Chapter 4
Maryellen
The way my stomach dropped when Chase saw me with Garrett outside the bar the other night was…
wrong. He shouldn’t still have that effect on me.
I hated how his emotional state affected me as much as it did.
The way he was yesterday after leaving Gage’s office did more damage to me than it should have.
Now his new office would be within view of my desk.
Not only would I see him all day, every day, but I’d have to witness the constant stream of girls in and out of his office. I didn’t want to see that nor have any reminders of what I was missing.
My phone was ringing as I approached my desk, so I broke out into a sprint to not miss the call.
“Parker Financial, this is Maryellen.”
“Hello, Maryellen.”
The voice on the other end of the line was one I was familiar with. It gave me a sense of comfort mixed with apprehension at the same time, which was hard to describe.
“Hello, sir.”
“Maryellen,” he said sternly. “What have we talked about? I’m not your boss anymore.”
“Hello, Robert,” I said, and then chuckled.
Robert Parker. Gage and Chase’s father, the original CEO of Parker Financial.
The man who gave me my start.
The man who essentially saved my life.
The man who held my secret as well.
“How are you doing, sweetheart? It’s been a while since I’ve been in. I’ve been meaning to check in with you.”
He would usually call monthly to check on me, more of a personal call.
Sometimes he would expect an update on the boys and business, but not always.
Gage and Chase didn’t have the same relationship with him as I did.
He was my savior in more ways than one. I looked up to him; he taught me everything and gave me so much.
I would be on the streets without him.
“I’m well, Robert, thanks for asking. How’s Sara? Have you both done anymore traveling since you were in last?”
Our conversation continued easily, and I spoke freely since neither Gage nor Chase was around. They had no idea I spoke with their dad like this.
There were many things about me and their dad they didn’t know.
Just then, I heard the ding of the elevator and was prepared to hang up on him.
That was when I saw Harper Wilson, Gage’s girlfriend, walk into the hall and look around.
Her long blonde hair was up in a lofty bun, and I swore she had some flower petals stuck in it from the flower shop she worked in. She looked my way and smiled widely.
“Listen, Robert,” I said into the phone. “I have to get going. It was great catching up. Next month?” He said goodbye as I stood to greet Harper.
“Hi!” I said, coming around my desk.
Our embrace was a real one. We were friends before I set her up with my boss. And I made a good choice when I decided to do that.
“Hi yourself,” she said. “Is he around?”
“Well, we’ve had some hiccups this week, and he left the floor a little bit ago to try and handle something. He should be back soon if you’d like to wait in his office.”
I was willing to bet he went to find Simon, to see if he was still in the building and try to talk him into staying. But I knew it wasn’t going to happen.
“Great, thanks,” Harper said as she made her way toward his door.
She didn’t make it two steps from me when the elevator dinged again. We both turned expecting to see Gage stepping off, only to see Chase.
“Hey, Harper,” he said. He wrapped her in a bear hug and lifted her off the ground.
She was hard not to like.
“Hi, Chase,” Harper said, and then laughed.
Chase put her down and guided her toward his brother’s office, maybe assuming Gage was inside. While doing so, he walked right by, ignoring me, as he followed Harper and closed the door.
I didn’t know why, but that really bothered me. For long moments I sat at my desk, staring at the closed door. As I tried to shake myself out of it, the elevator dinged once again.
“Hi, Gage. Harper and Chase are here. They’re waiting in your office.”
He sped up as he approached his office, a smile consuming him. The door closed as quickly as it had opened. I could hear his animated voice as he greeted the love of his life, the laughter loud between the three of them as they hung out.
And my heart broke a little more.
I felt left out, and I didn’t know why. These things, meetings like this, happened all the time and I was never privy to them.
I forced myself to get to work, trying to forget about the happiness taking place only feet away from me. As soon as I focused on my computer, the door flung open and the three of them came pouring from the room, laughing and talking.
Harper waved as Chase walked out with her.
Once again, he avoided me.
Another invisible slap.
What the fuck was my problem? Like seriously. I needed to grow up and make up my mind. He wasn’t going to sit around and wait for someone who kept turning him down. I knew he was still playing the field. Did I even want to consider being with someone who wasn’t ready for a real relationship?
“Maryellen?” My thoughts were interrupted by my boss standing outside his office door. “Can you come in? I’ve got some things we need to go over.”
“Of course, sir. I mean Gage.” He hated when I called him sir, and I still slipped up once in a while. As soon as I sat, we got to work.
“We need to plan a retirement party. I wouldn’t normally make a big deal about someone retiring, but it’s for Calvin Waters.
He’s been here since the beginning, an original with my father.
Nothing as formal as The Plaza, but definitely a nice event space.
And since I’m a bit behind on doing this, a lot of places might be booked already because I’d like to do it in less than two weeks.
You might need to make this top priority today, if that’s OK. ”
I was already pulling up some choices on my tablet and emailing them to him.
“Some of the options I’m sending you have next Thursday available. There’s one I really like, so we may want to jump on it, but I’m not sure if a Thursday is an option for you.”
He sent me on my way to the event space to check it out. This was going to be a quick turnaround if it worked, so I called Harper to have her join me. We could talk flowers while deciding together if the space was a good option.
“Hey,” Harper said as she got out of her Uber. “I love this place. This would be a great spot to have a retirement party.”
We opened the solid double wooden doors and stepped inside. The space was covered with white twinkle lights and greenery everywhere the eye could see. The decorations were simple and classy.
“May I help you?” an older woman asked.
“Yes, I’d like to inquire about your party space for an event next Thursday.”
As she walked us to a room toward the back, Harper looped her arm through mine. “So, who’s the lucky guy you’ll bring to this party?” she asked.
Shit. I hadn’t thought about that.
We got interrupted by the spiel the restaurant rep had about the space and the package that came with it. We listened, looked around, and allowed her to do her thing. However, I knew as soon as we walked into the place I was going to book it.
The paperwork was signed and a deposit check written within minutes. Harper and I spent some time walking around to discuss how to decorate for the party since she would have to order flowers immediately.
“So, you never answered me. Do you have anyone you’re bringing? Or will you bring Evie?” she asked.
I could do that, but considering there was a guy I could ask, I figured I should.
“Well, there’s a guy I met at a bar this week. He seems kinda nice, but we haven’t even gone on a date or anything yet, so I don’t know. Maybe I’ll ask him.”
“You definitely should. Why wouldn’t you?”
“I don’t know, because I’m a twenty-nine-year-old woman still meeting guys in bars? It’s getting old, ya know?”
We were on the street, both of us waiting for our Ubers.
“It’s because you work too much. You need to get out more. Maybe not to bars, but out more.”
She was right, I used work as an excuse. Meeting people, even in a city like New York, wasn’t always easy.
“Yeah, well, I’d ask if your boyfriend has a brother, but we both know he does, and I’m not going there.”
She laughed but quickly stifled it. I wasn’t sure what to make of the look she gave me once she stopped laughing. Then she got into her Uber and it drove off.
Was it weird for me, the girl, to be reaching out to the guy first? I mean, yeah, it was the twenty-first century, but I usually waited for the guy to contact me. Maybe it was old-fashioned, but that was the way things worked for me. I never needed to be the one pursuing.
Until now.
Me: Hey, it’s Maryellen, from the bar the other night, how r u
The dots appeared immediately, which was a good thing.
Garrett: Hi! I meant to reach out, I’m good. Do you want to do something? Dinner?
OK, this was going to be easier than I thought. He was interested in seeing me again.
Me: That’s why I was texting. I actually have a work event, very casual, next Thursday night, yeah I know, they suck, but I’d love if you could come
The dots did not appear right away. Bringing someone to a work event on a first date was probably a disaster waiting to happen. As I picked up the remote, ready to go back to my show, I decided it was probably for the best if he couldn’t make it. Then I saw the dots pop up on my phone.
And I waited.
Garrett: I’m available. Want to get together before then? Maybe dinner this Friday or Saturday? Garrett was earning points.
Garrett was earning points.
Me: That sounds great, Saturday is better for me if that’s good
Garrett: Perfect, I’ll be in touch
I initiated a date. It was the first time I’d done that and it felt empowering.
I wondered what took me so long. Getting comfy in my reading chair, with a glass of wine and a good book was supposed to be my distraction for the night.
Instead, as I pulled out my book, I was relaxed and able to enjoy it.
It felt good.
Fingers crossed, though. The last time I felt good about a guy…well, I don’t want to go there again.