by Karen Pokras
“Hello, welcome. I’m Tessa,” she said nervously, holding out her hand to Mr. Schilling first, then to Todd.
He winked at her as he held her hand a second longer than he should have. Biting the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling, she darted her eyes away, hoping her cheeks were not too flushed.
With her heart beating way too fast, she continued, “Mr. Abbott is waiting for you both in the conference room. Please, follow me.”
Trembling, she walked down the hallway, trying to steady herself with each step.
“Mr. Abbott,” she announced as she opened the double doors, “Mr. Schilling and his assistant are here.”
“Nicholas, Todd, welcome,” Mr. Abbott said, in the same professional voice he used over the telephone. He shook their hands and motioned for them to sit down.
“Can I get anyone anything to drink?” Tessa asked. When they said no, she said a prayer of silent thanks. Her hands were so shaky she certainly would have spilled coffee all over something or someone.
“Thank you, Tessa, that will be all,” her boss stated.
Nodding, she closed the doors behind her, taking deep breaths as she made her way back to her office.
“Holy shit,” she whispered as she sunk into her desk chair. She was so out of sorts, even the smallest tasks couldn’t keep her attention. She sat alternating between watching the clock on the wall and the birds on the trees outside her window.
The buzz from the intercom on her phone twenty minutes later nearly made her jump out of her seat.
“Yes, sir?” she meekly responded.
“Could you come in here, please?” Mr. Abbott asked.
“Yes, sir,” she repeated.
He sounded calm. Oddly calm. She’d never been called into a client meeting before, and she had a bad feeling this wasn’t going to go well. Now she could add getting yelled at in front of their biggest client, not to mention her boyfriend, to the list of reasons why she hated her boss. She grabbed the same pad of paper and pen she carried into his office earlier and started her walk of shame toward the conference room.
As she entered, she kept her eyes on her boss, but noticed out of the corner of her eye that the Todd and Mr. Schilling stood to greet her. Mr. Abbott, however, stayed seated and motioned for the two men to sit, without offering her a seat.
“Yes, sir,” she said, addressing her boss.
She wanted to look at Todd, but she knew if she did, she wouldn’t be able to concentrate on whatever it was Mr. Abbott was about to tell her. Or maybe having a distraction that allowed her to tune out getting yelled at by her boss would be a good thing. No, she needed to have all her wits about her right now, even if it meant being the brunt of his temper.
“Tessa,” he said, keeping his voice pleasant, “would you mind running off another set of reports? I’m afraid we’ve had a little mishap.” He subtly pointed to a wad of wet paper towels in front of Mr. Schilling.
Having been so nervous when she walked in, she hadn’t even noticed. No wonder her boss was being so nice. Old man Schilling had spilled his coffee everywhere, and the last thing her boss probably wanted to do was embarrass him. Although, she was sure that after the meeting was over, she’d get blamed somehow. Tessa, why didn’t you make sure the table was perfectly level?
“Certainly, sir. Let me get that for you.” Scooping up the wet towels, she finished cleaning the area and said, “I’ll be right back.”
Within minutes, she knocked on the conference room door and returned carrying the new folder for their wealthiest client.
“Here you are, Mr. Schilling,” she said, as she placed the papers in front of him. “Can I get you anything else, sir? More coffee?”
“Tessa,” Mr. Abbott said, now sounding a little annoyed, “that’s not Mr. Schilling.” He looked over to Todd and added, “I’m so sorry, Nicholas. My assistant appears to be a bit confused.”
Not Mr. Schilling? What the hell was going on here? She gazed at the old man she believed to be Mr. Schilling, but he only stared back at her with a blank look on his face, before shifting her attention to Todd. Remorse filled his eyes as he met hers, before she quickly glanced away.
Grasping the table in hopes of keeping the room from swaying, she tried to calm her racing heart. Looking at Mr. Abbott, she softly said, “Of course.” She then turned her head back to the man she had known to be Todd for the last six weeks and coldly stated, “Please forgive me, Mr. Schilling.”
“Tessa, please,” he started as he rose from his chair, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean for you to find out this way. You have to believe me.”
“No,” she said, backing away from him as he reached his arm out to her. “No.”
“Please, I tried to tell—”
She never heard the rest as she raced out of the conference room, grabbed her belongings, and ran out of the office, ignoring Nicholas’ excuses and pleas to wait.
Chapter 31
Ava sighed into the phone. “What do you mean you quit your job?”
Tessa paced back and forth in her tiny kitchen, clutching her cell phone in one hand and a cup of tea in the other, explaining the events that transpired that morning to her oldest sister. Despite being home for thirty minutes already, her body was still trembling. She placed the tea on the table, unable to keep it steady with just one hand.
After learning the truth, she bolted. She realized that probably wasn’t the most rational decision, but there was no way she could possibly stay there in the building with him in the conference room down the hall. Nor could she continue to work on his files. Who the hell was he anyway? At some point she’d have to return to retrieve her personal belongings: a couple of plants, a framed photo of Sophie, a mug, and some hand cream. Come to think of it, nothing there was really all that important. She had plenty of other pictures of Sophie, and the plants were half dead.
“Well, I didn’t quit exactly,” Tessa explained. “I just ran out … with the intention of never returning. Not that Mr. Abbott would let me return to work anyway. I’m sure I completely tarnished his good name.”
“Tessa, just calm down for a moment. Have you spoken to Todd?”
“You mean Nicholas? At least I think it’s Nicholas, I can’t keep up these days. I mean, he could be a George or a Luke for all I know.”
Ava sighed again. “Yes, I’m talking about Nicholas. Have you spoken to him?”
Tea splattered over the sides of her cup as she tried to take a tiny sip. Nicholas, Todd, or whoever the hell he was had texted her six times since she’d left the office and left three voicemails, all pleading with her to talk to him. She’d ignored them all. At least he had the decency not to show up at her door. Not yet at least. What would she tell Sophie when she picked her up from daycare later? That the man she’d come to care so much for wouldn’t be coming by anymore? She wasn’t prepared to mend two broken hearts.
“No, I haven’t spoken to him,” Tessa replied. “And if he doesn’t stop trying to call and text, I’m going to change my number. He’s getting dangerously close to me filing a harassment charge.”
“I’m just thinking maybe you need to give him a chance to explain,” Ava told her.
“The same way I gave Scott a chance? Do you see a trend here, Ava? Men suck. I’m seriously beginning to think you and Holly got the last two good ones.”
“I know you’re hurting, and I don’t blame you for being completely furious. All I’m saying is it’s possible he had a good reason for hiding his true identity.”
Tessa laughed. “A good reason? Next you’re going to tell me he’s some CIA operative. Ooh, maybe I was dating James Bond. Do you think he goes by a code name like 007? Or maybe he’s really a superhero like Batman or something. Do you think after he’d leave me, he’d change into his tights and cape and fight crime? But what if he’s really a villain and uses his power for evil and not good? That would really suck.”
She waited for Ava’s response, which as expected was silence. So she continued, �
�Do you hear how ridiculous you sound, Av? What good is a relationship if it starts off based on a lie? I’ll tell you how good it is. It’s no good.”
“Are you finished?” Ava asked. Tessa could hear the impatience growing in her voice.
“Yes.”
“Good. Now listen to me. First of all, you told me more than once he had started to try to tell you something and stopped. For whatever reason, he wanted to tell you, but couldn’t.”
“So he’s a liar and a coward,” she responded. “Keep going. So far, your argument is not very convincing.”
“You’re supposed to be listening,” her sister told her. “Second, I know I don’t need to remind you how Max and I started out. He wasn’t telling me the truth either at the beginning, and I gave him a second chance.”
Tessa shook her head. It was just like her sister to take Nicholas’ side. She always did believe in fairy tale endings. But was she forgetting about the other guy in her life at the time? That artist guy, Thomas? Not all guys deserved second chances. Now probably wasn’t the best time to bring him up, not after all these years.
“Your circumstances were completely different. Max wasn’t lying about his identity. He was lying about a situation. And he wasn’t even lying. He was protecting you from getting your heart broken. It was quite chivalrous when you think about it. Apples and oranges, Ava. Anyway, I’m just glad I found out about Nicholas before I …”
Reaching for the tissue from the box she had behind her on the counter, she wiped her eyes. She really did love Todd. At least she loved the person she thought was Todd. Now she didn’t know who this person was. Not at all. The last seven weeks had been spent with a complete stranger. She knew he was too good to be true. She should have listened to her instincts. That wall was there for a reason.
“… before I showed him just how much I loved him,” she quietly continued.
Ava was silent for a moment. “I’m so sorry, sweetie.”
“And now, I’m out of a job,” she added.
“What are you going to do?” her sister asked.
Rentals in Forest Hills were in high demand with the university so close. She’d lucked out with her apartment. Even though it had two tiny bedrooms, she paid the going rate for a one-bedroom, since it technically was, without the flimsy dividing wall between her and Sophie’s rooms. Despite the lack of space, the place was perfect. It would be foolish for her to move. Of course, without a job, she may not have a choice. The rent would be due soon. She wondered if Ava was already wondering how she would house her youngest sister and niece if they got kicked out of their apartment.
“I have no idea,” Tessa whispered, as tears continued to roll down her cheeks.
Chapter 32
“Mama, is Todd coming over tonight?”
Despite the ominous cloud lingering over Tessa, the sun shone brightly as she pulled her car into the parking lot of Sophie’s daycare Monday morning. Turning off the ignition, she ran her hands over her face and through her hair, wondering when and how to break the news to her daughter they wouldn’t be seeing the man they had only known as Todd ever again.
Upon both of her sisters’ advice, Sophie stayed the weekend with Ava, Max, and the kids. Tessa reluctantly agreed at first. Part of her selfishly wanted to spend the weekend curled up with her daughter, both to take in her sweet cuddles and smells and to also give her the support she may need, but another part of her looked at her innocent and happy face and thought, What harm is there in waiting a few days to tell her?
She was glad she took their advice. After dropping Sophie off, Tessa sat in her apartment and listened as Nicholas knocked on her door, asking her to open up so they could talk. Pounded and pleaded was more like it. She was surprised none of the neighbors had called the police. She supposed it was because they were used to seeing him around so much. That, and she wasn’t exactly living in the best neighborhood. Loud sounds from the hallway were nothing out of the ordinary.
Sitting in silence on her couch, knees tucked tightly into chest and tears streaming down her face, she refused to give even the slightest hint she was home. Eventually, the pounding softened up, and when she was sure the coast was clear, she opened her door to find a sealed envelope attached to a bouquet of pink flowers, all of which she promptly threw into the hallway trash chute. She wasn’t interested in reading his excuses.
Early the next day, he showed up with the same routine. Thankfully, he appeared to have taken the hint, as that was his last visit. His calls and texts had finally stopped as well.
Other than dealing with Nicholas, Tessa spent a decent amount of time talking with Holly; although, she was fairly certain Ava was the mastermind behind it all. She knew exactly how their conversation went. Try to have her over for the afternoon, and get her to stay for dinner. If she refuses, check in with her at least once every hour. You could always stop by her place, too. Say you were in the area shopping or something, so it seems less obvious. Whatever you do, don’t let her just sit around to wallow in her own self-pity.
She knew they meant well, but Holly didn’t exactly do subtle. When she stopped over unannounced after her third hourly call to borrow a teaspoon of vanilla for baking, Tessa knew something was up.
First of all, Holly didn’t bake. Second, neither did Tessa, and third, on the off chance that Holly was actually going to try her hand at some sort of dessert, why would she drive out of her way to Tessa’s apartment to borrow vanilla that she knew her sister most likely wouldn’t have, when Holly had a grocery store in her own neighborhood? It made no logical sense.
“Hey, Tessa, I knew you’d be feeling like crap so I brought you some booze.”
Now that would have worked much better with the same amount of subtlety. Plus, they could have stayed in her apartment for hours, pulled out some board games, or watched some goofy movie, of the non-romantic variety, of course. Tessa made a mental note to talk to Holly about the art of sisterly care when she was feeling better.
Still, one good thing did come out of the weekend. She took Holly up on her lunch offer Sunday afternoon. If anything, Ben would be home, and she knew he would cheer her up. Her pseudo-big brother always seemed to know just what to say. Tessa was right, but it wasn’t the pep talk she was expecting. In speaking with him, she found out that the plant he managed was hiring a full-time bookkeeper. It wasn’t the exact job she was hoping to get, but it would pay the bills, and the benefits were better than what she’d had at Abbott’s place. Just as soon as she dropped Sophie off, she’d planned on heading over to fill out the application. Ben mentioned they’d already had several applicants, and unfortunately, while he could put in a good word, the accounting department was out of his jurisdiction. Still, she hoped that her experience, as well as her connections to both Ben and her father, who had worked there almost his entire adult life before retiring, would be enough of a boost to put her ahead of the pack. It was worth a shot at least.
“Mama?” the sweet voice asked again from the back seat.
“What’s that, honey?”
“I said, when am I going to see Todd? I miss him. He’s funny. He makes me laugh.”
“Oh, well, I’m not sure.” Tessa hated having to give such vague answers to her daughter. It would be so easy for her to say he was on a business trip, busy at work, or to make up some other story, but then she’d be just adding to the lies herself. No, she refused to add to his pile of deceit. At the same time, she wasn’t prepared to have a conversation about what happened right there in the car. They did, however, need to talk about it today, after she picked her up. Sophie obviously missed him and would keep asking until she addressed the issue. She just needed more time to prepare. How do you have that type of conversation with a three year old anyway?
“Can we call him later to see if he wants to meet us at the playground?” she asked.
So innocent. Look what you’ve done. She doesn’t deserve this. “We’ll talk about it later,” Tessa answered with a shaky voice. “Right n
ow, though, we better get inside, or you’ll be late for circle time. I know that’s your favorite.”
“Okay, Mama.”
Chapter 33
The number on the caller ID surprised her. She hadn’t expected him to call her today. Or at all when it came right down to it. Maybe he wasn’t done yelling at her. Pulling into an empty spot at the plastics plant parking lot, she hoped this wouldn’t take long. The bookkeeper’s job wasn’t going to be around much longer. If she just ignored the call, it would go to voicemail, but he’d only call back again … and again. He didn’t like being snubbed. Might as well get this over with.
“Hello?” she answered with a certain level of aggravation.
The old Tessa would have been completely intimidated. The new Tessa didn’t give a shit. Let him yell. She could always hang up on him, after giving him a few choice words of her own, of course. On second thought, she might need him for a job recommendation. Plan B: Get new job first, then tell off old asshole boss. Yes, she liked that idea, but for now, she needed to hear him out.
“Tessa?” the voice asked. It was Mr. Abbott all right, minus his usual belligerent tone. He sounded almost kind. Almost.
“Yes,” she replied.
“I know you had a rough day on Thursday.” He stopped, as if trying to figure out how to form the words. “I’m … sorry about that.”
Pulling the phone away from her ear, she checked the caller ID again. The voice sounded familiar, but the words coming out of his mouth were completely foreign. At least coming from him. He’s up to something. Is this the calm before the storm?
“Tessa? Are you there?”
Yes, that was Mr. Abbott on the phone. Apologizing with empathy. Either she was dreaming, or he was highly medicated. She opted for the latter option.
