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“I think you have to listen to your heart. Don’t worry about what he did ten years ago. Do you want to be judged for the things you did back then?”
I laughed. “Definitely not.”
“Then maybe give him a chance.”
28
JON
Ididn’t know what Macy’s deal was, but I wasn’t going to poke the bear. She had made it pretty damn clear she was not interested in conversation or flirting. I had enough on my plate. I didn’t need to add more to it.
It was probably for the best anyway. I couldn’t mess around with her. She was my assistant. I wasn’t sure what I thought I was going to do with her. I sure as hell wasn’t looking for a relationship. She was the one person who proved relationships were for the birds.
The bachelor life was the way I wanted to live. It was easier. No fuss, no muss. I worked too much. At least that was what I had been told. Women wanted time and attention. I had chosen to give both to my career. I was not in a position to get involved with anyone, especially not my assistant. Not her. She had burned me once. Scarred me for life.
If she didn’t want to talk, fine. I didn’t need her to be my best friend or my fuck buddy. She was just my assistant. I wasn’t sure how many times I was going to have to say that, but probably a lot. I pushed all thoughts of her to the back of my mind and focused on the marketing plan sitting on my desk.
The day went by in a blur. I had back-to-back meetings with Macy popping in and out to introduce each person while bringing me water every time. I felt like I was a little on the overwatered side. But I smiled and thanked her for every damn bottle. I left about thirty minutes before my usual time. I had a busy evening planned.
“I only have about forty minutes,” I told Dane.
“Then let’s hit it,” he replied.
We did a quick warm up before we hit the bench to get in some heavy lifting. “Push,” I encouraged him.
He grunted and racked the bar. “Where are you going in such a hurry?”
“I’ve got to meet my mom,” I told him. “She wants me to go with her to help her make a spaghetti dinner for that women’s shelter she spends a lot of time at.”
“Didn’t you give them a fat check last Christmas?”
“I did,” I said. “It’s a good organization. Mom is passionate about it. I like to help when I can. I just never seem to have that much time to do anything.”
“She’s trying to save your soul,” he teased. “Someone should tell her there is no saving your black heart.”
“My heart is not black.”
He chuckled and spotted me while I did my set. “I should probably start doing some good too. I’m probably in the good karma negative right now.”
“I don’t think that’s aprobably,” I said, laughing. “You should probably sign up for every charitable cause you see.”
I took a quick four-minute shower in the locker room and rushed out to pick up my mom. We drove right to the shelter. The first thing I saw was the line out front as we rounded the corner to find somewhere to park my car. I felt a little guilty showing up in my Porsche.
“Wow,” I said in a low voice as I escorted my mom to the back of the shelter. “There are a lot of women and kids here tonight.”
“Sadly, it’s just getting busier,” she said. “The shelter on the other side of town had to close due to a lack of funding. This place is full. Beyond full. There is a long waiting list for beds.”
“Damn,” I said.
I wished I could do more. I knew I could, but I didn’t know how. I needed to find a way to do that. I stood out like a sore thumb in the large kitchen with stainless steel everywhere. I was the only man besides the pastor that often donated his time and money raised from his church.
“What can I do?” I asked.
“Let’s get you on onions,” one of the older women said.
I forced a smile. It was probably the worst job, but I wasn’t wearing makeup so I supposed when I turned into a blubbering idiot it wouldn’t be quite as messy. “Perfect, point me in the right direction.”
“Let’s get you an apron,” she said, smiling. “We don’t want to get your fancy clothes dirty.”
