by Autumn Reed
Not knowing exactly what to expect, I’d selected a light blue button-down shirt, black skinny jeans, and flats for my first day. For all I knew, I’d be making a run to the nearest coffee shop three times a day and wasn’t keen on making that trek in stilettos.
“Thank you. I’m excited to get started.”
“Well, we are definitely glad to have you here.” She led me over to a desk, where a woman in her forties was typing furiously on her keyboard. “Emma, this is Marie. She’s been with me since I decided to expand the company about a year ago.”
Marie stood and shook my hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Emma. I’ve heard great things.”
“Thank you. I’m happy to be here.”
She smiled. “We need the help, so I hope you’re ready to dig in.”
“Absolutely.”
Chelsea pointed to the two empty workstations. “You’re welcome to choose whichever one you like. Though I’m assuming you’ll want the one facing the windows.”
The way the desks were oriented, one faced a wall of huge windows while the other faced the interior of the office. “Not much of a choice,” I agreed. “Did you plant the trees?” Since my last visit, several ornamental trees had been added to the small green space between Chelsea’s building and the next. And the ancient picnic table had been replaced with two brand new ones.
“Actually, the construction crew brought those in as a surprise. Aren’t they lovely?” In other words, Nicholas had asked the crew to plant the trees—it sounded like something he would do.
“Yes, they’re perfect for the space.”
Looking back at the second empty desk, I asked, “Are you planning to hire someone else?”
“Not anytime soon, but I purchased all the furniture at once in case it’s discontinued. I’m hoping to add at least a part-time employee by this time next year.”
“Sounds good.”
Chelsea clapped her hands together. “Since I know you’re a coffee drinker, let’s go check out the most important part of the office—the kitchenette.”
I laughed. “Definitely the most important.”
When I last saw the room, the counter, cabinets, and sink had been in place, but it wasn’t yet outfitted with supplies. Now, there was a counter-height refrigerator, water dispenser, and most importantly, a single-serve coffee maker.
Chelsea opened a cabinet door to reveal mugs with the company logo and a stack of plates and bowls. “As you can see, there are plenty of mugs.” She opened a drawer to reveal coffee and tea pods in several flavors. “And here is the coffee. If there’s a specific flavor you prefer, let me know, and I’ll make sure to order it. Creamer is in the fridge.”
“Thank you. This is great.” I selected a French vanilla pod and inserted it into the machine.
“When you’re done, meet me in the conference room so we can go over all your paperwork.”
“Sounds good.”
The conference room sat in the middle of the room and was a fishbowl of sorts, since the two longest walls were made of glass. Nicholas had explained that the glass was a necessary part of the design, since it maintained the open floorplan of the office as well as making the otherwise closed-in room feel bigger than it actually was. The furniture inside was specifically chosen to appear minimalistic while designed for comfort.
As I walked into the room, I noticed two matching frames hanging on one of the short walls and stopped abruptly. Peering closer, I realized Chelsea had framed the two pages of my article that discussed her reasons for selecting a location in the warehouse district and the renovation process.
I had been surprised when the Daily published the entire article I’d written for my project rather than the condensed version prepared specifically for print. Even though my excitement was diminished by Nicholas’s absence in my life, I was proud of the accomplishment.
Chelsea entered the conference room and grinned at me. “As you can see, your article has a place of honor in the office.”
“I love it. Thank you.”
“No, I’m definitely the one who should be thanking you. We’ve been contacted by so many new prospective clients since the article ran that I’ve had to turn some of them away.”
“That’s amazing,” I said with a smile, pleased to find out I’d helped her, especially after all the time she’d taken to walk me through the process.
She seemed to stare at the top of my head, and I self-consciously ran my fingers through my hair. “What? Is my hair sticking up?”
“No, I was searching for a halo. Between convincing Nicholas to do my renovation and drumming up more business than I did in the previous year, I’m convinced you’re my guardian angel.”
I half-laughed, half-snorted. “You may need to lower your expectations of my job performance, then. I’m not sure I’ll be able to pull off any more miracles.”
“I’ll try to keep them to an earthly level.”
“Thank you.”
“Okay, let’s get this paperwork over with.”
By late afternoon, we’d finished reviewing all my hiring documents, and Chelsea trained me on the office management and filing system.
“Now that all the boring stuff is out of the way, I get to sharing my exciting news!”
“Let me guess. You and Andy are engaged?”
Her mouth dropped open. “How did you know we were together? Did he say something?”
“No, I haven’t spoken to him since finishing my article. It was a good guess, apparently.”
“Well, we’re not engaged, by any stretch of the imagination. But we have been seeing each other, and it’s going well.”
“I’m happy to hear it. He seems like a great guy.”
Her cheeks flushed a flattering shade of pink. “He is, and he’s a great cook, which is a major bonus, since I abhor cooking. Which actually brings me back to what I was going to talk to you about.”
“I’m intrigued.”
“I talked to Nicholas yesterday, and he and his business partners want to hire us to handle all the marketing for the building they’re renovating into lofts. Isn’t that amazing? Not only will it give us an opportunity to work on a warehouse district revitalization project...”
Chelsea continued speaking, but her words were drowned out by the buzzing in my ears. It was one thing to be surrounded by the essence of Nicholas every day at work, but it was another to actually encounter him in the office. My head and heart ached as I tried to come to terms with this new reality.
I wanted to scream or duck and cover or run far, far away. But none of those were options.
I could be professional about this.
I could work side-by-side with my gorgeous ex-boyfriend without losing my mind.
And I could jump out of a plane without screaming my head off.
All true statements.
“So, what do you think?”
Her question snapped me back to the present. “I’m sorry. What was that?”
“I wanted to know if you, Nicholas, Shane, and Cole want to come over for dinner sometime soon to discuss strategy? Andy offered to cook, and I thought it might be fun to discuss it in an informal setting first. And I want you to shadow me on every step of the process. Not only will it be an amazing training opportunity, your established relationship with the clients should benefit everyone.”
My brain misfired as I tried to come up with a response. It was bad enough that I would have to deal with Nicholas in the office, but having dinner with him, the Ps, and my boss? Chelsea might believe I was from heaven, but she had no idea she was sentencing me to hell.
“Unless you don’t feel comfortable working with them?” she asked, only partially misinterpreting my hesitancy. “I don’t want to put a strain on your relationships.”
“No, please don’t worry about me,” I replied, feeling like I was lying to her face. But how could I disappoint her when she was so excited about this? And on my first day, no less. I’d never mentioned to Chelsea that Nicholas and I br
oke up, and now I didn’t dare. This was obviously a huge project for the company that would open lots of doors. My love life shouldn’t factor into the equation.
“I was just thinking that Nicholas might not be available for a few weeks, since he’s still in California.”
She smiled. “Oh, he already said he was making a quick trip to Vegas this weekend. If he can fit the dinner in, we’re good to go.”
Nicholas was coming here? Did Shane and Cole know? And why hadn’t they warned me about hiring Chelsea’s company for the lofts? I felt completely confused and out of sorts.
“Are you okay, Emma? You seem a little off. Maybe you should have given yourself more of a break after finals and graduation.”
“I think I’m just feeling overwhelmed right now.” A truth if I’d ever told one. “I promise to be on top of things tomorrow.”
“I get it. I’ve thrown a lot at you today. Why don’t you head on home, and we’ll start again first thing tomorrow?”
“Are you sure? I don’t mind staying and getting a head start on all the filing.”
Chelsea laughed. “Don’t worry. The never-ending pile of filing will still be there tomorrow. Have a good evening.”
“Thanks, you too.”
When I got in my car, I sat there for a few minutes, undecided. At Cole’s and Shane’s insistence, I was supposed to be heading straight for the townhouse after leaving work. They said that they were planning a small celebration to commemorate my first day. It had seemed like a good idea when they mentioned it yesterday, but now I wasn’t so sure. I didn’t know if I could handle anything close to a celebration. I was too edgy and too drained all at the same time.
Finally deciding my desire to not disappoint them trumped my desire to be alone, I put on my favorite relaxing playlist and drove to their place. I let myself into the townhouse but froze in the entryway when the sound of yelling drifted to me from the living area.
“What the fuck is he thinking? I’ve tried to be patient, but this is the last fucking straw. I mean it, Shane.”
Though Shane’s response to Cole was at a more controlled level, I could still make out his words. “I know, but what exactly do you want to do about it? We can’t cut him out completely. There’s the club and the renovation. Not to mention, he’s our best friend.”
Cole’s voice lowered, so I crept forward and plastered myself against the wall, barely out of sight. “...about the businesses. This is about Emma. He’s going to screw this up for all of us.”
I noticed a form pacing out of the corner of my eye and held my breath, praying I wouldn’t get caught.
“You don’t know that. We’ve managed without him for the last two months. There’s no reason the three of us can’t be happy together.”
“But that’s the thing,” Cole said, his voice sad. “She’s not happy.”
“Has she said something to you?”
“No, but she doesn’t have to. She still flinches every time he’s mentioned. She actively avoids walking by his bedroom. And she’s...I don’t know...missing that spark I love so much.”
All my breath rushed out of me, and I bit down on my cheek to keep from crying. I’d believed I handled the breakup with Nicholas so well, but apparently, I was wrong.
“Okay, sure, she misses him,” Shane replied, “but that doesn’t mean she won’t get over it eventually.”
“I don’t know if she will. What if she really just wanted to be with him all along, and we were like bonus boyfriends? Maybe, without him, we’re not enough.”
With Cole’s weighty words echoing in my ears, I tiptoed down the hall and back out the door as quietly as possible. I couldn’t eavesdrop on them anymore; it wasn’t right. Yet, I couldn’t bring myself to leave. I still wanted to be near them. I wanted to believe their love remained strong and true, even if I didn’t deserve it.
I sank down onto the porch step and allowed the tears welling in my eyes to fall. How had I made Cole think he and Shane weren’t enough? Remembering the sorrow in his voice, my heart cracked in a place I hadn’t even known existed. A place where love and loss and guilt and hope clashed, begging to be stitched back together.
For the thousandth time, I wondered if I’d made the wrong choice by staying with Shane and Cole. It wasn’t that they weren’t enough without Nicholas—they were individually everything I could want or need in a boyfriend—but the missing piece of our foursome was constantly near the surface. We couldn’t escape it. And I would never ask them to choose me over him.
Where did that leave us?
I honestly didn’t know. And, from the sound of it, neither did the Ps.
I lost track of how long I sat there, but eventually, I heard the door open and close behind me and felt Shane’s warm presence settle beside me.
“Your car has been here for a while. Is everything okay?”
Unable to speak, I shook my head, keeping my gaze averted. He wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me close, and I sank into his side, inhaling his spicy scent. All thoughts of giving up on him...on Cole...instantly disappeared. Everything within me told me this was right. And even if it meant being reminded of Nicholas on a daily basis, I would find a way to make this work.
“Have I ruined us by being sad about Nic?” I finally asked, not wanting but needing to know.
His hold tightened, and he sighed into my hair. “You heard us talking?”
“Only some of it. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have listened.”
“It’s okay, but I wish you would have stuck around. Then you would know you haven’t ruined anything.”
At that, I allowed myself to look up into his beautiful gray-blue eyes, which held a tenderness I didn’t usually associate with him. He was my smooth, systematic, structured Shane. But there were moments, like this, when he let me see more.
“Really?”
“Yes. We have a plan to make things easier for you.”
“I can’t allow you to sacrifice your relationship with Nic just to make things easier for me. I’m tougher than I look.”
He chuckled. “Tell me something I don’t know. And we aren’t suggesting sacrifice. More like compromise.”
“Compromise how?”
Shane gently kissed my lips. “Patience, babe. Cole would never forgive me for talking to you without him.”
Hearing the hurt in Cole’s voice once again as he spoke of my unhappiness, I said, “Fortunately, he has a great capacity for forgiveness.”
Chapter 18
Shane kissed me lightly before standing and taking me with him. Part of me wanted to beg him to call to Cole and have them both steal me away from the townhouse and the memories of Nicholas that lingered there. I didn’t want to know why they were angry at him. I didn’t want to hear what new hurtful thing he’d done. I’d been inundated with him all day, and now I wanted to hide.
But if I was going to get past this…him…I needed to be stronger than I’d been over the last two months.
When we stepped through the door, Cole was standing in the entryway, looking forlorn. I walked straight into his arms and clung to him like I’d never let go. “I’m sorry I made you think you’re not enough without Nic. It’s not true. I promise.”
His arms engulfed me, and he sighed into my hair. “I love you, Em, and I just want you to be happy.”
“I am.” I struggled with what to say. How to explain. When the right words didn’t come, I merely said, “It’s been an adjustment, but I’m happy.”
He kissed my forehead, and I finally stepped out of the safety of his arms. “Are you hungry? We got stuff to grill out.”
“That sounds great.” Despite the emotional day, or maybe because of it, I was starving.
“Snow and Ace are napping in the laundry room,” Shane said. “Why don’t you get them up and then relax on the patio while I get you a glass of wine?”
I grinned up at him. “I like the sound of that.”
Once I was lounging with a glass of Pinot Grigio in hand, I took
a few moments to be grateful. Shane and Cole were busy at the grill, asking about my day and doing their best to pretend like everything was normal, at least for the moment. Although it was really too soon to tell, my job seemed promising. And I liked my boss, which was a significant bonus. Snow was sitting happily in my lap while Ace did laps in the small yard. Life was good.
“What would you do without a grill?” I asked as I dug into my steak. They had bought good ones, of course, so it was juicy and tender and cooked perfectly. But beyond grilling, they were both hopeless in the kitchen, and I still wasn’t much better.
“Personal chef?” Shane asked with a straight face, and I choked.
“Seriously? You would hire a personal chef?”
He shrugged. “Why not? It’s not like we can’t afford one, and we’d probably eat a lot healthier that way.”
Cole appeared to be considering the idea as he chewed his steak. “That’s actually a pretty great idea. It wouldn’t have to be for every meal. Maybe for breakfasts and dinners during the week?”
“That sounds good,” Shane agreed.
“Want me to look into it?”
“Find someone now, but maybe wait to schedule until after.”
Cole nodded, and I looked between the two of them, completely lost. “Did you two seriously decide to hire a personal chef just like that?”
“Yes,” they answered together.
“What of it?” Cole asked.
“It seems like an important decision.” Even though I saw them almost every day, I was still floored by how simple certain things were for them. They didn’t flaunt their money, but they could easily solve problems with it.
In contrast, I thought back to when my dad decided to hire someone to clean our house when my mother was sick and we were expecting company that weekend. She complained about how much it would cost and made him call twelve different companies before finally agreeing on one that was the same price as his original suggestion. It was such an ordeal, I’d wished I had put off finishing my English paper and cleaned the damn house all by myself.
“It’s not really a big deal,” Shane responded. “We can try it out, and if we’re not happy with the meals or service, we’ll drop it.”
