of surprise, joy, and disappointment.
“You didn’t think we’d let you leave town without a traditional sendoff, did you?” True, we often had dinner together whenever I had a long-term contract out of town, but two weeks hardly qualified.
“What? We’re not welcome all of a sudden?” Marco jabbed when he and his wife caught up with my dad.
Phoebe’s shoulders nearly touched the short bob of dark blond hair as she shrugged apologetically. She didn’t believe in no notice drop-ins but, obviously, she hadn’t been able to stop her husband’s mission. Her blue eyes tried to convey that she was completely on my side with this one.
“If you happen to be spending the evening with a certain someone, well, all the better for us, right, Michael?”
“A certain special someone,” Dad pitched in.
I scoffed, caught between enjoying their banter and what I knew would be Raven’s anxiety. “You guys, you can’t ambush her like this.”
“Seems like this might be fair payback for that dinner you had to suffer through,” Marco commented about the Paul family get-together. I immediately scolded myself for telling him about it. I should have known he’d find a way to use it against me.
“It wasn’t that bad, and her family’s different from you guys.”
“You’re saying she actually likes them?” Marco joked.
“What would that be like?” Dad quipped. He grabbed me for a hug and kissed my forehead. “Just a quick meet if she’s not up to having us stay, okay? I barely got to speak to her when we first met, and it’s a father’s prerogative to get to know your special someone.”
Well, that was unfair. Like I could deny his request now.
“Fine, but let me break it to her when she arriv
es. Give her a chance to bolt if she’s not ready.”
“Show me to the grill, Jos. The Q-master has arrived. Phoeb, bring on the steaks,” Marco mock ordered his wife, knowing she’d already done all the unloading of groceries.
The men in my life never thought I had enough food for them to consume, and they were usually right.
Ten minutes later, Raven arrived. I was at her car before it came to a complete stop. I opened the door for her and pulled her into my arms. “Hi, lovely.”
“Hey, sweetheart, I’ve missed you.” She kissed me with so much enthusiasm it practically erased the past three days absence. I wasn’t sure how I’d make it two weeks away from her. When she pulled back, she glanced over at the other vehicles in my driveway. “Don’t tell me you’ve traded in your classics for two pickups?”
“Actually, we have some company. Surprise company. Uninvited company,” I stressed.
“If I’m reading the logos right, seems like the surprise company might be related to you?” She referred to the S&V Construction label painted on the door panels.
“I’m sorry, honey, they just showed up. We usually have dinner together before I go on extended road trips.” I couldn’t get a bead on all the emotions that skittered through her expression before she smiled like a trooper. “Do they know I’m coming to dinner?”
“I told them I already had dinner plans, yes. They’re a little hard to chase off, but they won’t stay long. I promise it won’t be that bad.” Well, it might just edge out a short stint in a Turkish prison anyway.
“I liked meeting them before. I’m sure this will be fun.” She released a long breath and pushed off toward the house, not waiting for me. Determination, one of my favorite of her traits.
When we made it out to the back porch, we found Marco fighting with Dad about how much salt should be added to the marinade. My brother and I were both worried about his high blood pressure, so we took turns nagging him about it.
“Break it up, guys. I’ll pull this whole backyard over if you don’t drop the salt and step away now, Dad.” Phoebe and Marco laughed at my threat. The salt shaker stayed suspended in the air until Dad made a grand show of setting it down and stepping partially behind Marco. “I don’t remember her being this bossy when she was a kid. Must be your influence,” Dad accused Marco.
“I taught her every decent thing she knows,” he boasted.
I rolled my eyes. “Raven, you remember my dad, Michael, and my brother, Marco?”
“Of course, it’s nice to see you both again.”
“Damn glad to have a chance to get to know you, Raven.” Dad pumped her hand with both of his. He scrutinized her blatantly, only partly because she was so gorgeous.
“Give her arm back, Michael.” Marco stepped up to give her a much shorter version of the same handshake.
“And this is my sister-in-law, Phoebe Ventano. Phoebe, this is my girlfriend, Raven Malvolio.” I felt Raven go rigid beside me through the length of her arm touching mine. A short burst of sound came from her mouth as she swiveled her head from me to them and back to me. “You—you told them? A-about us?” My family looked at me in surprised silence. I found myself just as shocked by her question. “Is that all right? I assumed that, since you told your family, it was okay to tell mine.”
Raven’s mouth trembled. She nodded her head and buried her face in my hair, clutching me to her. Silent shivers grew to soft sobs, and I could feel her trying to gain control.
I looked over at my family with the same dismay they showed me. Phoebe cracked an understanding smile.
“Thank God, another crier.” The men chuckled at the idea that Phoebe, who was very sensitive outside of her job, would have a comrade in crying jags.
Raven tipped back, her cheeks flushed pink with embarrassment, eyes still moist from her rush of emotions.
She gave me such a look of, well, if I had to guess: love. The realization made me dizzy and hopeful and serene all at once. “I’m sorry, I can’t explain that away.” She turned to face them. “I wasn’t expecting this tonight. I didn’t realize that Joslyn had told you. It’s such a surprise.”
“A good surprise, I hope, young lady?” Dad asked.
“The best, actually.”
“Good to hear. My Jos is a tremendous girl. She tells me you’re special to her, which makes you special to us.” Since Raven looked like she was going to crumble into tears again, Dad wrapped his big arms around her. God, I loved that man.
“And if you keep crying, Marco won’t feel so ostracized every time he bursts into tears at a family gathering,” Phoebe kidded, making everyone laugh.
“I’m sorry, it’s very nice to meet you, Phoebe.” Raven pulled back from the hug and shook Phoebe’s hand. “I hope I haven’t ruined the first impression.”
“Don’t be silly,” Phoebe assured. “We’re all so happy for Jos that she has you.”
“It doesn’t matter that I’m a woman?” Raven asked tentatively.
“You’re smarter, kinder, and way better looking than the other people she’s dated,” Marco joked and got an elbow to the side from his wife.
“As long as Jos is happy, we’re happy. From everything she’s told us, you seem like a wonderful person. She deserves someone like you,” Dad announced, and my own eyes misted up.
“Only one question remains.” Marco turned serious enough to garner everyone’s attention. “How do you like your steak prepared?”
“All my life I’ve been dealing with this loon.” I jerked a thumb at him.
When I turned my grin to Raven, I saw that look again.
This time there was no mistaking the interpretation, and my heart took control of my conscious thoughts. Oh yeah, no more falling, I’m all the way in now.
Chapter 23
"I know that was embarrassing.” Raven settled in beside me on the couch after we’d said goodnight to my family.
For a moment I wasn’t sure what she meant. Then I remembered her teary reaction to the introduction of her as my girlfriend. I turned to face her, bringing a knee up on the couch. One of her hands immediately reached for my thigh, squeezing gently. I took her free hand in mine and brought it to my lips. “I believe you assured me that crying is nothing to be embarrassed about.” Brown eyes tracked the path of her hand, closing slowly as I pressed a kiss to the center of her palm. “Everything all right now?”
“You surprised me by telling them.”
“Why wouldn’t I tell them?”
Raven took what I’d come to recognize as her calming breaths before she spoke. “In grad school I got involved with someone who’d never been with a woman before. She seemed sincere, and I knew there was a risk that she’d consider it a college fling, but the relationship grew deeper than that. The only problem was that she wanted to keep everything completely private. She didn’t even want me to tell my friends and certainly not my family.” She glanced away, pain tightening her expression.
“Months go by and she’s still not telling anyone. That’s when I realize she hasn’t even admitted it to herself.
Coming out is difficult for almost everyone, but what we had should have been worth it.” Her hand squeezed mine, but she kept her face turned toward the window. “I let this go on for another couple of months before I confronted her about not admitting that she was a lesbian. She denied being gay, and even worse, she said that what we were doing amounted to foreplay, so she couldn’t be gay. She’d told me she’d be embarrassed if people knew that we’d been together. It felt worse than betrayal because she’d rather continue to lie to herself and deny her feelings than accept our relationship and stay with me.” The straight woman that I’d overheard Dax mentioning, the one who’d hurt her. Burned her, more like. No wonder she had such a strong resolve to stay away from the same possibility. “That’s horrible, Raven,” I whispered, pulling on her chin to face me. “I’m sorry you were hurt so badly like that.”
“Thank you. It wasn’t an easy time to say the least.”
&
nbsp; “It couldn’t have been.” I leaned forward to kiss her cheek then brush her lips. I tilted back and caught her eyes.
“What made you think that I’d want to keep us a secret? I mean, we had your family over, and Ray even saw us together that first morning.”
“The same morning that you wanted to get out of there before Kelly arrived,” she added.
“Oh no, you thought that was because I didn’t want anyone to know? Honey, I was thinking about you. You’re Kelly’s boss. I thought you might want to maintain some professionalism with her. I figured Ray might tell her eventually, but it wouldn’t be the same as if Kelly’d run into us that morning. I was trying to save you from becoming the juiciest piece of office gossip.”
She smiled and shook her head in amazement. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I should have known it wouldn’t be like that with you.”
“That’s why you wouldn’t let me answer your nephew’s question about me being your girlfriend? You thought I’d be uncomfortable?” She shrugged in response. “I’m honored to be your girlfriend. Every time you call me sweetheart I can’t believe how lucky I am.”
“I feel the same way.” She brought her hand up to cup my face gently. “Until you introduced me as your girlfriend to your family, I didn’t think it was possible to love you even more.”
“What was that?” My heart erupted into a high paced clattering inside my chest. I leaned forward with a grin that threatened to spread to every cell in my body.
Raven’s hand flew from my face to clamp over her mouth. Clearly, she hadn’t meant to say that out loud, but her gorgeous mind worked through it quickly. The delighted expression I wore probably helped a bit. When she dropped her hand, she gave a silent laugh. “I think you heard me.”
I wiggled my eyebrows and widened my grin. “You’re madly, head over heels, hopelessly, desperately in love with me.”