8. Daniel
8
Daniel
When I get Chloe's text saying she's going to lunch, I don't think much of it. Sure, I'm annoyed that she's taking a break, but I guess people need to eat, right?
I pull into the club parking lot when my phone rings. It's Chloe.
I answer with a dry, “Hello.”
But as I hear her frantic voice, my annoyance turns to alarm.
“You're out of your mind!”
Her voice is distant, and when I hear the clatter of dishes in the background, I realize that she must have pocket-dialed me.
Is she okay?
That’s when I hear a man’s voice.
“You’re not going anywhere.”
Then, a struggle and muffled sounds.
Is she being chased?
I don't waste a second. I turn the key in the ignition and whip the car around. I drive a lot faster than I should down these city streets, but something pushes me forward…an instinct to protect her. I run a red light, but don’t care. A sharp right turn, followed by a left…
She has to be near the office still if she just stepped out to lunch.
Then, there she is.
Seeing Chloe, I slam my breaks. There’s no mistaking the slit black dress she chose to wear today with a white blazer. She’s rushing toward me, chasing her is a man who makes my skin crawl just by looking at him.
I step up to them. “What’s going on here?”
They both freeze.
The man with breath that smells like a dumpster says, “This escort doesn't want to give the services she was paid for.”
I move directly in front of him, eyes piercing like daggers, nostrils flaring.
Chloe opens her mouth, but I raise a finger to have her give me a minute while I address the man. Not under my watch will a man disrespect a woman and get away with it.
“Repeat what you said,” I seethe.
“The escort….”
I raise my forearm and ball my brandished fist. “Call her that again and watch your rotten teeth grace the floor.”
He stiffens.
Exactly what I thought.
He bites his lip and points at her. “My boy opened a site. She charged him a hundred to see her. Boy told me I can hook up with her.”
“I didn’t!” Chloe objects.
Still facing the man, I say, “Ask your boy for your hundred bucks. He lied to you.”
“No,” he snaps, flinching slightly. “My boy is more honest than a priest.”
“Your good boy is a fraud. I don’t know what kind of scheme you guys are running, but we don’t owe you anything."
“But—” he stutters.
“Now, we’re leaving. I won’t say this again—stay away from Chloe. If you come near her, you’ll end up with a broken nose. Got it?”
The man finally backs off.
I turn to Chloe. "Chloe, let’s go."
We walk back to my car in silence. The image of the man comes to mind, and I shake my head.
He’s ugly…and stinks.
Facing her, I ask, “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” she replies, timidly.
“It’s none of my business, but…honestly, I thought you would have had better taste than him.”
Her face flushes deep pink, eyes almost popping from their sockets. “You’re going there ? For your information, I was catfished.”
“Uh-huh. How did you not pick up on that, exactly?” I raise a brow.
“It was a set up. His pictures, everything.”
I open the passenger door for Chloe and state, “I want to feel sorry for you, but maybe take this as a sign to keep work at work and do your personal things on your own time.”
“What is that supposed to mean? I was at lunch. That is personal.”
I close the door after she gets in and work my way around to the driver’s side. Getting in, I sigh, “You didn’t ask to go to lunch. It sounds like you snuck out. There’s a lot to get done before the convention and I would’ve suggested you grab something to eat at the office instead.”
“Are you serious right now? I texted you.”
I start the engine and make the short drive down the street to the office. “It’s even worse that I had to come and save you.”
“Daniel, that’s enough!” she demands.
My hands clutch the gear shift hard as I park in front of the office building.
Did she really just talk to me like that?
This is new.
“We’re adults here. I have no reason to sneak out of work. I did what I had to for the morning and let you know I was going to lunch. My date is my personal business, and it was on my time. It sure isn’t your place to intrude or gloat. I never asked for your help.”
She remains seated in the car, facing me with a look of defiance etched in her eyes. Or is it annoyance? Anger, maybe? I can’t really tell.
“Well, that’s some way of saying thank you,” I respond. “Do you want to go back to the cafe to see if that man is still there? I’m sure he’ll be thrilled to see you.”
She climbs out of the car, her expression unwavering.
I wonder what she’s thinking. We continue trading looks as we enter the office.
“You weren’t expecting me to sit back and watch you get harassed, were you?”
“How did you know I was there, anyway?”
I hold my phone out to her, showing her that we are still on the call. “You pocket dialed me.”
Her eyes widen with embarrassment. She reaches into her purse and pulls out her own device. “Oh.”
“Regardless, I saved you from what appeared to be a bad situation. The least you could do is say thank you.”
“I was handling it.”
I scoff. “The scene I saw was nothing like being handled.”
“If you hadn’t stepped in...”
“Hard to believe. In any case, you ruined my plans at the club because I was busy helping you.”
“You snatched everything from my grip playing the hero.”
“Well,” I shake my head. “You’re welcome. Seems I won’t be getting a thank you anytime soon.”
She puts her hands on her hip and exhales deeply. “Thank you, but I don’t appreciate your condescending tone or your judgment. Respectfully, keep your opinions to yourself.”
Images of her and the man at the cafe filter into my mind. He was all shades of wrong for her. Why is she so mad that I told her so?
“Listen, I only have your best interest at heart,” I explain. “He’s the bad guy, not me. Just…don’t go attracting stalkers and murderers off dating sites.”
She scoffs. “So we’re still sharing opinions? Okay. Then I think you need to watch how you deliver your words, not be so uptight around here, and maybe consider adding color to your life. It just might change your attitude for the better.”
She didn’t just say that, did she?
A spark goes off in my brain, and my jaw drops.
Unsure of how to respond, I blurt, “I’m your boss.”
“At Andrews Enterprise, nowhere else.”
I side-eye her. “How long have you been waiting to tell me this?”
“Since you’re relentless about this date and won’t stop belittling me.”
“It’s not belittling asking that my staff be careful on blind dates. Especially during office hours…and with undeserving men.”
“It was my lunch break! And I wasn’t blind, I was catfished.”
“Potato, potahto.”
Not budging, she rolls her eyes and grunts. “You're impossible. This is exactly what I mean.”
There’s no point in offering her advice. If she doesn’t recognize it, then it’s not worth my time. Why am I putting all this energy and effort into her anyway? I shouldn’t care this much. Yet, the urge to protect her is stronger than ever.
My phone rings.
“Hello?”
“Hello, is this Mr. Andrews?”
“Speaking.”
“Hi, this is Ms. Rose from Spark Montessori. How are you?
“I’m good, thanks. Is everything okay?”
“It seems as though Michelle had a little accident today in art class. She spilled paint all over her clothes and has nothing to change into. Would you be able to come pick her up?”
Seriously?
“Mr. Andrews, are you there?’
I sigh, realizing that I have no choice.
“I’m here. I’ll be there soon, but I just want to make sure there aren’t any spare clothes in the office anywhere for situations like this to get her through the day?”
I place the phone on speakerphone as I begin to grab a few things from the office for home.
“Unfortunately, not. We have to get them cleaned from the last accident.”
“Ok. I’m on my way.”
“Great. She’s ready, and I’ve been meaning to see you.”
“Why? Is something else wrong?”
“No,” she chuckles, clearing her throat. “Nothing really. It’s just…it has been a while, that’s all.”
Oh, great.
I grit my teeth, a bitter reminder of Michelle's revelation about Ms. Rose's supposed crush. I can’t wrap my head around how she could possibly be interested. We speak about simple things, grades, school fairs. She’s probably just in love with the suit like everyone else.
Since Maddie’s passing, my older brother, Garamond Andrews, has paraded a few of his colleagues and friends before me, hoping to spark some connection. Each introduction was followed by polite smiles, hollow conversations that never went beyond the surface, and flirty glances that led nowhere. It was exhausting. Eventually, I gave up. No one could ever measure up to Maddie, and judging by Chloe’s debacle today, the dating scene hasn’t improved in the slightest.
“Thanks, Ms. Rose,” I say, feigning professionalism.
The call ends. I look up to see Chloe silently observing me.
“What’s going on?”
“It was Michelle’s school. I have to go get her.”
Just then, the lights flicker.
“What’s that?” Chloe asks.
“Power outage, probably. It happens occasionally. As much as we pay for utilities around here, you’d think everything would work just fine.” I shake my head, realizing the day's challenges aren't over yet.
“I guess it’s safe to say that we can wrap up work then? In the office, I mean.”
“You can bring your stuff to my place and work from there.”
“Why? I can just work from home instead.”
"Well, since my afternoon plans have changed, we can review things for the convention together. It’ll be easier if we’re in the same place.”
“But—”
“Please grab your things. We have to get going.”
Chloe is quiet but returns to her office to get her laptop.
I smirk as I do the same.
The car ride is unbelievably icy. Not a word spoken until we pull into the school parking lot. Was I too harsh? I’m not sure what she’s feeling, except that she thinks I need to change. She’s only been here a month and barely knows me, yet she’s suggesting I need to change. Then again, I’m basically doing the same thing, right? Whatever. I’m her boss.
“It’ll just be a minute,” I say.
“Sure.”
Someone knocks on the window before I can step out. I turn to find Michelle grinning in her drenched uniform. Sure enough, she is covered in purple and orange paint. I muster a smile and wind down the window.
“Hey, sweetheart. Looks like you went swimming with the paintbrushes.”
She makes a silly face.
“Sorry, Dad.” She quickly notices Chloe in the passenger seat and exclaims, “Chloe! Hi! I’m so glad you’re here!”
“Hi, Michelle. Looks like you had a lot of fun today,” Chloe says with a teasing grin.
Michelle opens the back door to get inside.
“Hold on there, kiddo. You can’t get in the car like that,” I say, picturing the stained seats that would surely follow.
Michelle's face falls momentarily, then brightens as an idea strikes her. “I can sit on my backpack.”
Chloe stifles a laugh, her hand covering her mouth. “Then that will stain your backpack. Let’s try this instead.” She pulls out something from her purse. To my surprise, it’s the latest issue of Prestige Pulse . Before I can comment, Chloe begins tearing out the pages. Soon, she creates a makeshift seat cover for Michelle to sit on.
Huh, I muse. That was…pretty clever.
“Good idea,” I tell Chloe, in spite of everything. She barely looks in my direction.
“You’re the best, Chloe,” Michelle cheers. “I can’t wait to tell you guys what happened.”
She reaches over to fasten her seatbelt and continues, “So, I was in art class. Tony ran out of paint, so he went to grab two new buckets. On his way back to our desk, he didn’t see the paintbrush on the floor and rolled right over it. He flew forward and the paint cans came right at me! We were all laughing so hard, even Ms. Rose!”
Chloe and I join in the laughter. Not only is Tony Michelle’s friend, he also lives next door to us. The two of them are inseparable troublemakers, adorable, but troublemakers, nonetheless. I’ve lost count of the number of science projects that went hilariously wrong in our yards, transforming our grass into a chemistry lab. And the epic water balloon fights on scorching summer days turned our neighborhood into a splash zone. Their antics always leave a trail of laughter and mess in their wake.
My thoughts are interrupted when Michelle speaks again.
“Look, Ms. Rose is coming.”
Sure enough, Ms. Rose shows up by the window, flashing a flirtatious smile my way.
I offer a polite nod as I roll down the car window. “Good afternoon, Ms. Rose. Thank you for the call,” I say, keeping my tone neutral.
"Hey, stranger," she purrs, leaning in closer to the window, oblivious to Chloe’s presence. “Michelle always talks about you with such admiration. I thought I’d simply check in. How are you? How’s work?”
I give her a subtle smile. “Does she now? Well, work is busy, but going really well. And, me? Well, I’m fine. Thanks for asking. How about you?”
She giggles, twirling a lock of her hair around her finger. “My day just got a little better. I was wondering if you wanted to catch up over coffee sometime.”
I hesitate for a moment, not wanting to encourage her advances. “That’s thoughtful of you, but I have a full workload right now and my schedule doesn’t allow much time for social get-togethers. Maybe another time.”
She pouts slightly, but quickly recovers with a playful grin. “I see. I’ve always admired your work ethic. If you ever need a break, you know where to find me.”
Rolling up the window, I nod.
She waves at Michelle and walks away. I can’t imagine what Chloe must be thinking. It must be awkward.
Michelle chuckles in her seat. “I told you! That was so weird!”
“Maybe you should stop sharing our stories with her,” I tease, playfully rolling my eyes at her in the rearview mirror.
“So, where were both of you coming from?”
Chloe and I exchange looks.
“Awe, see. I like this better.”
Clearing my throat, I ask, “What do you mean?”
“You two.”
I place my elbow against the window seal and rub my fingers across my forehead. Facing the road, I start driving, Chloe’s looking out the window.
Michelle’s brows squish, “You guys are acting like a fighting couple. Did you guys fight?”
“No—”
Chloe’s voice trumps mine, “Nah. We just had a tough day with a client, and I suddenly feel a headache coming on.”
Nice save.
“I see. Like a long day at school,” Michelle pipes. “Have you tried getting ice cream? It’s relaxing. Kinda makes everything better.”
“Right? Only your dad might think he’ll pass out from sugar overload if he has some.”
I freeze in my seat. When did I say that?
“I’ll have ice cream with you. Dad, can we have an ice cream date?”
I set my jaw, but quickly smile. “Of course.”
She sucks her teeth. “Also, I think I know what color I want for my room.”
Her room is currently painted green and she’s growing out of it.
“Please don’t say black or gray,” Chloe chuckles.
“Never!” Michelle giggles. “I’m thinking some shade of bright pink.”
I clench my steering wheel. Another bold comment from Chloe today.
I’m not liking this new-found relationship Michelle has with her, especially when it won’t last much longer.