Chapter Twenty-Four
Cash’s POV
On my list of ‘shit I was not expecting today’?
Seeing a video that my secretary, Sara, captured and showed me of the drama that went down in her building this weekend was at the top of the list. When the video started, it was inside her apartment, but you could hear someone shouting.
Literally across the hall. There was a video she took from cracking open her front door ever so slightly.
She whispered that she slid the chain in place moments before opening the door.
The video finally showed the outside of the apartment, the hallway, where two guys were fighting!
One shouting at the other, I looked down from the video for half a second and when I looked back up? I saw her face.
She was inside of the apartment with Eddie? How did I miss that it was Eddie shouting? Maybe because I’d never seen that side of him? I didn’t know, I just knew there was an immense amount of worry and concern that surged through me. Was she okay?
“Can I play this again?” I asked, my eyes still on the screen. She nodded as I took the phone from her hand, staring even harder, trying to dissect every second of footage.
“Who is the guy getting yelled at? The one cowering back like a child?” I ask, pausing the video at the beginning to watch after she answered my questions. Because I needed to know what the fuck was going on that early in the morning.
“The guy whose job you took,” I had to have misheard that.
I have to have just mis-fucking-heard what she said, “That’s the guy who cheated on his wife and got fired from here.
” No. That…fuck. It was only a suspicion…
I really thought I’d have to watch her from afar until I could secretly convince her to wear my ring and ride off in the sunset on my Harley.
“He and Devin lived across the hall from me, until she kicked him out a few months ago. She’s been getting it deep cleaned, trying to sell, and had these people coming around non-stop,” she filled me in and I just stood there, horrified.
“She’s the wife,” came out as a statement, not a question. I couldn’t…my brain wouldn’t…because I wasn’t asking. I was reconfirming that fucked up tid bit of information to myself. I had to hear it out loud. Had she actually been trying to tell me, without so many words?
My girl…wow.
I wasn’t easily thrown off track, but I was with this. She was practically shouting at me the other day when she started to open up to me. God I could fucking face palm myself. And I will. As soon as I'm by myself.
Fucking. Moron.
“Yeah. Well, was. I heard the divorce went through recently and he’s been getting worse the closer it got to it being over.
You know Devin? Or her brother, Eddie? She’s so sweet.
She’s always so wonderful at the Christmas parties even though half the office was taking bets on when her marriage would end because her husband’s such a flirt.
I’ve been recording what I can when I’m home and emailing them to her so she could have proof for her lawyer. ”
Wow.
Rewatching the video and actually paying attention the whole time, I saw Eddie laying into this sad-looking guy and eventually, when Eddie totally emasculated him, he ran away like a little bitch-boy.
The dude was swaying as he went, like he was already fucking tanked.
Thank the Lord, she wasn’t his anymore. I handed her back her phone, taking a deep breath.
“Alright,” I clapped my hands, rubbing them together, feeling like an evil genius, or a villain. I turned to face my secretary, a grin on my face.
“It’s time to show her how a man treats a woman. First things first. Get ahold of a florist, and send Devin a beautiful bouquet of assorted flowers. Make sure the flowers mean she’s beautiful and hopeful for the future. Can you do that?” I asked, but I wasn’t really asking and she knew this.
Sara really was a great secretary. She also knew there was going to be a bonus for her if she did all this and it brought a smile to Devin’s face.
“Also, send her a bit of everything to eat. Burger, fries, milkshake, salad, vegan, meaty dishes, gluten-free, Italian, Chinese, Thai, sushi, Polish. I want her to have a bit of everything. Okay? Because, even if she doesn’t want to eat, she needs to.
” I turned to go back to my office, taking a few strides, my mind already racing with next steps, when I paused. I turned back around to Sara.
“Please have the card for the flowers say, ‘I just wanted to make you smile. Also, I don’t know what you like to eat, so I hope you enjoy’,” I smirked to myself, “And have it signed from Johnny Cash.”
She gave me a quizzical look, before looking alarmed at the small, genuine smile I had on my face.
I never smiled at work. I never got personal enough for it.
Walking back into my office, I had my own list of shit to do.
Such as calling my real estate agent and having him put in an offer on her apartment.
It was in a great neighborhood and could be something I could use to help with the Big Brothers and Big Sisters program.
“When she accepts the offer, I want you to send in a crew after she moves out. I want you to fix it up perfectly and paint it. Do not give her my name, tell her the buyer wishes to remain anonymous. Look into how I go about possibly using it to rent out to members of the Big Brothers and Big Sisters program if they need a year to get on their feet.”
“Yes, sir. You can count on me,” Jared said.
He had been my real estate agent since he helped me find my apartment ten years ago, and then helped me buy the building.
Thankfully, no one knew it was me that was the landlord.
I didn’t want people showing up with complaints on my door.
I ended up hiring a live-in maintenance man, someone who people could call the Super.
He set up an automatic payment to me for rent as soon as I offered the job and said it was a position that comes with an apartment at a lower cost by a few hundred.
He practically jumped at it for the lower rent alone.
It seemed it was time to invest in some more real estate for another added income.
Maybe I would take that building too. It was in a decent area, decent schools.
Everything Jared was telling me about the listing was great, minus the consistent, round-the-clock harassment from her ex-husband and his mistress. That was fine.
I’d handle them.
*****
Around four in the afternoon, my phone rang. Looking at it, I didn’t recognize the number, but I answered. Curiosity got the better of me. Thank fuck I'm not a cat.
“This is Cash.” My voice sounded as arrogant as possible.
“Thanks for the flowers, Johnny.” I heard the sweetest voice and the small smile that said she couldn’t get it off her face. I thought my ears were deceiving me. I hoped I wasn’t dreaming, but hearing her, I instantly felt lighter. It felt like all the shit from the day had faded.
A smile plastered across my face; I knew I looked fucking stupid.
“You’re welcome, Red. How was the food selection?” I was smiling as big as possible, knowing I probably sounded like that nervous teenage boy. She giggled.
“Well, considering today was Moving Day and we had a steady stream of food coming, it wasn’t all that bad.
However, when the flowers showed up, Eddie lost it.
He was so mad when he found out everything was from you.
But I thought it was delicious. Mmm!” She took a second, where it sounded like there were others around, but she was moving further away. Were we about to share secrets?
“Where did you get those egg rolls from?” Her voice was a whisper, like she cupped her hand around the phone so no one would hear.
“Did you like them?” I asked, conspiratorially. If these are the kind of secrets she expects, I’m gonna have to take her there myself.
“Yes!” She quietly exclaimed, sounding so happy, and also a bit like I should have known. “Those and the milkshakes. Mmm!”
“Which flavor?”
“Peanut butter chocolate.” She let a breath out, “To die for. Almost better than the candy.”
“That does sound delicious, and highly unlikely.” I mused.
Just enjoying the happiness in her voice.
I was also locking away all the information she was giving me for future reference.
I wanted to be prepared. Whatever she could think of wanting.
I wanted to know. I heard grumbling in the background.
“Is that Eddie sulking?”
That caused, what sounded like, a full belly laugh.
It was so beautiful. So unrestrained and free.
It was such an infectious, uplifting sound.
I was laughing with her before I knew what was happening.
Soon the sun was setting, a cursory glance at the clock showed it was seven o’clock and I was still in the office.
On the phone with this beautiful woman, talking like we were the best of friends, and had been for years. Or like old friends catching up with each other after being away for so long. Or…maybe it was like getting to know everything about the woman I was going to marry.
And that thought made all of this that much better. That much more special.
I was learning about my future wife.
And I couldn’t ask for anyone better.