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“Morning,” he echoed, without looking up from his phone. He always seemed to be looking away from me. The only time he ever really looked at me was when there was a girl in his lap.
I gritted my teeth. Thinking about that wouldn’t do me any good. “Straight to the office?”
He nodded, already pulling out some files to read over on the way. I took a sip of coffee as I pulled into traffic.
It wasn’t far, but it took a while to weave my way through the streets. I pulled up to the front of the building and shifted into park. “Will you need me today?”
He shook his head as he gathered his things. “Meetings all day,” he said. “But I should be finished around 5.”
“Have a good day,” I offered as he opened his door.
He hesitated for a moment. “You too.” Then he was gone.
Well, it was something. I rarely got a reaction from him unless it was business related, or when he was drunk. It hadn’t always been like that. We had been close when we were younger, brought together by our parents. It had been a while since we had drifted apart, and sometimes I wondered if we could ever be close again.
I pulled the car into his spot and got out, downing the last of my coffee as I went. My dad had started working for Mr. Calloway - William, as he insisted I call him - when they were both in their early 20s. William had branched away from his family business of contract law and into the world of advertising. It had taken him a while, but his family background ended up serving him well, and now the Calloway Group was a multi-billion-dollar enterprise.
William and my dad had been thick as thieves for as long as I could remember. They were from different worlds but had hit it off and maintained a deep mutual respect. Apparently, once I was born William and his late wife Violet had cajoled my parents into trading their little apartment in Queens for a guest house on the Calloway property. I moved out once I started college, but it was still home.
“Morning, Chantel,” I greeted William’s secretary.
“Morning, Ben. Here.” She held out a box of donut holes she had hidden in her desk. “Don’t tell Mr. Calloway; he needs to watch his sugar.”
I winked at her as I popped one into my mouth. “Am I good to go in?”
“Go ahead. He’s free until 10.”
Chantel was another person who had been with William since the beginning. He had a habit of holding on to good people. She was a little bit younger than William and my dad, but there was a strong energy inside her. I’ve always believed that she was the one who kept the business going when Violet died. Her death had destroyed William, and without Chantel I doubt the business would still be running.
I knocked before opening the door and sticking my head in. William was sitting behind his desk, with my dad seated across from him.
“Benjamin,” William waved me in, “come join us.”
I took the open seat beside my dad. “Oliver doesn’t need me till it’s time to head home, so I’m at your disposal.”
William took a sip of coffee out of his World’s Best Boss mug - he had made Chantel buy it for him one Christmas. “I have some errands I might get you to run if Chantel doesn’t have anything.”
Since my duties were dependent upon Oliver’s schedule, there were some days when I had nothing to do. On those days I was effectively an extra member of the secretarial team.
William leaned back in his chair. “Nathan and I have just been discussing something,” he said, changing the subject. “I’d like your input.”
“Sure.”
“I’m not a young man anymore, and I’ve found myself thinking fondly of my youth.”
“You’re two years younger than me, Will. Don’t go calling us old,” my father griped.
William ignored him. “By the time I was Oliver’s age I was already married, and Daphne’s turning 28 this year.”
An uncomfortable feeling sloshed around in my stomach. I didn’t like where this was going. “I’m not sure what you’re asking.”
“Violet is the love of my life, and I miss her every day, but I wouldn’t trade the time we spent together for the world.” He sighed. “I have quite a few good friends with children of similar ages, and I’ve been thinking about arranging meetings. Nothing serious, of course, just to see if there’s a spark. You know the kids don’t tell me anything, but I’d like to see them settled in a happy relationship. Do you know if Oliver is seeing anyone?”
“I’m not sure,” I managed to say. “But I don’t think he’s dating anyone.”
William nodded. “Alright, then. Well, I don’t know that I’ll do anything yet, so we’ll see.”
I left soon after that. I barely heard a word Chantel said and did the tasks she gave me in a daze.
