Married This Year 3: Adventures In Hiring

by Tracey Pedersen

  “You told me it was a work call when I’d clearly heard you tell someone you loved them and would be with them soon. The next day you told me you were sending work texts but you obviously were up to something else. I decided enough was enough and I would end it before I got hurt.” Cooper closed his eyes for a moment. His face was sad and she felt sorry that he’d had to carry this burden since he was a teenager.

  “How can your mother even text you from prison?”

  “She got hold of someone’s contraband phone. Don’t ask me how they get those things into the prison or what she might have done to get her hands on it. I tell myself she bribed someone.”

  “Can you get in trouble for communicating with her like that?

  “Probably, except,” he stared at the ground before answering, “I called and told them she had it.”

  “Wow.”

  “Yep. I dobbed my own mother in. Makes me a great guy, huh?” He looked up at her, before looking away again.

  “Cooper does Ed know about this?”

  “Nope. Not even Ed. Imagine how clients would react to the news? They give me access to all facets of their business when I’m implementing an improvement program. Knowing someone in my family managed to embezzle funds and then committed murder to try to cover it up is probably not the best business endorsement for someone like me.”

  “You’re not your mother.” She longed to touch him. Take him in her arms and kiss his worries away. But just as he wasn’t his mother, she wasn’t his mother, either. This was something he would have to face up to on his own.

  “I don’t want to talk about my mother anymore. Can we talk about us?”

  “What about us?”

  “Is there still an us?” His question was hopeful, as he searched her face in the growing darkness. “Can you forgive me for telling that lie?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “That’s fair enough.” He slumped against the car. “I really fucked this up.”

  “I just need some time to digest everything that’s happened.” He nodded as she kept talking. “A lot of things haven’t gone to plan for me. I didn’t want anyone to know about you and I, but now the whole office does, including my boss. I thought we would get the staff sorted and I’d go back to enjoying my little piece of the human resources world. Now I’m the operations manager, and I don’t want the staff thinking I got the job because of you and me.” She shook her head and opened the car door before leaning against it. “There’s a lot to consider. I need to sort out my apartment, too, and I just don’t have any more space for drama right now. I’m all mixed up and I don’t know how I feel. So give me some time, okay?”

  He searched her face for some clue over which way she might lean. “Will you call me when you’ve made a decision?”

  “Maybe.”

  “That doesn’t fill me with confidence.” He frowned and stepped back.

  “It’s all I can tell you right now, Cooper. You can’t expect anything else.” With those final words, she got in her car and drove slowly up the street. She didn’t look back, didn’t wonder what he would do now. She drove slowly as the tears coursing down her cheeks obstructed her vision.

  ***

  “Hey Emily, are you free tonight?”

  “I’m still at work, what did you have in mind?”

  “I thought maybe a dinner, just you, me and Shelly? Andrea can’t make it.”

  “Is everything okay, Jordan?”

  “Yep, it’s perfect, I just felt like a night out.”

  “Well, it’s six o’clock now. I still have about half an hour before I could possibly leave and someone here will have to close up the office. Do you want to meet somewhere?”

  “How about the pub?”

  “I’m fine with that. It’s Friday night, though, we might see Fish.”

  “Ha! I’m fine with Fish. He and I made our peace many months ago. I’m not about to leave Luke for the DJ!”

  “As long as we’ve sorted that out, I’m game. I’ll meet you there at half past seven.”

  “Awesome! I can’t wait!” there was a pause as though she’d hung up. “Oh, Emily.”

  “Yes?”

  “Wear your dancing shoes!”

  ***

  At seven thirty Emily slipped into the booth where Shelly and Jordan were laughing hysterically together. They wiped their eyes and Shelly went to the bar to buy them a round of drinks. When she returned Jordan suggested a toast.

  “To us girls, who’ve really managed to get our shit together in the last year!” They all took a sip and raised another toast to the absent Andrea.

  “Why couldn’t she come, anyway? It’s Friday night. This used to be our favourite place on Fridays.”

  “Something to do with Lori. She didn’t say and I didn’t have time to grill her. She didn’t seem unhappy though.” Shelly watched the people on the dance floor and a new song started.

  “They seem to be going great.”

  “Yep. Hence my toast to us for getting our shit together!” They laughed and clinked their glasses together. “As soon as we’re finished these we’re dancing.”

  “I see Fish is popular tonight.” Emily and Jordan turned in their seat to see where she was pointing. The DJ booth had been moved since they were last here and Fish was in his element leaning over the dance floor. No longer was he up in the darkened box—tonight he presided over the throng of people, just a few feet above their heads, where several of the women were close enough to call out his name. “Can’t believe you didn’t bag him, Jordan.” She laughed as Jordan frowned at her.

  “Honestly, I was spoiled for choice, remember? Fish was just one of my many admirers. How did I ever get through that year of dating?” she took a sip of her drink and looked at her friends. “I’m so glad Luke made me see reason.”

  “We are, too. We love him.” Shelly choked on her drink and quickly wiped her chin before she lowered her voice. “You won’t believe it, there’s George!” Emily turned again, and sure enough there was Shelly’s cousin George. “I’m going to get him. He owes us something.” She slid out of her seat, leaving the others starting after her.

  “What’s she talking about? What does George owe us?” Emily was mystified.

  “He doesn’t owe me anything. Maybe an apology for nearly getting me killed.” Jordan’s face showed distaste at the thought of the one night she’d been on a date with George last year. “Why couldn’t Shelly just pretend she didn’t see him?”

  “No idea, but they’re coming this way.” Emily gave her a sympathetic stare as they slid over to make room for the others.

  “Oh! Hello Jordan.” George frowned and turned to Shelly. “Shelly, we can catch up another time.”

  “No way!” She grabbed his arm and forced him into the booth. “I have questions for you and the only time I see you these days is when the family is around. You are my prisoner!” She laughed and shoved him forward so he was sitting opposite Jordan.

  “What’s so important that you have to know the details right now?” he put his beer on the table and glared at Shelly.

  “I want to know,” she stopped and cleared her throat. “Correction. We all want to know what the hell you were thinking the night you took Jordan to McDonalds and then to that underground-illegal-maybe-we-might-die-here garage.” Jordan gasped as her words sank in and Emily’s eyebrows shot into her hair as she watched her friend squirm. When she’d agreed to come out tonight she thought they’d have a dance and a laugh and then stagger home. There was a chance they’d grill her about Cooper and she’d planned to tell them she didn’t want to discuss him. She could not have predicted the arrival of George.

  George slipped his finger around his collar. “Is it hot in here?”

  “No, that’s your guilt burning you up from the inside. Come on cousin! I’ve been very good and never asked you this around your mum, but what happened back then? I thought you were into Jordan. Then you went and scared her half to death after feeding her takeaway f
ood.”

  “In his defence, he did spring for an ice cream.” Jordan chimed in, adding to George’s discomfort. Emily watched her glance longingly at the dance floor and back at Shelly, but their friend was oblivious. Shelly’s attention was all on George and his confession, so Jordan was stuck.

  “Fine! If you really must know, I’ll tell you.” He glared at Shelly. “You absolutely cannot tell anyone, though.”

  “I won’t!”

  “Do you promise?”

  “Of course, you idiot. Hurry up and tell us the story.”

  “Okay. First of all,” he looked across at Jordan, “I really did like you. I thought you were going to be fun to spend time with and I was looking forward to getting to know you better.” She inclined her head as Emily watched on. “A week before we were due to go out I lost my job.”

  “What? Why didn’t you say anything?”

  “Shelly, please. You know our family. My mum would have not stopped nagging me until she was sure I’d found new employment. So, I just didn’t tell her. But that meant I didn’t have much cash on me and I couldn’t ask to borrow any, because everyone would start asking questions.” He turned to Emily to explain. “I have three brothers and a sister. So, lots of questions whenever something happens in your life.

  “Anyway, my mate asked me if I could deliver a car to the person he’d sold it to. I’ve done this one or twice before and it’s never been an issue. We normally meet somewhere in a carpark, I give him the keys and we’re good. I get paid in cash to drop it off and everyone is happy.”

  “How much cash?” Jordan interrupted. “That envelope in your jacket was bulky.”

  “It’s a fair amount of money. We would have had a great night.” He grinned at her and she scowled. “Anyway, the drop off was at three o’clock. Plenty of time to get it done and get back to pick up Jordan in a taxi.”

  “Wait, the blue mustang wasn’t even yours?” Jordan frowned again. “You had it at Shelly’s engagement party when I met you.” She looked at Emily. “That was part of the reason I went out with him; he had to have a car to be on the list, remember?

  Emily laughed at the horrified look on Jordan’s face. “The infamous list. You and Luke should get it printed on your invitations somehow when you get married.”

  “Ha! That’s a great idea! Luke would totally go for that, too!”

  “Oh, I heard you’re getting married Jordan, congrats.” George patted her hand and she slid it out of his reach and onto her lap.

  “So, about that car. I’d borrowed it from my mate for the party. He has a couple of cars so it’s no big deal to take one from time to time. I didn’t feel like catching a taxi that day.”

  “You lying snake!” Shelly slapped him on the arm. “Everyone in the family thought that was your car.” She turned to Jordan. “I’m sorry. I totally thought it was his.”

  Jordan laughed at her. “It’s fine Shelly. It’s old news. I couldn’t care less about it.”

  “Yes, but you could have been killed that night.” She turned back to George with a frown. “All because my cousin hides things from his family!”

  “Do you want the story or not, Shelly? I could be dancing and meeting chicks right now, you know.”

  “If you don’t hurry up and spit this story out I swear I’m going to dob you in to your dad!”

  “Alright, keep your hair on.” He rolled his eyes and finished the last of his beer. “So I’m meant to go at three. I know I’ll be cashed up and have loads of time to get ready, but the deal changes at the last minute to nine o’clock and the location changes, too.” He shook his head, thinking back to that night, trying to recall every detail to repeat to the women watching him now. “So now I’m in a panic. I don’t have enough cash to take Jordan out and I’m expected somewhere at nine with the car.”

  The three women watched him intently, fascinated by his story as he hurried to finish. “I didn’t want to cancel with you,” he looked at Jordan, “but I couldn’t ask you to pay for dinner and then let me rush off for thirty minutes in the middle. So I did the only thing I could think of. A quick dinner at the golden arches, followed by getting rid of the car, and then I would make it up to you by showing you a good time.” He shrugged as he sat back in the booth. “I hoped we’d get along so well during dinner that you’d forgive that small bit of craziness and we’d laugh about it later. Those damn kids, though, throwing their pickles on the roof and making so much noise. I could see you were desperate to get out of there.” He looked at Jordan again. “I’m really sorry. You were all dressed up and it would have been great if we’d made it to the casino before I managed to scare you off.”

  Emily laughed along with the details all through the story telling but all it did was remind her of Cooper. They weren’t the only ones to have misunderstandings in a relationship. Jordan and George had much, much worse and that was on their one and only date. As the music blared around her and George continued to apologise, she finally admitted to herself her feelings for Cooper. She missed him. Any time she wasn’t busy she wondered what he was doing, where he was working, and if he thought about her. She wondered what he was doing at this very moment…

  Shelly’s mouth still hung open from the last of George’s revelations and Emily had an overwhelming urge to giggle. From the look on Jordan’s face she did too. The music blared around them and George cleared his throat, looked at Shelly and inclined his head toward the bar. Before she moved and set him free she leaned in close, “I’m never setting you up with one of my friends again!”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Emily groaned as she checked her email. Ed’s new phone had turned out to be the bane of her life. Every time he got a bright idea he sent her a video. Today she planned to leave early and the last thing she needed was a new urgent task from Ed.

  She clicked play and prepared herself for his newest message.

  “Hi, Em! You’re looking well.” He laughed at his own joke and she resolved to steal his phone and hide it somewhere at tonight’s Christmas party. “I know I’ll see you tonight but I just wanted to touch base and let you know how pleased we are with the good work you’ve done in the last few months. Profits are up—now that we have a full complement of sales people again—and our future is looking bright.” She smiled at the screen.

  Finally, a message that’s not accompanied by a tonne of work.

  “Just one final thing, and I hope you’re viewing this in private.” His eyebrows rose and he gave her a meaningful look. “You know I like to meddle, right?”

  Oh yes I do!

  “Well, I need to let you know that I invited Cooper to the Christmas party and he accepted.” He raised his hand on the screen. “I know! I know! You might not want to see him, but he wants to see you. You’ve seemed a bit sad lately and I can’t help but think you would like a chance to see him and sort out what’s happened. So, I’ve taken the situation into my own hands and I hope you won’t mind. If you two need to apologise to each other, a Christmas party is a damn good place to do it.

  “I hope we’ll see you there Emily. We’re rooting for you guys.” He smiled a guilty smile and pushed the stop button. As she stared at his face frozen on the screen, she was reminded of that other video months ago when she’d had only a few minutes notice of Cooper’s arrival. Now he was giving her just a few hours notice that she was going to see Cooper tonight.

  This had to stop.

  She pulled her phone toward her and punched in Ed’s number on the speed dial. He picked up after just one ring and answered with an anxious tone, “Hello, Emily.”

  “Hi Ed. I guess you know why I’m calling.”

  “I hoped you wouldn’t call. I hoped we’d just see you tonight.” He sighed and she let him wallow in discomfort for a moment more. “My wife gave me an earful when I told her I invited Cooper.”

  “So she should. I will see you tonight and I do want to see Cooper, but I want to clear something up with you beforehand.”

  “Oh, wh
at is it?” His tone brightened considerably at her words.

  “This needs to be the very last time you interfere in my personal life. By continuing to push us together you are overstepping the boundaries of our professional relationship.”

  “I agree, and I’m sorry.”

  “You’re sorry now that you know it’s going to work out, but come on, Ed. If you did this to any other member of staff I’d be advising you that there could be legal action. It needs to stop.”

  “Okay, okay, I promise. No more meddling.”

  “From now on, only work-related meddling. That’s something I can deal with”

  “Yes, definitely only work related. I said I promised. Now I have to go and dress for tonight. We have quite a drive.”

  She hung up and stared at the phone, thinking about meeting Cooper in just a few hours. Goose bumps ran down her back as she thought about seeing him for the first time in weeks. She’d been frozen and indecisive, unsure what to do. She missed him, but the days had turned to weeks and she still hadn’t called.

  Tonight, she promised herself. Tonight we’ll sort out what we are to each other.

  ***

  As Emily stepped through the double doors in the ballroom, her eyes drifted across the beautifully turned out crowd. The room was full of familiar faces, people she saw daily and some she only had contact with online. People waved to her and smiled and she returned the gesture as she scanned the faces.

  She was looking for just one.

  A hand touched her elbow and she turned to find herself face to face with him. The one who’d made every day seem fun while they’d conducted job interviews. Who’d manipulated every situation to ensure they spent time together. The man she’d spent so much time with and who she now could admit she missed like crazy.

  He held out his hand and inclined his head toward the dance floor, a questioning look on his face.

  Why not? Time to finish this once and for all.