by Mia Ford
When the class was over, I sat there watching the students pack up their backpacks and begin to head out of the classroom. Lisa turned off the projector and wiped the boards, gathering her things and sighing. It was Wednesday, which meant she taught three classes that day, and I knew she was more than exhausted. On top of that, she had her other faculty duties to attend to that included a huge research project the college had received funding for her to head up. She was my hero when it came to dedication and work ethic. I stood up and met her at the top of the stairs, throwing my arm around her shoulder.
“One class down,” she sighed. “Two to go.”
“You got this,” I said. “Let’s go refuel.”
“I’m starving,” she groaned. “Let’s go to the Thai place across the street. I can’t be gone too long, I have to check in on my research students.”
“Okey-dokey,” I replied prancing out of the college with her and across the street.
We sat down at a booth in the back to get away from the loud conversations that the other patrons, mostly students of the school, were having. We got our food and settled in, eating quietly for a few moments before Lisa chimed in. I could tell she was curious.
“So, how are things with the big financial guy?”
“Amazing,” I said rolling my eyes. “Like seriously, amazing. We went out the other night, had dinner, talked about everything, then came back, took a dip in the Infinity pool and then I stayed over at his place.”
“Again?” Lisa looked shocked. “You are sure spending a lot of time with this guy.”
“He makes me smile,” I said with blushing cheeks. “He’s intelligent, handsome, motivated, and settled, everything I was looking for in a partner.”
“So, wait, are you guys official?”
“No, not yet,” I said. “I mean I was just thinking about it. If things keep going this way, I don’t see how they couldn’t become official.”
“Have you guys talked about it?”
“Oh, god no,” I said chuckling. “You know how men are about that kind of thing. I’m waiting for him to bring it up. I don’t want to be that girl, and I don’t want to scare him off.”
“Wow,” she said lifting her eyebrows.
“What?”
“I just am shocked at how you are talking about him,” she shrugged. “It’s weird hearing that come from you.”
“It’s not like I was hell-bent on being an old single cat lady,” I laughed. “You know I’ve always wanted to eventually settle down and have a family. I’m not saying he’s the one, but he’s the best I’ve ever come across.”
“Wow, ever?”
“Lisa, I don’t think I’ve ever felt this way about a man,” I said. “Especially not a man that I’ve known for such a short amount of time. He blows me away on a constant basis. He is so sweet and kind, and oh my God the sex is out of this world.”
“Does he know what you do?”
“I mean he knows I work for Climate X doing social justice work,” I said.
“Right, but does he know you spend your free time protesting against companies like his?”
“I protest against causes, not companies,” I pointed out. “And no, I haven’t told him yet, but I will when the timing is right. He loves how passionate I am about things, I’m sure he will be on board with it.”
“Okay,” Lisa sang eating her soup.
“Yeah, spill it,” I said. “I know what that tone means. What are you thinking?”
“I don’t know, Ruby,” she said looking up at me. “I’m just a little worried I guess.”
“About what?”
“You are headstrong, jump in with both feet kind of girl,” she responded. “I think you should be careful with this guy. Get to know him. I can tell that you are falling for him and fast.”
“What’s wrong with that? It happens all the time,” I said. “When it’s right it’s right.”
“Yeah,” she said trying not to upset me. “But he’s is a young billionaire male that is extremely attractive and career-obsessed. Men like that, they usually are not interested in the long-term. They are playboys, men who want what they want when they want it, and when they are done, it’s a swift kick in the butt toward the door. Playboys like him and the others don’t normally ever stay with one girl much less commit to one.”
“I don’t think that’s how Nathan is,” I said shaking my head. “He’s different. He makes an effort, and he is intelligent. So intelligent that I know a lifestyle like that would become boring quickly for him.”
“Just be careful, okay?”
“I will,” I said smiling. “I promise. I’ll keep my emotions in check and take it day by day.”
While the words were coming out of my mouth, I knew they were a lie, and in her own way, I was sure that Lisa knew they were too. I just couldn’t imagine Nathan tossing me to the side like that. He showed in every way that he was interested in me for more than just sex. For a man who could get any woman at any time why would he put so much effort taking me on dates and doing all the things that he has done? The fact of it was, I felt like I knew him better than that, even if we had only been around each other a short time.
I had met the playboys, even slept with a few of them, and that was not how Nathan acted in any shape or form. He listened to me when I talked, and I knew that because he was able to offer some kind of intelligent reply. It wasn’t just him letting me speak to feel important when we were together. It was like we were in tune with each other. I needed to get my sister’s words off my mind before I let it affect the way I was feeling. I was a pretty good judge of character, and nothing about Nathan pointed to playboy, whether he was one before he met me or not. I didn’t care about his past like Lisa thought I should. All I cared about was his future and whether he saw me a part of it like I saw him as a part of mine.
Chapter Thirteen
Nathan
It had been a month since I started dating Ruby seriously. We never had any kind of relationship talk, but everything fell in line like it was supposed to. She was smart, funny, passionate, and I felt like I could talk to her about my life. We had seen each other in one way or another almost every day. Sometimes we would only have time for lunch dates, while the rest of the time she would come stay the night with me at my apartment at The Avalon. We ate out quite a bit, but I was enjoying the fact that Ruby had started getting into grocery shopping and cooking dinner at home. The place almost felt wrong when she wasn’t there, and home was beginning to include Ruby more and more every day. I wanted her to feel comfortable at my place, and though I knew she probably wanted me to come to her house, she never complained or asked, so I went with the flow. She had brought over some clothes, and I gave her space in the closet, so when she stayed the night, she didn’t have to go home before going into work.
Though I knew that I could talk to Ruby about anything, there were several conversations we had that made me feel a bit apprehensive about bringing up the subject of outsourcing. From her other views on things, most of them being views I myself shared with her, I had a feeling I already knew how she would feel about the concept. I still hadn’t made my mind up one way or another, and I could tell that Chris was starting to get anxious. The market was good, better than it had been in years and it was reaching a point where I needed to capitalize on that and make a decision. The last thing we wanted was an expansion overseas when the market was down, it wouldn’t help anyone.
“I’m excited to see you tonight,” Ruby said on the other end of the phone.
“Me too,” I said smiling. “What do you want to do for dinner?”
“I was going to stop at the market and pick up some food,” she said. “I’m feeling like spaghetti with homemade sauce. I have a delicious recipe that my mother and grandmother used when I was growing up. I’ve never made it myself, but I’m sure I can knock it out of the park.”
“I like that idea,” I said. “And I have the perfect Chardonnay to go with it.”
&nbs
p; “I thought that afterward we could curl up and watch a movie,” she said. “Your choice.”
“My choice? What’s the special occasion?”
“Nothing butthead,” she laughed. “I just know you are probably tired of watching romantic comedies and movies about politics.”
“You do have strange taste in movies,” I laughed. “But that just makes it easier for me to get in a boob grab while you’re not paying attention.”
“I distinctly remember you getting in more than a boob grab last time,” she laughed.
“You can’t blame a guy for trying,” I laughed.
“Not at all,” she replied chuckling. “In fact, I encourage it.”
“How’s work today?”
“Okay,” she sighed. “It’s quiet. There are several members of the staff in DC for some of the Congressional decisions on issues we handle. I’ve been catching up on paperwork.”
“You didn’t want to go?”
“I’ve been to about fifty,” she laughed. “Besides, we just hired a round of newbies fresh out of college. It’s their turn to go through that hell, especially since the temps in DC are hot this time of year and the places we stay while we are there are not considered high budget. I don’t know why it seems to always be hotter there than here.”
“The hot air from Capitol Hill,” I laughed.
“Ha,” she said. “Very true.”
I glanced up at the doorway and saw Chris making his way into the office. I sighed quietly, not ready to hang up the phone yet. He looked like he was on a mission, though, and I knew that I needed to get to him before he exploded with Ruby on the phone.
“Hey sweetie,” I said. “I have to let you go, I have a meeting walking in.”
“Okay,” she sighed. “I should probably get back to work anyway. I’ll see you tonight. Text me if you think of anything you want from the store.”
“I will, have a good day,” I said before hanging up the phone.
“Ruby?” Chris looked at me smirking.
“Yeah,” I said taking in a deep breath. “Just planning dinner later.”
“You two are adorable,” he said sarcastically.
“Don’t hate,” I said pointing my finger.
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” he said laughing. “So, I have a trip planned for us.”
“A trip?”
“I think that before you can make an educated decision on outsourcing, you should see some of the facilities I have been looking into,” he said. “That way you can see how it’s done first hand instead of going off what you’ve read or heard from the media. I know how you like to explore and educate yourself from the source.”
“Hmm,” I said nodding my head. “Where would we be going.”
“India,” he said. “Hyderabad to be exact. It has a solid infrastructure, city like aspects, and is ranked number three in the top outsourcing destinations in the country, and has some reputable facilities. I can say it might make you feel a bit better because it gives us the cheaper labor while maintaining a modicum of employee rights.”
“Alright,” I said with a deep breath. “Let’s do it. When do we leave?”
“Very early Wednesday morning so we can get there by evening,” he explained.
I liked the idea that Chris brought me, seeing the process with my own eyes. It didn’t take away the fact that I would have to lay off thousands of my own workers, but at least I could see what was happening before making a decision one way or another. This was a very tricky topic for me, and I felt like it was partly emotional as well since I had always seen my company going in a different direction. However, with the market crash a decade before, and the ebb and flow of the financial industry, I had to go with the tides. We were one of the very few financial institutions that had maintained our morality and had never been investigated for any type of crime by the federal government. I took the integrity of my company very seriously, and that was the thing pulling at me the most. I couldn’t quite figure out where outsourcing fell within those lines.
“I promise this is going to help you make the decision that is best for the company,” he said.
I nodded my head as Chris stood up and walked out of the office. I was excited to do this and even felt it could be a bit of a vacation, something I hadn’t taken in a long time. I had been dedicated to my work, building my company, and felt vacations were useless until I met Ruby. She had already started to show me there was another side of life outside of the daily drum of business. I hadn’t worked a weekend since I met her and that alone was a huge step for me. I could tell Chris wasn’t too fond of the idea of me having a girlfriend, but it wasn’t his choice. He had an insatiable need to succeed which was one of the reasons why I hired him in the first place. However, sometimes he tended to forget it was my company, not his. I knew he had nothing personal against Ruby, but my time was taken away, and his eye rolls and snide comments were very telling.
Speaking of Ruby, if I was going to take a vacation there was no way I was going to leave her behind. I figured it would be the perfect time for her and me to shake things up a bit and add some culture to our relationship. I knew she loved to travel, but didn’t get to do it very often. I would ask her to accompany me to India over dinner, I was sure it would be amazing fantastic surprise for her. I picked up the phone and called Chris’s office.
“Yeah boss,” he said answering.
“I am going to bring Ruby along,” I said.
“Alright,” he replied in a monotone voice. “I’ll make the arrangements.”
“Thank you,” I replied. “And Chris, I’d like to keep the reason for our trip between us, I’m not sure how she will react, and I’d like to avoid any awkward conflict.”
“You’re the boss,” he replied before hanging up.
Hopefully, she would be as excited about this as I was.
Chapter Fourteen
Ruby
Walking through The Avalon by myself always made me feel self-conscious. When I arrived, I wasn’t sure where to go since I didn’t have a card for the elevator. There was a lovely man at the front named George, and he seemed especially excited when I told him I was there to see Nathan. He called up to the apartment and then personally escorted me to his floor, helping me carry the groceries I was lugging. Nathan tipped him generously and then helped me inside. I went to work straight away, making the sauce that I had seen my mother prepare so many times before. I loved cooking, I just never had anyone to cook for, and I thought it was stupid to put that much work in for just me. I glanced over at Nathan as I stirred the noodles, noticing that he looked like he had something on his mind. I figured it was probably a long day at work for him and if he wanted to talk about it, he would. He wasn’t one to hold back very often.
I set the table as he flipped through his phone, finishing up answering emails he didn’t get done at work. I realized quickly that I no longer felt lost at his place, and knew where things were that he didn’t even know were there. It was humorous to me. I had been there enough that the place was like home to me. When I finally sat down, I smiled over at him, watching him finish up his typing and put his phone away. He smiled at me and looked down at the food.
“Looks delicious,” he said smiling.
“Thank you,” I said with pride. “So, how was your day?”
“It was long,” he said holding out his plate as I served him some of the spaghetti and bread. “I had to get a lot done today that I didn’t think I would have on my plate.”
“Why?”
“Well, I’m taking a work vacation of sorts,” he said looking up at me.
“What exactly is a work vacation? It sounds like no fun,” I laughed.
“I have one small thing to take care of in India on Thursday, so I figured why not make it a vacation, I haven’t ever taken one,” he said smiling.
“Oh, wow,” I replied. “That sounds fabulous. I have always wanted to go to India. Their culture is so beautiful.”
“I hoped you
would feel that way,” he laughed. “I want you to go with me. We would leave tomorrow night, well early Wednesday morning, but we would have to be at the airport a couple hours early.”
“That sounds amazing,” I said excitedly. “I’m sure I could get time off for that, especially since everyone is coming back from DC tonight.”
“Good,” he said proudly. “Then it’s settled. After dinner, we will go to your house and pack some clothes for you.”
“I’m so excited,” I said, standing up and leaning over the table to kiss him.
We spent the rest of dinner talking about the trip, where it was, what we could do there. It was a short trip, just a few days, but it was the first time I was going to get to travel outside of the country. Well, except for when I went to Mexico but that was more of an alcohol-infused blur at the time. He looked giddy almost, like me saying I would go with him made his day. Part of me started to wonder what kind of business an American company would have in India, but I quickly shoved it out of my mind, too excited about everything else to give it much thought.
When dinner was done Nathan helped clear the table. He rinsed dishes while I put the leftovers in containers and stuck them in the fridge. We had gotten ourselves into a rhythm where I didn’t even think about it when dinner was over. He helped me clear the table and then one of us washed while the other took care of the food. It was kind of cute when I thought about it, but I didn’t say anything, not wanting to upset the smooth rhythm we’d developed. When we were done, Nathan changed out of his work clothes, and we headed over to my house.
