Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
S even days. It had been seven days since Harrison had seen Nyla, and he was having withdrawals. He wasn’t sleeping well. His focus at work was shot, and all he wanted to do was call her.
He couldn’t.
He couldn’t give her mixed signals. She deserved better.
He thought for sure she’d hunt down his phone number and call him. She hadn’t. Part of him had been relieved, but the other, twisted part of him, had wanted her to call.
How messed up was that? He had issues. Even he could admit to that.
Not showing up for her last two days of working at Telecom had been a punk move. But after deciding he wasn’t looking to get involved with anyone, he hadn’t wanted Nyla to stay in touch.
No way would he lead her on if he knew in his heart, he couldn’t be all in. Even knowing that, though, his feelings for her hadn’t subsided. They had a connection that he honestly didn’t want to ignore. If anything, he was more curious than ever about her.
Besides owning Moody Days, what other dreams did she have? How would it be spending weekends roaming the city with her? What would it be like to fix a romantic dinner for her? Would she like that, or would she be like his ex and prefer going to a fancy restaurant so she could be seen?
One question after another had bombarded him, and…
Harrison growled under his breath. “Just stop thinking,” he grumbled into the quietness of his office.
As the director of software engineering at Telecom, he didn’t have time for lingering thoughts of Nyla. He had two meetings this morning, as well as a major report to complete before the end of the week.
His attention went back to his computer screen, but before he could add to the project status report, a knock sounded on his closed office door, and he welcomed the interruption.
“Come in,” he called out, assuming it was their administrative assistant.
Emily opened the door and stepped in with a white shopping bag, and Harrison noted his favorite Italian restaurant’s logo on the side of it. The efficient fifty-eight-year-old grandmother of two had been with the company since before Harrison started. Her sparkling gray eyes twinkled as if she knew a secret.
Harrison frowned and stood from his seat. He hadn’t ordered lunch, but now that the aromas from the bag filled his nostrils, he realized he was hungry.
“This came for you,” she said, holding up the large bag. Then she held out an envelope with the other hand. “It came with a note.”
Harrison eyed the bag and the note wearily. His first thought was to tell her to toss both into the trash because it was probably from Veronica, his ex-fiancée. She’d been calling his cell phone lately, something she did every few months for the last few years. He wasn’t sure why since they had nothing to discuss. Like usual, he let her calls go to voicemail before deleting them. However, in all the while they’d been together, he couldn’t ever remember her having lunch delivered to him.
Harrison accepted the envelope, and Emily set the bag on the desk.
“I’m heading to lunch. Do you need anything before I leave?”
“No, I’m good. Enjoy your lunch,” he said absently as she strolled out of the office while he pulled the note from the envelope.
Harrison, I know you’re avoiding me. I’m not sure why. In any event, since you haven’t been back to the club for me to thank you properly with drinks, I decided to send you lunch. Thanks for dropping me off at home last week. I hate I didn’t get to say goodbye to you before I left Telecom, but I wish you all the best. Nyla.
Aww, hell . Now he really felt like an ass.
As he dug through the bag, he couldn’t help thinking this was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for him. The savory aroma of oregano, garlic and basil had his stomach growling in anticipation.
When he removed the lid from the carryout container, Harrison inhaled deeply. Stuffed manicotti, one of his favorite dishes. Not even Jamie knew that. So, Nyla had chosen well.
As he stared down at the food, that also included a small salad and Italian bread, guilt swirled inside of him. He’d done all he could to avoid Nyla and the jazz club. Yet, she’d thought enough of him to send him lunch.
Harrison reclaimed his seat and dug in. After several bites, his eyes drifted closed, and he savored the tender noodles and mouthwatering flavors. The dish was even better than he remembered.
Most days he ended up skipping lunch because of being so engrossed with work. This was a nice treat all the way around, and he needed to thank Nyla.
He was halfway through his meal when his cell phone rang, and he picked it up from his desk. Glancing at the screen, he was surprised to see his sister’s name. She was the only one in his family who he still had a relationship with.
“Hey there,” he said around a mouthful of food.
“Hi, Harrison.”
Harrison’s fork stopped midway to his mouth, and the food he’d just consumed sat in his stomach like a three-ton boulder. Anger stirred within him, and he debated on whether to say anything or just hang up. The only thing keeping him from doing the latter was the fact that his mother was calling from his sister’s cell phone.
“Where’s Piper?” he asked, unable to keep the impatience from his tone.
“She’s in the kitchen. She doesn’t know I used her phone to—”
Harrison ended the call, effectively cutting off anything else she had to say. He hadn’t spoken to his mother in over four years. Not since she turned her back on him when he needed her to believe in him. Though he wanted to forgive and forget, he hadn’t.
No longer hungry, he placed the cover back over his food and stuffed everything into the bag. Setting it on the edge of his desk, he struggled to get his mind back on work. The last thing he wanted to think about was why he cut ties to his mother, but hearing her voice brought it all to the forefront of his mind like a ferocious fire destroying everything in its path.
Why would she call him?
He had told her the last time they talked that he never wanted to hear from her again. Surely, she had to know her calling out of the blue would tilt his world on its axis. Knowing her, she didn’t care. All she cared about was herself and his brother Geoffrey. It had always been like that, and Harrison had…
“Nope. Not going there.” He wasn’t letting her ruin his day after receiving such a nice gift from Nyla.
When his cell phone rang again, he didn’t bother looking at it. Right now, there was only one person he should reach out to, and that was Nyla.
He picked up his cell phone and called her, only to get her voicemail.
Hi, you’ve reached Nyla. Unfortunately, I can’t take your call at this time…
His heart softened at hearing her sweet voice. At first, he was going to hang up and try again later, but at the last minute, he changed his mind.
“Nyla, this is Harrison. I received the lunch and wanted to let you know how much I appreciate it. Thank you. I can’t remember the last time anyone did anything so thoughtful for me. I appreciate your kindness, even though I don’t deserve it. Take care.”
He disconnected the call thinking he should’ve said more. Maybe even ask her out to dinner. Thankfully, before he fell down that would’ve, should’ve, could’ve rabbit hole, another knock sounded on his door.
“Come in,” he called out. When he glanced up, he was surprised to see his boss.
“Sorry to interrupt,” Royce Garrison said. Dressed in a dark suit and tie, Harrison assumed he must have a meeting with a client at some point in the day.
“May I come in?”
Harrison stood. “Of course. I would’ve come to you if I’d known you wanted to talk.”
Royce waved him off, then unbuttoned his suit jacket before claiming one of the striped, upholstered chairs in front of the desk.
“I just returned from a meeting and figured I’d stop by before going to my office. Do you have time for us to talk for a minute?”
Harrison reclaimed his seat and leaned back in his chair wondering what was up. They had a great relationship, but he couldn’t remember the last time Royce had come to his office. “Definitely. Is everything all right?”
“Everything is great. I just finished meeting with Yancey Jones, and we got the contract.”
Harrison grinned. This was a big deal. Jones had been stringing them along for months while he waffled between going with three other companies that all promised to overhaul his company’s current, inefficient computer network. Telecom Solutions was the best choice for them and would make the system more dependable, as well as user friendly.
“That’s great. Congratulations.”
“Thanks. Couldn’t have done it without your help, but that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about.” Royce draped an arm on the back of the other chair next to him. “I have a proposition for you.”
It would be hard to say no to whatever his boss asked of him. Royce had been there for him when trouble clouded Harrison’s life, and he’d been accused of an unthinkable crime. His boss stood by him and saved his job, his loyalty never wavering.
Harrison leaned forward. “What’s up?”
“I want you to run Telecom Solutions here in Chicago,” Royce said, a smile wavering on his lips.
Harrison frowned. “I don’t understand.” They only had one location, unless…
“I’m moving back to Cincinnati to join my family’s construction company.”
Jenkins & Sons Construction was well-known in Ohio, and the family-owned company was building a reputation of being the best in the Midwest. It had been started by Royce’s grandfather, Steven Jenkins, and when he retired, the granddaughters took over and expanded the business. Now, the company was mostly run by all the grandkids.
Royce often mentioned his cousins, and there were a ton of them who were all close. Still, Harrison was surprised Royce was leaving Chicago.
“What about your brothers?” Though Royce owned Telecom Solutions, his two brothers played major roles in the company. Why wouldn’t he have one of them oversee operations?
“They’re also moving back to Cincinnati. I’m not sure what roles they’ll be playing at J & S, but since my mother moved a few months ago, we’re all planning to follow her lead.”
Royce explained that Jenkins & Sons was adding a tech division that he’d oversee, and he sounded excited about the position. He also talked about how life was short, and family was everything. He wanted to live closer to his extended family and felt this was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.
Harrison was happy for him, but he’d be lying if he said he didn’t envy his boss and his relationship with the Jenkins family. That was something Harrison had always wanted, a large, close family who had each other’s backs. Something he would never get to experience.
“You know everything about Telecom, and I’d like for you to run it. That’ll mean a raise and a bigger office.”
“And more responsibilities,” Harrison added, and they both chuckled.
“Uh, yeah. That part.” Royce grinned. “Over the next few months, we can sit down together and see what this will look like going forward. Of course, you can promote or hire whoever you want to fill your current position and any other positions you think will be needed.”
For the next half hour, they talked about the changes that were to come. Harrison welcomed the conversation, and it made him think even more about Nyla and what he wanted for his future.
He could learn a lot from the way Royce was making changes in his life, and it was past time Harrison did the same. And he knew just where to start.