Chapter 3 #2
He folds his arms and gives me an unimpressed look but then slips into a sympathetic one. “Fine. I'm not sure. But Elodie, she's… sweet, kind… my fiancée's best friend, employee… did I mention a great mom?”
Sitting down in front of his desk, I don't argue his description. “I'm trying to navigate the next few days. I need to talk to her and balance the announcement.”
“Agreed. I've already had my assistant ask marketing to reschedule interviews and such to give you a few days of breathing space.”
“I appreciate that.”
“But I'm also advising you as a friend that you need to find another approach when it comes to Elodie. You know I'm right.”
I am listening.
But I'm a man capable of being two people. One is a man who seeks success and approaches it with structure. Out of the office, I'm the guy who is normally lower-key. Except, the whole weekend I treated life like a business deal, throwing around demands and seeing red.
Maybe the struggle is that I'm trying to figure out the alternate routes.
I'm capable of operating a billion-dollar company, but my newly discovered daughter and her mom, who was a one-night stand?
I'm clueless. Out of my realm. I'm resorting to what I know best, and that's a business approach fueled by innate instinct for my child.
And an awareness that I can't even consider Elodie a one-night stand.
It was a stronger connection, which is another slew of problems in itself.
But as I reflect, I'm aware I'm going to have re-evaluate my demeanor.
The knock on the door causes my attention to refocus, and I see our CFO, Foster, arrive. I've known him since before my career move, purely from social functions with Julian. He's our age, sharp, and we will be working closely together now.
“Hey.” I don't sound too enthusiastic, and it isn't directed at him.
He grimaces humorously as he takes a seat next to me. “Yikes. Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Or did Julian give you food poisoning at his BBQ? For once, I might be happy I missed it.”
Julian scoffs a laugh. “Most definitely not food poisoning,” he mutters.
Foster becomes puzzled, swinging his gaze between us, yet a grin remains. “What's going on? I have a feeling we’re not running through the press announcement for tomorrow.”
Julian indicates with his hand that the floor is all mine.
Taking a deep breath, I debate the best way to share my news. “Elodie is in your department, right?”
“Yeah. Just made her a manager. Great at accounts receivable. She’s been working her way up since she joined us a few years ago. Why?”
Scratching my neck, I decide to just jump off the cliff. “Her daughter…” I drawl out.
“Her daughter, Lola. Yes?” He is still oblivious but trying to drag this sentence along faster.
“She's mine.”
Foster's face slips to neutral, probably debating if I'm joking or not. “What?”
He needs me to repeat.
“Lola, I'm her dad. I just found out, too.”
He gives a sideways glance to Julian to double-check, and he nods in agreement that this isn't a joke, but then he grasps the situation.
“Wow… okay. This wasn't on my bingo card, but…” Tilting his head to the side, he appears to be contemplating.
“I'm not going to ask for details, but fuck, this is…”
I stand with the intent to get a strong black coffee now that everyone is on the same page.
“Look, I need to talk to Elodie. I'm sure we can all agree to keep this news between these walls, but that's not going to last forever,” I say without looking over my shoulder.
I pick up a cup and attempt to understand the machine, all the while considering if the news has sunk in for me now that it's been two days.
“We’ll wait for your cue to do what we need to,” Julian assures me.
Finding success with the machine, I give it a mere glance. “Thanks.”
“What am I supposed to do when I see Elodie in the office this morning? I can't just pretend not to know. I'm not that good an actor.” Foster sounds compassionate and frustrated rolled into one.
“Give me a few hours. I need to talk to her.” I take a quick sip of the coffee that is pretty damn good, definitely the kick of energy I need. I didn't sleep much last night.
“So the plan is the announcement of your new role tomorrow. Then the fact that you are now a father and the mother works for Haven Crossroads and just got promoted and might end up in meetings with you, will be out in the open when?” Foster asks facetiously.
The way he strung together the office obstacles into one shouldn't be funny, it's a mess, but it causes the corner of my mouth to tug, barely.
“We have some boundaries to set,” I agree. “But I'm not going to keep this a secret forever. I have no reason to hide the reality.”
Julian breaks out in an approving smile. “Didn't think you would.” His face quickly turns stern. “Just take it down a notch on the legal BS that you wish to throw at Elodie.”
Foster winces. “Geez.”
“I'm a dad now, I need to think seriously about these things.”
“Exactly, you're a dad now. Don't be like mine, though. Otherwise, you will end up with a kid who never wants to talk to you.”
Foster throws his thumb over his shoulder in Julian's direction. “I second that. Be the dad who actually enjoys Saturday at the zoo with a thousand kids screaming.”
That reminds me of my father. He was all those things growing up. Not a single event missed. If he’s looking down on me right now, then I'm sure he would tell me that I can be a better man.
Setting my coffee down, I take a loud breath and rub my forehead with my hand. Coffee and my two friends are going against me this morning.
My approach obviously needs to be retailored, and I'm beginning to feel it, too, if I'm honest. Is this what cooling off from this life-changing news feels like?
“I'm calm. I'll talk to her. Do you have a recommendation for where we can go for early lunch away from the office?”
Foster and Julian look at one another and chuckle before Foster zips his gaze back to me. “Do we? The city is ours. We have options. So what ambiance are you wanting?”
My phone begins to vibrate, and I fish it out of my pocket. “Hold on, the assistant has the time the movers are arriving at my new place.”
But one glance at my home screen and dread fills me.
Elodie
What the hell! We need to talk and fast!
“I need a spot with a table in the corner, private, and where nobody can hear. Food should be top-notch to ease the mood. And I need a reservation ASAP because I did something this morning that she already wants to kill me for…”