17
Charlotte
I throw open the car door as soon as Sage finds a parking spot near Seaver Way. I inhale three deep breaths, willing the nausea to pass. We only stopped once to pee and grab a sandwich on our way here and although I rarely get carsick, I came very close in the last hour.
“Are you okay?”
“Just peachy,” I say.
Sage looks at the address on the building with her hands on her hips. “This is it. Forty-three Seaver Way. Which floor do you think he works on?”
“I don’t know. I’m sure someone at the front desk will tell us.”
We walk up the concrete steps to the front of the building. And I check my reflection in the glass door. “How do I look?”
“You look gorgeous, as usual.”
“Thank you.” I run my hands along my oversized sweater. There’s a bump in there, but the sweater hides it well. Plus, the baggy jacket conceals anything the sweater does not. I wish I could have shown up in something more flattering, but I wanted to be comfortable for the drive.
“Do you think I should change into the dress I brought?”
Sage shakes her head. “No. Save that one for dinner.”
“You think we’ll be here for dinner?”
“Of course. He won’t send you on your merry way after you tell him he’s going to be a father. He’ll want to talk about it over dinner.”
I nod. “You’re probably right. Will you join us?”
“No, no. Three’s a crowd in this case. I’ll watch a movie in the theater or walk around town. Don’t worry about me. I can entertain myself.”
“Thanks for coming with me, Sage.” I pull her in for a hug.
“I’m just so glad we found him.”
There are two security guards at the front when we enter and one at a desk by the bank of elevators. There’s a receptionist in the middle, and we walk directly to her. “Excuse me,” I say. “Can you tell me which floor I can find Caleb?”
“Caleb?”
“Caleb Consuelos.”
She stares at me. “Do you have an appointment?”
Sage pipes in behind me. “Yes. She does. If you can just let us know which floor he’s on, we’ll be on our way. ”
She directs her stare at Sage and narrows her eyes this time. Finally, she picks up the receiver and calls someone. I catch a list of names next to her desk with extension numbers and room numbers. The majority are on the sixth floor.
“Trevor? Hi, it’s Janine at the front desk. Yeah. I’ve got two women here wanting to see Caleb. That’s right.”
Her eyes rake over us, from my white sneakers to my oversized beige jacket. “No,” she says, answering some unknown question. “They don’t.” She continues to stare at me. “Will do. Thanks.” And then she hangs up the phone.
“I’m sorry, but Trevor has no record of any appointments this afternoon with two women from out of town.”
“How do you know we’re from out of town?” I ask, and she raises her eyebrows as she rakes her eyes over my body again. “A guess.”
“Well, that’s rude,” I say. “We won’t be long. It will only take a moment and then I’m sure Caleb will want to talk more later.”
“Oh, honey. That’s what they all think. But let me save you the time and the hassle. He’s not into you. He won’t fall in love with you by showing up at his office unannounced. Now, take whatever is left of your dignity and go. ”
I sputter as I’m too stunned to respond. “How—How dare you!”
Sage pulls me to the side and looks over my shoulder. “I’ll distract her, and in the meantime, you jump inside that elevator as soon as the doors open. You got that?”
The plan is crazy, but we didn’t drive four hours to be turned away now. “Fine.”
I watch Sage as she rests the palm of her hands on the woman’s desk. “Look. I think we’ve gotten off on the wrong foot.” I sidestep closer to the elevator, keeping my eyes on the woman and the security guard.
“I don’t think we have,” she says sweetly.
I take another step closer, and then the elevator pings and the doors open. Two men get off the elevator and just as the doors are about to close, I make a run for it.
“Stop!” someone yells, but it’s too late. The doors close and I press the button for the sixth floor. The elevator moves slowly up each floor until finally the doors open.
It’s quiet here. No one’s shouting, so I take a deep breath and walk out as though I work here.
Except I have no idea where I’m going. I don’t get very far when a man at a desk stands up. “Excuse me, miss, do you have a meeting?” He stares at my clothes. I really should have worn something more professional, but I didn’t think I would stand out in a New York office building. Even though this isn’t Manhattan, everyone is dressed so stylishly.
“Yes. I’m here to see Caleb Consuelos.”
The man’s eyes widen, and he puts his hands on his hips. “You,” he sneers, and my heart nearly jumps out of my chest.
He lunges for me, but I step out of the way. The next moment, the elevator doors open and two of the security guards from downstairs run out, hands over their holsters.
Oh, shit.
“Excuse me,” I say and run toward the red exit sign. “Stop her,” shouts the outraged man. “She’s heading for the stairs.”
I’m nearly at the exit. My fingers brush against the steel door when someone grabs me from behind and lifts me off the ground. “Get off of me,” I scream, pounding my fists on the guard’s forearms, but he’s locked them across my stomach. “You’re hurting me.”
He doesn’t care and drags me across the office floor, kicking and screaming. The other guard presses the elevator button and when the doors open, I give up and fall limp in his arms. It’s no use. It’s over. I can’t fight the two of them.
When we reach the main floor, Sage is waiting for me; a guard standing next to her. “You both better leave before I call the police,” says the receptionist. The few people walking to and from the elevators stop to look at us. I’m no longer fighting the guard, but he hasn’t loosened his grip on my arm. “Mr. Consuelos is not here. So, forget about him and forget about this office. If you step one foot back in here, George will throw you out. Am I clear?”
“Perfectly,” I mutter.
I push the wild strands of hair out of my face and straighten my jacket.
“Did they hurt you?” asks Sage when we reach the car.
I shake my head. “I don’t think so. But my ego is bruised. That was the most humiliating thing I’ve ever done.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault. I wanted to see him as much as you.”
“Maybe we should wait until six and stop him when he leaves the building. They can’t arrest us for hanging out in our car.”
“Can’t they?”
Sage looks around. “I’m not sure, really. But we can’t go home yet. We’re going to find him, Char. I can feel it.”
“All right. Let’s hang out for a bit and see if we can spot him. ”
Fortunately, the car shields us from the wind and the worst of winter is behind us, so Sage doesn’t need to start the car while we wait.
We don’t have to wait too long. Shortly after five o’clock, there’s an influx of activity around the building. “I’ll watch the front doors. You keep an eye on the parking garage.”
“Got it,” says Sage, sitting up straighter in her seat.
After a few minutes, Sage yanks on my sleeve. “Is that him?”
I lean over to get a closer look at the man driving a BMW. He has black hair and is wearing sunglasses, but his chin is too round and soft. Caleb’s jaw is square. I shake my head and Sage sighs loudly.
About thirty minutes later, the buzzing around the building quiets and there are only a few stragglers leaving the garage or the front doors.
Neither of us suggests leaving yet, and I appreciate Sage’s determination.
She leans back and crosses her arms an hour later. It’s the first sign of frustration on Sage’s part and itmakes me panic. She’s been my rock, my shoulder to lean on. If she loses faith, I don’t know what I’ll do.
An hour after that, I don’t care. My back aches, my neck cracks at the slightest stretch, and I’m starving. “Let’s get out of here,” I say.
“One more hour. ”
“It’s a quarter to eight, Sage. No one has left the building in over an hour. Maybe that receptionist is right. Maybe Caleb’s not here. Maybe he doesn’t actually work in this building. I don’t know. I just know that I’m exhausted and I want to get back home to Charlie.”
“You can’t give up, Char. We’re so close. I can feel it.”
“You’re just an eternal optimist, Sage. You wanting this to be true doesn’t make it so. We’re both tired and we’ve got a long drive ahead of us. Let’s get out of here and get some dinner at a drive-thru.”
She stares longingly at the front doors. Even the security guards are no longer by the doors. I saw two leave earlier. Only one guard remains to work through the night. The pit bull of a receptionist left right at five o’clock. There’s no one here, especially not Caleb.
“We’ll think of something,” says Sage, and I nod.
“Yeah, we will. But not tonight.”