AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Brian, do you need anything else?” Sunny asks from the doorway, interrupting our conversation. “Daniel is watching TV.”
“No, we are all good. Don’t worry, I’ll be here all day.”
She gives me a thumbs-up and leaves.
“When are you coming back to work? I can’t keep clearing your schedule every day. If what you said about this being a personal attack on you, you need to be more present at work,” Andrew points out.
“One thing at a time, Andrew. I need to have time for Carol, for myself and for the company.”
We head back into the living room and just as Sunny said, Daniel is completely absorbed in whatever he’s watching. I move to sit next to him when I hear a soft knock on the door.
“Did she forget something?” Andrew asks, half-laughing and as I look around, he opens the door. There she is. Carol.
Looking at Andrew, then at me, equally confused.
“Carol?” I say. The blood starts draining from my face, and I have to use all my self-control not to bombard her with questions.
Her hair is straight today and she’s wearing a simple black dress that hugs her curves perfectly. Under any other circumstances, I would be thrilled to see her. But not now, not here. Not before I explain everything to her.
“What are you doing here?” I manage to ask.
“I… I wanted to see you about the job.” She pats her bag. “When I arrived, the door attendant greeted me and told me to come here. I thought...” Her voice trembles. “I thought he got confused. So I went to your apartment, but there was no one there. I thought, okay, maybe he’s here. Here you are.” She motions her head at me and turns to Andrew. “Hello, Andrew.”
Andrew returns a warm smile. “It’s so nice to have you here, Carol,” he says. “Come in.”
Carol nods shyly and walks inside.
“Hi, Carol,” Daniel almost yells. He jumps from the couch, forgetting the cartoons he was watching, and almost jumps on her, going for a hug. She bends down and catches him midair in a tight embrace.
“I missed you,” says Daniel.
“You know what? I missed you too,” says Carol and smiles, an actual smile this time. But then she turns to me again, confusion clear on her face. I don’t know what the door attendant told her.
Carol lets go of Daniel when Andrew clears his throat.
“I’m guessing you two want to talk,” he says and motions for Daniel to follow him. “Come on, Buddy. Dad has a lot to say to Carol.” The stress being on a lot.
“I want to hear,” says Daniel.
“Later,” I say and give him a light push. “This is about work, Daniel. We need some privacy.” My voice is firm, making it clear that this conversation is over. Daniel stares at me for a moment and nods but doesn’t move until Andrew clears his throat again.
I motion for Carol to sit down on the couch. Given that Andrew is here right now, she will probably assume that it’s his house. He opened the door, and he went to the office with Daniel. It could work, but it’d just add another lie between us.
Carol observes the room with a frown. The crisp white leather sofa. The marble table. The TV that’s almost three times the size of the one downstairs. Then there’s the marble kitchen, made with materials straight from Italy.
Maybe I went a bit overboard when I decorated this house after my divorce. But I wanted a complete break with Jane’s tacky taste in interior decorating.
I sit next to her and take her hands in mine, ready for the questions I’m sure she has, but she doesn’t ask anything. In fact, she doesn’t talk at all. There’s a hint of a smile when she looks at me, but the doubt I worked so hard to remove is spreading on her face again.
“I… I came here to return these,” she says and pulls a bunch of folders from her bag. “I’ve brought the digital ones too.” She reaches for her dress pocket and then stops. “Is this a bad time? Should I go?”
“No, of course not.” It’s my own expression and stiffness that’s making her uncomfortable. “Please, tell me what you’ve found.”
She nods and spreads the files one by one on the coffee table. “Should you call Andrew? I mean, he should probably—”
My lips press together so hard they go numb, but I know that I can’t play with words anymore. And I don’t want to. But I can’t bring myself to just blurt out the truth. If she asked, it’d be different. But I know she won’t ask.
“Let me get him.” I head to my office to find him seated in my chair. “Carol wants us both,” I tell him. Andrew jumps to his feet and follows me into the living room.
