Are you still meeting me at Sweet Seasons today?
You’re twenty minutes late…
Shit. I’m so sorry, babe. I got completely wrapped up in something.
Would you mind coming to my office instead?
I’ll treat you to an early lunch if so.
Be there in ten…
I tossed my cup into the trash and left the café, taking my time to walk up the street to the Premier Building.
I signed in at the reception desk and glanced at Brad’s oversized picture that hung in the middle of the wall.
Flanked by the CEO and CFO, his frame finally held the job title he’d worked toward since I’d met him: Senior Director of Operations.
Taking the elevator up to the top floor, I found myself in a flurry of rushing interns and ringing phones.
I opened the door to his office and saw him poring over a folder.
“Are you ready to talk?” I asked.
“In just a second.” He flipped the pages. “How have you been lately?”
“A bit stressed, but?—”
“Here it is.” He picked up his desk phone and tapped a button. “Georgia, tell Frank I found the clause we need on page seventy-eight. Have legal get it assessed by the end of the day, and tell the junior staff to get up here so we can prepare for our evening meeting.”
He hung up, and the door behind me instantly swung open.
Suddenly, a blur of suits rushed past me. They took their places in chairs and opened their laptops; some of them picked up files from his desk and flipped through them.
I’m practically a ghost…
“Brad…” I kept my voice firm. “You invited me here to talk, remember?”
“Yeah, but you know what?” He flipped through that damn folder again. “I should’ve just asked you for a rain check. Can it wait?”
“I’ve been waiting on you for fucking years!” I hissed. “When will you be free enough to take a phone call or talk to me like I’m someone you even halfway give a damn about?”
Everyone in the office suddenly stilled, darting their gazes toward me.
Brad looked up from his papers, his eyes meeting mine for the first time this morning.
“We can talk now,” he said, straightening his tie. He snapped his fingers, and the staff returned to rushing around the office.
“Let’s talk someplace private.” He reached out for my hand, but I didn’t take it.
I followed him down the hall and into an empty boardroom, where his framed picture met me once again.
“I’m sorry I missed our coffee date this morning,” he said. “I’m not trying to be an ass, I swear.”
I nodded, unsure of what to say.
“I’ll go with my personal update first,” he said. “Since we last met up, I’ve supervised two projects, hired forty new people, and…”
His voice dissolved under my thoughts, and as his lips moved, I waited to feel something, but there was nothing.
