Hot Summer Fling

by Parker, Ali

  Quickly calling him back despite my earlier intentions, I hardly breathed until he picked up. “Hey, Fulton. Thanks for getting back to me so soon.”

  His voice was calm and relaxed, enough to convince me that there wasn’t anything wrong. “What’s up? I thought Sunday was Family Day in the Timms household.”

  “You thought right.” He laughed. “The mother-in-law is taking my family to some Disney show today. My niece has been offered my ticket, and I’ve assured them that I’ll survive giving this one show a skip.”

  Relief washed over me more intensely now that I knew for sure nothing untoward was going on. I’d become so used to bracing for the worst, even before the robberies, that it was unbelievably rewarding that just this once someone was simply calling to speak to me.

  “You nearly gave me a heart attack, man. I thought something bad had happened.”

  Elliot chuckled. “Why? Don’t your friends usually call you on Sundays to suggest going to the beach and drinking a few beers?”

  What friends? “Not really, no.”

  “Your generation confuses the hell out of me. You have no kids, brother. Why aren’t you going to the beach and getting as many beers as you can? You should do it, you know. Before the babies come. It’s frowned upon to bring kids into a bar. Spend as much time there as you can now.”

  I couldn’t hold back my laughter. “I don’t think I’m on the clock as far as that’s concerned, but thanks for the warning. I’ll pass it along to a new friend who most certainly is on the clock. The baby is arriving within the next few weeks.”

  “It’s the most joyful, hellish time he’ll ever have,” he replied sagely. “I look back on those early days with equal parts longing to go back to before they move, and gleeful relief that I’ll never have to live through that terrifying shit again.”

  “Joyful, hellish time? That makes no sense.”

  He sighed in exasperation, but I realized he was joking when he started chuckling. “Have kids, Fulton, then it will make perfect sense. Now, about the beach and those beers, do you have any plans for the day?”

  “I do, actually. Apparently, I’m going to the beach with you.”

  “Good man.” He gave me the details of where to meet him and thanked me for the opportunity to regain his sanity before hanging up.

  Smiling as I set the phone down on my bed and stripped off my clothes to hit the shower, I knew he was only joking. The man adored his family. He would do anything for them, but I was glad he’d chosen to spend the day with me when he couldn’t be with them.

  The address he’d texted me to meet him at was for a beach a little way outside the city. When I’d looked it up, I realized it was used mostly by locals. Even so, I struggled to get parking when I arrived and ended up having to walk a couple of minutes to get to the beach.

  It was packed with families, but that was unsurprising considering it was the weekend and shaping up to be a beautiful day. Elliot was already there, waiting for me at a table right there on the beach.

  It was an old, plastic thing, but it had two chairs, an umbrella and an ice-cold beer waiting for me. In other words, perfect for me for today.

  “Thanks for coming out,” Elliot said when I got close enough to hear him. He inclined his head toward the waiting beer and lifted the one in his hand. “That’s for you and this is my first one, I promise.”

  “You don’t need to make me any promises.” I shed my dark-blue flip-flops as soon as I sat down and pulled my shirt off over my head. Once I was in the appropriate attire of swimming trunks and nothing else that was being worn by the male population around me, I sat back in my chair. “I’m glad we’re getting to do this. Is it always this busy here?”

  He shook his head. “Rarely, but it’s a damn scorcher of a day. Might as well make use of having the beach nearby when it’s a day like this. There isn’t even a breeze, which means kids won’t complain about being zapped by sand all the time.”

  “Good point.” I took a sip of my beer, smacking my lips once I’d swallowed the ice-cold, bitter liquid. “I’ve got to admit … I’m fucking loving it in Florida. Some days it’s hard to believe I have to leave all this behind and go back to Boston.”

  “I’ve been wondering when you might go back.” He tilted his head after taking a sip of his own beer. “That’s not to say we don’t enjoy having you around. Without you, I’d have had to drink by myself today and that just ain’t right.”

  “It’s a good thing I’m sticking around, then.” I dragged my hand through my hair and watched some people playing volleyball on the beach while I formulated my answer.

  It was an answer I’d been thinking about since having spoken to Valerie about going back to Boston last night. I still couldn’t say exactly when I’d be leaving, but it wouldn’t be soon.

  “The company is running well right now with me being here. I’m getting my shit done remotely, I’m not being pulled into every issue, and there are about half as many meetings that require my presence when I have to dial in.”

  “You billionaires and your objections to meetings. I read an article the other day that quoted that guy who’s doing all the space stuff. Apparently, he thinks meetings are usually a waste of time too.”

  I laughed, shaking my head as I took another sip. “Can’t argue with him there, but my point is, it’s working pretty well to have me here. I think I may stay for a while yet.”

  Elliot lifted an eyebrow, giving me a look that made it clear he didn’t believe me. “Bullshit. You’re just making excuses about not going back because of that Valerie girl, aren’t you?”

  “Maybe, but it doesn’t matter. She’s only in it to have fun. Wouldn’t even talk to me about going back to Boston.” And it had fucking stung. I’d been about to tell her that I’d stay if she was interested in there being something more between us than just hanging out, but she’d shut that shit down fast.

  A part of me had told me to cut and run today, to make sure I didn’t get any more involved with her than I already was. Running away wasn’t me, though. Never would be. I’d show her that I was managing fine for now from here, and hopefully, win her trust enough to have her open up to me about how she really felt. Hanging out and having fun, my fucking ass.

  I wouldn’t have been making up excuses to stay around if I thought that was true. Did I know what was going on between us? No clue, but it wasn’t that.

  Elliot pursed his lips with that disbelieving look still on his face. “Have you considered that she doesn’t want to talk to you about going back because she doesn’t want you to leave?”

  “Yeah, I considered it.” I sighed. “But I don’t know if that’s it with this girl. She’s having fun, I’m having fun. I’m not sure there is anything more to it for her. It feels like there is, but she sure doesn’t want to talk to me about it.”

  He sighed deeply, both of his eyebrows going up. “Let me tell you something I’ve had to learn the hard way. The women who are worth it are never going to make themselves vulnerable to you if you’re not willing to return the favor or to do it first. It’s our fault they’re like that, because too many of us perceive them as being clingy or needy if they open up to us and ask us for what they want.”

  “When did you become a therapist?” I grinned to let him know I was teasing and finished my beer. The waiter caught my eye from across the sand and pointed at my glass, I nodded and turned my attention back to Elliot.

  “I’ve been happily married just over two decades. I’m not a therapist. I’ve just reached pro level on reading between the lines.”

  “What do you suggest I do?”

  He shrugged. “Have you ever heard the saying ‘honesty is the best policy’? Man up and tell her where you’re at on all of this. If she doesn’t want the same thing, she’ll tell you and you’ll know what’s really going on in her head. Alternatively, you just have to show her how you feel.”

  I inclined my head, taking a deep breath as I considered his advice. “Maybe I will,
once I figure out where it is that I’m at.”

  “Better get to thinking then.” He smiled, thanking the waiter when he brought out our next round. We ordered a surf-and-turf platter each, then started on our fresh drinks in silence.

  “What about you?” I asked finally, wondering why Elliot seemed so pensive all of a sudden.

  He cocked his head and gave me a long look. “I don’t want you to think I invited you out here because of this, because I really did just want to spend time with you. I also wanted to talk to you at some point about something, though. Since it’s just you and I, and there are no distractions, I think it might be a good time.”

  “Shoot.” With anyone else, I might have been questioning their motives behind inviting me out for the day. Elliot wasn’t like that, if he said he was bringing it up because it felt like the right time, I believed him. “Whatever it is, I’m listening.”

  “I love managing the branch here, really. We have a great team of people and we’re running optimally, but there’s nowhere for me to go from here. Branch manager is as high as it gets with the company for someone based in Tampa.”

  I sat forward, resting my elbows on my knees with my beer dangling from my fingers. “Are you saying you’re thinking about quitting?”

  His eyes widened. “No, shit. I don’t want to quit. I’m loyal to the company. I’ve dedicated a lot of years to it. What I’m saying is that I would love to move up to headquarters someday. I’m only in my early forties, I can’t have hit the top point of my professional growth.”

  “You’d move to Boston?” My heart kicked into a higher gear. “What about your family?”

  “My wife’s sister is up there with her family and her parents moved there at the end of last year. The kids love their cousins and they used to spend a lot of time together before their move. That’s why I’m bringing it up now. My wife keeps asking if there’s a way I could apply for an opening at head office.”

  “Well shit. You’re serious?” I never expected Elliot would even consider moving, but if he would, it was definitely something I would keep in mind. “You wouldn’t hate me if you had to move closer to your in-laws?”

  “Not at all.” He laughed and dragged a hand through his thinning hair. “I lucked out with them. I’m one of the few men I know who can honestly say I adore my mother-in-law. She’s one of my favorite people.”

  “Wow. Okay.” I rolled my lips between my teeth, nodding slowly. “You’ve made very good progress in the company so far, so I can definitely justify motivating a promotion for you. I’m glad you talked to me about this. I’ll be sure to look into some things for you.”

  “Thanks, Fulton. I’d really appreciate it.” Elliot lifted his bottle for a toast, I clinked mine against it and took a long sip. “Now, let’s stop talking shop.”

  “You got it.” Despite my agreement to stop talking about work, I kept finding myself mulling over this new information about Elliot in my mind. Knowing that he would be willing to move was a game changer for me, I just had to figure out how and where to utilize him best.

  Eventually, I decided to just ask about one of the ideas that had popped into my head. “Have you ever thought about moving to Seattle?”

  “I think Seattle is a little too sad for me. I’d be willing to deal with the rain in Boston because of the family, but I’m a sunshine guy at heart. Seattle holds no allure for me.”

  “It’s a great city, rain or shine.”

  He frowned, questions in his eyes. “Why are you talking it up to me?”

  Why indeed… None of my plans were even clear in my own head yet, so it was probably best not to say too much. “No reason. I was just wondering. There’s the waiter with our food, let’s eat.”

  Chapter 28

  Valerie

  “I’d like an application for the job you guys are advertising as a consultant.” I smiled at the woman behind the front desk of one of the local art museums who had job openings.

  It was one of the smaller museums, currently showcasing an exhibit of Nature and Divinity in Indonesia. Supposedly the artists had looked to nature to inspire their understanding of divinity. I was practically itching to take a look around, to study every painting and discover whether their understanding of the divine inspired any in me.

  Just my luck, the gatekeeper to this particular museum was blocking my entry. I was sure I could pay the admission fee to be able to check out the exhibit, but I was hoping that it might be one of the perks of my eventual employment there.

  My smiles weren’t having any effect on the receptionist’s sour features, she looked like she’d sucked on a lemon. The woman didn’t look like the type who worked at an art museum, but I was quickly learning that there was no generalizations that applied to this industry.

  In one gallery I would find people in brightly patterned, flowing outfits and in others, there were people like this. One thing they’d all had in common so far was the disapproval that was currently flashing in her eyes as she stared back at me.

  She was dressed in immaculately pressed drab-colored clothing and her hair was pulled into a severe bun. There were lines on her face, but none of them looked like they had been caused by laughter.

  Looking at me over the rim of her bifocal glasses, she narrowed her eyes after finishing her examination of me. “What is your experience as a consultant?”

  “I don’t have much in the way of experience, but I am a huge fan of art. If you’d give me a chance, I’m sure you would be very happy with me.” I flashed her my most winning smile, but her lips didn’t even quirk in response.

  “Write your name down and we’ll get back to you.” She spun around in her wheeled chair, extracted a piece of paper from the printer on the side table behind her, and pushed it across the counter to me. Her gray eyes went back to the computer screen in front of her, but she plucked a pen out of a holder and dropped it on the paper without looking back at me.

  I cleared my throat to get her attention and handed her the typed application I had brought with me. She flicked her annoyed gaze to me, arched a brow at the application, and shook her head. “That won’t be necessary. Thank you for your interest.”

  Disappointment just about floored me as I watched her going back to typing something using only two fingers. Jeez, maybe I could even start with her job. At least I could type. It hardly seemed fair that she would be the one judging me, but it was obvious I’d been dismissed. She hadn’t even bothered to take my application.

  With my heart sinking, I copied down my details on the paper in my neatest handwriting, but I already knew it wouldn’t make a difference. This museum wasn’t going to give me the time of day, not even for an interview.

  Stepping out onto the sidewalk, I felt tears of frustration welling in my eyes. There was a light breeze that dried them off before they could roll down my cheeks, but my vision blurred and my heart ached.

  I didn’t know what I was doing wrong. All I needed was one interview, and I’d have a job. I was so, so sure of it and yet I wasn’t even getting as far as the interview stage.

  It had been three days of rejection after rejection. Everyone looked at me with the same disdain as Ms. Prim and Proper back there. No one took me seriously.

  Perhaps I didn’t have a degree or any experience, and I understood those were the questions they had to ask as a starting point, but didn’t passion mean anything to these people? I had it in spades, but they weren’t seeing it because they refused to speak to me.

  With a heavy sigh, I adjusted the strap of my purse and took off down the street. All of the places I’d intended on applying to had been a big, fat bust. I had nowhere left to go, and no hope of being hired anywhere I’d already been.

  Three days weren’t that many, but I was feeling so dejected that I couldn’t just carry on, even if I knew where I could go from here. I didn’t, though. I’d never wanted anything as much as I wanted this, and Plan A clearly wasn’t working out. There had to be another avenue to follow, but I
didn’t know what it was. I wasn’t going to give up. Not yet.

  Olive will know what to do. If there was one thing I didn’t feel like doing, it was going back to my former place of employment. Unfortunately, Olive was on shift at the restaurant and I really needed to talk to my friend, so I didn’t have much of a choice.

  It was midmorning and the restaurant was quiet when I arrived. There were a few people having coffee, but Olive’s section was empty and she was chatting to one of the other waitresses near the door to the break room. I didn’t recognize the girl, and I realized with a sinking feeling that she was my replacement.

  Sure, I didn’t want to go back to work at the restaurant, but seeing her in my place made me realize just how replaceable I had been as a waitress. That won’t happen again. I will become irreplaceable in my next job. No matter what.

  I made a beeline for Olive, desperate for advice from the one person who knew what it was to want to do something and how to get it done, but my former nemesis and boss stepped into my path. “I’m not hiring you back, Valerie.”

  “I’m not asking you to.” What a dick. “I’m here as a customer, so step aside. Unless you want to lose business.”

  I glared at the manager with narrowed eyes for a moment, but then decided that I needed Olive more than I needed a showdown with someone who meant nothing to me. It would suck if they banned me for causing a scene and I couldn’t come to see my friend anymore.

  “Excuse me.” I made my way around the infuriating human who was blocking me and marched to one of the many empty seats in Olive’s section. She noticed me when I sat down, concern and understanding filling her eyes when she saw my expression.

  Grabbing a menu off the top of the stack near the register, she came over to me and squeezed my hand as she set it down. “I’m so sorry, sweetie. What happened this time?”

  “Same thing that’s been happening all week. They wouldn’t even give me a chance. None of them. I haven’t gotten through to one museum or gallery, not even for an interview.” I brought my hands up to my face and pressed my palms against my eyes. “I don’t know what to do. They take one look at me and decide I’m not worth it.”