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“Yes?” I asked coolly, still expecting an apology. Or at least a thank you.
“I need you to order a flower bouquet,” he said. So, neither one, then. A new demand. He pushed a piece of paper at me. “Here’s where to send it and what to say on the card. Do whatever it takes to get it there before seven tonight.” He shook his head and ran his hand through his hair with a sigh. “I really messed up.” Ah, was my apology on its way? “This is a very important date. My brother set me up with her and I meant to send her flowers but forgot.”
Was too hungover and preoccupied with the woman who refused to be dumped, he meant.
“Sure,” I said, disgusted.
“Violet, this is very important. Please make sure it gets done. It’sveryimportant.”
So, no apology, no thanks, and now he was treating me like I was an idiot. “Very important,” I repeated.
He nodded, satisfied, and waved me out of his office. Unbelievable. Fresh start? Human side? I didn’t know if I was more mad at myself for thinking he had a human side, or him for continuing to show me what a jerk he could be.
I was definitely more mad at myself, because despite what I had to do that day, I still felt jealous that I had to order flowers for this very important woman. I had actually felt jealous of Pamela, for God’s sake. He poked his head out his door and smiled weakly. There, he finally realized he was treating me poorly.
“Yes?” I asked.
“Can you scroll through the headlines for the past few days and jot down some interesting talking points for me?”
He still hadn’t realized it. And was making it worse. I was the idiot here for hoping.
“What are we looking for? Murder count, rising homelessness, that sort of thing?” I couldn’t help myself.
It was abundantly clear how important this date was to him by the fact he didn’t stop to spar with me, only closed his eyes for a second. “Try and keep it light.” He turned and shut himself back up in his office.
If I thought I wanted to quit when I was at his apartment, I was wrong. I had been pushed far past that point. Now I didn’t care if I got fired. I clicked around the internet until I found the perfect delivery service, then placed the order for Eli’s date. I smiled when I saw what he wanted me to have printed on the card.
Here’s to a great night.
Perfect.
Chapter 11 - Eli
I was beginning to wonder if my brothers were right to worry about me. How did I end up with a psycho who refused to leave my apartment? I barely remembered the weekend with Pamela, just that I was spiraling and called her out of desperation.
It only got worse when my mother called and asked who Violet really was, since she didn’t believe my girlfriend would show up to a date to meet her wearing work clothes. After that I got an earful from Ben for trying to pass off Violet as my girlfriend in the first place. I hung up on him mid-rant and refused all his calls until today.
I was sicker than a dog from not eating much and drinking way too much over the weekend, but I hadn’t missed a day of work in my life, and I wasn’t about to start just because I had a crazed barnacle refusing to be pried out of my place. I got a quick nap and sent Violet to take care of it. I figured she could talk to Pamela, woman to woman. I could tell she wasn’t keen on the task, but I was desperate. I had to be done with Pamela for good, block and delete her. Especially after more pictures of us turned up online, and she couldn’t look me in the eye when I asked if she was the one tipping off photographers. I didn’t know what her endgame was, except maybe forcing me to admit we were in a relationship, which if she knew me at all, she’d know that wasn’t possible. But how could Pamela know me at all? We barely spoke.
I tried to get a little bit of work done, but my head was pounding. It was made worse when I finally answered Will’s call and he furiously reminded me about that damn blind date he set up for me tonight. I had to swear I wouldn’t mess things up, give it an honest shot. In short, I had to get my shit together.
When Violet came back with my keys, I knew better than to ask her how things went. She put the new keys on my desk and turned to go without a word. I quickly ended the call and remembered that I was supposed to send flowers to my blind date. I stubbornly didn’t want to do it. I was twenty-nine years old and still getting bullied into doing things by my older brothers. I knew this time it was for my own good, but if I wanted a relationship that badly, I’d find one on my own. This date was strictly damage control.
I called Violet back in and got her to order the flowers, then asked her to look up some good talking points for me. I wished I could take a few minutes to commiserate with her about my predicament, but I knew she wasn’t pleased with me after doing Pamela duty, and I needed to run down to the salon in the building to get a haircut. I had to make a good impression and not look like I was still hungover from my weekend bender. I stood in my doorway watching her for a second, then huffed when I realized the unfortunate weekend started because she made me see what I really wanted. And I couldn’t have it so I freaked out.
Yeah, Will was right. I needed to get my shit together. Maybe this woman tonight would be as interesting and fiery and fun as Violet. I didn’t hold out much hope that she’d be as beautiful, but I was still going to try to get to know her.
After my haircut, I asked Violet to give me the talking points I asked her for and she handed me a list.
“I hope it’s what you’re looking for,” she said tonelessly. “Since I’m really only used to getting women out of your life and not into it.”
Okay, she deserved that one. I would give her that one. Also, I was too anxious about the date to argue with her. I looked at the list to see it was a bunch of benign conversation starters and a few of the most recent human interest stories.
“You know, this might make a good article,” I said, trying to save face.
I felt bad making her do my dirty work and spending her time on something I could have done while I was getting my hair cut. I felt like an entitled ass, and her stony face said she agreed with me.
“How to impress a blind date?” she asked, seeming to soften.
