“No one,” she answers, her eyes catching mine. I maintain eye contact, trying to ascertain if there is a lie in there. It doesn’t seem like it, but I can’t be too sure.
“I expect it to stay that way, understand? If you catch wind of any rumors surrounding Brielle and me, I expect that you’ll shut them down.”
“Of course, sir.”
“You’re free to go,” I tell her.
She stands from her chair but doesn’t move. I look up at her, waiting.
“For what it’s worth, I like her. She has the kind of spunk that you need to keep you grounded. And I’ve also never seen you smile like you have since she’s arrived.” She shrugs. “I get it. You’re the boss, she works for you. But happiness matters, too. Just some food for thought,” she says, turning and marching out of my office.
My thoughts spiral, the idea of happiness subtly shifting in my brain. Maybe it’s more than just building the most successful media and advertising company in the Northeast. Maybe I want more than that for myself. I barely have time to reflect on the conversation with Louisa when my phone rings. Like he knew our shared vision of success was changing, my father’s name lights up on cell.
“Dad,” I greet him.
“Damian. I feel like we haven’t talked in ages. Got a few minutes for your old man?”
He’s not wrong. For a while, I was talking to my father almost daily. But with how busy things have been, between work and spending timewith Brielle, we’ve fallen off our usual cadence. “Of course. What’s new?”
“Just checking in. I saw the first batch of ads for Cardinal West Outdoors. They look good. Real good.”
“Thanks, Dad. I have someone new leading the team, and it seems to be going well.”
“Sure is. I heard through the grapevine that Pinto’s car dealerships was thinking about coming on board. That’s another big account if you can land it. I might know someone with some leverage over there. You let me know if you want me to make a call.”
“I’m on it. We’ve had some talks. I’m letting the sales team take the lead for now. They’ll let me know if I need to step in to close the deal.”
“So, things have been going well at work, then?”
“Yeah. It’s still early in the year, not even June yet, but everything is pointing to this being our biggest year by revenue and growth percentage.”
“Then why don’t you sound more enthused?” he asks, calling out my lack of excitement.
I am thrilled for what this year is going to bring for CreativEdge. I’m proud of what I’ve been able to accomplish in just six years since I started this company. But my entire world isn’t wrapped up in work anymore. There are other elements to my life that make me happy. And still, I want more. So much more.
“I am. I’m just… distracted.”
“Is this the same distraction that has been keeping you from staying in touch over the past several months?”
My shoulders fall. Here we go. “Yeah. She is,” I tell him.
“This is how it starts, Damian. I’ve warned you about this. Don’t let this woman get into your head. She’ll twist you up, make you think that you’re living some dream when in reality, all it is is a fantasy.”
“Dad…”
“Look. You’re already losing focus. You’re not staying on top of potential new clients, handing things off to your employees that you should be overseeing personally. No one has your best interests at heart over there, Damian. It’s a job to them. Listen to me, if this woman has your head in the clouds, you need to pull it back. I’m not saying that you can’t have a good time together, but let her know that it isn’t serious. You don’t want to give the girl false hope.”
My gut twists. I hate knowing that I’m disappointing him. He gave up his career to help me start mine. That matters to me. And I know it matters to him. This is my business at the end of the day, but in some ways, I owe a lot of it to his help getting me off the ground. “It’s not like that. She’s not like that,” I say.
He sighs down the line. I can hear the disappointment in his voice, the echoes of pain that he still carries today. “That’s what they’ll all say. You know how this ends. You’ve seen it happen.”
Brielle and I aren’t even together. We’re friends. I can’t tell him that we aren’t serious, because wearen’tanything. Sweat breaks out on the back of my neck at that thought. Backing away from Brielle is not going to happen. Even if nothing transpires between us again, if all we do is remain friends.
We went weeks without talking when we first got back from Colorado. It didn’t make me more focused at work or more engaged in the business. My days were spent thinking about her, my nights spent missing her.
I still miss her hot little body pressed close to mine. Two nights sharing a bed made me addicted to something I can’t have, but I will still take our dinners and couch cuddles over the alternative—not seeing her every day.
I’ve never felt this way about anyone. The need that I have to be with her is overwhelming. I have no idea how I didn’t see it happening, but it’s suddenly clear to me as I listen to my father tell me that I need to stay away from her.
