Worst Week Ever (A Long Road to Love)

by Liza O'Connor

  Realizing the fellow couldn’t start in the middle of his memorized list, Trent sighed. “Go ahead and tell them the appetizers. They might still wish to order one.”

  Tall and Tiny ordered two calamari appetizers, the quail and a tofu vegetarian dish.

  After the waiter left, Tall spoke. “We’ve been in make-up since eight this morning, shooting a commercial.”

  Tiny added, “We can’t eat in makeup. Thus, we’re starved.”

  “Given all the energy you expend on stage, I’m surprised you’re still walking,” Trent stated. “However, I should warn you, your appetizer will probably be smaller.”

  Tiny ceased his silent admiration of Carrie to focus on Trent. “Why? Does your waiter not like magicians?”

  God only knows what Tiny might do to the poor waiter if he felt mistreated. “No. Our dish was enlarged because I came to his rescue when he had a brain freeze.”

  Sure enough, when the waiter returned a few minutes later with the calamari, five lonely pieces sat upon the dish. Tall sighed. “Could you bring me a big platter of calamari and charge me for however many appetizers it takes?”

  The waiter smiled and hurried off. Trent waited until he’d left to speak. “You should be aware the calamari appetizer costs about twenty dollars.”

  Carrie choked. “That’s four dollars a calamari ring.”

  Tiny patted her hand. “Don’t worry, we won’t disappear and stick you with the bill.”

  Trent smiled. “I hadn’t considered the possibility, but you two could actually pull it off.” He sighed as he recalled their show. “I know you guys are probably sick of hearing this, but you have mastered not just one art, but several. I felt honored to have seen your show.”

  Tiny shook his head. “Nope, we never get tired of hearing that.” He smiled at Carrie. “Any chance you would like to ditch your boss and become a groupie?”

  Trent didn’t care for the question, but graciously answered for her. “My business would go under if she left me. Before I hired this enthusiastic college grad, it was headed toward bankruptcy. I had no idea what a gem I’d found. I just hoped her perky personality would mean she’d actually do her job. Never did I think her ‘can do’ attitude and the brilliant brain would literally save my company from disaster.”

  Tall and Tiny both smiled at Carrie in admiration. She leaned across the table and whispered. “It proved harder than I expected. He has, hands down, the worst employees imaginable. None of them would tell me anything when I came to work, not even the location of the bathroom. I just had to wander about and find things.

  “When I introduced myself to the lady sitting at the first desk in the main room, I expected her to welcome me and tell me her name, but she just stared at me as if some alien creature had dropped in asking for a cow to eviscerate.”

  Tiny chuckled and wrote something on a pad from his pocket.

  “I learned a month later, Miss. Schnell heads the payroll department. As long as she didn’t meet me, she didn’t have to put me in the new system, which she hates. She prefers ledgers, which she no longer keeps, since that’s not what the boss wants anymore.”

  About to take a sip of wine, Trent paused and set the glass on the table. “So how are people getting put on payroll?” If they weren’t receiving a paycheck, it could explain why they didn’t feel the need to actually work.

  “Jack learned how to put people on payroll so his boss could hire all his family and friends.”

  His stomach roiled. “And that’s how you got put on payroll?”

  “It took me a whole month to discover who could put me in the system, and another month to discover Jack loves cookies.”

  “You didn’t get paid for two months?” Tiny asked in outrage.

  She chuckled. “I’d been working for eight-seven days when I received my first and rather sizable check.”

  Trent frowned, having no recollection of this. “Did you tell me you weren't getting paid?”

  She sighed. “No.”

  “Why not?”

  “To be honest, given how often you threatened to fire me, I feared if you knew I had yet to become a legal employee, you’d just send me packing and call it fate.”

  God, what a bastard she’d thought him and, listening to her side, he couldn’t blame her. He gripped her hand and stared into her blue eyes. “I know it’s late in the game to say this, but I am really sorry for the way I treated you back then.”

  She covered his hand and smiled. “I didn’t take it personally. After all, you yelled at the others far more often than you yelled at me. And the first time you identified the portrait of the angry man behind your desk as your deceased father, I understood your Jekyll and Hyde act.”

  Tiny scribbled frantically in his notebook.

  Their dinners arrived along with a huge mound of calamari. Trent saw no hope of eating half this food. He stared in amazement as the magicians attacked the calamari.

  Man, could they make food disappear!

  Chapter 6

  Two hours later, three empty plates cluttered the table. Only Carrie’s plate remained barely touched.

  When she pushed the dish far from the table’s edge, Tiny eyed her plate. “Was your fish not good?”

  His face puckered with such displeasure, she feared he might storm into the kitchen to shadow box the cook. She touched his small, delicate hand. “Best fish I’ve ever eaten. I’m saving room for dessert. I’ll ask the waiter for a doggy bag and take this home.”

  All three of her companions choked in unison and stared at her with rounded eyes.

  “Do people not ask for doggy bags here?” She looked to Trent for the answer.

  “I’ve never seen anyone request one.” He smiled. “But by all means, give it a try.”

  Tiny leaned forward. “Do you have a dog tied up outside?”

  She shook her head at the misunderstanding. “I don’t have a dog.” Now both Tiny and Tall’s foreheads crinkled in confusion. “I gather you don’t have doggy bags in England?”

  Tall fought the smile trying to tug at his lips. “We do…but they’re used to pick up the dog poo.”

  Carrie burst out in laughter. Noticing everyone in the place stared at her, she tried to quiet her humor by clamping both hands over her mouth.

  Tiny pulled his legs onto his seat, stood, and faced the collection of über rich watching them. “I apologize if our beautiful companion has disturbed your solemn meals, but we are master comedians…and magicians,” he added as an afterthought. “The dear lady is putty in our hands.”

  He wiggled his tiny fingers at them and a single rose appeared in his hand. Polite applause pattered about the room. He leapt from his chair and gave it to a woman at a nearby table. Whatever he said to the man and woman had them both laughing. Moving to another table, he offered a carnation. He hopped about the restaurant, handing out an amazingly large array of flowers he plucked from the air.

  Tall rolled his eyes. “God only knows where he got those flowers.”

  Carrie thought it greatly heroic of him. No one paid the least bit of attention to her now.

  Tiny continued charming the customers until he saw their waiter carrying two large trays of desserts to their table.

  Tiny scampered behind him, having somewhere acquired two empty drink trays and pretended to be a second waiter. While their waiter looked a bit uneasy with his load, Tiny proved a disaster, tripping and rolling head over heel, yet still managing to keep the trays upright.

  Tiny had the whole place laughing by the time the waiter set down his trays and breathed out softly. The waiter turned and focused on Tiny, who also arrived safely. To celebrate, the tiny magician threw both trays into the air, where to all appearances, they disappeared. The diners rewarded him with resounding applause.

  “I thought they were laughing at me,” the young waiter said as he began passing out desserts. Noticing Carrie’s barely touched meal, the fellow frowned. “Did you not like your salmon?”

  Tiny sto
pped his antics and stage whispered, “She wants a doggy bag.”

  The young waiter set Carrie’s dish on one of the large trays and continued to move the desserts onto the table. “Compliments of management.”

  Glaring at the waiter, Tiny objected, “But we’re here under an alias. How did you figure out who we are?”

  Trent laughed then looked at the waiter. “Is Gary here?”

  The waiter nodded.

  “Ask him if he’s not too busy to come over and accept our appreciation personally.” Trent turned to Tall. “You don’t mind saying hello to my friend who owns the restaurant do you?”

  Tall frowned at Tiny lying on the floor. “Since he hasn’t had us evicted, I might even sign an autograph.”

  The waiter reached for the last desert on the tray. He stared at the table and frowned. “I put ten on the tray…”

  “You’re missing the dark chocolate, caramel thing. You should bring another.” Tiny climbed onto his chair and smiled. His face had a smear of chocolate on one side.

  Carrie passed her little friend a napkin and touched the side of her cheek to indicate the location needing wiped. Tiny sweetly leaned over and wiped her cheek. He then handed her the napkin back and positioned his cheek so she could return the favor.

  By the time she had cleaned the chocolate from Tiny’s cheek, the owner of the restaurant had arrived with their waiter, who carried a tray holding a regal looking hatbox and another chocolate dessert.

  Trent rose and shook hands with the impeccably dressed man. The man’s one-sided smile looked more like a sneer to Carrie. Besides his stiff, overly straight posture, he held his chin tilted up, giving the sense he looked down on them, not just physically, but mentally. Did Trent consider this guy his friend? The puffy haired man certainly didn’t act like one.

  “Gary, I would like you to meet…” He paused and looked at Tall. “I’m sorry. I only know your professional names.”

  Tall stood, making both Trent and Gary appear short. “I’m Hamon Baker and this is Andrew Collins.”

  “Better known as Tall and Tiny,” Trent added.

  Gary shook both their hands. Tiny stood on his chair and leaned over to shake.

  “Please sit.” The owner then motioned to someone across the room and, a second later, a busboy brought a chair so he could sit, as well.

  Tall refolded his long body into his seat and smiled at the man. “I appreciate your tolerance with Tiny tonight.”

  Gary chuckled. “I have to admit when my head waiter said a guest from Trent’s table was tossing flowers at my other customers, I was surprised.”

  He focused on Trent. “I had no idea you knew anyone of interest.”

  The contempt in his words angered Carrie, but Trent only laughed.

  Tiny gripped her hand. “He brought this pretty lady to our show and sat in the front row center seats.” His subsequent chuckle hinted only an idiot would do such a thing.

  Trent held up his hand. “I highly recommend the show and if you can get a front row center seat, take it. You’ll remember the experience for the rest of your life.”

  Gary’s focus turned to Carrie and she felt like a bug under a judgmental microscope. “I don’t believe we’ve met before.”

  “Carrie Hanson.”

  He tilted his head as if perplexed. “Of the Boston Hansons?”

  “Of the New Jersey Hansons.”

  Two furrowed lines etched across his forehead. “I’m not aware of that family.”

  “That’s because it’s just me.”

  He stared at Trent to make sense of the matter.

  “Carrie’s my EA. She just came back from improving my Taiwan facility, so I treated her to a welcome home, work’s-been-hell-without-you evening.”

  The relief in Gary’s face almost equaled her embarrassment as she realized he’d feared his friend had fallen for New Jersey trash. Until this moment, it had never occurred to her that Trent’s friends would see a relationship between them as the equivalent of Trent getting the Ebola virus.

  Despite all Trent’s imperfections, in Gary’s eyes, she equated to unwanted crap on Trent’s shoe. Pain crept its way up her chest as tears pressed to escape. She stood, and all four men popped up as well. Trent seemed baffled by her sudden move, Gary radiated contempt, Tall gave her pity, and Tiny looked ready to fight.

  “If you’ll excuse me, I have to go to the lady’s room.”

  She sensed Tiny following her, but didn’t dare stop. Tears would overcome her soon.

  The bathroom had a lounge with a makeup table, a chair, and two velvet-cushioned benches. Since no one else occupied the room, she lay down and closed her eyes, still fighting her desire to cry.

  “What’s wrong with you?” she asked herself. “So his friend thinks you’re white trash. Who cares? Gary’s just a stupid jerk. Besides, nothing’s going on between Trent and me. Since when can’t an employee have dinner with her boss? No reason to make me feel like I’m not good enough to wipe his boots. It’s not like I’m hoping to be his girlfriend. I just want a decent boss.” She sniffed and added, “I only want to help him turn his business around.”

  Her protest lost its steam due to a lack of sincerity. Somewhere between the ride through a third world country and the arrival of Gary, she’d trampled the line between business and personal. She’d discovered, away from all the aggravations of work, Trent exuded charm and wit. Within his thorny exterior resided a great deal of tolerance and kindness. Damn it! Why did he have to make her like him? Why hadn’t he let her know that to his people, she’d always be inferior? His friend didn’t waste any time sharing his contempt.

  Damn it! She’d never felt so comfortable and right with anyone before. She liked Trent and he liked her.

  “As an employee! He likes you as an employee. That’s all, idiot!”

  “That’s not true,” a familiar British voice replied.

  Carrie bolted upright and stared at Tiny, sitting on the end of the bench, his arms wrapped around his legs, commiserative sadness emanating from his body.

  “Tiny, you can’t be in here.”

  “If someone shows up I’ll disappear, but you’re wrong about Trent. He does have feelings, or at least he did before the jerk showed up.”

  She breathed in deep. “Doesn’t matter. His friend is right. We’re from different worlds. I can assist him as his EA, but anything else would end in disaster.”

  Tiny sighed heavily. “You deserve better anyway.” He tilted his head in her direction. “Any chance you’ll be my girlfriend?”

  He words sounded so casual and nonchalant, as if he just tossed the request out without care as how she might respond, but she feared it meant more to him than he showed. There’d been enough pain tonight; she certainly didn’t want to be the cause of more. She placed her hand on his knee. “It would never work. You travel all over the world while my job is mostly in New Jersey.”

  “We’ll be here for six months.”

  “One of us would have to commute three hours to visit the other and I work from six a.m. to seven p.m. except on weekends.”

  “Weekends are jam-packed for us.” He sighed. “It’s okay. I resigned myself to being unloved when the doctors told my parents I wouldn’t grow any taller than four feet. That same day they put me on a train to London and promised they’d follow in the car. They never showed.”

  His sad but understated story broke her heart and she scooted next to him and wrapped her arm around his shoulder. “I can’t believe anyone would give you up. Maybe they had an accident on their way to London.”

  He stared at her intensely. “Why would you think that?”

  She paused, realizing suggesting his parents died on their way to London might upset him. Still, death had to be better than abandonment. “First of all, an adorable child, full of love, doesn’t get thrown out, regardless of height.” When he snorted, she changed tactics. “But, practically speaking, after you became famous, they would’ve sought you out, if they lived.”r />
  He smiled faintly. “That’s true. So maybe I’m not unlovable, just orphaned.”

  She kissed his temple, careful to miss his gelled hair. “You’re far from unloved. Tall loves you and so do I.”

  “But not romantically,” he grumbled.

  She pinched the bridge of her nose to prevent a flow of tears. “It seems I’ve filled that slot with an inappropriate selection.”

  “Well, since I’m out of the running and our schedules are incompatible anyway, let me make an observation. Unless Trent spends a great deal of time hanging with the wonker, you shouldn’t give up hope. Because the man we tormented through the show acted like a normal fellow in love, not an über-rich snob slumming for the evening.”

  A knock sounded, then the door to the bathroom opened two inches. “Carrie, you okay?” Trent asked.

  “She’s fine,” Tiny replied.

  Trent pushed the door open further and frowned at the fellow. “Tiny, you can’t be in here. These women have no sense of humor. You’ll be in jail before you can blink.”

  A second later, Tiny tugged on Trent’s pants from behind him. “You really shouldn’t be staring in the women’s bathroom. I’m told these ladies have no sense of humor.”

  Carrie laughed. “I’ll be right out.” She went through the archway to the lavatories where a beautiful dark grained marble counter held three brass sinks. She splashed water on her face, forgetting she wore mascara. She groaned as her raccoon eyes grew and drooled down her cheeks.

  Using a plush towel, she carefully removed the black smears of mascara. She’d just finished when a platinum blonde entered, wearing a sexy black dress that highlighted her double-Ds in an understated I-am-here-but-I’m-a-lady way.

  The woman smiled as she came to the counter and retouched her perfect, full red lips. “I’m guessing Gary the ass behaved badly again.”

  Carrie froze, uncertain how to respond. When the woman discovered she didn’t come with pedigree papers, Gary would go from ass to astute.

  “It’s just been a long day.”

  “Well, at least you have a crowd of worried men lurking at the bathroom door. I didn’t have a friend in the world waiting for me when Gary skinned me alive in front of the man I intended to marry. My date left the restaurant without me and took two months to realize he loved me more than he cared what Gary thought.” She smiled. “Yours remains in the hall with the oddest sized men I’ve ever seen.”