4. Zander
4
ZANDER
“What the hell was that?” I twist the knot of my tie as we step inside Oscar’s office.
He closes the door and runs his palm over his face. There’s a hint of rare nervousness in his stance, and there should be. I’m the fucking CEO for fuck’s sake.
“Zander, listen.” Oscar curses under his breath before pulling on his hair. “The coincidence just slipped my mind or else I would’ve made sure she wasn’t in the office today.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I stand before him too casually, hands in my pockets as if I really have no clue.
“I know how attached you are to your past.” He looks at me pointedly.
After too much whiskey, mixed with fatigue, I spoke too much that night two years ago when I shared bits and pieces of my past with him.
“That girl out there”—he cocks his head toward the door—“is not your normal girl, which you might have already noticed. She’s special.”
My fists clench hearing that word, special .
My father’s words spoken years ago resonate through me as we watched the woman we both loved dancing in the rain. “Your mother is something special.”
Very early in my childhood, I learned that every special thing in life comes with a price. My brothers and I have paid heavily for a handful of special moments.
I take a few controlled breaths, hating how much that woman can affect me after all these years, even from her grave.
“I don’t know what that word means anymore. Maybe special is just an absurdity we don’t know what else to call.” As soon as the words leave my mouth, I look away, not liking the pity in his eyes, and plop myself down on one of the leather chairs.
“There is nothing absurd about that girl, Zander.” Oscar grabs his neck as if undecided on what more to say. “Rose is the first person we hired on our tech team. She came here for an interview three years ago. At the age of twenty-three, she had a PhD and graduated summa cum laude.”
A small smile plays on his lips.
“Dressed in sneakers, jeans, and a checked flannel shirt, she looked so young and was overly fidgety. I thought she had entered the wrong room. We were also holding interviews for part-time desk jobs. But then she gave me her file. Her grades and her research articles were immaculate. There was also a recommendation letter from her professor.”
From his bookshelf, Oscar grabs a red folder and passes it to me. The first page is the letter. It reads:
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN
Rosemary Marlin is a genius.
When you hire her, you’ll get so much more than what you ask for. Don’t bother interviewing her.
I return his smile as he continues. “So, I asked her only one thing. Why was she here, in Cherrywood of all places in the world? She replied, ‘My friend is interviewing for another position, and if she wants that job, I want this one.’”
A chuckle escapes me as Oscar grins.
“She said wants the job, not gets the job . Soon, I realized why. Kristy and Rose are the best. For the next six months, it was just me and them. We spent a lot of time together, and I got to know them better.”
A foreign wishful voice whispers in my ear . If only I’d visited sooner.
He’s about to say more when there’s a knock.
Kristy pokes her head through the half-open door. “Oscar, do you have a minute?”
I welcome the interruption and get up from the chair. “Please come in, Ms. Asher. We’re almost done.” I look over my shoulder and tell Oscar, “I’ll see you in a bit.”
I jump into the descending elevator car on my way to thank the barista in the café for arranging the unconventional breakfast order, while the recipient of that said breakfast invades my thoughts.
When I step back into the building, the soft, velvety voice that is slowly taking up residence in some hidden corner of my brain gets my attention. I open the door closest to me and swiftly enter what looks like a janitor’s closet. My nose crinkles when I breathe in the strong bleach smell, but my attention returns to the two girls who have, by some miracle, just stopped outside this door.
“Kristy, do we really have to leave?” couch girl asks.
I notice her voice is no longer quivering. She’s clearly more comfortable around her friend.
“Of course. You haven’t been home in two nights. Why are you even complaining?” Kristy puts her hand on her hips, staring at her friend. “And by the way, why weren’t you home last night? Wasn’t your work supposed to be done by Sunday evening?”
“Yeah, but... I ran into a bug. By the time I was done with the fix, it was already six in the morning.”
Kristy frowns and doesn’t look very happy with the answer. “Why didn’t you call me, Rosie? I was so worried when I couldn’t find you this morning. Your phone was off.”
“I… I’m sorry. I didn’t…think about it.”
I watch through the peephole, couch girl looking at Kristy with apologetic eyes. A moment passes before Kristy links her arms with her friend.
“It’s okay. It’s a good thing Oscar gave you the day off. You need some rest.”
Jesus, how long was I gone? Oscar already had the time to send her packing.
“And why do you get a day off?” Couch girl raises an eyebrow at Kristy. The tease in her voice surprises me.
Is she the same girl who was stammering in the conference room?
“I don’t. I’ll be working from home and making sure that you get some rest.”
“But I need to research for tomorrow’s meeting with the CEO.”
I kick myself inwardly. She’s been in the office for the past three days and deserves some time off. But in my own excitement, I forgot about it. I also hate the fact that she’s calling me the CEO. It feels...impersonal.
Is she intentionally avoiding my name like I’m avoiding hers?
I wonder how it’ll be to hear my name from her lips.
The nagging ache in my heart is back.
Fuck, this girl is doing crazy things to me.
Kristy growls. “Inconsiderate! That’s what he is. If Zander Teager thinks he can boss us around, he’s definitely got it all wrong.”
Kristy is scary! I wonder how my timid couch girl is friends with her. My? Jesus!
“I think he can, and he is the boss.” A beautiful giggle escapes her, and it’s the most melodious sound.
“Traitor! You’re taking his side instead of mine?” There’s a hint of teasing in Kristy’s voice and I wonder if it’s usual for them to tease each other or if this is something exclusive for me.
“Huh?” A deep frown etches on couch girl’s face.
“Don’t you huh me. You think I didn’t notice how he was staring at you or how your cheeks turned pink every time he said something to you.”
My heart thumps loudly in my chest. If it’s their usual banter, I don’t want to hear any more.
“ Ship! ”
Did she just curse politely? I suppress my chuckle at her over-the-top manners.
“No shit. Care to explain what I’m missing?”
“It’s…nothing.” The nervousness in her voice is back.
“I hope it’s not.” Kristy raises an eyebrow at her.
“Why do you say that?” Couch girl tilts her head to the side before fixing her red glasses.
“He might be gay, you know. I read an interview where one of his brothers mentioned that Zander Teager is probably gay.”
What the hell? Fuck Zach and his stupid jokes.
“ Crab . You mean I’m attracted to a gay guy?”
I’m still reeling from the surprise that this woman can’t say the word crap out loud, and then realization hits. Did she just say attracted to ?
“Did you say attracted to ?” Kristy puts my thoughts into words.
I peep through the crack in the door. The girls have now crossed the lobby and are standing outside the elevator. My face is plastered to the wooden door as I struggle to hear couch girl’s next words. It’s only because there’s an echo in the big, empty lobby that I manage to catch bits and pieces.
“I don’t know, Kristy; it doesn’t matter. I’ll never be able to talk to him. And if he knows… forget it.” Her shoulders slump in defeat and the deep heaviness in her voice surprises me.
What does she mean by if he knows?
All these feelings, this confusion, has turned my stomach into knots. Any good that walk did is now gone. I glance at her one more time as the elevator door opens before them. When she steps into the car, I get out of the closet and trudge in the other direction to take the stairs up the building. I’m only half paying attention when I collide with someone on my way.