Daniel ignored the comment and kept texting. “My assistant asked all week about dinner reservations for tonight, and I never put two and two together.” He glanced at his friends once he was done with his message and had sent it. “Business has me preoccupied, I guess. I'm running from one crisis to the next.” He let out a slight chuckle. “Sometimes, I don't see or hear my assistant at all.”
“You don't say,” Scott said.
His assistant would understand the blunder and make everything perfect for the evening, she was always good at last-minute details. He waited a minute and then a ding sounded on his phone. The incoming message indicated that everything would be taken care of, including the expensive gift, the dinner reservations, and the car by this evening.
He let out a sigh of relief, and then in a proud voice showing that he had the best employee in the world, Daniel said, “Everything is taken care of.”
Ravi glanced at his watch. “Fast and efficient, especially this early in the morning. You wouldn't be interested in loaning your assistant out, would you?”
“I'd be lost without her,” Daniel said, knowing how true the statement was. Deborah had been with him for years and knew his routine so well. She understood his schedule, knew how to organize his day, and, above all else, was someone he enjoyed spending time with.
Scott wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Why do you want to break up with Brandelynn?”
As if high-beam lights were thrust upon him and he had to rat-out a dirty boss, Daniel’s gaze darted between his two best friends. Privacy was golden, especially private, embarrassing matters.
“It doesn’t matter.” He needed a plan to stay off the Top 10 list. It was always best to stay out of the limelight, away from the peering eyes of the paparazzi, and far away from the tabloid fodder. He was still stinging from the last time he’d been in the public eye. That was a mess he never wanted to live through again.
The waitress opened the door to the private room and carried in a tray of drinks. “Are your meals all right?”
“They’re fine, Kaylee,” Daniel said, his voice sounding pre-occupied and reflecting his mood.
Kaylee had been their waitress for the last several months, and knew how to keep orders straight. She understood how to engage them in conversation without being too intrusive, as well.
After filling Daniel’s water glass, she reached for Scott’s. “How is that wife of yours Mr. Hollister? Is she still having problems sleeping?”
“Caroline stays up reading to pass the time.” Scott’s smile and head nod made him look like an expert in the field of late trimester women, and he was only expecting his first child.
Kaylee rubbed her rounded baby bump. “I can’t sleep now either, and I know it’ll be worse when my baby comes.” She gazed over to Scott. “What does Mrs. Hollister enjoy reading?”
“She’s found a new romance author that she can’t put down.”
Ravi rolled his eyes. “Women and romance. They always want a ring on their finger.” He glanced up at Kaylee who—thankfully—ignored the comment.
Scott began talking about the best diaper bag and some baby schedule that Daniel wasn’t interested in. He let the words trail off as he took a sip of his coffee and then scooted his chair out. “I need to go to the office.”
He pulled his wallet from his back pocket so he could leave Kaylee a tip. He thumbed through the bills. Nearly taking out a twenty, he paused and thought about her unborn baby. She’d give birth soon and be unable to work for a while. She’d hurt financially from a lack of tips while on maternity leave. He then chose a one–hundred–dollar bill and set it on the table.
2
Rain pelted Deborah Baxter's car until she turned into the safe haven of the parking garage, which was adjacent to the Ellington–Weston building.
Her phone chirped so she sat in her parked car and read the text from her boss, Mr. Ellington. She knew he had forgotten about Valentine's Day.
There had been a chance that he would have broken up with his current ladylove before today. His new love interest, like all of the women of his past, wasn’t a good fit for him. Too selfish. Too greedy. Too… young.
Deborah never understood what he saw in his dates, other than their dumber-than-dirt minds, and their nearly-Barbie-perfect bodies. But she had no room to judge. She certainly wasn’t making any big strides in the love department.
The love department—she scoffed at the thought. Closed. Sealed. Nonexistent. There was only one man who resided in her heart, and he never dated his employees.
Her phone chirped again, reminding her of Daniel’s text. Deborah strove to be two steps ahead of the man's needs, but it was unusual for him to be in a relationship on Valentine’s Day.
She placed the first of two important calls, wanting to do her best to make Daniel happy. One for a restaurant reservation, the other for a chauffeured car.
It always impressed her how just mentioning Mr. Ellington's name opened doors in this town. A few minutes later, she had the last seat at the best table the five–star restaurant and a town car.
Crisis averted.
Again.
She texted Mr. Ellington an update on his plans for the evening, a smug smile on her face.
She wouldn’t let anything ruin her day, not even the romantic dinner for two she had just set up for her boss.
She tossed her gym bag into the back seat and noticed the bank receipt still lying on the passenger seat. The gym, errands, and already her boss's hero?
Yeah, she was on a roll.
She dashed from the parking garage to her office building with her umbrella protecting her against getting drenched.
Her sneakers squished against the tile floor as she entered and walked up to security.
“Good morning, Deborah.” The security officer pressed the entry button to allow her access. “How is Josh doing in college?”
How was her son doing? He seemed to be having the time of his life with his new friends, new adventures, and new life. Other than a weekly call from him, she hardly heard any news—except when he needed more money, and she had to race to the bank—like this morning—to transfer funds into his account.
“He's doing well,” Deborah said through a fake smile. Nobody ever asked how she was coping with empty–nest syndrome, living alone for the first time, and having all her money going off to college with her son.
She took the elevator to the top floor and then walked to her private office. She brushed the rain from her coat before hanging the wet garment on the rack and then shook out her umbrella and placed it in the shiny copper stand next to the door. She then raked her fingers through her slightly wet brunette hair and shook out her damp curls.
She straightened her knockoff designer skirt and adjusted her blouse before digging her high heels from her bag.
Swapping out the New Balance running shoes she wore for her stilettos, she stowed her bag in the filing cabinet.
Before locking the drawer, she studied the tiny cache of gifts. She removed a tiny, wrapped box from Buccellati jewelers from the selection. Thank God, Mr. Ellington trusted her with a personal credit card or she'd be scrambling to find a last–minute gift for his girlfriend, as well.
Yep. Always two steps ahead of the man.
A wicked grin spread across Deborah’s lips. Usually, these gifts were parting trinkets. A thanks-for-playing-now-you-have-to-leave bit of gaudy bling to placate the neuron-deficient bimbos.
Deborah felt certain that the latest bimbo du jour was about to receive her gift.
Her desk phone rang, and Deborah glanced at the clock on the wall, a stern look appearing on her face. Reporters had discovered her work number and called several times yesterday about a bachelor list—as if she had time for such frivolity.
It seemed rather early for a business call, but still, she answered it in the same sing-song voice and greeting she always did. After eighteen years, it needed to be a recording.
“Mr. Ellington's office.”<
br />
“Caroline Hollister is at the front security desk for you, Ms. Baxter.”
The sick feeling of having, yet again, to tear someone a new one left… and Deborah felt a calmness overcoming her as the scowl on her face spread into a giant smile.
“Thank you. Please let her up.”
Since Scott was having breakfast with her boss, she could enjoy a little time with her new best friend as she tidied up the office and prepared for the day.
Making a quick trip down the hall, she picked up the day’s mail, inter-office envelopes, and the morning newspaper. She placed the pile on the edge of her desk to be sorted later and then walked into Mr. Ellington's interior office.
The slight scent of his cologne—rugged and manly—lingered in the air. She inhaled deeply and knew that the fragrance likely came from Daniel’s jacket, which hung on the back of his leather chair.
She picked up the fine wool garment and brushed it out with her hand. He’d probably ask her to take it to the cleaners, so she draped it over her arm so she could place it next to her purse later. She then found the remote for the window, so she opened the blinds and allowed the sparse sunshine of the day to stream inside.
“Deborah?” Caroline walked into the outer office, a plastic visitors badge swinging from a chain around her neck.
Deborah peered out of her boss’s office and motioned for the woman to come in. “Caroline, dear. How are you feeling?”
A slight injured-sea-lion of a moan escaped. “Fat.”
Caroline wore a new coat sized extra-large to fit her round frame. Deborah’s heart went out to her. “You're nearly nine months along and absolutely glowing. No one sees you as fat.”
She removed her wet coat. “That's sweet of you to say, but I couldn't put my shoes on today.”
The two looked down at Caroline’s flat, white Keds and her Fred Flintstone sized swollen feet and ankles.
“Have a seat.” Deborah motioned for the chair in front of her desk.
“It'll be another quiet evening at home for me and Scott, not that I'd be interested in going out and dancing tonight or anything.” Caroline positioned her arms on the chair and slowly sat herself down.
“Trust me, once the baby comes, you'll wish you had more quiet evenings at home.” Deborah hung the wet coat on a nearby coat rack, and placed Daniel’s jacket on the hook beside it. “What brings you downtown so early?”
Caroline rubbed her belly. “Weekly doctor appointments until the big day gets here.” She glanced out the window at the clouds preventing the sun from shining through. “I was a bit too early, so I came here to escape the weather.”
“It is dreadful.” Deborah heard a slight clap of thunder off in the distance, one that threatened even more rain. It was an ugly and depressing Valentine's Day.
Deborah moved the stack of papers so Caroline could set down her purse, and a large insert fell from the newspaper. It was the society column. Deborah saw several wedding announcements. There always seemed to be more of them occurring around Valentine's Day than any other holiday.
The quality portraits captured the hope and dreams within warm smiles and twinkling eyes. She reminded herself not to be so cynical, and she placed the insert back into the paper. She shouldn’t step on someone else’s happiness, even if she was raising a child on her own and was an old maid.
“Coffee?”
“Decaf, please.” Caroline’s flat tone was that of a woman desperate for caffeine. “What are you doing tonight? Are you seeing anyone special?”
The questions seemed simple enough, but Caroline knew Deborah wasn't dating anyone. The subject had come up twice over the last week—as if it were a crime to spend Valentine's Day alone, especially if it was your birthday. You can’t choose the day of your birth, but having the two forever entwined was a cruel curse.
“We've already discussed that topic.” Deborah made her way to the small corridor that connected her office with Mr. Ellington’s. It held a coffee bar service with the finest Kruger coffeemaker money could buy.
While Caroline rattled off the joys of being in a healthy relationship, and how everyone should be so happy, Deborah made some coffee and allowed Caroline’s voice to trail off to a background hum, easy to ignore.
“That all sounds wonderful for you, Caroline.” Happiness came from within, and Deborah didn't want or need a man to make her happy. She finished with the coffee and handed the decaf to Caroline.
“I just don’t understand why a beautiful woman like you isn’t dating.”
It was kind of her to say so, but it was like an mp3 file playing in a loop—a loop that needed to end.
“Some people just weren’t made for marriage.” Deborah’s voice was distant as she turned to her computer and logged into her profile. She needed to sort through the company’s Slack feed, Mr. Ellington’s personal emails and phone messages, as well as any Skype discussions.
“You don’t really believe that some people aren’t the marriage type, do you?”
She didn’t, but it gave her the strength to give up on ever finding a man of her own. “Old Maids and Confirmed Bachelors are terms for a reason.”
Deborah’s computer showed that the trending hashtag for the city was #top10bachelors. That explained the many phone calls she received yesterday from reporters. She had thought their interest was in another security breakthrough by the company, but all they wanted to do was harass her boss.
“What do you know about this Top 10 Bachelor list?” Deborah asked.
“It's a list of the richest single men in the city. It’s an annual thing some cities do.”
It sounded rather barbaric to Deborah, but judging by the social media hits on the topic, she figured people were interested in such things.
“I think it was one reason Scott proposed to me. You see, he made it on last year's list.”
“Did he?” Deborah hadn't realized Scott was one of the richest men in Chicago, but, overall, it didn't surprise her since the man was a senior partner in a successful law firm. And, if she remembered correctly, his family came from money.
“The city goes crazy. Women were after Scott like he was a PEZ dispenser shooting out money. Our engagement stopped most of them from bothering him. Which reminds me…you never answered my question. What you are doing tonight?”
“Me?” Couldn't Caroline just let the topic rest? It was bad enough knowing that Daniel would be out with his child of a girlfriend; Deborah didn’t need to be reminded that she would be alone—again. “I am spending the evening at my sister's house. Her husband is deployed so she'll be alone tonight.”
“I didn't realize you had a sister in the city.”
Deborah glanced at the pile of today's mail on her desk that needed sorting. “Not quite downtown Chicago, but close enough.”
“Well,” Caroline said, her voice stretching out the word like a huge imposition would follow. “The main reason I came to visit… is to set you up on a date with someone.”
“Me?” Deborah’s heart skipped a beat, and not in a good way. She sipped her coffee, needing a pause in the conversation. “You want to set me up on a blind date?”
“Consider it your birthday gift.”
So, Caroline did remember, and right now the smile on her face had a this–is–a–gift–you–can’t–return look. “You don’t have to give me a present…”
“But I found the perfect man for you, and I want you to meet him.”
That wasn't going to happen. Deborah was already trying to adjust to one major life change; she didn't want to take on another. “Perhaps once Josh is settled more in college…”
“He's been gone nearly six months.”
It felt much longer. “I'm not ready. Maybe in a little while…”
“Deborah…”
Deborah nodded to the clock on the wall. “When did you say your appointment was?” Her heart raced and she needed some alone time. Everything in her life was settled, and she wanted to enjoy the peace and quiet. Why wo
uld she want a man to be thrown into the mix?
3
A horde of press surrounded Daniel as he entered the Ellington–Weston building. Microphones were shoved in his face and crossing his boundary level of comfort.
“Mr. Ellington, any comments on the Top Ten list?” a few of the reporters shouted.
Another asked, “What is your dating status? Are you proposing tonight to your long-term girlfriend?”
“No comment.” His body tightened and he quickened his pace, weaving his way through the crowd to the front security desk. He wondered exactly when dating someone casually for six months qualified as a “long term” girlfriend.
The term “girlfriend” bothered him more than the suggested duration. Daniel wanted to share his life with someone, but he feared Brandelynn was a far cry from what he sought. He gave a nod to the security officer, and the man buzzed him through.
“Sorry about the press, Mr. Ellington. Evidently, there is some sort of bachelor news article.” His hand waved dismissively to the crowd. “I asked them to leave, but, you know, freedom of the press.”
“Understood.” Daniel glanced back at the crowd, who still shouted questions at him. His stomach twisted, and he knew he needed to escape the sea of people. “Make sure they don't get past the lobby of the building.”
“Yes, sir?” The security guard studied him cautiously. “Are you all right, sir? You look a little pale.”
“I’m fine,” Daniel squeaked out. He took a quick deep breath, feeling his lungs fully expand, and his body slightly shiver. Crowds, especially when all eyes were on him, unnerved him.
Press conferences, company workshops, employee retreats… Work-related events were one thing. He could handle them. People were more interested in the announcement of the business news than with him personally, and he never felt like a target when representing his companies.
The security guard nodded. “Have a good day, sir.”
Daniel managed his way to the elevator. He took in a deep breath, enjoying the security and peace of the rest of the building. His racing heart rate slowed, and he wiped the sweat from his brow.
Bachelor Heart Page 2