by Elias Taylor
“I won’t beat around the bush,” Tristen said. “I’m interested in the upcoming promotion.”
David smiled and nodded.
“I know,” David said. “And you’re definitely in the running.”
A bubble of excitement rose in Tristen’s chest.
“There is one thing,” David said. “You know we’re family-oriented here, and we like our team to be a family, in a sense.”
Tristen nodded along. This was nothing new. David was always giving little speeches about how the team was his family, but he could tell by David’s face there was something else. David was almost grimacing as he tried to find the right words. Tristen ran through the past few weeks to think of anything he had done that was inappropriate.
“And in fact, we like members of our team to have a family too,” David said.
Tristen froze. He had the childish instinct to tell David that he did have a family, he had his parents. But that wasn’t what David meant. A wife and kids. The classic family man.
“Obviously, I’m not going to hold you back because you’re single,” David said. “But in my years as a leader, it’s clear that the people with a family they can go home to, a family they can work for – they are always the more successful long-term employees and managers.”
Tristen’s mind was rushing. He was seeing all the books, all the articles, all the motivational videos, all those hours of studying, they were all going down the drain. All because he didn’t have a wife. He didn’t even have a girlfriend.
Then Tristen got angry. He was not about to go down without a fight. He opened his mouth without knowing what he was going to say.
“I do try and keep my personal life separate from work,” Tristen said. “I didn’t know you had this concern, or I would have told you, I do have a fiancée.”
David’s face morphed into a shocked expression. Tristen winced. Had the lie been convincing? How was someone supposed to announce their engagement?
“You do?” David asked. “Wow, I had no idea.”
“Yeah, I mean, she’s the greatest,” Tristen said. “And I know the team here is family like you said, but I wasn’t sure if anyone wanted me to babble about how awesome she is.”
Tristen was going too far. He sounded insane, raving about his awesome fiancée. David, however, was lapping it up.
“Tristen, this is amazing news,” David said.
“Yeah, I mean it’s still recent,” Tristen said. “I proposed just a few weeks ago.”
Tristen chastised himself. He was acting as if the fake engagement being recent made it any less untrue.
“Well, no more secrets,” David said. “You have to bring her to the dinner next Saturday.”
Tristen felt himself falling. He didn’t know exactly when he had slipped off the edge, but now he was tumbling into a dark void. He didn’t know how he was going to recover from this. He had completely forgotten about the dinner event on Saturday to celebrate the team’s work that quarter.
“Are you sure?” Tristen asked. “I know she wasn’t on the list.”
“Of course I’m sure,” David said.
The worst part was that this lie was working. Tristen could see that David was practically radiating with glee now that Tristen had shown he wasn’t a single guy who slept around instead of settling down. David thought Tristen was a family man. Or at least, he thought Tristen was on his way to becoming a family man, as long as this fiancée was as great as Tristen said she was.
Tristen’s heart sank as David clapped him on the shoulder. There was no getting out of this in one piece. So Tristen took a deep breath and gave David his biggest grin. Let David think he was engaged for now, he would figure out what to do next week. Maybe his amazing fiancée would be hit by horrible food poisoning. For now, Tristen had to be convincing.
“Alright, I’ll bring her,” Tristen said. “I know she’ll be thrilled to meet everyone.”
“Good,” David said. “I’m just so happy you’ve shared this.”
“Well, it did happen fast,” Tristen said. “But you know what they say, when you find a girl who is too good for you, you hold onto her.”
“Exactly,” David said.
His boss stood up, and Tristen rose as well. David offered Tristen his hand, and they shook.
David showed Tristen out, and Tristen returned to his desk in a daze.
This was bad. This was very bad.
Then again, maybe it wasn’t so terrible. The promotion had been about to slip away from Tristen, but now he was back in the race. All it took was one little lie.
Tristen was pretty sure this was not what the motivational speakers meant when they talked about “going above and beyond for the job.”
The question was, how long could he stay in the race.
Tristen pulled his bag on and headed towards the parking lot. Once he was in his car, he sat still at the wheel for a long time.
If he had known David wanted him to be married, would he have bothered to find a real girlfriend? It wasn’t that Tristen didn’t date. He went on plenty of dates. He just had never really connected with anyone. In fact, girls were just another thing on top of school and work, that Tristen hadn’t taken seriously.
He tried to imagine what the amazing woman he had told David about would be like. He couldn’t even picture a face, just a blurred visage without personality or defining traits. Tristen had no idea what he wanted in a partner. How was he supposed to conjure up the perfect person by next week? Because even if his fiancée was mysteriously ill, Tristen was still going to have to continue to lie about her. He would need details. A name. Possibly some fake photos.
Three things were certain. First, this fake fiancée was doing more for Tristen’s career than even landing a huge account. Second, his boss and co-workers were willing to believe whatever Tristen told them; they trusted him.
And third, if David ever found out the truth, Tristen was going to get fired.
David was a good guy. He had a strong moral compass. And in his book, the only thing worse than a single guy without a family was a guy who lied about having a family.
Chapter Three: Jump
As Kayla had suspected, her bright blue earrings were not doing much to satisfy her mother.
She had only been with her parents, George and Helen Carpenter, for fifteen minutes, and already her mom has asked if she had been on any dates lately. Kayla had to wonder if Cleo and Helen were in cahoots. Were they secretly having weekly phone calls about Kayla’s lack of a social life?
At least she had her dad. George was grilling Kayla over their chicken pasta about the big account she had at work.
“So you have full control?” he asked. “Baby, that’s amazing.”
“Yeah, it’s going to be a lot of work, but I’m excited,” Kayla said.
Kayla’s dad had always been supportive, even when Kayla was talking about her big 10 Year Plan when she was sixteen. Other fathers might have ignored it or laughed it off, but never George. He took his daughter’s goals and ambitions seriously. He was her biggest cheerleader, and he had researched both her college and her firm with meticulous care. He almost overdid it, but Kayla appreciated it.
Her mother, on the other hand, could be a trial. She barely seemed to listen to Kayla as she described the new account and how big of a deal it was.
When Kayla was finished explaining all the details, her dad grinned, but her mother just heaved a sigh.
“I was reading an article about how unhealthy it is for young women to be too focused on careers,” her mother said.
Kayla pursed her lips and rolled her eyes. It was all she could do not to scream in frustration.
“Really, mom?” Kayla asked. “Where was that article?”
“Well, let’s settle down,” her dad said. “Kayla looks very healthy.”
He gave his wife a pointed look, and Helen just shrugged.
After dinner, Kayla’s dad took over the dishes. Kayla wandered into the living room and ploppe
d down in an armchair. Not much got under her skin, but as soon as she was back in her parent’s house, she felt like she turned back into a teenager.
She could remember, sitting in this very red floral armchair at fifteen, frowning up at the painting of a field and bemoaning how her mother just didn’t get how important it was that Kayla have SAT Prep. Her mother didn’t understand how if Kayla didn’t ace the SAT’s, she would never get into a good college or a good accounting course, and then she would never get the job she wanted, and then her entire plan would blow up in a poof of smoke.
Ten years later, and Kayla was still slouched in the armchair and wondering why her mother just didn’t get her.
Kayla tried to straighten up as her mother entered the room and sat down next to her.
“I don’t mean to nitpick, honey,” Helen said. “I know this new account is very impressive.”
Her mother ran her hand over the fabric of her yellow couch. Kayla knew that Helen had spent ages selecting that shade to match the living room.
“Your dad tells me it’s impressive anyway,” her mother said.
Kayla could imagine her dad giving his wife a pep talk about how Kayla deserved a little more recognition.
“I just see how Beau always has these fun plans every week, and I worry about you,” Helen said.
The truth of the matter was that Kayla was her dad’s favorite, and her older brother Beau would always be her mom’s favorite. Kayla never got mad over that, it was only fair.
“Beau doesn’t have a job,” Kayla said.
She didn’t want to put down her brother, but it was true. Beau had been temping for a while, then he was a bartender, then he swore he wanted to be an entrepreneur, but lately no one could figure out what he was doing. He spent his days just having a good time. His whole existence was so devoid of structure, the very thought of it made Kayla shiver.
“What I mean is,” Kayla said. “I’m not like Beau.”
“I always thought you two were more similar than you realized,” her mother said.
Kayla let an undignified snort escape. Her mother was crazy.
“No, really, I remember when you were young,” her mother said.
Helen leaned back against the couch, and her eyes became glazed over as she looked back on years long past.
“You were such a playful kid,” Helen said. “You weren’t serious about anything, and even in middle school, they all said girls struggle or become cautious at that time, but you were as wild as ever.”
Kayla blinked. She tried to remember herself in middle school. It was so long ago, but she could definitely recall a few crazy sleepovers with her friends. They had thought it was so fun to pull all-nighters.
“You were always running from one thing to another, like a demon, without ever worrying or thinking about the consequences,” her mother said. “You were impulsive.”
No one had ever called Kayla impulsive. At least not in a very long time.
“Everyone is impulsive when they’re kids,” Kayla said.
“I don’t know,” her mother said. “I even tried to get you to be a little more serious or cautious, especially after you jumped off that bridge when we were on vacation in Colorado, remember?”
Kayla remembered a hot summer day and the lurch in her gut when she saw the bridge over the river. She had jumped off it without even thinking. She had been so young. And a little impulsive, she supposed.
“Then you went to that college prep course in the ninth grade,” her mother said.
Kayla allowed herself a small smile. Only her mother could make the words “college prep course” sound so ominous.
“You came out of that a totally different person,” her mother said. “You had a five-year plan and a ten-year plan and a list of statistics proving that you just had to be an accountant.”
“That’s what the career quiz said,” Kayla said. “And that course was really useful.”
Her mother was right. The college prep course had changed Kayla. Or rather, it had woken Kayla up. She could still remember the prickling sensation she got on the back of her neck when the instructor started talking about how everything they did now would affect who they were going to be in ten years, twenty years. They were laying the foundations for the rest of their lives, so they had better start making sure the foundation was strong because they wouldn’t be able to redo it.
That had all made so much sense. Kayla had believed in that instructor’s philosophy with all her heart from that moment onwards. She was bummed that her mother thought she had been brainwashed, but Kayla still did believe in the importance of laying a good foundation and creating plans to reach goals.
Kayla glanced over at her mom. She looked so sad. Kayla supposed it could be tough to watch your kids grow up.
“Mom, I’m still the same person I’ve always been,” Kayla said. “I just have all these goals, and I know myself. If I let myself get a little off course, I’ll never be able to stop getting distracted.”
Helen let out another sigh and shrugged. It was as if she wanted Kayla to get distracted. Well, Kayla was not about to apologize.
“Mom, I’ve come really far,” Kayla said. “I like what I do, and I’m good at what I do, and I don’t want to lose momentum.”
Her mother smiled and leaned closer.
“Of course, honey, and I am proud of you,” her mom said. “I just want you to have a well-rounded life, that’s all.”
Kayla was getting extremely tired of all the deep talks about how she needed more of a life. She had a life. She had a good life that she had made for herself.
“Ok, mom,” Kayla said. “I’d better head out.”
She stood up and headed back into the kitchen to say good night to her dad. Her mother could worry all she wanted; Kayla was not going to stop what she was doing.
“Leaving already?” her dad asked.
“Yeah, it’s been a long week,” Kayla said. “But I’ll see you at the biker social tomorrow.”
She hugged both her parents and dashed to her car.
Even as she sped away and left her parent’s house behind her, Kayla kept thinking about that long ago jump from the bridge. She could remember the event, but not all the details. How cold had the water been? Had her feet touched the bottom? What had it been like to tumble through the air without knowing how or when she could land? If only she could do it again, just to remember the thrill of it all.
Kayla shook her head. She was actually daydreaming about jumping off a bridge. Her mother was getting to her.
The buzz of her phone offered something else to think about. Kayla scooped it up when she was stopped at a red light and read a text from Cleo.
According to her friend, “everyone” was down at Tate’s Bar. Cleo insisted Kayla come join. She texted that “even accountants can have fun on a Friday!”
Kayla felt a rush of excitement. Something to do, if just to prove her mother wrong. She aimed the car in the direction of the bar. Cleo would be so surprised; she was always inviting Kayla to these things, but Kayla never showed. Kayla grinned as she imagined Cleo’s expression of shock when she saw Kayla walk right into the bar and accept a drink from the first guy who offered.
About two blocks from the bar, Kayla pulled over.
This was stupid. She had the bike thing next Friday, and that was her big social event of the month. Kayla tried to only have one social event each month, for the sake of time management.
Besides, Kayla didn’t even like drinking. It didn’t matter how cute or nice the guy was, Kayla probably wouldn’t accept alcohol.
She almost always stuck to seltzer water or the occasional glass of wine with dinner. The few times Kayla had gotten very drunk – once with Cleo on her twenty-first birthday, and once in college – had been enough to put Kayla off drinking hard alcohol forever. she hated the way drinks blurred her senses and made her head feel all fuzzy and unfocused. She detested the lack of control.
So was Kayla really going to go
to the bar, on a stupid whim based on a desire to prove something to her mother and friend? She would just end up awkward and alone, standing in the corner in her work slacks and gripping a glass of seltzer water. As if a guy would even offer to buy her a drink. Everything about Kayla, from her serious facial expressions (or her Resting Bitch Face as Cleo called it) to her practical grey blazer to her non-alcoholic preferences, screamed No Fun. She was not the type of girl that guys approached in bars. Not by a long shot.
Not that she wanted to attract guys at all. That was the bottom line. She had no real reason to go out tonight. She didn’t want what her mother and her friend thought she should want. She just didn’t.
With quick movements, Kayla turned her engine back on and whirled the car around.
She was going home, and she was going to get to bed early. Just like she had planned.
Chapter Four: Bonfire
Tristen had only been at the bike event for an hour, but he was already on his second plate of food. He figured he deserved it after the weeks he had.
Tomorrow morning, Tristen was going to have to figure out his excuse for showing up to the work dinner solo. Tomorrow, he was going to have to field a bevy of questions about his mysterious fiancée. The whole charade was going to get a whole lot more complicated the next day, no matter how airtight Tristen’s excuses were.
So he might as well let loose with the bikers.
As far as a biker social event went, it was a pretty standard affair. Since the weather was mild, they had all gathered at a local Lyndon park. The bikes were lined up in rows of shimmering metal, and the bikers were mingling around the picnic tables. One of the social heads had taken care of barbecuing burgers and hot dogs, and pretty much everyone had brought snacks or drinks of some sort. Early in the night, the older guard was still around, but Tristen knew from experience that soon the older generation would retire and leave the young crowd to their raucous ways and late nights.
As Tristen grabbed another beer from the cooler, he spotted Kayla Carpenter a few yards away.