The Question Is

by Kenna Shaw Reed

  She cleared the time away from the office with her boss who gave her some pointers. “You really picked the right client to cut your teeth on, take how ever long you need – just fix it.”

  Before she finished packing to leave, Derek Casbar rang to reassure her of his support, pending one or two conditions. “He’s a good kid, and if he survives this hiccup it will make him a better businessman. Won’t do your reputation any harm, either.”

  This time, when her phone rang, she answered it.

  “Gracie, I’m sorry to keep calling, but did you get my messages and email?”

  “Seth, everything’s under control. I’m heading down to my car and I’ll be there in a couple of hours. I need to call my mum and get her to make up a bed for me – but I’ll be at your office first thing in the morning.”

  “You don’t have to do that,” he sounded exhausted, shattered, as if he hadn’t slept in days. “I’ve got a huge house – it makes sense you stay here. Mostly I’ve been working on this from home. The supplier is based in South Africa so when they call it is the middle of the night.”

  Grace thought quickly, if she went home there would be questions about Sienna and her mother would pounce on any weakness.

  No, the only reason to stay with her mother was to avoid staying in a house alone with Seth. Not while memories of the last time still flooded her dreams.

  As if he sensed her reluctance, Seth said, “We won’t be alone here, if that’s your concern. That kid, Darby, is staying with me until he lands on his feet.”

  “Darby – isn’t that the boy that got out of juvie?”

  “Yeah, now he has been kicked out of home because he refused to sell some, let’s say, questionable product, for his old man. The school reached out and until they find him a more permanent home, he is staying with me.”

  “Oh,” she kept thinking. Sienna couldn’t complain if a teen was chaperoning them.

  “Look,” she said, glancing at the time on her phone, “I’m leaving now – I will stop to get something to eat on the way and be at your place by ten.”

  “Grace, get here by nine and I’ll have a meal waiting for you. You are going to need a full stomach to absorb all the crap that has happened.”

  “Fine, see you soon.”

  Sienna must have called while she was inside, paying for petrol. Grace didn’t even pick up the missed call until she turned off onto the freeway. Fighting and navigating traffic was not her favorite way of spending an evening.

  When the phone rang again, the traffic thinned, and Grace was more prepared.

  “Where the hell are you? I come home, your bag is gone and so are you. Aren’t you overacting because I said you weren’t a mum!” Sienna on the attack. Grace knew this was her way of working up to an apology, but wasn’t in the mood to be calm, reassuring or forgiving.

  “I’m going away for work for a couple of days.”

  “I call bullshit.”

  “You can call whatever you want. I’m going out of town for a couple of days to sort out a client. We can talk when I get back.”

  “I don’t know what you want to talk about. Look around you. We have a perfect life and don’t need to complicate it.”

  “Sienna, I’m not in the mood, I need to get my head ready to sort out work stuff. I can’t keep going over the same fight with you.”

  “Then, let’s stop fighting,” Sienna’s voice softened, and she purred, “Come home and let me make up with you in all the ways you like me to.”

  Grace felt the familiar longing, wanting those long legs to be wrapped around hers.

  “Honey, I wish I could, but I am seriously going away for work. I’ll call you when I arrive to let you know I arrived safe. I’ll call you tomorrow when I’ve got a better idea of how long I’ll be.”

  “Which client? You didn’t say.” Sienna’s voice slightly higher pitched than usual. She knew, Grace thought, but wanted Grace to be the one to say it.

  “Seth. It’s Seth’s company that …” the phone went dead. Grace didn’t bother trying to redial.

  Seth

  It wasn’t exactly the homecoming he wanted for Grace. Two police cars in his front yard as she drove up.

  “You didn’t tell me you were throwing a party, is all this for me?” she tried hard to hide her concern as they watched a constable help a large and aggressive man into the back of one of the cars.

  “Darby’s father came looking for him.”

  “Oh, no – are you okay, is Darby okay?”

  “Let’s say it is too early to tell but I think we are shaken and not stirred.”

  “Hi, I’m Lucy the social worker,” an attractive young woman held out her hand to Grace, “And you are?”

  “Grace, you could say I’m an old friend of Seth’s and my company is working with his on a project.”

  “Will you be staying at the house with the minor child?”

  “Ahhh, yes. I only arrived in town and didn’t know I’d be coming until a couple of hours ago. Is that a problem? Is it safe for me to stay?”

  “Gracie, Lucy is more worried about Darby’s safety than yours.” Seth laughed, “Lucy, can we do this inside now? I want to check on Darby.”

  “Of course,” Grace followed the woman inside. Not one hair out of place, fitted tailored suit. Elegant and kind. Perfect for Seth, she thought.

  “Lucy and I are old friends – most of the boys I start working with have been through the system or are at risk.”

  “Seth is amazing with these boys, how long did you say you have known each other?” Lucy turned to Grace, notepad in hand.

  “I didn’t, but we’ve been friends since high school. We dated and broke up when I went away for uni. Recently, Seth and his company have become a client of my firm and we are working on a project together. I got an emergency call earlier this evening and here I am.”

  “I don’t suppose you have a ‘Working with Vulnerable Children’ card,” Lucy asked. Grace detected a subtle accusation or was it jealousy.

  “Actually, I do. My girlfriend and I do a lot of work with at risk children in the city. You know, the ones who are abused by their families or in school environments for being different.”

  “Oh, so you are gay then?” Grace enjoyed watching Lucy’s confusion and back pedaling.

  He laughed, “Don’t worry, Luce, it’s like Grace said – old friends now friends and working together. If Darby still feels safe here after his father’s visit, he is welcome to stay.”

  Lucy couldn’t agree and leave quickly enough.

  “Another unhappy ex?” Grace laughed as they hugged.

  “We tried, and now she probably realizes you are the reason it didn’t work out. And she is judging me for not moving on when my girl moved on with another girl.”

  “Sorry about that.”

  “Don’t be. Ancient history. Darby is the important one here and now. Do you mind if I go and make sure he’s okay before I make you dinner?”

  They smelt the toasted sandwiches even before they reached the kitchen.

  “Hey, mate. Your dad left in the car.”

  Darby didn’t react, head down, focused on making the sandwiches.

  “Hi, Darby, I’m Grace. I’ll be staying here for a couple of days.”

  Still silence, the knife gliding through the butter. He made up almost a whole loaf of bread.

  “Mate, since there are going to be the three of us, what do you say we make some of your famous ANZAC biscuits. I’m sure there are rolled oats and golden syrup in the cupboard.” A shy nod.

  Seth lead Grace into the dining room where they could still see Darby without being too obtrusive.

  “When he is stressed, he closes down and needs to focus on something practical. Today it is cooking.”

  “What happened?” he appreciated Grace’s concern.

  “I came home, and Darby was lying in the fetal position on the lounge. His dad had broken into the back yard, banging on the doors demanding to be let in. I called the p
olice and they spent a lot of time, wasted time, trying to negotiate him down. No one wanted a son to see his father arrested, but in the end, we didn’t have a choice.

  “Oh, Seth,” Grace wanted to go in and hug the young man, but knew he needed time to process what happened, “How fucked up for both of you. What happens now?”

  “Well the police will take it out of my hands. He threw a few punches at them, so he will be charged. The challenge is making sure Darby feels safe, to see this as a safe home for him again.”

  To hell with giving him space. Grace jumped up and ran into the kitchen. Before Seth could stop her, she wrapped Darby in her arms, patting his head saying, “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry.”

  To his amazement, instead of pushing her away as he would with Seth, Darby returned the hug and within minutes, the strong sully young man turned into a boy, afraid of the future and sobbing on the shoulder of a stranger.

  Grace got through to him with a hug. Seth could only watch, amazed as they stood in the kitchen until Darby’s sobs subsided while Grace kept patting his head or back.

  “It will be okay, I promise you, it will be okay,” her soft croon as soothing as a lullaby.

  When Darby looked up, his embarrassed eyes sought Seth who for once did not know what to do. He was as emotionally invested in the young boy as he had ever been but lacked the confidence to reach out and hug him. Instead, he did what he always did, deflect, “So, where are these sandwiches you were making – this young gorgeous girl standing before us drove all the way to save my company again and I promised her food.”

  The forced laughs became real as the night progressed. The three of them even pulled out the old board games and Seth introduced Darby to the cut throat elements of Monopoly.

  Seth was in a leading position and ready for the final kill when Grace and Darby teamed up, combined all their properties and cash to wipe him out with a couple of unlucky rolls of the dice.

  “Cleaned up twice in one day. I think I should go back to brick laying,” he joked as Grace’s phone rang.

  “Oops, I forgot to tell Sienna I arrived safely.” The boys looked at each other as Grace left to take the call.

  “Dude, you have it bad for her,” Darby counselled, “Are you sure you want her here if she is off limits?”

  “I can handle it – in any case, she friend zoned me, and my business needs her.”

  “Are you sure I won’t be in the way?” the brash and confident young man quickly turned into the scared young boy again.

  “Darby, I’m not as good with the hugs and that stuff as Grace is, but you need to consider this place your home. I don’t know for how long, but you are welcome here and I will do my damnedest to make sure you are safe.”

  “Do you think they will let me see him?”

  “Your dad?”

  “Yeah, he is mad at me, but he’s … well he is still my dad.”

  “Mate, it won’t be up to me, but I will make some calls tomorrow. You go to school and keep your job and I will sort out the rest. Deal?”

  Darby reached out and clasped his hand. Seth hoped he had done enough to earn his trust.

  “Night,” Darby said, “And if I haven’t said it before, thanks.”

  “Sleep well.”

  Grace

  Two days, that’s all it took for her world to turn upside down again. Seth’s company was more dependent on the timing of supplier payments than she expected. It took almost 48 hours of working closely with Derek Casbar, and the collective contacts of their firms to pull off a miracle.

  Not only did they renegotiate Seth’s payment terms for one of his suppliers, with Derek’s help, Seth now held a controlling interest in the supplier. A myriad of arrangements sat behind the deal, which at the end of the day confirmed his supply chain and kept his project alive.

  In the meantime, Sienna cut her out of her life. Instead of avoiding Sienna’s calls, Grace was forced to replay old voice messages just so she could hear her voice.

  Grace logged into the unit security system and found out no one had been to the unit in the two days since she left. Where was Sienna?

  Working so closely with Seth when he was under pressure gave her a new perspective. Most clients got sharper and more agitated as a situation got more dire. For Seth, everything almost collapsed around him and yet he still took the time to celebrate his assistant’s engagement and made sure the happy couple got to spend a morning in a hot air balloon before a catered breakfast.

  Romantic, strong.

  Every way she looked at it, he was everything she wanted in a partner – and had with Sienna. Or at least thought she did.

  With Darby staying with them, it gave her a greater appreciation for why Sienna didn’t want children. He certainly was a handful and took up all their spare time, and a lot of Seth’s energy. Was she ready to put her career on hold to raise children? What if Sienna was right and their relationship didn’t need the added stress and responsibilities.

  Damn it, she wanted to talk to Sienna, to tell her how much she loved her and to kiss the softness of the lips and taste the subtle cherry lip balm.

  Instead, she hung out with the two men and enjoyed the easy-going nature of the bachelor pad.

  The email confirming everything had been sorted out came through. Contracts signed all around. Seth’s company now officially safe and she was officially his hero and the rising star of her firm. Even Derek Casbar offered her a job if she was interested in a move.

  Seth

  “That’s it then?” he asked as she handed him the print outs.

  “All that effort for three pieces of paper.”

  “Gracie, I didn’t think it was possible. I honestly thought the supplier would go under and the project schedule would blow out while I looked around for replacements.”

  “Well, now instead of one company to give you a headache, you have two.”

  “You realize I want to look at how to integrate them both together not only in financing but to reduce corporate overheads.”

  “I thought you would. While we were waiting, I jotted down some ideas for you. There are enough synergies to make it worth your while – especially in the governance structure and decision making.”

  “I hope you don’t mind,” he asked as he watched her collect her bag and leave him again, “If I insist that you remain as my lead account manager.”

  “I told you, if you need me, I’ll be here.” She smiled, kissed him on his cheek and left.

  Grace

  Every time she left Seth, the pit in her stomach scared her. If she only cared for him as a friend, she shouldn’t be so happy to be around him and so empty when they were apart.

  Sienna finally answered her phone, “So!”

  “Sienna, it’s done, I’m finished and on my way home. Where are you?”

  “I stayed with Allie and Toni. They offered a free meal and invited me to stay. I hate an empty unit.”

  “I hate being without you,” Grace admitted.

  “You’re the one who left,” bitterness and jealousy. This time, Grace had nothing to be guilty about.

  “I’ll be home soon. Will you?”

  A long silence, Grace didn’t realize she was holding her breath until the soft reply, “Where else would I be, I love you.”

  Go to Lying eyes

  Once is never

  Grace

  “Seth, we can’t,” Grace took a step back, needing the distance so she didn’t do something she wouldn’t regret.

  Of course, he called her on it, “Can’t or won’t and never?”

  “What we did …” she started not even believing her own words when he took in his arms and drew her near. His body next to hers, the beating of his heart in time with hers.

  To hell with everything, one kiss couldn’t hurt, she raised her head ever so slightly. Would he sense her defenses lowered and wanted to be vulnerable to whatever he wanted?

  “No,” she felt him shaking as he backed away. “I’m not going to k
iss you. Not now,” he read her mind. “You deserve to be kissed, and by me. But I’m not going to kiss you, get you all hot and horny only to go home to someone else. The next time I kiss you, it will be for our pleasure.”

  Before she had time to react, Seth released her and left. She stood watching his car until it turned down a side street and out of her sight. Deflated, there was nothing else for her to do other than to go home.

  So preoccupied with her own thoughts, Grace almost missed the white table cloth, good cutlery and glass wear laid out by Sienna. Without thinking, she turned on the lights only to realize the candlelight ambiance was intentional.

  The smells from the over caught her attention. Opening the oven door, she smelt the roast before the steam cleared and she saw the roast snapper and all her favorite vegetables.

  Soft music came from the bathroom where Sienna lay covered beneath a cloud of bubbles in the bath. Thoughts of Seth pushed to the side as Grace felt how awkward it would have been to leave Seth’s lips only to come home to this.

  “Well, someone has been busy,” as Grace leant down to kiss her, Sienna grabbed her and pulled her into the water, laughing as bubble and water splashed all over the floor.

  Grace spluttered as she came back up for air, slightly annoyed at the ruined clothes but then relaxing into the smoothness of Sienna’s body beneath her.

  Sienna’s mouth found hers and soon all thoughts of Seth disappeared. Call her crazy, but even after all this time, one kiss from Sienna and she was completely at her mercy.

  “So, are we celebrating or commiserating?” Sienna asked as she started pulling off Grace’s clothes.

  “Work is finished for the day – definitely celebrating,” Grace didn’t want to say his name, not when they were about to make love. It would seem disrespectful to them both.

  “Honey,” no jealousy in the kiss, “As much as I want to be the only one you are with tonight, I know this has been a big week for you and your new,” she paused, “Client. How did it go?”

  “I’m ready to celebrate – if you are,” Grace succumbed Sienna’s deft touch as her top found its way onto the floor and she helped Sienna remove her skirt and panties. Their naked legs intertwined, “The guy I told you about, Derek Casbar, is putting together a deal for us. Seth has his money for this project and Derek wants to work together setting up something else for one of his other clients.”