Chapter 3
Katie
He is still the man of every woman’s dreams, and he definitely was mine, once upon a time. But no more. I can’t let his good looks influence me. I’m here for a job.
But maybe I shouldn’t be. Our meeting lasted an hour.
He was professional throughout and asked all the right questions.
Nothing about the meeting suggested that he would be anything but a model client.
And the pay is great, more than great, in fact.
My company has never worked with a company this size, and this is just a small part of their empire.
If we do a good job, I know we’ll never have to look for work again.
But…but, is all that worth the heartache and headache that’ll come with working in close quarters with Richard Cartright?
And close quarters, it would be, if I’d read Richard’s intentions correctly.
It doesn’t look like I would be working with the marketing department head Joyce, but with the CEO himself.
Why, I don’t know! I’ve never worked with a CEO directly unless it was a small business, and a small business, this company is NOT.
So why does he want to waste his time on a small-time contractor like me when he has minions to delegate these tasks to?
What’s he up to? Is this revenge? But why would he want revenge?
If anything, I should be jumping at the chance to see him go down, not him.
Or, is this just damage control? Does he want to keep an eye on me to make sure I don’t tell anyone about our sordid past?
Well, in that case, why hire me at all? And he hired me.
We just signed the contract, and the compensation and hours were more generous than I thought.
So, I don’t know what he’s up to, but he is up to something, so should I even be here?
It’s not too late to back out. I can just go back in and tell him I’d changed my mind.
Sure, my company will lose its reputation, and we’ll take a hit on the quality of projects we’ll get in the future, at least for a while.
But there are other companies out there.
I’d built my business from scratch once. I could do it again.
But then again, Connor is just starting his new private school, and our mortgage will literally bury us without this paycheck.
God, what should I do? I can’t believe this is happening all over again.
I thought I’d closed that chapter of my life for good.
Everything was finally going well, and now this. God!!
And what was that when we shook hands? How could we still have the same attraction that damned me into this relationship in the first place? After everything that happened between us, why is my body not repelling his touch? Why is it betraying me, dammit?
I still remember that day, 5 years ago, like it was yesterday. We’d just had the most amazing night. It wasn’t anything new to us. Every night together was amazing in its own way. We just clicked, the two of us.
And the next day, he made us breakfast. I loved when he cooked for me.
He’s a great cook, and he never over-seasoned his food like I tended to do whenever I tried to cook.
His eggs were always creamy and cooked to perfection.
And his pancakes, man, they’re in a league of their own.
They’re fluffy and just melt in your mouth.
We barely got to talk throughout breakfast, but I didn’t think anything of it. I was almost late for work anyway, so I just gobbled down my breakfast, and I was out the door within an hour.
And then, a few hours later, a message came in from him.
“Hey, are you free for dinner?”
“Sure. Just name the time and place”, I immediately replied.
He sent the location, and I let out a low whistle.
I mean, he usually took me to fancy places, but this was five-star territory.
I wonder how he got a reservation there, and really, what is the occasion?
It wasn’t our anniversary or any of our birthdays.
Ah well, he probably just wanted to spoil me, I thought with a tingle in my stomach.
“I’ll be there, hon”, I responded, and that was that. I didn’t think it was weird that he didn’t offer to pick me up. He was probably busy with something else, I told myself. In hindsight, I should have known.
This was the perfect setup for a breakup, and he made sure we didn’t arrive together, so when we left, we could leave separately. And he wanted us to leave separately.
I was such an idiot. I knew he was upset about something, but I didn’t realize that it was just nerves over the fact that he was going to break up with his girlfriend of over 2 years over a ridiculous reason.
I mean, travel, seriously? Sure, you can travel.
I’ll come with you too. I’m young too. I want to see the world too! Why break up over that?
What a bullshit excuse it was. And those fucking earrings!
Who did he think I was? A prostitute? Did he think he could buy me diamonds to shut me up?
That fucker. I should have clocked him right then and there.
But my mom raised me better than that. He didn’t want me in his life any longer, and he’d made that perfectly clear.
I don’t stay where I’m not wanted, so I walked out of his life.
And that would have been that. Sure, I was heartbroken.
I thought he was the love of my life, after all.
But life moves on. I already had plans for my business, and now that I didn’t have a boyfriend I spent all my time with, I had all the time in the world to work on my dream, heartbroken or not.
I was determined to make something of myself so rich assholes like Richard didn’t think I could be bought with diamonds, of all things.
So, after moping around for a month or two, and almost getting fired, I decided enough was enough.
I quit my job, and enthusiastically started working on my business, while pushing my heartache down where it would never see the light of day.
I was determined, and everything was going well.
My company website was up, my LinkedIn was updated, I’d been getting decent responses to my outreach emails, and I’d just closed my first client.
I thought I’d gotten over this, that the worst was over, that I didn’t let Richard ruin me.
But fate had other plans. My period was late, and I’m never late. I was pregnant.
I felt like my life was unraveling all over again. I was in over my head. I was all alone in this city. I knew no one. I came here to finish my studies, and I just…stayed here. I’d just quit my job, and I had one whole client.
What was going to happen now? I’m going to get progressively weaker in the following months.
Who’s going to take care of me? What was I going to do about my business?
I can’t lose the momentum I’d been building up.
And just then, like an angel was watching over me and had decided enough was enough, I got a call from my mom. And the rest was history.
A few well-placed questions from her, and before I knew it, I was sobbing on the call, and that was all it took.
My parents took the next flight out. They helped me pack my things up and took me home.
And they took care of me, like I was a little girl all over again.
They didn’t utter a single judgmental word.
Not even a disapproving look. They were simply supportive.
I owe everything to them. Without their unconditional support, I couldn’t have raised Connor while building my business.
And build I did. I had a fire inside me now, and I was determined to reach the top, no matter what it took.
And that’s how I built a million-dollar business from the ground up in just 5 years.
I was lost in my thoughts while I was driving, and when I finally stopped the car, I realized that I was at my parents’ house, and not mine.
Huh. My heart knew me better than I did.
I need my mom’s endless wisdom right now.
I need to talk things out with her. I rang the doorbell, and the minute my mom opened the door, I fell into her arms with a wail.
“Mom, he’s back”.
She caught me, horrified at how I was acting. I rarely act like this anymore. I’m a mom of an impressionable four-year-old. Of course, I don’t act like a kid any longer. But this was not the time for me to be a grown-up. I’m tired. And I need my mom.
“What is it, baby? Come inside, let’s talk”, she immediately pulled me into her arms, and into the house.
It didn’t take me long to tell her what happened that day, and by the time I finished, she had a contemplative look on her face. She didn’t look angry. Why didn’t she look angry? I was angry. Why wasn’t she?
“Mom, this is bad, right? What if he finds out about Connor?”
“Would that be so bad, honey?”, she asked calmly.
“Of course, mom! I won’t let his flaky ass near my son, ever. Connor is just starting school. Too many things are changing for him. He has enough stress as it is. Richard would just ruin everything all over again”, I practically shouted.
“I know, baby, I know. Don’t worry. Everything happens for a reason. Maybe this would end up being a good one?”, she gave me a cryptic smile I couldn’t decipher.
“Mom, are you high? Did you not hear me the first time?”, I asked, frustrated.
What’s going on? My usually rational mom was spouting cryptic nonsense instead of giving me the reassurance I was seeking.
“Wait, mom! Why are you happy he’s back in our life? Are you still hoping for us to get back together?”, I asked, surprised. She couldn’t be that stupid, could she?
I know she’d always liked Richard while we were dating, but then, after everything that happened, I thought she shared my utter hate for him. Why was she acting like this now?
“Baby”, she took my hand, and looked me in the eye. “Calm down. It’ll be alright. I just want what’s best for you and Connor, you know that right?”
“And you think that flaky asshole is what’s best for us? Are you for real?”
“I didn’t say that. I’m just saying, don’t panic. Let things happen. You never know what ends up being good for you”
“Ughh mom, you’re impossible”, I groaned and fell back on the couch, while she laughed at my misery. That was the end of that conversation. But no. No matter what my mom says, I’ll never let Richard get within ten feet of my precious boy. Never.