Cover Up

by Laura Westbrook

  “Sounds like a good deal, then.”

  Are you trying to talk me into this, Branson? He was such a mystery sometimes.

  She motioned to the dining room table. “Were you expecting someone?”

  He nodded. “I was. It’s been there for a while. I never got around to putting it all back.”

  His words were like a pang in her chest. The second set was for me, but I never bothered to show up.

  “I’m sorry, Branson. I should’ve said something, even if I wasn’t going to come over. Sure, you simply assumed I’d come over without asking first, but it was still a nice gesture, and it wasn’t fair to you what I did.”

  “I appreciate that.”

  She decided that was a good place to start. Now that she was on a roll, she didn’t want to stop, otherwise she’d chicken out. “I smacked my head on the mailbox door and got a massive lump. Feel it.” She leaned forward.

  He lifted his hand and gently probed along her hairline. “Does it still hurt?”

  “Not really. The pain’s gone. I put butter on it.”

  “Butter? Seriously?”

  “Don’t question me on this. It’s something that goes way back in my family. It works.”

  He held up his hands. “Okay, you got me. I believe you.”

  She poked him between the ribs. “You’d better. Otherwise my grandmother might come after you.”

  “I wouldn’t want to risk that. Thanks for the heads up. If she’s anything like you, then I know I wouldn’t want to mess with her.”

  She laughed. It felt good. “I always knew you were a smart one.”

  “You know, those mailboxes have a life of their own. You should be careful.”

  Her smile drooped. “There’s more. The bruise on my shoulder is more than just on my shoulder. I have bruises…all over. I’ve been wearing clothes I haven’t worn in years in order to hide them.”

  Now it was his turn to stiffen. He sat up a little straighter, as if the dragon he needed to slay was inside the apartment with them. He wanted to protect her so badly. “Okay.” He seemed torn between not wanting to pry and desperately wanting to know.

  “I should’ve just told you, but the night before I met you—maybe the night you were moving in—my friend Amy and I got in a car accident.” She shook her head. “I got us into a car accident. I smashed into a lamp post and totaled her car.”

  His shoulders relaxed a little, but she was worried about what that meant just as much. “Okay.”

  “But I promise it wasn’t because I was drinking. Amy was, but I didn’t have a drop, because I knew I’d be driving. It was because of a cat. It came out of nowhere and ran in front of the car. I swerved to miss it, and I did, but it didn’t help the car any.”

  “Why didn’t you just come out and tell me? Here this whole time, I thought…nevermind what I thought.”

  Her hand rested on the couch, inches away from him. It had a life of its own and wanted nothing more than to reach for his hand, to touch his skin, to feel just that little bit closer. She needed that right now.

  “I didn’t tell you because I was afraid you’d judge me, and I suppose not want to be with me anymore. Who would want to be with someone who’s that careless and destroys someone else’s property like that?”

  “You really thought I’d stop seeing you because of that?”

  She risked a glance at his expression, but it was hard to get a read on it yet. “Honestly? Yes.”

  “I’m glad you told me. I feel relieved, honestly. Because you’re okay after a car wreck, and also because I don’t have to worry about the…other thing.”

  “Okay.”

  “But mainly,” he continued, “I’m relieved because you told me. There’s no reason to hide something like that. I wouldn’t have judged you. There’s a reason it’s called an accident. And if your friend is smart, she’d say the same thing too.”

  “She did.”

  “Well, there you go. You did the best you could in the moment. And hey, I’m sure that cat is glad you made the decision you did.”

  She gave a weak smile. “I suppose so, yeah. You aren’t mad? There were a hundred times I wanted to tell you, but by that point, I was in too deep.”

  He reached over and picked up her hand, giving it a squeeze. It was literally the best thing ever. “Just promise me one thing: you tell me what’s going on the next time so I don’t worry.”

  He worried for me. “You’ve got yourself a deal.” This time, her smile wasn’t wobbly at all.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Leila held up her hands. “Nicole, Mr. Donovan is busy at the moment. If you’d like to meet with him, I suggest setting an appointment and—”

  But Nicole was already turning the handle. “I’m sorry, Leila, but I need to talk to him. Right now. Please hold his calls.”

  The look on Leila’s face was almost worth it. She could’ve stopped right there and then. But no, she needed to do this. No way out but through, as her grandmother always said.

  “Hang on. I’ll call you back,” Gary said, setting down his phone. He usually set it down lightly, considering the glass desk surface, but he was so startled that he dropped it completely. He grumbled while he picked it up, but managed to say, “Nicole. I wasn’t expecting you. Is there an appointment I didn’t see?”

  She walked right up and helped herself to the chair across from the desk, crossing her legs and adjusting her skirt. “We need to have a talk.” She seemed to be saying that a lot lately.

  He glanced at his watch. “Okay, what about? I’ve got a few minutes.”

  “About the letter I received about moving to Seattle.”

  “Right. The letter. Not exactly the best news, is it? I’m not happy about losing one of my top people to Seattle, but that’s how things go sometimes, you know?”

  “Listen, Gary. Any company that has so little regard for its employees as to order them to move across the country on two week’s notice is beyond ridiculous. I’ve never heard of it happening, and I doubt you have either.”

  “It’s not great. I’ll give you that. But the company will pick up the tab on your moving expenses and any rent left over on your lease. They even have people at corporate who will call your landlord and negotiate a buyout. They’re pretty efficient.”

  “Efficient like a machine, maybe, but it employs people, Gary. People aren’t machines. They just can’t be ordered to move like that, and with so little time. Considering what I’ve put into this company over the years, I expect more respect than what I’m being shown.”

  This was it. The moment. Inside, she grimaced and fully expected him to throw her out of his office and perhaps even the building. Her entire job was on the line now. But she’d had it. She refused to be pushed around anymore, not by her company or even the universe at large. She was taking control of her life from now on.

  But instead, he surprised her by saying, “I know where you’re coming from. I was told to move here from Milwaukee. Not with as little time as they gave you, but not far off. I know how it throws a wrench into your life, years you wish you had back. But it’s all contributing to you building a name for yourself. Who knows—you could be a corporate head down the line. Hell, I might be answering to you one day.”

  She shook her head. “I’m sorry, Gary, but that’s not good enough. I’m declining the offer to move. If that means I need to be demoted, then so be it. And if somehow you see it fit to remove me completely, that’s your prerogative, but it would be a mistake, and my work here at this branch in the position you’ve put me in will show you that. I guarantee it.”

  For a long moment, he stared at his phone on the desk surface. “I’m sorry to hear that’s your answer. I’m going to have to talk to my boss about it and see what will happen, although I know she’s pretty firm on the plan to have you all in the same city.”

  “Why only certain executives and not others? You don’t have to go.”

  He spread his hands. “You know there are different ty
pes of upper ups. There are managers, team leaders, executives, etc. Someone has to be here to run the place. I’m a manager. That’s what I do. But your tier can work via satellite with your team. I can’t.”

  She stood. The chair scraped back. “I’m sorry, but my mind’s made up. I’m staying here in New York City whether it works out at this company or not. I’m staying firm on this, and I hope we can work something out.”

  “I’m not seeing a way we can, Nicole. I’ll tell the powers that be and let them decide, but I know what their answer’s going to be.”

  “I understand.” She walked to the door. That entire meeting happened very differently than she had imagined it would. “For what it’s worth, I appreciate working with you. It’s been a good experience.”

  The door shutting behind her sounded louder than it should.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Nicole’s lungs felt like they were going to burst. She felt lightheaded and the room spun a little. Just three more and she’d be done. She worked out and didn’t smoke, but somehow she didn’t have the lung strength for this, making her reassess how often she went jogging a week. She might have to up that a little bit more.

  A blue one. That would liven up the bunch more. She had every other color from the multipack of balloons, so why not? Two more. She added a yellow one to the opposite side to try to even them out. She’d never put so much care and attention into balloons in her entire life, especially considering how she normally felt about them. But Branson was worth it, and she was determined to show him how much, even if it meant doing all the gift stuff she normally disliked, but he liked them, and that was the important part.

  She rolled out the second part of her plan and sat back and waited. Gauging what time he usually came home, he should be walking up to his door any minute now. Fifteen minutes later, she tapped her finger against her leg. Come on. He should arrive home at a regular time like normal people did, especially when there’s someone special waiting with a special something. It was an irrefutable fact.

  Every time she heard the distant slamming of a door, she glanced up at her door, as if she had some sort of superhero power to see through the wall. Any second now.

  Someone entered their hall and kept walking past where his door should be. “Seriously?” she said out loud, instantly hoping that person hadn’t heard it. She couldn’t take it anymore.

  A snack. That would help. Something to take my mind off waiting. She wove around the table and grabbed a bag of pretzels from the kitchen. She had to be careful not to tip over or nudge any of the containers of food, although thankfully she put lids on everything so that the contents stayed warm.

  She shut the cabinet too hard, which made her grit her teeth, considering she’d just judged the people downstairs for doing essentially the same thing. The sound made her jump. It shouldn’t be quite that loud. Even as she stared at the cabinet, it made the same sound again. Great. Now I’m going crazy.

  It happened again, only this time, she could hear what the individual sound was. The door! It wasn’t a slam; it was a knock. Her feet barely touched the ground as she turned the corner and placed a hand on the door. She opened it one sweeping motion, revealing a Branson with full arms. Perfect. Just what I hoped for.

  “Nicole,” he said. “What is all this?”

  She gestured inside. She’d offer to help, but that would ruin half the fun. “Come in.”

  “If I can,” he said with a chuckle.

  She was impressed. She knew he was strong, but she didn’t know he had the dexterity to balance a bouquet of flowers, chocolates, and an awkward sized bunch of balloons, haphazardly tied together. He could blame the tie-job on her. She wasn’t exactly the artsy type.

  “Here, you can set some of it down over here and the rest on the couch.”

  He finally had his arms back to himself again, and he rubbed one of his biceps, likely just for show. “Are you going to tell me what all this is about? I nearly fell over carrying all that stuff.”

  “Oh, you’re fine. You’re way stronger than a few balloons.”

  “You call that a few? Was the store mad when you bought them all out? There’s probably a kid out there somewhere who can’t have a birthday party.”

  “Well that’s too bad for the store then. They’ll just have to think of something else. I wanted them for my man.”

  He paused for a moment, then grinned. “Your man, huh? I like the sound of that. Even if little Timmy has a sad party.”

  She punched him in the arm. It could’ve been a concrete block for how much she affected it. She’d been right: he clearly worked out.

  “But really,” he said. “What’s all this for?”

  It was then he looked up and finally noticed what was on the table. “You’re full of surprises tonight.”

  “Three course dinner for two,” she said. “Taco night with all the fixings and with margaritas. Strawberry ones, because the lime ones give me a headache. And if you think that’s not enough, I do have a sombrero in my closet. I’ve been lugging that thing around for years from home to home for just such a moment.”

  He shoved him thumbs into his pockets. “I don’t know what to say. You really didn’t have to go to all this trouble.”

  “But I did. And you know why?”

  “Why?”

  She slipped her arms around him and tilted up her head. “Because you deserve it. I wanted to show you how much I appreciate you and the things you do for me. You’ve cooked me so many dinners, and I felt it was time I made you one.”

  “But I like to cook for you.”

  “And you’re good at it, silly man. But not tonight you won’t. I have everything taken care of.”

  “Okay, you win. You’ve twisted my arm. I suppose I’ll have no choice but to enjoy your delicious cooking.”

  “You don’t know it’s delicious yet. You haven’t tasted it.”

  “I have a gut feeling about this. It’s never let me down.”

  She patted his trim stomach. “You don’t exactly have much of one.”

  He smiled. “Not right now, but maybe when I’m old and gray. Then what will you think of me?”

  She opened her mouth, then closed it. That’s an awfully long time in the future to be thinking about us. Whereas normally she’d question it or look at it sideways, she instead reached up on her tiptoes and kissed him. His lips felt so warm against hers. She didn’t want to let go.

  “There’s one more thing,” she said.

  “Oh?”

  “I was going to wait until after dinner, but I have news. I decided to turn down the move to Seattle. I’m staying right here.”

  “Really? How did they take it?”

  “If you mean my boss, not well, but I can’t control that part, only what my decision is. It never felt right, and I refuse to be told where I can live.”

  “That’s incredible. You’re incredible. You know that?”

  She bit her lip. “I do sometimes.” She glanced up.

  Just then, her phone dinged. She usually turned off her ringer at night, but she must have forgotten. “Sorry about that.” She reached over to turn the volume down to silent, and then she realized what the notification was for. It was an email, but not just any email. One from Gary.

  She flicked it with her thumb, opening it up. Usually, Gary wrote long-winded emails, but this one was surprisingly brief. Worryingly brief. Her eyes scanned over the words, trying to pick out the important bits that would let her know the purpose of the message. He must be working late tonight.

  Nicole, usually I’d just leave things alone until the next day, but I reached out to my boss and stuck up for you. She was pretty upset, but after I talked her down a bit, she accepted your situation. You’re keeping your new executive position here at the NYC branch of the company. You’ll have to be on a lot of conference calls, but I think we can make it work. Just wanted to let you know ASAP so you won’t dust off your resume. See you at work tomorrow.

  “Are you
kidding me?” Nicole said out loud.

  “What is it?”

  When she looked up, she remembered where she was. She’d been so absorbed in the email that everything else had gotten fuzzy around the edges.

  “I’m keeping my job,” she said. “I thought for sure I was getting fired after I refused to move. Not only are they not firing me, they’re not demoting me either. I get to keep the same position and stay right here.”

  “That’s great news,” he said, giving her a hug. “I had no doubt you could pull it off, though.”

  “Are you relieved I’m staying?”

  “You know, I was trying to be supportive, but everything inside me wanted to tell you to stay. I’m glad I don’t have to.”

  “It would’ve been nice to hear, though.”

  “Nicole Robbins, I formally invite you to stay in New York City, in this very building, in fact, and continue dating me, your long-time admirer.”

  Her eyebrows rose. “Wow. You know, I was on the fence about moving, but that invitation was so formal that it made the decision for me.”

  “I wrote it myself.”

  “You clever man, you.”

  This time, it was his turn to kiss her. She lost track of how long it lasted, but she didn’t care. In-between kiss two and three, the thought crossed her mind that they might have to reheat dinner later, but stopping was the last thing she wanted to do.

  Epilogue

  The next summer, Nicole got off the phone from talking to her latest client, a company that sold designer watches. The owner had been looking to gain more traction, and her advertising was helping. He was starting to ruffle some of his competitors’ feathers, even—which meant she was doing her job well.

  What had started as a consulting company had turned into her very own advertising firm, and she’d even been able to steal Amy away from their old company and hire her on as a graphic designer. Life was perfect, even if she now worked from a little corner office that didn’t have an amazing view of the park.