Chapter 20
These days, it feels like a part of me is locked up somewhere very far out of my reach.
I'm still performing optimally at work, but that's it.
Everything else is suffering. I barely do anything else aside from work or watching the game.
I don't even attend social gatherings anymore, including charity events. I send my PA in my stead. My entire life has been in a frustrating loop ever since she left. That had been the first blow. The second blow had been turning deaf ears on Dean’s advice and carrying on my relationship with Renee.
Barely a month after we’d begun dating steadily again, I'd talked myself into speeding things up with Renee. I got Sally to pick out a ring from the jewelers, something she knew a woman like Renee would like. With the oval-shaped Cartier diamond ring in my pocket, I’d flown to California where Renee had a scheduled shoot for a new magazine, in hopes of surprising her.
She usually shares her location details with me, and we were accountable for that.
Or so I thought until I arrived at her hotel room to find her in bed with another man.
That had opened my eyes, and I'd flown back to New York, tail between my legs, straight to Dean’s house.
Groveling is too nice a word to describe what I did that night to get Dean to drop the whole ‘I-told-you-so’ speech.
We’d proceeded to bond over a few glasses of whiskey while I resisted every temptation to ask about Dora.
All memories of Dora are to remain locked away in the deepest, darkest part of my mind.
So tell me why, on Wednesday morning, I'm reading through a fire incident report on my desk, and my thoughts keep straying to Dora.
My heart is racing, and perspiration beads over my forehead as I skim through the second page of the report.
According to the report, the fire was started in the afternoon by a drunk.
The man had reportedly bumped into several crates of whiskey at the docking door, dropping his lit cigarette on the spilled liquid.
How he got there, no one knew. No one heard or saw him until the fire started.
I flip the folder closed and scrub my damp face with my equally damp palms. I have to see her…
I need to see her, and an opportunity has just presented itself.
I push back from my desk, gather my things, and sprint out of the office.
“Sally, I need to be in Chicago ASAP! Get the jet ready in an hour,” I bark over my shoulder at a wide-eyed Sally who has a phone to her ear.
She bobs her head in a nod, hangs up the phone, and begins to punch the phone buttons.
I mentally berate myself on my short ride to the ground floor.
I'd put off this trip for almost an entire year.
But for the first time in a long time, I feel alive.
The cold February air hits me as I exit the building. I dash to my car and pause as a memory hits me. A memory of Dora getting her first ride in my car. How her face had lit up at the sight of my car. Gosh! I've messed up big time. I just hope I'm not too late.
Seven hours later, I arrive at Glenview as my rental car rolls into the parking lot of Prime Universal Supermarket.
I hurry to the front revolving doors, impressed by the product display and the number of cars covered in snow.
The first thing that hits me as I step into the store is the warmth.
An attendant in her mid-twenties, standing to my left just beside the door, motions for me.
There's a high table in front of her with a tall jar with brown swirling liquid, I frown in wonder.
“Hot chocolate, sir? To keep the chill away while you shop with us today!” The attendant says in a sing-song voice, and I chuckle.
Wow! What an amazing idea. Now I see why this branch has made five times its revenue in sales.
Dora truly is a gem, I think, grabbing the steaming cup she's offering only to notice a queue forming behind me.
I quickly step away in search of the store manager.
I spot an aisle attendant and make a beeline for him, only to catch sight of the store manager walking past another aisle from the corner of my eye.
I make a u-turn, squeezing past enthusiastic shoppers crowding the aisles until I catch up with him almost at the door.
“Excuse me, Mr. Wells?” He turns at my voice and I see the joy enter his face as he throws up his hands.
“Mr. Prime! What a surprise!” He yells, reaching me in two strides and pumping my hand in an enthusiastic handshake.
His yell draws attention to us, which I had hoped to avoid.
Before I can dissuade him from what I guess he's about to do next, Mr. Wells turns to the room to announce in a loud voice, “Workers, shoppers, we are honored to have in our midst the founder of Prime Universal Supermarkets, Mr. Cole Prime in the flesh!”
A few gasps break out, followed by a reverberating applause. I wave in gratitude, nodding to the crowd before being ushered to Mr. Wells's office.
“I hope you're not here because of the fire incident from last night. As you can see, no harm was done. The first was put out mere minutes after it started, thanks to the employees who had been loading the crates.”
I nod at his explanation, feeling more comfortable by the minute in this cozy office. “I must say, the fire report startled me, but seeing that the place is functioning barely twenty-four hours later proves your explanation true.”
Mr. Wells smiles and rubs his protruding belly. “I hope you don't classify this as a waste of time.”
“Definitely not!” I reply almost immediately. “I've been meaning to come down here to see the magic happening here for myself. The sales margins are unbelievable.”
Mr. Wells’s laughter fills the air, “And it's all thanks to Dora, the miracle worker.”
I frown at the familiarity in his voice, but quickly school my features. “Speaking of Dora, could you point me to her office?”
Mr. Wells scratches his head in confusion. “Don't you know? She works remotely these days. She comes in once every other week to see things for herself. She told me she had it cleared with HQ.”
Mr. Wells’s shocking words are still ringing in my ears as I pull up to Dora’s apartment.
Mr Wells had supplied me with the address after I reassured him I must've gotten the notification lost in my mail somewhere since the HR Department was in charge of such things.
A thousand different answers run through my mind as to why Dora would've transitioned to hybrid work.
Did she meet someone else? Is she working for another company?
Did she have a health challenge? These questions spin in my head as I knock on the door.
Fear makes my hands clammy and my heart runs faster than a race car.
I blow out a breath, putting together the words in my head of all the things I would like to say to her.
The door cracks open and my throat closes up. An unexpected pair of eyes stares pins at me from the doorway.
“Well, well, well! Look what the chilly wind blew in. If it isn't Cole Prime himself,” Merry says in a voice with more bite than the cold air. I manage a smile, noting her battle-ready stance. Oh boy! She's sporting a fight.
“Merry! What a delight to see you, too. It's been too long, don't you think?”
She crosses her arms over her chest and rolls her eyes at me. “Not long enough if it were up to me.”
It dawns on me that Dora must've told her best friends about our brief affair.
But how am I the bad guy? She broke up with me!
I've never been particularly close to Merry or Gina except for a few civil words during occasions when we were all in the same room. Still, they are a huge part of Dora’s life, and if Merry is here, there's a huge chance Gina is, too. Oh boy!
“Merry, it's freezing out here. The least you can do is let me in before I freeze to death.”
She doesn't budge. “Your jacket looks thick enough to keep you warm.”
I sigh, realizing that my approach may come off wrong to her. I clear my throat and begin again, “Hello, Merry, how are you doing today? I would like to see Dora if that's possible.”
She smirks and turns on her heels. “Not possible. You can't show up unannounced after several months and expect to see her. She's not available.” Merry punctuates her last words by slamming the door in my face. What the hell?
It continues for two more days, with either Merry or Gina slamming the door in my face, baring me from seeing Dora. All my calls and texts to communicate with Dora go unanswered.
“How am I supposed to set up a meeting with her if she doesn't respond to my calls or texts? I'm still her boss, you know that, right?”
My words of chivalry once more earn me a slammed door. Shit! What sort of nutjobs is Dora surrounded by?
I seethe with rage on my drive back to my hotel, wondering what else I could do to get an audience with her.
Suddenly, it hits me. I pump the brakes, grounding to a halt to a litany of expletives from honking drivers behind me.
I don't bother apologizing, making a U-turn instead, heading back to Dora’s apartment.
I pound on the door and come face-to-face with an irate Gina.
“If you won't let me see her, I'm going to call Dean and Mr. and Mrs. McLean to tell them what’s happening. Maybe with them at the door with me, you'll let me in.”
Gina stares agape at me before furrowing her brow in anger. “Fine! You can see her tomorrow morning during breakfast hour at the cafe opposite your supermarket.”
I smile in response and hop down the stairs, glad I'd finally gotten a breakthrough. However, my joy is short-lived when, the next morning, I see the stony set of Dora’s jaw and the anger dancing in her eyes.
I swallow as she takes her seat. Still, I have to admit she's radiating a warmth and beauty I haven't seen before.
Or maybe too much time has passed since I last saw her. Whatever it may be, she looks stunning.
The low dim of the cafe fades immediately after I spot her.
As she walks in, I can’t stop my eyes from raking over her, taking in the changes I could see.
Her hips were rounder, her breasts fuller.
Even from the cashmere jacket she had on, I could tell.
She doesn't say a word. She just sits on the chair opposite me and dumps her purse by her side.
The minutes tick by with the two of us sitting and staring at each other.
How to break the ice? I think, a hundred words swirling on my tongue. I finally decided on compliments. Women love compliments. I carefully lay my hands on the table and lean forward, “Hello, Dora… You're looking absolutely breathtaking…”
“Save it for someone who cares or enjoys being lied to. What do you want, Mr. Prime?” Her angry words freeze the rest of the compliment in my throat.