TWO #4
“How am I supposed to do that? I can’t call him here and I can’t call him at home. He doesn’t answer his cell and he won’t speak to me in public. I’ve tried to…to talk to him and he just won’t…won’t do…” She trailed off, beginning to tear up.
I shook my head. “There’s something really bothering him, Miss Warner. I would just give him some time, if I were you, to sort through—”
“So you think everything will be all right, then?”
“I don’t know that I’m in any position to—”
“But you know him so well, Jory,” she said, cutting me off. “Please tell me what you think.”
She wanted some kind of encouragement so badly. I sighed heavily. “Miss Warner, I don’t know what—”
The office door suddenly opened and Dane stepped out.
He looked at Therese, brows furrowed, and she started to cry.
He took a deep breath and rubbed his forehead hard.
I knew that particular movement well. I got it a lot.
Like when he would talk to me and I would ask him questions instead of answering.
I couldn’t help it; I liked to delve into his life.
Not that he ever let me, but it never stopped me from trying.
He sighed deeply and put a hand on Therese’s shoulder.
“I want to apologize for what happened Saturday. I was not myself. I’ve had a lot of things on my mind lately, and I’m sorry it came to a head while I was speaking to you.
I deeply regret having raised my voice to you. Please accept my apology.”
“Of course,” she breathed. I saw her melt just looking at him. She leaned toward him even as he took a step away.
“I should be more careful.” He turned to me then and was going to say something, but stopped himself. He just looked at me, and I stared back for a minute before I got annoyed and glared at him.
“Really?” he baited me.
“Then speak,” I replied.
“What have you done about Miss Lawson?”
“I haven’t had a chance to—”
“Do so now,” he grumbled before turning back to Therese and giving her a little awkward pat on the arm before dropping his hand from her shoulder. “I am sorry.”
She just stared at him with a pained expression on her face.
His eyes went to the floor and then were back on me like he was searching for something to say but was unable to find the words.
“Yes?” I prodded, keenly aware that Therese was staring at me instead of him.
“I’m hungry.”
I smiled suddenly. I couldn’t help it. “What do you want?”
“What do you want?”
I shook my head. “Answering a question with a question is very poor form, as I’ve been told on a number of occasions.”
“True,” he agreed.
“I’ll just get you something.”
“Something good,” he muttered.
“Like I don’t know what to get,” I snapped at him.
He raked his fingers through his thick, glossy black hair, gave me a crooked grin, then retreated into his office and shut the door behind him.
“He’s flippin’ out,” I said firmly, realizing I might be right. If Dane freaked out, then my sanity was sure to go. He was the steadiest person I knew.
“What’s the matter with him?” Therese asked as she followed me back to my desk.
“He’s flippin’ out,” I repeated before I sighed heavily. “Maybe you can give him a call later, huh?”
She nodded and left without another word.
“What did he mean when he asked you about me?” Sonja asked, looking at me pitifully.
I let out a deep breath before I reminded her about the roses I had taken to the lobby.
“Ohmygod,” she said, her eyes welling up. “Is he really mad about that?”
“Not mad, exactly,” I said softly. “It’s just that I think we’ve answered the question of whether or not you’re going to be here permanently or not.”
“We have?”
“Oh yeah.” I drew it out.
“But I don’t want to—”
“I’m sorry, Sonja.” I cut her off quickly. “There’s nothing you or I can do about it now. He’s made up his mind, and when he does that, we both know that’s it.”
“It’s just because of the flowers?”
“And all the other stuff.” I sighed. “You’ve got a crush on him.”
“He knows that?” She was incredulous.
“Everyone knows.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. You’ve made it very clear that you’re interested in having more than a professional relationship with him.”
“Who isn’t?”
I thought about it for a minute. “Well, me for one,” I told her honestly.
“You’re a guy, Jory, and Dane’s not gay.”
There was that.
“But I swear to God, you’re the only one I know who doesn’t want him. Both Celia and Jill are crazy about him too.”
“Maybe so, but maybe that also makes it possible for me to be the only one who can work for him. You obviously can’t.
” I knew that Celia Johnson and Jill Kincaid were both crazy about my boss, but they didn’t work for him, so he didn’t know they wanted to jump his bones.
Celia worked for Miles Brown and Jill worked for the third partner at the firm, Sherman Cogan.
“But”—her voice dropped to a whisper—“I think he’s starting to like me.”
You irritate the hell out of him, I thought, sitting down on the edge of her desk. “He likes you fine, Sonja. We’re just going to make sure you get out of here before that changes.”
“You don’t know what it’s like to be around him every day and not be able to touch him.”
Oh God, all these lovesick puppies in the office.
The door to Dane’s office opened, and he and Mrs. Bradley came out. He walked over to me as I stood up, sliding off Sonja’s desk.
“I’ll be out of the office until twelve, so get lunch for us and be back so we can go over the schedule for the Mamon house. I expect to find only you here,” he said, making a point of looking right at me when he said it. “We’ve got a lot to do.”
“Yessir.”
“Don’t be late.”
“No.”
“And don’t forget my lunch.”
I felt the frown, my eyebrows lowering fast.
“Fine,” he grumbled.
“Should I get you a drink too?” I asked sarcastically. I obviously needed everything to be spelled out for me in big neon letters. Since I was such an idiot and all.
He gave me a smile then before he turned and followed Mrs. Bradley out of the office.
Mrs. Bradley herself was a case of puppy love; she had asked me over the phone, without even having laid eyes on the man—their conversations alone had clearly sparked more than professional interest—if Dane ever dated his clients.
I’d told her that I didn’t know, and she’d confessed to me that she found him compelling and impossible to get out of her mind.
Having heard so many other such confessions, I had merely smiled on my end and given her an appointment time.
“Oh, Jory,” Sonja sighed. “Can’t you just tell him I’m sorry and it won’t happen again?”
I shook my head and was going to try and say something comforting when my phone rang. I went around my desk and answered.
“So Thanksgiving’s in two weeks. You know that, right?”
“Nick.” I smiled into the receiver because I never forgot a voice. Sometimes it was a bad thing because it gave people I hardly knew the feeling that I cared more than I really did, which was the case here. “What’re you talking about?”
“I’m just reminding you that you promised.”
“I’m sorry, what did I promise?”
Heavy sigh from a guy I’d only been on two dates with. He was very nice, and an attending at the county hospital. “You’re spending four days with me. My parents have a cabin in Tahoe. I mean, in Incline Village, but it’s like the same thing. We can ski every day. You’re gonna love it.”
I doubted that, since skiing was not really my thing. “Huh.”
“And I know you’re not psyched about it, but I really want you to go, and you can just sit around and relax and drink all weekend with me and my friends.”
“I see.” I chuckled.
“I already bought your ticket.”
“I can pay you back.”
He cleared his throat. “C’mon, Jory. I don’t wanna be paid back. If you don’t use the ticket, it’s not like I can’t use it or—”
“Oh good.”
“No, not oh good,” he insisted. “I want you to go with me. I have a reoccurring fantasy of being under a mound of blankets with you while snow is falling outside.”
I smiled into the phone again. “That’s very romantic.”
“Don’t I know it!”
I laughed at him. “I’ll think about it, all right?”
“Okay, that’s fair. In the meantime, can I take you to dinner tomorrow night?”
“Actually, I’ve got a—”
“Jory.” His voice dropped to a whisper. He was obviously somewhere other people were and he didn’t want them to hear. “Baby, you can’t just sleep with me once and blow me off.”
“No? Most guys like it that way.”
“I’m not most guys. I want to see you; I want to spend time with you.
I have this great breakfast nook in my townhouse that you’d look great at first thing in the morning.
” Which was nice. The problem was there was no spark at all.
Not even a drop of chemistry. I’d had sex with him because I felt like if I didn’t, I would be a cocktease.
I had a personal rule: if you made it to my apartment, you were getting laid.
He’d been there on the second date, and even though I didn’t really feel like it at that point, I’d had sex with him anyway.
I knew I was in trouble when we were done and he wanted to spend the night.
I’d lied to get him out of my bed because I didn’t sleep with anyone.
Screw, yes; cuddle up with, no. I’d never liked anyone enough or trusted anyone enough to let them spend the night.
“Listen,” I said gently, “why don’t I call you later after I see if my boss is gonna need me tomorrow night or not.”
“Oh, you gotta work. I’m sorry. I thought you were trying to blow me off.”
I was, but it was nicer this way. “No.”
“Okay. Great. Call me later.”
“I will,” I lied.
“Maybe I should run over there and write the number on your hand so you don’t forget it.”
“No, no, no.” I chuckled into the receiver. “Don’t do that. I’ve gotta go get my boss some lunch. I’m not even gonna be here in, like, five minutes.”
“Then I’ll leave it on your voicemail.”
“You’re persistent, Nicky, I’ll give you that.”
“You have no idea.”
I hung up the phone, then thought about it, and was about to call him back and just be honest when Sonja plopped down on my desk.
“Talk to Dane one more time. Please, J.”