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Lily
Istand there in front of his desk, wanting to take a baseball bat to his head. I’m more than angry that he is still investigating me for these stolen contractual secrets.
Indignation rises through my tiny frame and bursts forth out of my mouth. “Who are you to accuse me of dishonesty when you can’t even stand by your apologies!” I yell across his desk at him.
James looks as if he’d seen a ghost, as his face drains of all color. “I’m sorry Lily, please forgive me?” he pleads his case.
My memory of it is a little foggy because everything is a slur of words, emotions and faces. I did tell him a little bit ago that I could understand that the timing of the events had been coincidental.
Looking back and seeing him apologize over and over, when I’d let him even speak, I feel sort of bad for him now. I could see etched in the worry lines in his forehead how badly he wishes he could take it all back and go about it a different way.
At least the man is honest in his reasoning and he told me the truth when I pressed him for it. I know somewhere deep in my heart; I’m going to have to find a way to forgive him and get past this.
Finishing up some more of the contracts, I get up and walk to the kitchenette for an apple or whatever fruit is on hand. I step in and see Jeff rooting through the refrigerator with his back to me. I do a quiet back up and get back to my desk.
Sheesh! That could’ve taken a turn for the worse. Any place without a Jeff of his kind, is a better place by me.
As I sit down, I catch a glimpse of David still talking with James. James appears to have taken on the appearance of a deflated tire. Yet is still handsome in his own ways.
Behind my desk, I kick my heels off and remember that James was telling me that David defended my honor furiously. I smile at that and it makes me feel good that someone is on my side.
David. A nice fellow. An extremely handsome one at that. Lately, he’s been sort of a catch all for me. Being there when I’m not there to defend myself. Helping me when I came in here a complete wreck the other day.
Just an all around nice guy. Sighing, I get back to work on a few more items before heading out for the evening.
On the way home, I place a call to Rose and wait for her to answer. In a flash a biker flies through the stop sign, almost hitting me in the side before jerking his motorcycle in the opposite direction.
“Hello? Hey, Lily!” I finally hear Rose screaming through the other end of the line.
I pull the car to the side and sit there for a moment trying to allow the adrenalin to dissipate throughout my system. “Hey, sis,” I say, a little winded.
“Are you okay? I heard a car screech,” she says in a mother-like tone.
“I-I’m fine, just shaken a little by a biker that ran the stop sign,” I say and then ask, “I’m calling to see if you wanna meet me at the club for a bit? You know, that thing we do, where we drink and unwind from our day?”
“Sure thing. If you get there before me, order me a cosmo,” Rose says and then hangs up.
I get to the club before Rose does, and order her cosmo and then order myself a martini. A few minutes later, she comes up to our usual spot and taps me on the head. “What’s up, honey?” she cackles like an old woman making a witch’s brew.
I get up and kiss her on the cheek, “Hey, it’s so good to see a friendly face. Been a day, that’s for sure.”
“Hmm, I seemed to have gotten a double portion of my usual bullshit today,” she complains as she sits in the booth across from me. Taking her cosmo, she takes a stiff gulp and says with a smile, “This should make me feel better. The perfect medicine.”
“What’s going on at your job?” I ask.
“Well, I go in this morning to a bunch of bird shit everywhere. Apparently some asshole left a top window open all the way, so a few birds flew in and took their dumps,” she slings an arm over the back of the booth and lights a cigarette.
“And that’s not all, I finally get in touch with someone to clean it up, and then a guy comes in from the warehouse complaining of a nest of fucking raccoons!” she feigns a happy face with a fake-as-hell smile. “What are we the damned zoo, for crying out loud?”
I start to laugh and feel bad for being down. “That is a very sucky place to be in, that’s for sure, I take a drink of my martini and set it to the side. A little too stiff for me.
“So, let’s hear your day, sweets,” she asks, taking a puff from the cigarette and blowing out a smoke ring.
“You need to quit that nasty habit. Anyway, I got into with James again about his investigation of me. I told him how I felt, even threatened to quit,” I tell her. “He apologized over and over.”
“I tried to tell ya,” she says.
“Yeah, but here’s the real deal. I think I’m in love with him and with David,” I cover my mouth with both hands as Rose’s face drops to the table.
