9. Matthew
9
MATTHEW
T he tempo of Midtown Manhattan was always full of hustle and bustle, but especially at lunchtime. This was no different for Sonny's on 5th. Saturdays were an animal in and of themselves.
I straightened my suit jacket and walked into the empty dining room. I had a plan up my sleeve, but the one thing I’d learned during my time in the business world was not to reveal my cards too early. I walked through the normally crowded restaurant with confidence, my back straight, gaze fixed on my target. I didn’t want to mess up Bridget’s feature in the Times , but I’d have no problem causing a ruckus if she gave me a hard time about rehiring Cassie.
It didn’t take me long to find Bridget at the smaller bar in the outside gazebo area. She was adjusting the bottles on the shelf so that all the labels lined up perfectly.
“Bridget,” I said, announcing my presence.
Bridget stepped away from the bar and flipped her hair aggressively over her shoulder, placing her hands on her hips as she squared off in front of me. “What are you doing here?” She groaned. “Shouldn’t your fancy degree allow you to read the sign on the door that says ‘closed for an event’?” She hissed the words out through gritted teeth.
“I hope Holden doesn’t know you're here,” Bridget warned.
I shook my head. Unfazed by Bridget’s venomous tone, I walked around the bar and poured myself a few fingers worth of bourbon.
Bridget opened her mouth to say something, but she snapped her mouth shut when I hit her with a steely glare.
“You fired Cassie?” I questioned, obviously knowing the answer, but I needed to start somewhere.
Bridget nodded. “Yes, Cassandra was terminated Thursday. The little scene the two of you caused was unacceptable. She knew the rules when she agreed to work for me. She broke them, so we came to an understanding about her continued employment.”
I took a swig of the liquor, the fiery liquid coating my throat as it went down, burning me in a good way. The action gave me a moment to decide how I wanted to play this. I hadn’t come in here with guns blazing because I didn’t think Bridget would respond well to such a direct approach. I figured it would make more sense to try to sell the idea as one she came up with. So far, she’d proven to be more stubborn than I realized. I took another sip as I settled on my next move.
“You know, it would be in your best interest to hire her back.” I narrowed my eyes, holding my glass in my hand as I assessed her. Her back stiffened at my veiled threat. I walked around the bar and sat on the barstool next to where Bridget was leaning.
“You don’t get to come into my restaurant and tell me what to do, Mr. Adams. I don’t give a fuck who your father is, or what school you went to, or even who you’re friends with. You will not tell me what I should and shouldn’t do, especially when it comes to some silly waitress. This is my restaurant.” Bridget leaned forward and put her hands on either side of the bar, caging me in. It was a power move to show she was not afraid of me, that I would not intimidate her. “Now if you’re done with your showboating, why don’t you get the fuck out of my face.” She stood back, giving me room to move.
“I was trying to be civil, so you really shouldn’t have played it like that, Bridget.” I made a tsking sound, scolding her. “But if that’s how you want it, I guess this is about to become a whole lot more fun.”
Bridget’s eyebrows furrowed, “What the hell are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about the fact that my father, the one ‘you don’t give a fuck about,’ is quite chummy with the owner of the Times, and I may have asked him for his number. I have it right here.” I pulled out my cell phone, showing her the preset number already programmed to be dialed. “See, let me tell you how this is going to go. You will hire Cassie back, and you will treat her right. Maybe even give her a raise.” I spoke cautiously, thinking of any other stipulations I may have. “Oh and Holden doesn’t need to know about this, and neither does Cassie. You will just tell them both that you had a change of heart and are short staffed to begin with. That you had been too hasty in letting her go.”
Bridget inhaled a deep breath, slowly exhaling as her eyes narrowed, assessing the situation. If steam could come out of her ears, it surely would. “Fine.” Bridget crossed her arms, seething.
“Smile. We all win here. Cassie gets her job back. You’ll get a great feature in the Times .” I winked, slammed back the rest of my drink, set the glass on the bar, and then began walking toward the exit. My footsteps were lighter as I made my way to the front of the restaurant. I even went as far as twisting a flower arrangement so it was centered. “This is going to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship,” I called over my shoulder as Bridget followed me out.
Just as I was about to get into the vehicle, the double doors to the restaurant opened. I figured it was Bridget coming to bitch me out some more, but when I looked over my shoulder, I saw a petite woman in her late thirties approaching.
“Hi, Matthew, right?” she asked, extending her hand for me to shake. “I’m Audrey, Cassie’s roommate.”
I couldn’t hide my shock. This was another mystery uncovered about Cassie and her living situation. I shook her hand nervously, pulling away a little too soon. I felt uncomfortable about everything I didn’t know when it came to Cassie. Everything I’d missed in the last ten years.
“Yes, that’s me.” I flashed her a megawatt smile, hoping to get on her good side. “Nice to meet you.”
Audrey nodded politely. “I just wanted to thank you for that.” She pointed her thumb behind her toward Bridget and the double doors. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t help but eavesdrop,” Audrey confessed.
“No worries. It was my mess to clean up anyway, so no thanks needed. Although I should be thanking you I suppose,” I mused, trying to hypothesize how Audrey and Cassie had met.
“Me? Why?” Audrey questioned, pulling back in surprise, fixing the strings of the apron on her waist.
“Yes, you’re a friend to Cassie, and by the looks of it, a good one. She needs that. So thank you.” I hung my head in shame, imagining the horrendous things that Audrey must have thought of me. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but can you please keep this between us?”
Audrey nodded, doing a mouth zipping motion.
“Audrey!” Bridget bellowed from the doorway, “Stop goofing off and get your ass back in here. These wine glasses are filthy.”
Audrey jumped, startled by the sound of her boss chastising her. “I better get back.” With a wave, she ran off to do her duty.
Sighing, I got into the town car, thinking about the next steps in Operation: Get Cassie Back.
“Hey!” I greeted my uncle Parker at the copy machine, where he stood sorting through some papers.
“Good afternoon, Matthew! What are you doing here?” Parker questioned. “It’s Saturday.”
“Eh, I was up early. Had an errand to run and figured since I’m out, why not stop by and get some work done. In peace and quiet for a change,” I reasoned.
It wasn’t exactly a lie. After I’d left the restaurant, the thought of going back to my empty apartment didn’t thrill me so I’d directed the driver to take me to Adams Point. It didn’t help matters that my mind couldn’t seem to shut off after my brief talk with Audrey. I had so many unanswered questions when it came to Cassie. As I sat in the town car, a text had come in from Wyatt and it filled me with dread. I couldn’t help the guilt I felt as I stood here chatting with my uncle, having knowledge of my father’s newest demands. Parker was genuinely a good guy who didn’t deserve a lot of the shit thrown at him, especially by my father. I had so much respect for both him and his wife, Joy, that my stomach churned as I tried to play off why I was really here.
Once I’d graduated Princeton magna cum laude , Wyatt and Liz thought I would be the perfect protégé. More like their little bitch boy. So far, I hadn’t lived up to their expectations. This didn’t stop my father from constantly reminding me of how I was destined for more. Or deter him from berating me about settling for less and squandering the opportunities he’d handed me.
Just last month, Wyatt started insisting on grooming me to take over the company’s CFO position. I argued that not only wasn’t I cut out for the business world and was still too inexperienced, but it was also Parker’s—Liz’s brother-in-law—position, one that he had held for many years. Nepotism wasn’t how I wanted to get ahead in life. Instead of starting out in the mailroom, like so many before me, I was already in a corner office with a secretary. I’d already been handed opportunities too easily because of my last name. It kinda made me sick.
I don't want to be groomed for Parker’s job much to Wyatt’s dismay. We had been at an impasse ever since. I’d been positioned as an executive until Wyatt “found” something more suitable. In Wyatt lingo that was code for “until he could convince me to take Parker’s job and demote him.”
“Is everything okay?” Parker looked concerned. “You seem different.”
“Different?” I lied, “It’s probably just the lack of sleep I’ve been dealing with.”
I threaded my fingers in my hair. I couldn’t unload on him—not about Wyatt and not about Cassie. The former would just cause Parker unneeded stress, and there wasn’t a whole lot to tell on the latter. Divulging that your ex-girlfriend who you haven’t seen in ten years couldn’t even stand five minutes in your company and slapped you doesn’t exactly make for riveting conversation
“Yeah, different.” Parker nodded, chuckling. “Like you have a lot on your mind. I don't know, ignore me.” Parker paused and it looked like he wanted to say more but seemed to stop himself.
I shuffled my feet. “Thanks, Uncle P, but I gotta get to that stack of papers on my desk.” I turned and started rounding the corner to my office.
“Wait, Matthew,” Parker called out.
I looked back at my pseudo-uncle, my eyebrows raised, gesturing for him to go on.
“If you ever need someone to talk to, or just I don’t know, be there, I’m here. I know I’m not really family, but you’re important to me. Your happiness is important to me. It always has been. And I don’t know … I’m here.” Parker’s shoulders slumped as he shook his head. “And don’t think I’ll go back and tell Wyatt?—”
I wanted to question him further but footsteps stopped me. “Tell me what?” Wyatt approached, resting a hand on my shoulder. I widened my eyes and held back an eye roll.
Wyatt was dressed casually even for him, sporting a pair of slacks and a polo. His hair was combed perfectly, which made sense since his trips to the barber cost enough; it should look perfect.
Parker and I looked at each other, wordlessly having a conversation that Wyatt was seemingly oblivious to. “Tell you that I jammed the copy machine,” I quipped. “Parker was just helping me.”
I looked to Parker to corroborate the story. Parker nodded, smiling at his brother-in-law.
“Yeah that fucking thing needs to get replaced,” Parker commented, looking at the papers in his hand.
“Excuse me, control the language when you’re in my building,” Wyatt scolded, making a tsking sound. “Matthew, can we have a word?”
I couldn’t help that my shoulders slumped, not in the mood for Wyatt and his berating, but I would have to hear it regardless, so I nodded and we walked in silence to my corner office. I made sure the cuffs of my long-sleeved shirt were pulled down to my wrists. I didn’t need to add another lecture about how I desecrated my body by getting tattoos into this mess.
Wyatt sat in my seat and looked down at the litany of papers strewn across my desk. “Matthew, you really need to get this shit straightened up.”
I didn’t bother to call him out for the hypocrisy of using foul language after he’d just reprimanded Parker. “Yeah, I know. I've been busy working on the Daniels’ account,” I lied through my teeth. I hadn't done much work lately, which was unusual considering the workaholic attitude Wyatt had instilled in me.
I looked out through the floor-to-ceiling windows, my gaze unfocused as I pondered where Cassie could be. I knew so little about who she was these days, and the tiny glimpse I had of her had reignited all the feelings I’d buried after she’d run away. She had seemed so angry, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized I had so much I wished I’d had said. If I had known our paths were going to cross again, I’d have handled it differently. Now I just had to find a way to do it over. I would do whatever it took to get her to listen to me, to let me apologize. I just had to be determined. She would have to listen to me eventually.
“Matthew, did you hear a thing I just said?” Wyatt chastised, narrowing his eyes at me, his bootleg protégé.
“Yes, I’m sorry. I’m just tired. I haven’t been sleeping well.” I never did sleep well without her.
“Get back on those sleeping pills. I don’t need you off your game. These next few months are going to be critical. We have so many deals that need closing. I need you to bring your A-game,” Wyatt rambled, clicking around on my computer screen. “You also seriously need to consider taking on more responsibility. The more time that passes, the more time this company goes to shit. Parker just isn’t cutting it, and it’s time for a change.”
I rolled my eyes. The only thing that needs to change is that Parker needs a different brother-in-law. One with loyalty .
But I kept silent, as I was conditioned to, pretending to consider Wyatt’s recommendations.
“Your mother wants you to come home more often, son. She’s getting weaker by the day.” Wyatt softened his tone.
I grimaced. I hated when my father laid down this guilt trip. My mother had been dealing with complications from heart surgery and sepsis. She had been bedridden ever since. But the truth was, I couldn’t afford to lose anyone else. Much like Cassie, I had already lost too much. Our upbringing scarred us both from having healthy relationships, so I clung to the ones I still had left. I knew it wasn’t a good way to live, and I had been thinking about going to talk to someone for a while. I knew I needed to fix myself if I wanted a chance at being happy.
“I’ll be by for dinner later this week. Maybe Wednesday after I take care of a few accounts for the merger,” I offered, just wanting to shut him up and get him out of my office.
Wyatt nodded, semi-satisfied. “I’m heading out. I’m meeting Arthur for dinner.”
Wyatt rose from his seat at my desk but didn’t move. “Oh, Arthur told me that Natalia wanted to accompany you to the company’s anniversary party and you declined her invitation. What’s that about?”
“Natalia and I will never be anything. She’s just not my type.” Another lie. They just kept coming. I didn’t really have a type, but if I did, her name would be Cassie. “I’m focusing on work for the time being—no distractions, like you always say.” I added the last part for Wyatt’s benefit.
Wyatt marched off, but as he reached the doorway, he called out. “When will you learn to recognize the right kind of woman for this lifestyle? You really shouldn’t be so choosy.”
After my father had stomped down the hallway, I fell back in my seat, exhausted from our exchange and the events of the last few days. When did life get this fucking hard?