One Little Letter_A Bad Boy, Second Chance Romance

by Robin Edwards

  This last defiant statement caused her to let out the first genuine hearty laugh Daphne had her from her, rather than the superior ones she had been used to hearing echo through the agency from Angela’s back office. Then, Angela leaned back in her seat and looked somewhat beyond cityscape.

  “A lot of people look at entrepreneurs and assume it was the love of what they do that drove their ambitions and made them a success. It makes for great interviews in leading magazines and biographies, but I can tell you some of the best in any business were driven by desperation to survive, or by anger.”

  Her gaze returned to Daphne now, and the intensity in her green eyes demanded the girl’s attention to these next words.

  “Be driven by more than your ambition, because even that, especially coupled with anger can wear you down eventually. That car can get you where you want to go, but you eventually run out of gas.”

  Sitting up and taking another drag off her cigarette, she realized she was not just giving this newcomer advice, but herself as well.

  “That’s the reason I am getting out.”

  The look on Daphne’s face was sheer shock, and confusion. “Wait? What?”

  Did Daphne just hear her correctly? Did this woman just confirm what had only been a rumor around the agency’s lounge and water cooler a year ago? Angela noted her shock and scoffed as she put out her cigarette in their table’s glass ashtray, and let out one of those familiar snarky chuckles Daphne hoped wouldn’t find its way outside the office.

  “Don’t know why you’re all surprised, Daph. I know people had already been gossiping with my two former assistants about what emails I had sent to investors, handling different data entry things that contained that information about a possible closing of the agency that they had no business even uttering to anyone. You can’t tell me you didn’t hear rumors.”

  Daphne’s face became flushed, and she didn’t want to admit that she had ever behaved any less than professional, taking part in the rumor mill and whispers of mass termination, or exaggerations about Angela’s accountants “fudging the books” to hide possible bankruptcy. More so out of curiosity, she would eavesdrop on this conversation on that one. But that wasn’t something she didn’t suspect Angela to be aware of that had been going on in the agency for quite some time on the matter. She chose her words carefully.

  “I had heard some things, but nothing for sure, apparently. I can tell you it’s the reason some people started looking elsewhere for work.” Clearing her throat, she hesitated but continued. “Some were concerned you wouldn’t give them enough advance notice to find something else, so they started looking for other work.”

  There was that thin-lipped look on her supervisor’s face again. Not that Angela hadn’t figured this was what was going on months ago, but the thought still aggravated her that heresy overrode common business sense amongst her employees. Not to mention professionalism went out the window as some of those former employees not only left without proper notice but proceeded to slander her name around to potential buyers and the general social media population.

  The young apprentice must have read her mind, because suddenly a lot of things fell in place for Daphne, and it showed on her face. She began to realize some of the unwarranted admiration and even apprehension of Angela may not all have come from her history of paving her way through the real estate business with a force not often seen but by the overblown stories perpetuated by former workers at the agency once they left. She wanted to shrink back from Angela’s squinting eyes.

  Again, she couldn’t help but realize this middle aged trailblazer was not only intimidating for her presence in the real estate world, but her classic beauty. It was the kind of features you once saw in models of the sixties. The haircut of Peggy Moffitt and the perfect cheekbones of Linda Keith. The combination of those two attributes staring down a possible competitor or employee, and topped with a razor-sharp tone that could cut through stone when applied would make anyone feel two inches tall and lower than dust as she felt right now. There was that silence again.

  Daphne wanted to change the subject immediately and could see no way how to if she tried. Regardless, Angela was also one for not avoiding the tough topics, so she went on.

  “I’ve been looking at what I’m considering my last property if I can ever get the slack ass agent to pull himself together. He’s canceling open houses for this property up on Ipswich Avenue, not corresponding with potential buyers, and it’s becoming a mess. It’s a three million dollar prospective sale, has had several upgrades to make it energy efficient and more modern as far as the interior but maintaining the style and integrity of the period which it was built. It’s more than enough to cover any remaining overhead we’ve accrued this past fiscal year, and still leave a separation incentive in the form of a bonus for everyone 60 days before we shut our doors. I’ve been planning for the past year or more, keeping my accountants on top of our checks and balances, and my own personal finances just to be able to ensure we all end it on a ‘happily ever after’ kind of note.

  Instead of the ending where I am the wicked witch people apparently already believe me to be. Any remaining projects or sells will be going to auction in November if not sold by October. And I will be flying free with the rest of the birds on a Hawkner 400 or Cessna to St. Croix. Permanently.”

  The waiter couldn’t have come any sooner with the check. Daphne was feeling her lunch roll around a little. If she were going to have a full blown panic attack, she’d rather it be in the car or even back at the office than right here, right now, in public. She would prefer to not have one at all in front of her mentor, but by God, if it were going to happen she’d prefer it take place somewhere else, anywhere else. All she could think of was the irony to find all this out the moment she felt she was climbing the ladder to bigger and better within her career.

  To find out “straight from the horse’s mouth” that there was to be no agency shortly was not what she was expecting to be told during this lunch with Angela, or any other. Was that the reason she invited her along? Was Angela even being entirely honest, or was this just some kind of bait she threw out there to see if Daphne would bite, like the former assistants, and share it with others back at the agency? Was testing her confidentiality, or sincerely disclosing something she had meant to address with everyone and just hadn’t yet?

  She started feeling her head get dizzy. Then, a sudden drop of something wet hit her hand that had been resting shakily on the table. Good grief, she thought to herself. Was she so dumbstruck that she was crying and didn’t even realize it? But there was another, then another, and distant thunder could be heard. She snapped out of her stupor to realize it was starting to drizzle. Rain. No more suitable weather to fit her mood at the moment. Daphne dug for her phone in her small purse to check the weather app. It wasn’t supposed to rain today, was it? She had brought no type of cover for this weather with her today. No umbrella, or even a jacket or coat. And that just added to the dreary feelings.

  She quickly noted the rain falling a little more heavily, but also the time on the face of her cell phone. It was nearly one-thirty! They had to get back to the office. Did time go by that quickly? By the time she looked up from her phone, not only had Angela had made her way indoors, but she had already paid the bill, as she had decided waiting on their server was not a choice she was taking due to weather rolling in.

  Chapter Three

  The rain came but in sheets. The ride back to the office started off much like the ride from it an hour and a half earlier. Silence. The traffic was creeping along far slower than it was before. Angela wasn’t one to feel like she had to explain herself to anyone, but now she felt addressing the closure of her business with at least one employee was conventional practice before discussing it with all employees soon. Plus, she realized dropping a bomb like that on someone who just shared a very personal piece of themselves was unfair. Sensitivity was never her strong point, but this point in her career and life was
calling for her to flex more of it.

  “Let me tell you something, Daph... I’m ready to sit it down. I didn’t get into this business because I just love home renovations or that I am any kind of domestic darling. I’m not someone who started for the financial security but stayed for the fun of it. I saw an opportunity to make a decent living, but not a lifetime career. In twenty years, what I’ve managed to earn, invest, and save is impressive, but it’s more than enough for me to retire far earlier than I ever imagined. I put a lot on hold to just finally have what my parent’s never cared to encourage me to want. I didn’t get married because I know my focus and dedication to myself. I’m unapologetically selfish, but I have enough of a heart to not force someone to put up with always being second place in my life. I have no children for the same reason.”

  She thought back to all the many relationships she’d begin, then let just fall to the wayside. It was never she never loved anyone. In her mind, she loved them enough to let them not get dragged under the tide of her emotions, and goal driven tunnel vision.

  “It’s almost funny, people think of me as this cold, heartless, cutthroat villain, but I am more gracious than most. In twenty years I’ve only let go of one employee, and that was an accountant I found out was stealing from me. Embezzling right under my nose. Outside of that, I believe in giving people chances. Maybe, because I was given a chance by an employer once when I had no work experience at all, and it made me realize everyone needs that one chance.”

  She looked to Daphne, who was now staring out the passenger window at standstill vehicles all around, all stuck in the downpour alongside them.

  “It’s the reason you’re not my first inexperienced assistant. I don’t look at credentials and resumes when I give people that chance to do more. I watch the fact they want to do more at all. Very few do.”

  Her eyes went back the window shield. Using the built Bluetooth voice command feature in her Audi, she told it to dial the office. Coincidentally, Chris, who Angela had mentioned was the shoddiest of her agents, was the one who answered the phone. She immediately wanted to know what he was doing there at the office, and not at the Ipswich address trying to make that sell.

  He gave her a runaround explanation, claiming inclement weather had disrupted the plans to meet with a buyer, so the buyer canceled. Angela knew this was highly unlikely, considering he was one of the first faces she saw staring back her earlier, bug-eyed and nervous when she made her exit from the office for lunch.

  She wondered then why he was still there, but figured she address it with him later close to end of business.

  “I called to inform everyone to go ahead, leave for the day, we’ll open at regular hours tomorrow. Normally, I would be having Daphne address this with everyone, but she and I are both stuck in traffic, at the moment. Let everyone know I’ve given expressed instructions to head home while the weather isn’t as bad as it could get, and I’ll send a message to my accountant, Riley, to meet you to lock up. This weather is getting nasty, and I’d rather miss the last two hours of business than for myself and anyone there to not make it home safe this evening.”

  Chris gave her a big “10-4, boss lady,” before hanging up. Daphne found it surprising that she actually seemed to be concerned for the safety of her staff, but more surprising that she didn’t mention whether she was taking Daphne home, or even asking her where the home was for Daphne. Not that she was concerned about any wrong doing happening to her in Angela’s hands, but she was indeed wondering was this how her boss always handled situations, by grabbing the reins and just going.

  Seems she wasn’t going to get to know whether that was the case since the agency will be no more by year’s end. For the first time, she was discouraged a wish she had made was promptly granted. She had gone on this lunch date not wanting to know more beyond what she had seen of Angela as an employer, and fate saw fit to make it so. Yet, she was now oddly hoping there would be more opportunities to know who Angela was outside the staunch high-end suits and defensive bravado.

  “Where do you live?” Simple enough question, that Daphne was more than happy to answer as the traffic picked back up. This day had zapped her energy and enthusiasm for doing much else, and all she wanted was to be her in own space. After some much-needed contemplation and rest, she’d press reset on her day tomorrow. Reaching into her purse again for her phone, she quickly pulled up her address on the GPS app and leaned over to give Angela a glance.

  “Okay, first things first, I need to stop by my home and take care of things if that’s alright.” Daphne agreed.

  As far as she was concerned a minor detour was worth the wait if it meant eventually getting back to her own safe haven apartment.

  Twenty minutes driving and a few trips through middle-class suburbs landed them in a much more affluent area Daphne hadn’t been to before. The houses seemed monstrous in comparison to those they had passed just minutes before, and especially to the cramped surrounding of living near or in the city. Lawn after lawn of pristine emerald green; professional landscaping. It was the upper crust-dwelling place she assumed; the type of life she believed she may never attain for herself anytime soon.

  They made a few turns through the high-end neighborhood until they pulled up to a home that looked more like a modest sized castle. Angela had pulled down the driver side visor to press the button on a device clipped just at its edge. The iron gate in front of them slowly opened, allowing entrance into what Daphne was quickly referring to in her mind as the “queen’s abode.” If the expanse of the front lawn and strategically placed ornamental landscaping wasn’t grand enough, she found herself smoothly rolling over a cobblestone type driveway.

  Angela pressed again on the remote device as they neared the large car garage. Nothing happened. The door didn’t lift, welcoming them and the car out of the rain.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Angela voiced, sounding more annoyed than angry.

  This day had been a long one for her, too. Before they’re time at Le Parachute, they had been stuck in her office analyzing, re-analyzing, calling, and doing more on this day than in any other to track the week’s business, its successes, and its failures.

  “Fine. It’s a good walk to the front entrance, but it’s still us getting either way indoors.” She killed the car engine and began unbuckling her seatbelt. ‘Looks like we’re getting wet after all.”

  The storm was raging by this point. Obviously, staying in the car was not an option, so they both agreed to get out and make a dash up to the double doors. At least there was a covered area up there, but Daphne knew they were going to get soaked on the way. They swung open the doors and rushed up the walkway to the front doors. There were a set of steps to traverse, but only a few short leaps got them to the top, and Angela unlocking the right door.

  Once inside, Daphne finally made an assessment of how wet they had gotten. You would think they had just jumped into a pool fully clothed for the amount of water around their feet. Angela quickly removed her black mini blazer as she made her way across the open foyer, and for the first time, Daphne indeed watched Angela. This time not paying so much attention to her ways, but her overall self. She knew she was in shape but hadn’t ever paid so much attention as she had now to what fantastic shape she was in.

  For someone she had never known to go to the gym, her supervisor was sleek, toned. Her red top she wore under her blazer even clung to her from the soaking of the storm, revealing breasts that were not enough to garner crude pick-up lines at the local bar, but definitely enough to draw your eye there, and keep it there. She watched her saunter to a set of iron hooks on the wall where a forgotten umbrella was hanging. That definitely would have come in handy today.

  Her legs were long dancer’s legs, and the heels she wore today with the black couture slacks made them all the more fascinating to watch with every move. Daphne realized she was practically staring and attempted to busy herself. The sound of her fidgety drew Angela’s attention enough to turn
around.

  “Oh, yeah. There’s a bathroom down here on the main floor. It’s right over here. I can put your clothes in the dryer and definitely get you a towel to dry with, and a robe ‘til the clothes are dry.”

  She began walking to the left of the foyer through an entryway. The walked through a beautifully designed dining room formally, into a rectangle shaped room Daphne could easily tell was a living space or lounge that had a door just at the far wall. Angel opened the door, and there was a master suite nearly the size of her whole apartment.

  “Is this your room,” she asked as she looked at the size of the space and how well it was decorated.

  “Oh no ma’am,” she answered with a slight chuckle. “The queen’s suite is upstairs. This is just the downstairs guest room. I don’t get to show it off often, but when I do, it's always treated for who steps in.”

  Daphne admired the almost gothic touches in the room. A four poster bed made of what was cherry wood or mahogany, and a matching hand carved linen trunk was under the next picture window. Black thick curtains of velvet surrounded it, which was in stark contrast to light stone looking tile. European rugs were placed on either side of the bed, with vivid hues of red, black, and burnt orange.

  The walls were a fabric of a Rococo style black and white pattern. The whole room had a feel about that was inviting, but quietly opulent. “And here you go,” Angela stated, switching on the light in the bathroom to reveal an equally stylish setting, but in earth tones with natural tile and glass elements all round, from the shower itself to the marble countertop. Before Daphne could gather her thoughts enough to ask about the towel and robe the was the sound of a phone. It was in another room, and Angela rushed off to answer it, letting her drenched apprentice know she’ll be back with that towel and robe “in a sec.”