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She was referencing my dad. His sudden, unexpected death had rocked our worlds, but hers the most.
“I’ve told them I want someone as close to Mabel as possible,” I said.
“Oh goodness, Jon,” she said, laughing. “I love her, but she’s an old woman. You need someone young. Someone that will smile prettily at you and brighten up your day.”
I cocked my head to the side and stared at her. “What is going on?”
“What?”
“Did everyone get together and come up with the party line?” I asked.
“What are you talking about?” she asked.
“Everyone in my life, even Mabel, has suggested I hire a young, beautiful woman,” I said. “I would think you would all be cautioning meawayfrom that.”
“You have always proven yourself to be a responsible adult,” she said. “I am so proud of your hard work these last ten years. Your father would be as well. You far exceeded his expectations.”
“But,” I said.
“But I’m worried you’ve given away your life to the business,” she said. “You are a young, handsome man worthy of love. I want you to have a wife that loves and adores you. You deserve to have someone in your life that loves you.”
“You love me,” I said, shrugging.
“Not like that,” she chided. “I want you to have the love I shared with your father. What Peter shares with Jessica. It’s hard to explain, but the love of a spouse completes you.”
“Thanks, Mom, but I don’t think it’s a good idea to find love with my new assistant,” I said dryly. “Don’t you remember what Dad very clearly outlined? No sleeping with the staff. Falling in love with my assistant but not being able to take her to bed seems a little unfulfilling.”
“Your father had some good rules, and I do think that is a very good rule to follow, but maybe your assistant will have a friend. Maybe you will fall madly in love with your assistant, and she will quit. Not everything is black and white. I just want you to be happy.”
“I’m very happy,” I assured her. “In fact, I’m thinking about taking the yacht out this weekend. That always makes me happy.”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re incorrigible.”
“I’m okay, Mom,” I assured her. “I truly am. I’ll find a wife when I’m ready. I have no interest in going down that road right now. My career is fulfilling. I have everything I want. I’ve got some great friends. It’s all good.”
I knew she loved me and would always worry, but I was okay. And I honestly didn’t know if I could ever fall in love with someone. As completely asinine as it sounded, I had given my heart to Macy that night eight years ago.
I didn’t have anything left to give another woman.
7
MACY
Ialmost changed into my interview outfit but then thought better of it. I was a bit of a clutz. I didn’t want to end up spilling something on my dress before the interview. I left the dress and accessories in my car and went inside to start my day. I could practically feel myself counting down the minutes. I knew better than to count my chickens before they hatched, but even if this job didn’t work out, I was going to find another. I had to.
I kept an eye on the clock. With ten minutes before lunch, I made my escape to my car. Harold and the others were doing some power lunch to talk about next year. I was hoping it would take them at least two hours. That gave me enough time to get there, do what I assumed would be a relatively brief interview, and then race back.
And if I wasn’t back on time, I didn’t care. What was Harold going to do, fire me? Oh no. The horror.
I grabbed my stuff from my car and went into the bathroom just off the cafeteria. It didn’t take me long to change. I did feel a little too dressed up, but Trisha was convinced this was the outfit to wear. I was taking her advice. This was her world.
I already had the address programmed into my phone’s GPS. It was eight minutes away. Eight minutes if someone drove like they were in the Indy Five Hundred apparently.
“Come on,” I groaned and slapped my steering wheel. I could not be late.
When I got to the address, I had to doublecheck. “Shit.”
It really was the Gucci of the watch world. I parked my car and checked the time. “Early,” I breathed with a sigh of relief.
