After me.
After one night.
My fingers went through the motions of what they did every day. They typed. Opened documents on the computer. Returned client emails. Reached for a Dr. Pepper that wasn’t there. By all accounts, my fingers were very busy.
Duke also kept busy. His office door was either closed most of the day or he was in meetings. I didn’t really know. But I missed his teasing glances and countless passes of my desk. The few times I did see him, he went the long way around my desk. A few times I met his eyes unintentionally. It happened naturally. Our eyes were used to finding each other, but this time, he blinked away. Not to say he was blatantly rude or that he ignored me when addressing the whole group in the office. He met my eyes, like all the others, but instead of stopping a second too long, they kept roaming.
I decided to take a late lunch, waiting until almost everyone had gone back to work before I stepped into the break room. The thought of running into…people and having to talk and converse was too much for me to bear. When I thought the coast was clear, I flew to the fridge in the break room, fully intent on eating lunch in my car, when I turned to find Tenisha eating a colorful salad in a large Tupperware container at a small round table in the corner of the room.
“Sit down. I didn’t get to see your finished product yet. Come tell me all about it.”
The thought of my getaway car faded away as I took a seat next to her. With some effort on my part, I collected my thoughts enough for a casual chat. After a few questions, I ended up spilling everything Bart and Birdie to Tenisha.
My favorite part was their bio. Duke had captured the sweetest pictures of his grandparents kissing. One of them both smiling at the camera. And my personal favorite: one of Bart with his hand at Birdie’s back while they both worked the saw. The dark background of the shop and the rich brown tones of the wood blended so naturally with the colors I’d chosen for their website, and its all-around vibe. It was cozy and sweet, and I fell in love with them and their business all over again when I looked at it. It had become a labor of love for me, staying up late into the night, working out every detail.
“Did you come up with a new name for the business? I remember it was a mouthful–that can be a deal breaker.”
I smiled. That had been one more phone call to Birdie, telling her about an idea I’d had and grateful she had loved it.
“Two Bees Woodworking,” I said. “Their names are Bart and Birdie.”
“Two bees.” She smiled. “I like it. Well done.”
I took a bite of my ham sandwich.
She leaned closer, her voice soft. “The other designers and I were talking this morning. We both think it will come down to you and Shawn. At least, that’s who we’re all praying for.”
A half-hearted smile lifted my lips. She gave me a once-over.
“Are you doing okay?”
“Yeah, I’ll be fine. Just tired.”
“Huh. Well, either way, I’m happy for you. You’d be an excellent addition to this office. I wish I had a vote.”
“Me too” I said, trying not to beam but failing miserably. To have validation on something I’d pinned a lot of money and dreams on meant more to me than Tenisha could have possibly known as she so casually packed her lunch containers back in her cooler.
“I’ve been so grateful for this opportunity.”
“You can thank Duke. I just wanted to hire another designer to spread the workload, but he insisted we start up an internship program. He thought paying for the schooling of the winner would be a fun way to give back.” She laughed. “’Give back to who?’ I asked him.” She shook her head. “But it turns out having three interns to share the workload was a great move. Y'all saved us this summer.”
Her casual words wielded a sword directly into my gut.
She stood to go. “Well, have a good rest of your lun—“
“Wait. It was Duke’s idea to hire the interns?”
“Yup. A couple of months ago. Had the whole thing planned in a day, I swear. Then a week later, y'all were here.”
She strode out of the room, leaving me very alone with my thoughts. It was all too much. My mind tumbled with a variety of thoughts and emotions. For a girl who made it her business not to accept help or handouts, the double hitter from Duke was enough to leave me gutted.
The audacity of Duke Webber.
If my life were a romantic comedy, that would be the title.
Defensiveness and anger should have been surging through my body right now. I was waiting for it. But the feelings never came. Duke had completely unarmed me. Again. But somehow it wasn’t anger that surged through my veins. It was tingles. Awareness. It was a feeling of being grateful for a person who saw the bestinme and wanted the bestforme. A man who provided an opportunity to make my dreams begin. It was humbling. To have someone give something without first taking.
My family needed me. They loved me, but they needed me. Duke didn’t need me. He wanted me, and that made all the difference.
