Unexpected Company: #2 of Company Men

by Crystal Perkins

  "You think this is easy for me?"

  "I honestly don't care."

  She walks back to the party, and I run to catch up with her. The boys are with my parents, but when they see Grace, they run up to her.

  "Why are you crying?" Connor asks you.

  "I need to get your presents from the car, okay? I'll be right back."

  "No! You said you'd give them to me when we got home!"

  "Grace isn't coming home with us, Con," I tell him, pulling him from her.

  "She has to! She's supposed to spend the night, and make us waffles in the morning! She promised! You promised!"

  Grace chokes out a sob as she kneels down to pull both boys into her arms. "I love you. I love both of you, and that isn't going to change. I can't come over any more, but if you need me for anything, you have your aunts contact me, okay? I will always be there for you when you need me. I promise."

  "I need you now," Connor tells her, and it takes every bit of strength in me to keep my own tears from falling.

  She kisses his cheeks, his forehead, and places a peck on his little mouth. "Your whole family is here for you right now, and I need you to be good, and go home with your Daddy and Trevor, okay?"

  He nods, and she moves on to my other son. He holds her so tight, I'm surprised I don't hear any of her bones breaking. I don’t hear what they say to each other, because they're whispering, but Trev nods too, before letting her go.

  She doesn't look at me as she walks over to the pool area, where Kevin is waiting to let her in, and I don't see her again when she leaves, because I'm holding two little boys whose hearts I just broke along with my own.

  My sister glares at me as I walk out with the boys, and I'm pretty sure she's planning some kind of bodily harm for me, but I've done what I think is right, and there's no going back now. My parents help me carry out the pile of gifts Grace left for Connor, and my mom hugs me hard as I close the back of the SUV.

  "You did the right thing. It hurts a little now, but imagine how it would've been a month from now, or a year."

  I'm already second-guessing my decision, so I don't verbally agree with her, or even nod. I can't take it back, but in my heart, I know I've just lost my only chance at happiness. My head tells me I had to protect all of us, but it feels wrong. I feel wrong.

  15

  Grace

  I wanted to stay in bed today, like I did yesterday, but I've worked too hard for too long, to let a man keep me from my job. Keir Martin wounded me, but I'm not broken. I simply won't allow myself to be.

  The knock at my door reminds me of this last-minute meeting I set up at the party on Saturday. "Come in."

  "Hi, Grace," Ethan Hall says, entering my office.

  "Hi, Ethan."

  "Thanks for giving me an interview."

  "I need an assistant, as you are apparently aware, and I like that you took the initiative to approach me."

  "You looked totally hot as Wonder Woman. Not that you're not hot now, but it's a different hot."

  "Ethan, you do realize you're not supposed to call your boss 'hot', don’t you?"

  "Oh yeah. I've been around the So-Foundation women since I was born, so I know better, but I'm still a teenage boy." He looks sheepish, but I've been around the block more times than he is, and it's not that easy to charm me.

  "Nice try, but that won't fly here."

  He sits up straight, and smiles. "I knew I liked you."

  I like him too, because I've seen him at lots of C&C functions, and behind that cocky charm is a kid who rolls on the grass with his little sister, no matter what he's wearing. He also respects his mother and her friends more than any other teenager I've encountered. He's a good kid, and he's not scared of me, which is a definite plus.

  "Tell me why I should hire you."

  "I know this building better than anyone, so I can get you the best coffee."

  "I have a Keurig behind you on the counter."

  He fights a smile, and so do I. "I grew up around almost all women for the first ten years of my life, so you'll never find me disrespecting one. The hot Wonder Woman comment notwithstanding."

  "I've seen you with Tegan and her friends, so I know you were raised right. And points for the big word."

  "That's another thing; I do well in school. Not a 4.0, but I didn't fail anything."

  "Also good."

  "I'm a hard worker, and I take work very seriously."

  "You've had other jobs?"

  "Not officially, no. I've helped at the Foundation, and also on my grandparent's farm."

  "I'm more impressed with the farm work."

  "It's hard, but I love it."

  "Why do you want to work for me?"

  "Honestly?"

  "What do you think?"

  "I heard you complained about the Foundation getting too many perks, and while I don't agree with you, that's totally badass. Most people are scared of Reina, but you're not. I'm in awe of you."

  "Um, thanks. I think."

  "I graduated early, but Mom won't let me go to college out of state yet, because she said older girls are going to corrupt me, so I'm taking online classes right now."

  "Can you handle work with school?"

  "Yes."

  "I'm not sure how I'm going to explain to HR that I hired you for a position I never posted."

  "Don't worry, they love me."

  "I'm sure they do. And thanks for making me laugh today."

  "Saturday was harsh. Is there anything I need to know about Keir Martin? Should I punch him if he asks to see you?"

  "He works for me, so he'll have to see me sometimes, and no. Don't punch him."

  "I've got your back, Grace."

  "I appreciate that, Ethan."

  I call down to HR, and they tell me my assistant job has actually been posted for months, because I was supposed to hire someone. Ethan applies online, and I send him downstairs to take care of the hiring paperwork. After, I walk over to see Miles, and tell him the news. When I get there, he's not alone.

  "Why are you looking at the pictures without me?" I ask, seeing him and Keir leaning over a portfolio. We've had initial meetings, but haven't decided on final pics yet.

  "Keir just wanted to go over some things with me," Miles says, a wary look in his eyes.

  "This is my project, and I should be involved in all aspects of it."

  "No one is trying to cut you out of anything," Keir tells me with sigh.

  "Doesn't look that way."

  I walk out, and don't look back. I tried to pretend this job wasn't like all the others I've had, where the boys club rules, but I was wrong. I know how to deal with it, but I'm tired of having to. I don’t want to leave this job, but I won’t be disrespected. I have to hope this is just a one-time thing.

  Keir

  "What should we bring to your potluck at school, Trev?" I ask, walking through the grocery store with him and Connor.

  "Can we make something?"

  "I wish we could, but you know we can’t. Do you want me to ask Gavin?" Our friend owns a cooking school, and could easily whip something up.

  His shoulders slump. "Why can't we ask Grace?"

  "I explained it to you already."

  "You said she's not your friend, but she's still my friend. And Con's. She said so."

  "I know what she said, but it's complicated."

  Even more so, since she saw me with Miles earlier. I wanted an opinion, and yeah, I was too chicken-shit to see her, so I went to him. It was the wrong thing to do, and now things are downright icy.

  "She promised to be our friend," Connor reminds me.

  "I know, but I can't call her."

  "I can. Can I, please?" Trevor asks.

  He looks so hopeful, and she did promise, so I take out my phone and shoot her a quick text, letting her know it will be Trevor calling. Handing him the phone, I remind him not to pressure her.

  "I need your help," he says, when she answers, and I shoot him a stern look. He listens for
a few seconds before continuing. "It's potluck for my class on Friday night, and Daddy can't cook, or bake."

  He listens for a few seconds, and smiles. "You're the best! I miss you!"

  He talks to her for a couple more minutes, before handing the phone to Connor. My little boy tells her he's waiting to open his presents until he sees her again. When he starts to cry, and glares at me, I know she was truthful with him, and told him it's up to me. I feel like such an asshole, especially when he hangs up before handing the phone back to me.

  "What is she making?" I ask Trevor.

  "I don’t know, but it will be good. Everything Grace makes is good!"

  "When can we see her, Daddy?" Connor asks.

  "I don't know."

  "Just because she's not your friend, doesn't mean she's not ours. It's not fair that she can't come over," Trevor tells me, quietly.

  "I'll ask her soon, okay?"

  They nod, and I feel like even more of an ass. I treated her like crap, and yet she's still helping my son. Because she cares about him, and promised to help him. No matter what I did, she's not holding it against my boys, and I realize even more how wrong I was. My mom was wrong too, but I let my insecurities over Jacky and how she treated me, affect how I felt about Grace. I don't know what to do now.

  The day gets even better when I see Ainsley's car parked outside my house when we get there. She has a key, but she'd get inside without one if she had to. I park in the garage, and remind the boys to help me with the groceries, because I know they want to run in and see her. I want to run the other way, because I know why she's here. She was pissed at me on Saturday, and I've avoided her since then.

  "Auntie A, guess what? Grace is going to make stuff for my class potluck!"

  "Of course she is, Trev, because she's amazing."

  "She is," Connor agrees.

  "You called her?" Ainsley asks, looking relieved.

  "Trev called her with my phone."

  She rolls her eyes. "Boys, can you put away the groceries while I talk to your dad?"

  "Are you going to yell at him about Grace?" Trevor asks her.

  "Yep."

  "Okay."

  "No loyalty around here," I grumble, following my sister into the formal living room no one uses.

  "After what you did to them, do you expect them to be okay with you?"

  "I did it for them. Things were moving too fast. I didn't want to break up with her, but she wouldn't be reasonable."

  "What exactly were you offering her?"

  "I said we could spend time together when I didn't have the boys."

  "After spending the past few weeks with the boys?"

  "Mom made me realize we needed to step back, so she could be sure she wanted three for the price of one."

  "Mom? You listened to Mom? Are you insane?"

  "She's been happily married for almost forty years, and she's just looking out for me, so yes, I listened to her."

  "Everyone's situation is different, so you can't just go by the fact she's happily married. And, you also have to look at other facts. Like that she feels guilty for never saying anything to Jacky when she left the boys with her to go shopping every day, or something equally dumb. She took the boys every time she was asked, and she thinks that helped give your ex a warped sense of what she should be doing as a mom."

  "That's crazy, because Jacky is just a narcissistic bitch."

  "Regardless, Mom is going to try and micromanage anything having to do with you and the boys because of her own guilt. Even if it means you lose the best thing that ever happened to the three of you."

  "I'd been thinking the same things she was, though. I mean, what if Grace does get tired of us?"

  "What if you get tired of her?"

  "I can imagine that happening."

  "And yet, you can imagine her leaving you."

  "I worry more about the boys than me."

  "That's bullshit, and her helping Trev with his potluck is proof that I'm right. You're worried about being left again, because you haven't allowed yourself the time to heal, and understand that Jacky didn't leave you because you're you. She left because she's her."

  "I'm over her. Honestly, I am."

  "I know you are. But you're not over you. You jumped right in to take care of the boys, and ignored what you needed."

  "I needed to be there for them."

  "Yes, you did, but you didn't have to do it all alone. You wanted to, and we all stepped back and let you, but any one of us would've given you the time you needed for yourself."

  "Just because I didn't mourn the loss of my marriage, it doesn't mean that has anything to do with me and Grace."

  "Your lying to yourself if you believe that."

  "I don't need this from you."

  "Yes, you do, but apparently losing Grace isn't enough to pull your head out of your ass, so I'm going to leave now. I love you, Keir, and I'll be here when you need me."

  "I love you too, and if I need you, I'll call."

  "I hope so."

  She goes into the kitchen to say goodbye to the boys, who walk her to the door. She nods her head at the pile of unopened presents from Grace, and gives me a pointed look. I ignore it, just like I'm ignoring everything else that's telling me I'm wrong. If I let myself believe it, I'd fall apart, and there are two little reasons I can never let that happen.

  16

  Grace

  I balance the container with the dessert bars on top of the larger food container, and make my way inside Goolsby Elementary School. I called Luke Griffin earlier to let him know I was bringing something for Trevor, and he said the school librarian, Nikki, would be expecting me. The office ladies hold the door, and direct me to the library once I sign in.

  “Hi! You must be Grace,” a bubbly woman with blond hair, and a bright pink dress, says when I step inside.

  “Yes. Are you Nikki?”

  “I am. Let me take something from you.”

  “Thanks. I have cookie butter Oreo bars, and mini Shepherd’s pies. This container plugs in to keep the pies warm.”

  “We can plug them in in here,” she tells me, leading me into her office.

  “I appreciate you letting me drop them off early.”

  “Of course. Trevor is such a sweet boy.”

  “He is.”

  “You’re sure you can’t make it tonight?”

  “No. His father and I aren’t together anymore, but I told Trev I’d help him. It would be awkward for me to be here.”

  “That sucks.”

  “It does,” I agree. “I need to get to work, but thanks again.”

  I leave, wishing I could come back later, but knowing I can’t. Keir and I still talk mostly by email, or through Ethan, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. This is all a mess I didn’t create, but can’t seem to make my way out of, nonetheless.

  Things only get worse when I arrive at C&C. Reporters are all over the front sidewalk, and when they see me, they try and rush my car. Security holds them off, and Jyn is waiting for me when I get inside.

  “What the hell is going on?”

  “You haven’t seen it?”

  “Seen what?”

  “Fuck. Let’s go to my office, so we have some privacy.”

  I follow her into her office, where she closes the door and asks me if I want a glass of wine. “It’s not even nine yet.”

  “In London, it’s almost five.”

  “We aren’t in London.”

  “You’re going to wish you were when you see why the reporters are outside.”

  “Just play it.”

  She finds what she’s looking for on her computer, and comes to sit next to me. I know it’s bad when she takes my hand in hers, and squeezes, before starting the video. It’s even worse than I could imagine.

  “We’ve received word of a sexual roulette in the Corrigan & Co. organization. Vice-President of Hospitality Acquisitions, Grace Faulkner, is being linked to no less than four employees of the company, incl
uding President and CEO, Matthew Corrigan. His brother, Miles, who as Director of Acquisitions is her direct supervisor, is also shown in intimate embraces with Ms. Faulkner. The other two men are her subordinate, Keir Martin, and her assistant, Ethan Hall, who is a minor.”

  They put pictures on the screen of me hugging Matt at Connor’s party, hugging Miles in the parking garage at his building after I had dinner with him and Alex this week, making out with Keir on the dance floor in Phoenix, and kissing Ethan on the cheek. I want to throw up, but I continue listening to this crap, because I need to hear it all.

  “Ms. Faulkner was hired several months ago, passing up others already working for the Corrigan brothers. A source tells us it’s well-known around the office that she is carrying on affairs with both, possibly at the same time. Mr. Martin was recently hired for a job that was created specifically for him. The source told us no one knows exactly what he does, but the photos we’ve obtained were reportedly taken while on a work trip.

  “Finally, we come to Ethan Hall, son of noted scientist Caleb Hall. Ms. Faulkner hired him as her assistant less than a week ago, despite interest from those already employed by Corrigan & Co. She has been very affectionate with him in front of other employees, making them uncomfortable because of his age. We’re told Metro is looking into the allegations of their affair, and we’ll have more for you as information continues to come in. So far, we have been unable to reach anyone at Corrigan & Co. for comment.”

  “Oh my God,” I say, bending over to put my head between my knees before I pass out.

  “No one with any sense is going to believe this bullshit, Grace.”

  “You know that’s not true. People smell blood in the water, and circle like sharks. I’ve worked so fucking hard to crack the glass ceiling, and now the shards are about to slice me to pieces.”

  There’s a knock at the door before she can respond, and I’m not surprised to see Reina walk in. She’s followed by Alex, and Tegan. I stand to accept the hugs they give me, before sitting back down to hear what they have to say.

  “We all know what they’re saying isn’t true,” Reina tells me.

  “Except that I was involved with Keir.”

  “But it had nothing to do with him getting hired, and Miles wanted you to behave like a couple at the restaurants.”