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“Naturally.”
“How are you going to manage that yourself, Mr. Big Shot?”
“That’s the beauty of being a partner,” he tells me. “Plenty of other attorneys that can handle anything while I’m gone – just like your assistant can handle anything for you.”
“That’s true. My work is all caught up and anything that comes up, well, that’s why I have an assistant. To handle things when needed.” I know I’m trying to convince myself this is okay. I know it will be, but I guess I’m proving that I do in fact need a vacation - workaholic, much?
“Exactly. So, no worries, sunshine.”
“Okay. If you say so.”
“I do. This is happening. Go talk to Nate and I’ll see you tonight. I’ll bring Chinese food for dinner. Sound good?”
“That sounds great, actually.”
“Great. See you later. Oh, and one more thing.”
“Yeah?”
“I definitely didn’t hate that bikini. Not at all.” I swear I can picture the smile on his face as his husky laugh cuts off when he disconnects our call. It takes me a moment to hang up and when I do I sit there for a moment letting his words sink in further. They leave a warm feeling low in my belly and I revel in it for a moment.
I’m startled out of my thoughts when my phone begins ringing again and I see the name and number for my doctor’s office on the screen. Not ready or willing to speak to anyone right now, I press the button to send the call to voicemail and leave my office to go tell my partner about the time off I’m apparently taking.
Wringing my hands on the way, I try to imagine how this conversation is going to go over. Suddenly, I stop in the hallway altogether. This is silly to be worrying about what Nate is going to say. I want to be professional, and that’s important, but I’m certainly not going to take no for an answer either. My time isn’t exactly something I care to argue over.
Knocking on his door I wait for permission to enter. To my surprise the door opens and I find Nate standing there with a smile. Automatically returning it, I ask, “Can I have a minute?”
“Remy, hi, of course. Come on in,” he gestures into the room and I do as requested.
Sitting in the chair across from his desk I wait for him to take a seat. I’ve worked for Harrison & Partners Accounting for five years now, not long after I lost my mom. The timing was perfect because I needed something to bury myself in to keep busy. I worked long and I worked hard, which is why I made partner in three short years. My job may not be glamorous but I enjoy it, have a long and faithful client list, get paid well and am left alone to do my job. Nate is the Senior Partner at the firm, so my boss, technically, but he treats me more like a peer, a colleague. “Thanks.”
“What can I do for you?”
“Well, I wanted to let you know that I’m going to be taking some paid time off on the calendar and the reason I’m informing you is because it’s sudden.” I hesitate briefly, “Next week to be exact.”
“Oh? Is everything okay?” I understand why he’s asking – this is out of character for me, but it’s a loaded question right now and for a brief moment I feel bad for lying.
“Everything’s great. I just had something unexpected come up and will be leaving town for a week.”
The look of concern on his face remains, but he says kindly, “That’s no problem. If there’s anything I can help look after while you’re away, let me know.”
“Thank you, but I’ve got a good handle on my accounts. There shouldn’t be anything that Kate can’t handle,” I refer to my assistant.
“Alright. I’ll make a note to check in with her while you’re away just in case.”
Standing, I nod, “Thanks, Nate. I really appreciate it.”
“No need to thank me. You work hard around here; your lack of vacations makes us all look bad. Frankly, I’m relieved. I’ll feel less guilty the next time I want to take off myself. So go, get the hell out of here.”
“Fair enough,” I respond with a laugh.
Quickly, I duck back into my office to get my purse, then I stop to tell Kate about my plans and ask her to pull a few accounts that she may need to deal with in my absence if they should contact her.
Finally leaving, I head out to get a quick bite of lunch so I can return to the office and spend the rest of the day getting things organized for my absence. Simultaneously, I can’t help but wonder what exactly I’m thinking by agreeing to this trip yet feeling excited at the same time. It’s very spontaneous and while that’s not generally the way I do things, the truth is I think it’s exactly what I need right now.
Several hours later I’m waiting for Oliver to arrive with dinner. While waiting I scroll through my favorite clothing websites looking at swimsuits and anything else that I may want to pick up while absently petting Meatball. It’s been a while since I’ve bought myself something new, now seems as good a time as any.
When a knock sounds at the door, I’m barely standing before Oliver lets himself in. “Dinner has arrived,” he kicks the door closed behind him and puts the bag of food down on the kitchen table. Meatball immediately jumps off my lap and makes a beeline for him crying at his feet for attention. Before I’m in the kitchen myself Oliver’s already grabbed paper plates and napkins and is fishing out a treat to give Meatball.
