“She’s not coming in for a few more hours, Edward. I’ve told you that. She had errands. And after her errands, she has her daily call with Tanner.” Myrtle rolled her eyes and shook her head, making the red and pink beads that were strung to her orange glasses sparkle as they caught the light.
“Well, that settles it. Come on, Edward, let’s go so Myrtle can get some work done.”
Raffe herded Edward toward the large glass door, winking at Myrtle as he did so.
“Myrtle looks really nice today, don’t you think?” he asked Edward. It couldn’t hurt to plant the seed, could it?
Edward scowled and paused, looking briefly over his shoulder at Myrtle, before he walked out the door.
“I didn’t notice anything different about Myrtle. I hope I don’t miss Gertie. It’s been a few days since I’ve seen her. I don’t want her to think I don’t care about her.”
“Edward, don’t worry. I have a feeling that Gertie is really tied up with the VIP tasting and charity ball she’s having. Better to just let her have some time, or else you’ll get an eye roll like I did from Sarah.”
The two men shook their heads in agreement as they walked outside. Women!
“Good grief, I thought he’d never leave!” Gertie exclaimed as she wheeled into the lobby. “For crying out loud, it’s like I’m a prisoner in my own company. I can’t get business done with him always wanting to see me!”
She patted Kidney, who was sitting on her lap. That was his usual spot on most days, as Gertie and the cat had been practically inseparable ever since she had taken him in. Kidney had the run of O’Rourke’s, with the exception of the kitchen and function rooms. He typically stayed in the lobby and office areas, where many employees kept treats for him. To say he was spoiled would be an understatement.
“Yes, Edward certainly is persistent,” Myrtle said.
“Well, I’m going to go visit Noah. If anyone is looking for me, I should be back in two hours or so. Of course, the last time I was there, they decided to shut down visitations right as I arrived.” Gertie frowned.
She had paid a lot of money to get Noah, her grandson, the best treatment available. The mental health facility he was at was top-notch, but they sure weren’t very good with communication. Also, she didn’t like how Noah had looked the last time she saw him. He had seemed wacky, like he was on drugs. Not street-type drugs—she knew he couldn’t be on those, since they drug tested there—but the pharmaceutical type that just made him zone out and act like a zombie. That wasn’t the plan the doctors had talked about with Gertie. She had emphasized as much therapy as possible and minimal medication.
“Have you talked to them again? About his treatment?”
“No, it seemed to fall on deaf ears the last time, and I didn’t want to push things, in case it made it worse for him there somehow. It might be time to get him out of there. As soon as this ball is over, that will be my priority.”
“Well, you always figure things out, so I know you will get to the bottom of things,” Myrtle said.
“Was that Raffe that I saw with Eddie?” Gertie asked, fussing with Kidney’s collar.
“It sure was.”
“Hmm. He must have been here to see Sarah. I hope that’s a good thing.”
Myrtle nodded in agreement.
“Me too. They make such a cute couple! I do understand that maybe working together was too hard on the relationship, but now that she’s here, maybe things have gotten better for them,” Myrtle said.
“I’ll stop by the kitchen later and talk to Sarah. I want her to be happy, after all. A happy chef is a good chef! And I need her to be able to make these charity events spectacular.”
Kidney meowed loudly and jumped off of Gertie’s lap, trotting toward the sun spot on the lobby floor and stretching out.
“It sounds like things are going smooth so far for the event,” Myrtle said.
“So far so good! I even have Marly making a special custom tuxedo for Kidney, since he is the mascot for the event.”
“How cute!”
Gertie smiled as she watched Kidney sunning himself on the lobby floor. Everything was going along as planned for the event, and she couldn’t be happier. The charity was very dear to her heart, and it was important that it was a big success.
“Special delivery!”
Gertie and Myrtle looked over at the door to see Marly walking in with what appeared to be a shirt box.
“I wanted to get this to you for a fitting. I hope it’s what you expected?”
Marley took the top of the box off and took out a small tuxedo jacket.
“That is so cute!” Gertie and Myrtle exclaimed at the same time.
“What do you think of the color? I figured black might be boring, and I wanted to tie it in with the National Kidney Foundation color, so we’ve got deep orange and black.”
“Oh, what a great idea, Marly. This is perfect! Kidney, come here!” Gertie called the cat, who lifted his head up lazily from the floor and then laid it back down.
“This will do the trick,” Myrtle said, reaching into her desk drawer. “Kidney, treat!”
The cat immediately got up and trotted over to Myrtle’s desk then jumped up on it as she handed him the treat. She grabbed him and held onto him while Marly struggled to get the tuxedo on him. Kidney tossed and batted his paws as the tux was put on him but calmed down as Myrtle gave him a few more treats.
“It fits perfect!” Marly said, letting him down. He walked around the lobby slowly, as if trying to get used to the outfit, and then plopped himself down on the floor in the sunlight again.
“Do you think the tails are okay? I couldn’t make them too long or else they would trip him,” Marly asked, eyeballing the cat.
“I think it’s perfect,” Gertie said. “And look, he doesn’t even mind wearing it. This is a sign that the ball is going to be a big success!”
Sarah glanced over at the large bouquet of flowers while she sliced up a cucumber, the knife moving dangerously fast as it made the thin slices. Why would he bring flowers without a vase? Now she had to cut the flowers down, find a vase to put them in, and arrange them. Who had time for that? Not her. And why did he have to make that stupid comment about her not having the menu finalized? Hadn’t he learned by now that she was spontaneous, and the main reason that she had left EightyEight was because he was the total opposite? Jeez.
“Wow, nice flowers!”
Sarah looked up to see Marly, who picked up the bouquet and smelled it before placing it back down.
“Are they for you?”
“Yup. From Raffe,” Sarah said, rolling her eyes.
“Uh, they’re beautiful. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Well, I mean, wouldn’t you rather get flowers in a vase? So that you didn’t have to go get a vase and all that? I dunno. Maybe I am just being a witch because I’m stressed about this whole VIP tasting event and the ball. Nothing Raffe does lately makes me happy. It just annoys me!”
Marly laughed.
“I know the feeling. Jasper gets on my nerves a lot. You know that. It took a while for us to figure out how we could work in the same building without killing each other.”
“Yeah, well, that’s too late for Raffe and me. There’s no way I will ever go back to EightyEight. That was just a nightmare. And pretty much what killed our relationship.”
Sarah sighed, feeling sad. She hadn’t ever really told Raffe that she wanted to end the relationship, just that she had wanted to leave EightyEight. And Raffe hadn’t exactly said that he wanted to end their relationship, either, but after she had worked her last day at EightyEight, she hadn’t heard from him. She didn’t feel that she should have to reach out to him first, and it had just turned into a semi-childish game of waiting each other out. She had ended up being the first one to reach out but only because she had left some stuff at his place that she needed back.
“What are you doing here, anyway?” she asked, wanting to change the subject. Jasper and Marly had gone through s
ome tough times, but things had been going good for them, both business-wise and in their relationship, and Sarah didn’t want to be all negative Nelly about relationships to Marly. Since Jasper and Raffe were also friends, she didn’t want Marly spilling any beans about Raffe that might make things worse either.
“I had to drop off the tuxedo I designed for Kidney.”
The two friends looked at each other and burst into laughter.
“So last week you designed outfits for movie premieres for A-list celebrities, and this week it’s a tuxedo for a cat. Cool,” Sarah teased.
“He does look rather handsome in it,” Marly joked.
“Oh, I’m sure he does. It is a cute idea. I shouldn’t have laughed. It’s just so Gertie’s style. Go big or go home.”
“Agreed. I need to get back to the office. Are we still on for dinner later?” Marly asked.
“Yes! I’m looking forward to it.”
“Great. I’ll see you then.”
3
Raffe pulled open the heavy wooden door to Flanders and let Edward step inside ahead of him. Flanders was a small pub-style bar within walking distance from O’Rourke’s that had become a favorite with the staff. The inside was casual, with a light-oak bar running the entire length of one side and the rest of the space consisting of pub-style round tables for four. The back held a small area where they had a musician set up on weekends, typically a one-man show with a guitar. The walls had various framed pictures of New York-based news headlines from the past. There was decent food, and the drinks were always strong. Raffe had spent many nights here with Sarah and TJ and Harper, one of the other O’Rourke employees.
He slid onto the stool across from the table Edward had sat down at and ordered them both a glass of scotch on the rocks from the waitress as she walked by. Whiskey wasn’t something he usually drank, but he felt like maybe it would help ease his anxiety.
“So, what’s new in your world? You’re still pining for Gertie, I see?” he asked Edward.
Edward nodded.
“We just seem to have the worst timing. Whenever I'm at her office, she's never available. How can that be? She runs the darn place! And if I call her, I just get the runaround from Myrtle.”
“Well, at least that means you don’t get the death glare from her. Or whatever it is that Sarah gives me. She looks at me like I’m crazy for paying attention to her, or giving her something.”
The waitress appeared and placed their drinks down in front of them, asking if they wanted any food, before she disappeared into the kitchen.
“Oh, I get the looks, believe me. When I actually see Gertie, that is.”
Raffe grinned. It wasn’t funny, but even with their age difference, the two men had the same issue. He had hoped that maybe Edward could give him some words of wisdom about women, but it seemed that neither one of them could figure women out.
“Maybe you should just sit in her office and wait for her? Insist on it, I mean, to get past Myrtle. Then again, there is that whole other thing,” Raffe suggested. He wasn’t too sure that Gertie was interested in Edward, but who knew for sure? Women were hard to read, and Gertie really was a busy woman, so maybe she just didn’t pick up on the fact that Edward liked her.
“Other thing? What other thing?” Edward asked.
“Her boyfriend. Tanner. Edward, you know that just because he’s been away for work, it doesn’t mean that Gertie’s single, right?”
“Pffft! A gentleman that really cared wouldn’t leave his lady for almost a year! When I traveled, I always flew my wife out to see me every three weeks. Or I flew home. And as far as just waiting for her in her office, I’ve tried that, but Myrtle won’t let me get past her desk! She’s a tough one. It’s like she’s Gertie’s bodyguard, for crying out loud. I could tell her that the building was on fire, and she wouldn’t believe me at this point. I’ve used so many excuses to try to see Gertie. The president should hire her for a security detail!”
They both stared at their drinks for a few minutes in silence. Raffe decided that he would drop the Tanner discussion. Edward was a stubborn man, and Raffe had enough on his hands with trying to figure out what to do to get back together with Sarah. Besides, he didn’t really know the current status of Gertie’s relationship.
“When I surprised Sarah with flowers earlier, she acted annoyed. Why would anyone be annoyed getting flowers? I mean, it wasn’t like they were wilted or cheap ones either. They were an expensive bouquet of beautiful flowers, and she looked at them like they were a can of worms. The last I saw of them, they were sitting on the counter in the kitchen, not even in a vase. They’ll die. Why would she just leave them lying there?”
“She didn’t get a vase to put them in? There are dozens of them in storage there for all of the events! See, this is why I just don’t understand women at all. I would love to receive a gift at work, or any time for that matter,” Edward said in agreement. “Who doesn’t like a surprise like that?”
Raffe shrugged as he watched a group of older women sit down at the table next to them.
“She complains that I’m not spontaneous enough, and then when I am, she gets mad. It just doesn’t make sense. It’s like what happened when she worked for me. I’d ask for her specials so I could put them on the menu, and holy cow, you would think I asked her to jump off the roof. Nothing was easy. It was like pulling teeth to get simple information.”
The waitress returned with club sandwiches for each of them. Raffe grabbed the bottle of ketchup, placed a blob next to the giant steak-cut fries, and dipped one in.
“Maybe she doesn’t like flowers. Or she could be allergic to them?” Edward asked.
“Doesn’t every woman like flowers? She never acted like she didn’t like them when we were together. And I know she’s not allergic to them. I mean, she never mentioned being allergic to them,” Raffe said. But maybe Edward was right, and all this time Sarah hated flowers? That would explain why she'd looked annoyed. But she'd always commented on certain arrangements at EightyEight and how pretty they were, and when they were together, Raffe had had a few bouquets delivered to her. She always thanked him and said she loved them. Why was this so hard?
“Well, what else can I bring her besides flowers? Chocolates aren’t an option. She has access to so many and makes her own all the time. In fact, anything food related she probably won’t like because she’s so good at creating her own. And clothes are out of the question. I learned that lesson the hard way with another girlfriend years ago. I bought the wrong size, and wow, was that a huge mistake.”
“Are you sure? I am kind of an expert with clothing, remember. I could make her a nice gown or dress,” Edward said.
Raffe shook his head. Sarah wasn’t a fancy woman. That was part of what had attracted him to her. She preferred to wear jeans or sweatpants, not glitzy gowns. Then again, she did try to get together with Marly a few times a month. Maybe a nice outfit for that would be a good gift?
“What about a puppy? No one can hate a puppy.”
“She’s not home enough to take care of a pet.”
“What about a stuffed animal? You know, like a teddy bear with a heart or something?” Edward suggested.
The table of women next to them laughed, and Raffe looked over at them to see if they had been eavesdropping and were laughing at Edward’s suggestion. The tables were pretty close to one another at the pub, so it wasn’t hard to overhear what people were talking about. They all seemed to be looking at their menus, though. Great, now he was getting paranoid about this stupid gift!
“Hmm. You might be onto something! Who doesn’t like a stuffed animal? It’s not like you ever hear a woman say that they are ugly or that they hate them. And they always buy them for their kids!”
“Right? And you could get one of those really, really big ones. The bigger the better. That’s what I always say,” Edward said. “Also, you should put something on the bear. A present. Jewelry perhaps. Maybe a necklace around its neck.”
&nbs
p; Raffe shook his head.
“Sarah isn’t really into jewelry. She can’t wear any while cooking, so she just never wears it at all. I’ve bought her a necklace and a bracelet, and they just sat on her bureau.”
They both watched the group of women next to them complain to the waitress that there was no room for their purses on the table and that the rounded stools didn’t allow them to hang them on the back.
“I’ve got it! A purse!” Edward exclaimed.
Raffe perked up a bit.
“Yes! Women love purses. Sarah has a bunch of them. I think. And growing up, my mother had a closet full of them!”
“Oh yes. I know women who collect them. Every woman loves a great purse.”
Raffe noticed two young women who were sitting two tables away from them giggling and shaking their heads. Were they laughing at his conversation with Edward about women? They were probably jealous over the purse idea.
“I’m sure it will all go fine. You are the best at what you do!”
Gertie smiled at Tanner’s face on her iPad.
“Thank you, but you know how I get before an event. I just hope I get the donations I’m hoping for! Half a million dollars would help these folks out so much!”
“Well, you should be getting an envelope from my office today with my donation. I’m just sorry I can’t be there in person to hand it to you, although I’m sure Edward is thrilled that I am not around.”
They both laughed.
“You know Eddie is harmless. Besides, I’m hoping he writes a nice fat check!”
“Oh, I’m sure he will. Let’s just hope there aren’t any strings attached to it.”
Gertie could tell by Tanner’s tone that he was serious.
“Oh please. You know I don’t have any interest in Edward! Don’t be silly!”
“Okay, okay. I need to get my day started here. I’ll check in tomorrow, okay? Love you.”
“Love you too,” Gertie said, ending the FaceTime call.
She looked over the paperwork for the VIP tasting for the third time. It was all in order, but she always had to triple-check. The VIP tasting was for a special group of people, kidney donors and recipients only. It was unfortunate that her daughter, Lily, couldn’t attend. Lily was the whole reason that Gertie supported kidney donations, because without one, Lily would have died. But after her transplant, Lily had thrived, and she had met a wonderful man that she moved away to California with. Gertie had hoped that the two of them could have spent time together and bonded, but she was happy knowing that Lily was living a good life now.
Dish Best Served Cold (Corporate Chaos Series Book 5) Page 2