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Imagine my surprise when he brought up the whole dating thing. It was the perfect—
The shrieking sound of the shredder brings me back to reality. Dennis sees my startled expression and grins. “You seemed busy.”
I pat him on the shoulder and turn to leave but something stops me. I don’t want to let this go, even if it’s not going anywhere. Maybe I’m being selfish, but I want to see her again. The way she looked at me at the restaurant was not indifference, in fact, it could be interpreted as anything but that.
“I need to see her,” I tell him. “I owe her an explanation and I think… I think she’ll want to hear what I have to say.”
Dennis tilts his head to the side and repeats his question. Fair enough. He wants to ensure that I’m not some creep that might hurt her.
I sit down again and start from the beginning. “I was teaching at Dartmouth at the time, and I fell for her the moment I saw her walk into my classroom.” Long dark hair, deep blue eyes, and an absolute delight to be around. I didn’t intend to pursue her—she was my student, and there was a ten-year age difference—but it soon became apparent that she felt the same way. “Once the semester was over, and she was no longer my student, I asked her out. We were together for seven months, and then I broke up with her with a text message. I ran away like a coward, not even giving her an explanation.”
Dennis nods his head waiting for me to continue. “And why did you do it?” he asks when I fail to do so.
I briefly explain the situation and while he thinks I’m an absolute jerk for the way I handled that whole thing, he agrees to help. And not to tell her what I just told him until I get the chance to explain.
“Both Rose and Carol are going to a fancy hotel tonight. It’s a friend’s birthday. I can put you on the guest list so that you can see her. That’s all. Carol is my friend so if she doesn’t want—”
“I won’t pressure her about anything, I just want to see her again. If she’s still not interested, I will leave.”
Dennis nods and makes the phone call. In five hours, I’ll see her again.
Satisfied with the turn of events, I head back home but not to my apartment this time.
“It’s almost ready. Come take a look.” Andrew is standing at the entrance of my new apartment on the fourth floor. It has been unoccupied for just a couple of weeks, but I chose not to rent it out again. While the building is in an upper-class neighborhood, switching from a full floor penthouse to a smaller place several stories down, significantly lowers my perceived financial status if I bring someone over. At least I hope it will.
My plan for keeping a low profile from now on still stands—I’ve been burned too many times since I started this dating business and I need that constant doubt out of my mind.
And though I never expected to see Carol again, let alone hope for a chance to have her back in my life, I am not changing the plan now. She is not like all the other women I’ve dated in the past, and she never seemed to care about money, but I still want the wealth aspect out of the picture. I yearn for what we had, and the idea of becoming that person again makes my pursuit of Carol feel more feasible.
Andrew gives me the full tour. It’s spacious, even now that it’s been furnished, but the furniture is much simpler here. The living room has a big L-shaped gray couch and a simple, square coffee table. The kitchen is part of the living room but there’s plenty of space for cooking and dining. The TV which is much smaller than the one at the penthouse has been placed on the wall across from the sofa. There are no paintings or photos on the walls. I point that out to Andrew.
“OK, to be added.” He scribbles it in his notebook. “Come check out the rooms.”
The hallway is long and on the left there is a bathroom. Across from it, is the new home office with just a plain glass-top desk. This won’t get any use—my system is set up in my apartment—but it’s useful in case I need to do something quickly.
Next is Daniel’s room, already filled with some of his toys, and a whole section that he can use for painting. He’ll be thrilled with that for sure.
Lastly is my new bedroom. A king-size bed is placed in the middle with a side table on either side. The dark wooden floors contrast with the white linen beautifully. I wonder if I’ll ever spend the night here.
“What do you think, Boss?”
“It’s great. Well done.” It strikes the right balance between someone who’s living comfortably but not affluent. “What about the car?”
“The new one is already parked downstairs. And I also took care of the company info.”
Good. I’ll keep my name as hidden as possible. A quick glance at my watch reveals that I don’t have much time. I need to meet with my father, then pick up Daniel and get ready for the party.
“Keys.” I extend my hand. Andrew places two in my hand, for the house and the car. I put them in my pocket and leave him to continue his work while I head for another round of interrogation.
The guard opens the gate before I even have to slow down. My father’s mansion reflects his character. He wanted to be the best and look it. The enormous garden and view of the East River are the only things that tempt me to buy a similar estate. Daniel would love playing there and it would be a limitless source of inspiration for him.
Robert Reeds is waiting for me in his office, per usual. “I don’t think your new watch is working properly,” he comments as I walk inside.
I snort. Even though he was in favor of my plan, he finds this simplified version of me unsettling. Which is weird. Ever since I was born, he has only done the bare minimum for me. He
paid child support but other than that, he had no interest in having me in his life.
My mother didn’t struggle much financially when it came to raising a child or even my studies, but she had to take the burden of raising a child alone. And I was not easy to be around.
