12. James
12
JAMES
I banged on Christopher’s door as best I could while clutching his present in my arms. In the past my brother’s birthday was cause for a huge celebration. His ex loved any excuse to spend his money and would throw lavish parties in his honor, even though we knew it was all for her. Now, we were lucky to get Christopher out the door for a cup of coffee.
I sighed. Someday I’d get through to him and the old Christopher would be back. I wouldn’t accept any other option.
I heard footsteps that sounded way too quick to be his since my brother was a lumberer. When the door flew open, I was greeted by the last person I expected to see.
“ Natalie ? What the hell are you doing here?”
She froze, then her eyes darted around like she was searching for a place to hide.
“Uhhh…hi, James.”
She gave me a quick little wave, and I tried to ignore the fact that she looked absolutely stunning in a damned hoodie, ripped jeans, and Vans.
“What’s going on?” I demanded. “Why are you in my brother’s apartment? Is he okay?”
Natalie glanced over her shoulder, then came out into the hallway, closing the door behind her. “I can explain, but you need to let me get everything out before you interrupt me. And you can’t get mad at me.”
“I refuse to promise that,” I said.
“Well, then I’m leaving.”
She turned to head back into the apartment, but I reached out to grasp her arm. She glanced down at my hand wrapped around her bicep and I released her quickly, aware that I’d crossed a line.
We don’t touch, because touching was dangerous.
“For fuck’s sake, Natalie.” I sighed again. “I promise I won’t be an asshole to you. Just tell me what’s going on. This is my family we’re talking about.”
A shadow flickered over her face, then she took a steadying breath. “Okay. So Rhea told me that Christopher still had a bunch of the archival designs on paper, and I felt like in order to do the best job possible on the Pantone project we should have access to everything , so I…” Her cheeks pinked as she paused. “I emailed your brother to ask about them.”
I opened my mouth to scream at her and remembered my promise. I crossed my arms and glared at her instead.
“He was very receptive!” she added quickly. “ He invited me over, I never would’ve invited myself, I swear to you. I might make dumb choices sometimes, like calling you my boyfriend, but I’m not that stupid.” Her mind seemed to drift back to the eight inches conversation again, but she quickly refocused. “Anyway, Christopher and I had such a great time that…well, I’ve stopped by a few times since then to collaborate with him. And it’s been amazing.”
For the briefest moments I felt a flash of something sour, imagining Natalie and my brother spending time together. Sitting side by side at the table, swapping ideas. Could they be…?
But Christopher was no match for someone like Natalie, especially in his current state. Despite the woman he’d married, he was usually drawn to quiet, nurturing partners.
Nothing like Natalie the spitfire.
“So has he been…okay?” I asked tentatively. I wasn’t used to getting status updates about him from anyone but Bernie.
Natalie broke into a huge smile. “He’s been phenomenal! Super helpful, and he’s given me the best feedback on my stuff. Like, crazy, insightful advice. He’s so sweet.”
Relief washed over me despite her gushing about my brother. Hold on, I was jealous of the time they’d spent together?
“You’ve got that right. Christopher is one of a kind.”
“I see you brought him a present.” She pointed to the gift. “I feel like such a shit because I had no idea it was his birthday. He didn’t even mention it when we set up the meeting for today. Bernie had to tell me!”
I froze. “Hold on…my grandmother is here too?”
She nodded, grinning at me. “It’s an impromptu party! Come in!”
Natalie led the way, and I walked into a space that felt totally transformed. Of course my grandmother had brought balloons and flowers, though I had a feeling that the loud music was probably thanks to the worst karaoke singer in history.
“Look what I found haunting the hallway.” Natalie laughed as she walked into the great room.
“There he is!” Bernie cheered. “Come here, you!”
My grandmother swept towards me with her arms outstretched, her flowy teal Branson-designed top billowing behind her. I could tell she probably just had her gray hair styled into her usual chignon for the occasion. As I pulled her close, breathing in her familiar perfume, I felt an unnamed tension release from the back of my neck. Dad died when I was just a baby, and Mom and Bernie raised Christopher and me together. Hugging her always felt like coming home.
“What the hell were you two doing out in the hallway for so long?” Christopher asked. “I was about to send a chaperone out to find you.” He pointed at Bernie.
I glanced at Natalie and she blushed.
“Just work stuff. Anyway, happy birthday, dummy.” I held up the gift. “It’s a book.”
“Gee, thanks for ruining the surprise,” he joked.
What I didn’t mention was that it was a limited-edition coffee table book by famous fashion photographer Clarence Avignon, that he’d signed and annotated. One of our original designs actually appeared in the pages.
“You’re just in time,” Bernie said. “We have food on the way.”
“Yes, we decided to order the most ridiculous stuff we could think of, so prepare for some fun finger foods,” Natalie added.
I sighed. I’d planned for a quick visit, but it was clear I was going to be there for a while.
“Sit, sit!” Bernie ordered. “Sparkling water, everyone?”
She headed for the kitchen before any of us could answer.
I took a seat on the couch opposite where Christopher was perched, and Bernie’s gigantic Chanel purse was taking up much of the real estate on the other chair, so Natalie had no choice but to sit beside me.
“Your employee here tells me you’re working her to death,” Christopher said, glancing between us.
My mouth dropped open as I glanced over at Natalie. “Did you seriously tell?—”
“No! I absolutely did not say that, you troublemaker.” She pretended to swat Christopher. “I believe I said he’s a fantastic boss, and I’m learning a lot.”
“Well, thank you.” I bobbed my head at her. “And Natalie, for her part, is an exceptional employee. She’s got an incredible eye, and she’s intuitive about the way things work at Branson. I’m really happy with what she’s producing.”
Natalie shifted in her seat and grinned at me. “Stop! You’re embarrassing me.”
“What? It’s true,” I insisted.
“Turns out we make a good team,” she said, eyes still on me. “Shocker, given our introduction.”
I laughed at the memory of our first meeting. So much had changed since then. “Yeah, I would never have imagined it, considering how you nearly took me out with a wet mop.”
She covered her face as she giggled. “I was protecting myself from a stalker!”
Christopher glanced between us. “What the hell are you two talking about? Mop? Stalker?”
The door buzzed, and Bernie rushed out of the kitchen. “The food is here, I’ll get it!”
Christopher jumped up, and I noticed that he was in clean jeans and a button-down shirt instead of his usual gym shorts and oversized T-shirt.
“That’s Julia,” he said, tucking in his shirt. “She’s great, you’ll love her.”
“You’re on a first name basis with your grocery girl?” I asked.
“Snob.” He frowned at me. “Don’t call her that. She’s working her way through school. This is her side job.”
The sound of cheerful bustling filled the space, and I joined them as the delivery person unloaded. Once I saw Julia I understood why Christopher was so quick to defend her. She was adorable, with a shiny blonde ponytail under her baseball cap and a giant smile that made me want to smile back at her.
“I brought you birthday flowers,” she said shyly, handing a bouquet filled with sunflowers and yellow roses to Christopher. “Is that weird?”
I watched my brother’s face and realized that he was struggling to remain even keel. My heart clenched when I saw him blinking quickly, staring at Julia with unabashed awe.
“No that’s…that’s amazing. No one has ever given me flowers before,” he said in a quiet voice. “Thank you.”
Bernie seemed oblivious to what was going on as she snatched them away from him. “Beautiful! Let me put these in a vase. Julia, you can unload everything on the dining room table. Boys, be the gentlemen I raised you to be and help her.”
“I’m James.” I held out my hand to Julia and she shook it, smiling.
Natalie was already hard at work, unpacking the overflowing bags.
“What the hell did you crazy people buy?” Christopher asked, holding up a box of Cracker Jacks.
“Awful, wonderful, delicious snacks! Finger food, like it’s a kid party,” Natalie answered.
“And I snuck in a couple of extra surprises,” Julia said. She opened what looked like a pizza box to reveal a giant cookie cake covered in frosting.
Christopher walked over to her. “Did you pay for this?”
She nodded shyly.
“We talked about this, J!” he exclaimed, attempting to scold her despite the huge smile on his face. “You need to stop buying me stuff. I’m serious. Your tip is going to be ridiculous today.”
“I’ll second that,” I said as I stacked five packages of steaming chicken tenders on the table.
Bernie joined us with the flowers arranged in a crystal vase that was no doubt one of the few things that Christopher’s ex hadn’t taken. “Oh, Julia will be very well taken care of today, don’t you worry.”
My grandmother had her faults, but being a bad tipper wasn’t one of them.
“Okay, I think that’s everything,” Julia said as she packed up her bags. “I’m going to head out. Christopher, I hope you have a wonderful birthday. James, Natalie, and Bernie, it was nice to meet you.”
“Wait, wait,” Christopher said quickly, moving closer to her. “Can’t you stay? Please join us. There’s way too much food.”
“Really?” She glanced around at us meekly. “I am done for the day…”
“Get this woman a plate,” Natalie insisted. “The more the merrier.”
The rest of the afternoon passed with the five of us gathered around the table, swapping stories, eating, and laughing. Christopher seemed more alive than I’d seen him in ages, and I noticed that his eyes seemed to be perpetually glued to Julia. Thankfully, she was equally enthralled with him, finding excuses to touch him and serve him food. All under the guise of treating the birthday boy, but I could tell there was more to it.
I also noticed how at ease Natalie seemed among my family. But then again, that seemed to be one of her gifts. She could charm anyone if she put her mind to it. I hadn’t been on the receiving end of it much at first, but lately? Lately it felt like Natalie and I had reached a place of stability. If I ignored the damned attraction that was boiling in my veins, we’d be just fine as colleagues. In time I’d find a replacement for Clint so I wouldn’t have to see her at the creative meetings, and Lorraine’s replacement would take over for her. Natalie would revert back to being just another Branson employee.
Not someone I couldn’t wait to see every day. And definitely not someone I couldn’t stop dreaming about.
After a few hours of teasing and laughter, the table was strewn with empty boxes. Julia stood up and started cleaning them away.
“Would you knock it off?” Christopher said. “You’re my guest.”
“I’m just helping,” she said. “And I actually need to go in a minute. I have class tonight. But thank you for inviting me to stay. I had the best time.”
Her eyes were shining when she glanced at Christopher.
“Me too,” he said. “Let me walk you out.”
Bernie glanced at us once they were gone, a smile on her face. “Well, well. Did you see what I saw?”
“They are so into each other!” Natalie said, slapping the table for emphasis. “He needs to ask her out for real.”
“Agreed,” I said. “She seems good for him.”
“Who seems good for who?” Christopher asked as he walked back into the room. “What are you talking about?”
“ Whom .” Bernie crooked a finger at him as she corrected his English. “You, my dear. We’re talking about how you and that lovely young lady seem besotted with one another.”
He barked out an awkward laugh. “Oh, god, no way. Not at all! Julia isn’t into me like that, she’s just being nice to a repeat customer.”
It was my turn to laugh at my brother. “You’re really dumb. You can’t tell when a woman is flirting with you?”
He stared me down. “Look who’s talking.”
Bernie chuckled, well acquainted with our sparring.
I shifted in my seat. “ Excuse me?”
“I know sparks when I see them,” he said as his eyes slid to Natalie.
At that she hopped out of her chair and started cleaning the table like she was a server on the clock, her cheeks bright red.
“I think it’s time for me to head out as well,” I said, piling empty containers on my plate.
“Denial isn’t just a river in Egypt,” Bernie said gaily, clearly enjoying the drama.
I glanced at Natalie, but she was busy stacking every empty container in her arms. Based on the way she bussed the table, it was obvious she’d spent time as a waitress.
“Christopher, this was a ton of fun, but you know we still have work to do,” Natalie said with mock seriousness. “I’ll let you off the hook since it’s your birthday, but next time? Back to the grind!”
He threw his hands up in surrender. “Okay, okay, boss. You got it.”
Natalie started for the kitchen.
“James!” Bernie belted out, her voice projecting loudly enough to stop Natalie in her tracks. “I hope you’re planning to drive this young woman home. There’s no need for her to take the subway when you have your driver idling out front.”
It was just like my grandmother inserting herself in my life. All of our lives. She always thought she knew best. And the worst of it was, she was usually right. So I knew better than to try to argue with her even though the thought of getting Natalie alone in my car made my pulse race.
“I guess that settles it. I was going to hang out with my brother for a bit, but if Bernie says I’m leaving, then I’m leaving,” I said. I turned to Natalie. “May I take you home?”
One of the empty boxes in her arms almost jiggled to the ground and she stooped to pick it up. “Uhhh, sure. That would be fine. I mean, thank you. Let me just…” She nodded towards the stack of packaging in her arms and speed-walked to the kitchen.
Christopher watched her leave, then turned to me with the corner of his mouth quirked. “Don’t blow it,” he said in a quiet voice.
I didn’t answer, choosing instead to suddenly become very interested in the Patek Phillipe on my wrist. I wasn’t about to tell my brother that we were nothing but colleagues, and that’s all we would ever be.