by Fiona Roarke
She brought her gaze up to stare intensely into his eyes. “I’ve worked way too hard for way too long to turn this opportunity down.” She swallowed hard after she finished speaking. Quietly, she added, “So, yes. I am taking the job.”
“Good.” JD shrugged as though it didn’t matter when it really did. Looking away from her misery and her fortitude, he nodded lightly, and added, “Right. I get it. Good luck to you.”
He walked to Samantha’s office door, opened it and exited. Alisha stood and started to say something, but he didn’t hear what she said. He moved quickly toward the bank of elevators, wanting desperately to escape, to get away as fast as possible.
Don’t be weak. Don’t go back. Don’t let her talk you into a long-distance betrayal. The hurt and infidelity he’d long stuffed down from his last relationship spewed out and kept him running away from Samantha.
He didn’t know how he made it all the way across the floor to the elevators. The pain of losing the woman he loved to a promotion in another state seemed to be an ongoing cross he’d have to bear. Thankfully, he was the only one on the elevator whooshing down to the bottom floor as he grieved.
JD stepped from the elevator when it stopped in the lobby without consciously knowing how he got there. He was out on the street in front of Samantha’s building seconds later before realizing he’d walked out on the only woman he’d ever truly loved with all his heart and soul.
He paused on the street, putting a hand up on the brick outer wall to support himself. The warm, rough surface abraded his skin, waking him up to his new reality without Samantha.
Eyes closed, trying to shake some sense into his head without success, JD pondered if he’d just made the biggest mistake of his life.
Chapter Nine
Three months later – Wakeman’s department store, Miami
“I want to talk to you about Samantha,” came a familiar voice from beyond the open door. Samantha stopped cold at the fury in the speaker’s tone. And it seemed to be directed at her. Why?
Instead of entering, she pressed her shoulder against the wall of the company library, next to the alternate door of the conference room she’d just left. The weekly Wednesday meeting had finished five minutes ago. Apparently, it hadn’t gone as well as she’d thought.
She’d forgotten to grab a bottle of water to take back to her office. Doubling back through the library instead of using the main hallway had been fortuitous, since it gave her some warning when she heard her name spoken with such venom.
Two people from the meeting she’d left a bit ago were inside and now talking, not whispering, as she listened in.
“How much longer is this farce with Samantha going to go on, Trey?” The speaker was Drew Young, the Director of Sales. Drew was essentially Trey’s best friend, both at the store and outside of it. It was out and out cronyism, as far as she was concerned.
Trey used his placating voice. “Calm down, Drew. It won’t be too much longer.” He’d used that tone of voice on her a lot lately. She would tell him to do something, he wouldn’t do it and they’d repeat the conversation until she wanted to scream to the rafters in fury. But he was the boss’s son. Eventually, he’d take over as supreme leader, as he joked often, and she needed to be prepared for that instance.
She learned quickly not to expect him to do anything. She never depended on him and typically always did whatever needed to be done herself.
“What are you waiting for?” Drew persisted.
“Chill, dude. I’m waiting for her to get over…” terse mumbling ensued, “…before we sent her here. Then I can proceed. Once the question of…” Trey must have lowered his tone again because she didn’t hear what the question was. “…is settled, then we can proceed with the original plan. She’ll be out…” more muffled speech, “…and you’ll be the new VP of Operations for the Miami office.”
Samantha’s mouth dropped open. She wanted to screech in denial. She was the VP of Operations for the Miami office. Why did they want her out? What was going to happen to make her lose this job? What were they waiting for? What was she supposed to get over? She leaned closer, trying to hear the rest of what they said when they lowered their voices, but unless she entered the room, it wasn’t happening.
“Three months is plenty long enough,” Drew said. “I’m tired of waiting. You have a week, or else…”
Samantha didn’t hear the rest of Drew’s angry demand. What the hell was going on?
“Relax, Drew. Everything will fall into place in the next two weeks or so. Don’t fuck this up for me. And do not ever threaten me with ultimatums.”
“I’m sorry, Trey. But she’s trying to implement some new procedures that will intrude on my plans and yours. She needs to be stopped.”
“How is she going to intrude on our plans?”
“She wants to use the capital fund to make what she calls ‘improvements’ but it’s a waste of money,” Drew said quickly in a tone she hated. The I’m rich and superior to you tone that was a go-to for him. He’d also said the word “improvements” with sarcasm dripping from his snotty tone.
Samantha wanted to update the Miami store’s online presence and make the buying experience easier for Wakeman’s customers trying to shop over the Internet. It wasn’t like she was spending capital funds on hookers, booze and horse races. The comparison came quickly to mind because a few weeks ago one of their directors in Atlanta had been busted for spending company funds on strip clubs and gambling and was promptly fired.
Drew was talking again. “It wastes money not intended for her use. We have different plans for that capital fund, don’t we? Are you going to let her dip into that account and spend it all?”
Trey said, “Fuck no. Don’t worry. We’ll work on her over the next two weeks and get her to change her mind. If she still calls for a vote on that fund, we’ll stage a fake one for her benefit and then have our usual private after-meeting get-together and vote accordingly. By the time she realizes the change, my father will be here and…” His tone lowered again. Samantha pressed closer to the doorway. “…also by then she’ll be director of my…”
She’d be the director of his what? His new regime? He didn’t do anything. She didn’t hear what was said, but they both started laughing uproariously and left the room through the other door.
Samantha was stunned. It didn’t matter what she would be director of because being a director was not the same as being a VP. It was a step down, an obvious demotion from where she was now. Not only were they going to work on her to change her mind, they were going to use Trey’s father to implement this demotion.
That detail made her a little sick to her stomach. What were they going to do? If that wasn’t bad enough, it seemed that her being VP only temporarily was part of a greater plan. What was it?
Trey had obviously played some part in getting her the VP job. Maybe so he could undermine her behind her back then she’d be demoted to director? She’d only wanted to be director in the first place back in Atlanta.
Why would Trey’s father promote her if he didn’t think she’d do a good job? She didn’t want to believe he would. But if Mr. Wakeman wasn’t in on whatever Trey had planned, maybe Trey was waiting until his father retired to implement his strategy. Was that happening in two weeks? Was Mr. Wakeman retiring? She thought she had years yet before facing Trey’s rise to the top.
Samantha needed to figure out what to do next. And she didn’t have much time to do it. A couple of weeks at best. Trey and Drew were plotting against her, having secret meetings after the ones she attended, and perhaps trying to make her look bad to his father. That would not do. She hadn’t given up absolutely everything in Atlanta to be thwarted by Senior VP Dumb and Director Dumber here in Miami.
She’d been flabbergasted when Trey showed up as the new Senior VP of Sales in Miami a mere week after she’d settled here. He couldn’t sell his way out of a paper bag. But perhaps that was only her anger talking.
Drew was transf
erred down to Miami and named Trey’s Director of Sales shortly thereafter. While slightly smarter than Trey, Samantha figured Drew still only had about half a brain.
The company scuttlebutt since he’d started here was that Drew relied heavily on his managers to get his job done even after the first couple of weeks in Miami. That practice would only last so long before the managers got tired of doing their work and Drew’s as well.
The meeting for the vote that they’d been talking about wasn’t for another week and a half. Too bad she couldn’t disappear until then to figure out a way to outsmart them. Not to mention, if she was here in the building, they’d be able to work on her, feeding her and others in the company misinformation and “working to change her mind” until the real vote took place.
She might not be able to hide her feelings or knowledge of whatever their game was if confronted regularly. Acting wasn’t her strong suit and Trey typically grated on her last nerve every time he spoke. If she wasn’t around to coerce, Drew and Trey couldn’t change her plans.
If they couldn’t find her, they couldn’t use whatever persuasion they had in mind to trick her into making a mistake an unwittingly abetting their no-doubt foolish scheme. She pushed out an angry sigh of frustration. She’d worked so hard here from the very first day, implementing new strategies that seemed to be met with admiration from the current staff.
Thinking back, she remembered the look on Trey’s and Drew’s faces whenever she suggested something new. They’d both displayed condescending patience, as if merely waiting for her to walk off the plank and fall into piranha-infested waters so they could watch her being torn to pieces. Well, she wasn’t going to walk the plank or volunteer to go into the water or let Trey and Drew destroy her hard-earned career.
She went back to her office with a new agenda. Her Miami assistant, Lauren, followed her inside, carrying her tablet and what looked like several small notes.
“Lots of messages?” Samantha asked.
“Just a few.” Lauren mentioned a couple of business calls, but nothing urgent, adding quickly, “Also, Robin Graff called from the Atlanta warehouse. She’d like a call back today, if possible.” Samantha nodded, making a mental note to return that call from home. It was likely personal anyway.
No matter what business Robin called to discuss, she eventually steered the conversation in a personal direction. Samantha usually drummed her fingers while her friend speculated on why she and JD weren’t together, but she never commented. Refusing to paint JD in a bad light, she kept silent about their breakup. As soon as she had the chance, she changed the subject and ended the call. But the strain was beginning to affect her relationship with Robin, and she hated it.
Her chest tightened, as it always did when she thought of JD. She missed him desperately. Most days, she wanted to call him, move back to Atlanta and never think about Miami again. Given the discussion she’d overheard, she likely should have stayed in Atlanta. She should have turned down the promotion and told Mr. Wakeman the truth, so she wouldn’t have to move. But that wouldn’t have worked either.
Mr. Wakeman hadn’t said, “This promotion is vital to your continued future with the store,” but that was the strong inference she got while she was in his office. He was careful with how he phrased his proposal, but it was made very clear to her that he wanted her in Miami. Now she had to wonder if her move was essential to some future plan he didn’t name.
When she’d voiced a concern about not wanting to leave the Atlanta store, he’d come back with more carefully worded rebuttals about her future with the company and the opportunity Miami would afford her. In other words, “Go to Miami or find another job.” Or at least that was the way she’d taken it.
Lauren flipped through a few more messages, then said, “Oh, also, I wanted to remind you that our vacations start Monday, but I’m planning to leave Friday night after work. I hope that’s not a problem for you. We don’t typically work on Saturday, but I wanted to let you know in any case.”
“What? Our vacations?” Samantha hadn’t thought about taking a vacation since leaving Atlanta.
“Well,” Lauren grinned. “Not our vacations, like we are going anywhere together. But since you had scheduled next week off for your vacation, I did, too. I hope that’s okay.”
Samantha’s eyes narrowed. “I have next week scheduled off?”
Lauren’s eyes widened. “Yes. I’m so sorry. Am I wrong? I just assumed. I should have checked for certain. I’m so sorry,” she said again. She started punching buttons on her tablet furiously. She found what she was looking for and showed Samantha. “The very first week you got here, you gave me your phone so I could sync up your calendar with mine for any future meetings or days off. You marked off this week before you came to Miami. I figured it was a planned thing, since it was reserved so far in advance.”
Samantha looked at the dates, suddenly remembering exactly why that week was marked as off for vacation and also the reason she’d forgotten. The week in Barefoot Bay at the luxurious Casa Blanca Resort and Spa on Mimosa Key was still scheduled. With JD. Her legs went weak and she sat down in her office chair, staring at Lauren’s tablet. She hadn’t gotten an electronic reminder from the resort, likely because the e-mail she used to secure the reservation was her Atlanta one and not the one she used in Miami.
Lauren started talking fast again. “Did I make a mistake? I’m so sorry. Do you need me to cancel my vacation, too? Why didn’t I check before now? I should have checked.”
Samantha put a hand on Lauren’s forearm. “No.” She forced a smile. “Do not cancel anything. My mind was on the meeting I just came back from and not on anything else. Now that I’m truly paying attention to you, we are definitely going on vacation. And another thing: We will not tell anyone where we are going either.”
“We won’t?” Lauren looked surprised.
“No. We won’t. We do not want to be disturbed on our vacations, right? So don’t tell anyone from the office where you’re going. Just say you’ll be back in a week. If anyone gives you crap, refer them to me.”
Lauren looked supremely relieved. “Okay. Do you want me to cancel the temporary assistant set up to cover my desk next week?”
Samantha shrugged. “Sure. Let HR know we’ll both be out for the week on vacation. Calls can be sent down there and distributed to my managers. Or we can simply collect messages from HR when we return. I firmly believe that vacation does not mean we are on call for the duration.”
“Excellent.” Lauren, acting as though they were doing something clandestine, nodded conspiratorially and left the room with a wink and a smile.
Meanwhile, Samantha’s mind worked furiously. This was the reprieve she needed. She’d hide out in Barefoot Bay at the Casa Blanca Resort and Spa. She could spend a week in luxury, figure out what to do about her job situation, and come back refreshed to tackle this coming battle with Trey, Drew and, if need be, Mr. Wakeman. No one could try to sway her or persuade her to go along with their nefarious secret plots if they didn’t know where she was.
Well, one person might know, but JD had made his feelings clear months ago. She hadn’t seen him or heard a single word from him since that day in her office back in Atlanta. He’d likely forgotten all about their secret little vacation. She rubbed the space over her heart at the pain his loss still induced within her soul. Would she ever get over him? Didn’t part of her want to go back to Atlanta because of JD?
The memory of the night they’d made the reservations filled her brain with utter despair, given how things had turned out. Then again, thinking about the two of them setting this secret vacation up sent forth a tiny ray of hope. Did he remember? Did he miss her as desperately as she missed him? Would he maybe be there on Saturday night to surprise her?
Did he want to make up? Did she?
Chapter Ten
Key West, Florida
JD exited his vacation condo rental through the kitchen slider and headed for the patio. Beer bottle in hand,
he eased back into the recliner lounge chair, taking a sip of his icy cold beverage, and watched the next-door neighbors playing various games in their swimming pool. Each seemed to involve lots of splashing, laughter and fun. Good for them.
The sun blazing down on his body felt great. With the temperature hovering steadfastly in the upper eighties even in October, this was going to be a much-needed warm and relaxing vacation. Beer and sunshine was really the best way to start a Monday morning, in his opinion.
The muscled and many guys next door, brothers who definitely took badass to a whole new level and meaning, had invited him over to swim in their pool this past weekend. His condo rental only had a hot tub, which was nice for relaxing evenings, but the huge rectangular pool with the cool aqua paint below the water level looked very inviting. He might take them up on their generous offer this coming week.
He took another long sip of his beer, closed his eyes and let the sun’s intensity warm his skin. Maybe he wouldn’t wait. Maybe he’d go jump in with them and cool off after he’d gotten a few rays. Next to him, on the small plastic table, a loud vibration alerted him that he’d forgotten to put his cellular on silent. Damn it.
JD picked his phone up, set his beer down and silenced the device. He also noticed who’d called. Robin had left him a message in the middle of last week, but he never got around to returning her call before hightailing it down to Florida and his annual Key West vacation.
There was a little exclamation point on the message she’d sent, meaning she considered it important. JD sighed, knowing he should have called her back last week.
He knew what she wanted. She wanted to either give him an update on Samantha or ask him pointed questions in her ongoing efforts to figure out why they weren’t together. Apparently, Samantha hadn’t divulged the reason. Since he was the one to blame, he’d been surprised Samantha hadn’t thrown him under the bus.
Perhaps, she’d finally told Robin the reason and this call would involve her yelling at him for giving Samantha up. Maybe he didn’t want to have that argument because he feared she was right. He’d regretted his actions from the moment he left Samantha’s office, but foolish pride and his even more foolish memories of Caleigh kept him away. It kept him from calling her. It also kept her on his mind every single day.