Professional Boundaries

by Jennifer Peel

  “Just like that?” he questioned. He sounded offended … no, maybe disappointed.

  “No, not just like that.”

  “Then why?”

  I leaned forward again and lowered my voice. “Because you look troubled, like there’s a woman, I’m guessing an ex-wife, that’s still under your skin, and you can’t get over her. You want to and you’ve tried, but to no avail. I don’t like that kind of competition, Mr. Greyson, but it doesn’t really matter because this is just pretend.”

  He leaned forward too, and as I looked into his eyes, I was reminded of dancing firelight in the dead of night. I held my breath until he spoke. “You’re right, Ms. Bryant, there is a woman, but it’s not my ex-wife, and I did try to get over her, but I discovered that’s where I went wrong.”

  He sat back as I took a deep breath and then a long drink of the ice water that was in front of me. This conversation was much more than I had bargained for. I wondered who the woman was, and for a brief second, I was jealous of her. I wanted a man to speak of me in such hushed and reverent tones. Not just any man, I wanted Ian to. What she had that I didn’t, I knew I’d never know, except for Ian’s heart.

  “Will you excuse me for a moment?”

  I walked to the ladies room and breathed in and breathed out and reminded myself I was over Ian, that Mr. Greyson was my boss, and that I should never eat lunch with him again.

  Chapter 10

  I had never been happier to see a weekend come. I needed my Mr. Greyson-free zone. Plus, this weekend also meant I got to see some of my favorite people on the planet all in one place. I had been looking forward to Boss’ retirement party all week. I sure had missed him at the office. I couldn’t believe it had only been a week since he had left; it felt like an eternity. I was so excited, I told Holly I would come early and help set up, cook, clean, whatever she needed. She laughed and said they were having it catered, but I should come early anyway.

  I dressed up in my newly-acquired cyan colored wrap dress. The hues made my eyes pop. I put some loose curls in my hair and let it fall and frame my face. It was weird when I looked in the mirror; I almost didn’t recognize myself, not in a bad way, but there was an unfamiliar aura to my reflection. Maybe I really had snapped. I felt like it wouldn’t be too long before I did, working for Mr. Greyson. Oh well, tonight was not about him, thank goodness, even though I knew he was coming. I planned to avoid him as much as possible.

  I arrived two hours before the actual party began. I noticed the addition of two cars in the drive way, one with Georgia plates and one with Florida plates. It looked like Luke was coming after all. He had told his parents he probably couldn’t make it. They probably had to send him the money so he could afford to come. It was so sad to see what had become of him. I took a deep breath to prepare myself for having to see him. He had a way of making things awkward. I was one in a long list of people he blamed for his problems. He was convinced if I had just married him, his life would be perfect now and he would magically be someone else. I wished he hadn’t been able to come; it was a selfish wish I know. I should just be happy for Boss and Holly that their whole family could be here to celebrate such a wonderful occasion. And who knew, maybe Luke would be on his best behavior.

  I eagerly rang the doorbell, and it didn’t take too long before I was greeted by Sara, their granddaughter. “Aunt Kelli’s here,” she yelled. I was the honorary aunt.

  She ran straight into my arms, I hugged her tightly. “You’re beautiful. I can’t believe how tall you’ve grown.” She was turning into quite the young lady. Within seconds, I was joined by practically the whole Chandler clan. Even Luke came out to greet me. Looking at him made me wish things could have been different, that he could have been different. He was like two different people. There was the sweet charming person he was most of the time and then there was the mean spirited and sometimes just down right vile person. For the first part of our relationship he was very sweet and charming, but then he started drinking and a monster was unleashed. I tried to help him through it, but I refused to be an emotional punching bag. He stood there looking as handsome as ever with his sandy blonde hair that laid just perfectly against his head with his bangs swooped flawlessly, his bright blue eyes with the longest eyelashes, and of course his sun-kissed skin, which only added to his physical appeal. When he smiled, he had one dimple on the left side of his face. To look at him, you would think, What a catch, but looks were very deceiving in his case.

  There was a line of hugs. Holly held on just a bit longer. “You look absolutely beautiful, but there is something different about you,” she whispered in my ear.

  It made me feel better. At least I wasn’t crazy thinking the same thing.

  “I can’t put my finger on it, but it suits you,” she said.

  Boss was also flattering. Luke was at the end of the line. He hugged me tighter than I would have liked. “Hi gorgeous,” he whispered low in my ear. Then he kissed my cheek.

  I backed away quickly. “Thank you.” I tried to convey in my tone his advances wouldn’t be welcome. By the look in his eye, he didn’t get it. One more man to avoid, I thought. I quickly turned to Holly and Boss and asked them to tell me about their trip. I also had plenty to catch up on with Ethan and Bethany, but I didn’t get a lot of info as they were busy chasing kids.

  Of course Boss and Holly were anxious to hear about how things were going at the office. I was very positive. I didn’t want to give them any reason to worry, especially not tonight. Boss was particularly pleased to hear about the meeting we had the day before. I noticed Luke listening intently; I’m sure he was still bitter his Dad fired him, but he only had himself to blame. Thankfully he decided our conversation wasn’t to his liking and he left. From there I enjoyed pictures of Cancun and playing with baby Camden. He was an adorable curly redhead that had the most addicting giggle ever. I wanted one.

  Before too long, guests begin to arrive. I think I knew everyone, from clients, to employees, to people we all went to church with. I was happy that Amanda and Zane showed up before my new boss. I wanted to make sure they were going to be on their very best behavior and not embarrass me. They had been teasing me all week about what they were going to say to Mr. Greyson when they met him tonight. It ranged from the absurd all the way to blush-worthy inappropriate.

  As soon as they got there, I cornered them, but it did no good. They had evil glints in their eyes. I didn’t like it one bit. I even reminded them that there was another woman and the reason he moved here had nothing to do with me. They weren’t buying it.

  “I’m telling you, Kelli, the woman he’s talking about is you,” Zane said.

  My sister shook her head in agreement.

  “You both have lost your ever-living minds,” I commented.

  I just walked away toward the patio and prayed the good Lord would have mercy on me and Mr. Greyson wouldn’t come. But just as I thought it, he appeared. It was eerie.

  “Kelli,” he said.

  “Mr. Greyson.”

  He cocked his head to the side and shook it. “I almost think you call me that just for enjoyment now.”

  “Now, Mr. Greyson, why would you think such a thing?”

  He moved closer and lowered his voice. “I, too, can read people.”

  “Oh really?” I raised my fingers so they touched my temple. “So what am I thinking now then?”

  He stepped even closer. “You’re thinking, ‘How come he hasn’t complimented me yet on how amazing I look.’ ”

  My eyes popped and I dropped my hand.

  He smiled.

  “Um …” I bit my lip. “Not even close.”

  “Oh, well I tried.” He winked.

  All of a sudden I felt very warm, and of course it was then my sister and Zane decided to grace us with their presence.

  “Kelli, who is this?” Oh my gosh, like she didn’t know. She practically sang the words. I was going to kill her later.

  “Mr. Greyson, let me introduce my si
ster, Amanda, and my brother-in-law, Dr. Zane Culver.”

  Ian shook both of their hands. “Please call me Ian.” He looked over to me as he said it.

  I just shook my head no.

  My sister and brother-in-law looked to be enjoying the show.

  “You’re a doctor? What is your field of medicine?” he asked Zane.

  “I can’t believe you didn’t mention already that I was the best dentist in Nashville,” Zane teased me.

  I rolled my eyes. “My apologies, oh great one.”

  “Bryant women are so sassy.” He winked at me.

  “Tell me about it,” Ian said.

  My sister playfully smacked her husband, and I just smiled like I was proud of the characterization. Zane and Mr. Greyson seemed to hit it off immediately. I wasn’t sure what to make of that or how to feel about it.

  While they chatted like old college buddies, my sister pulled me over to the side. “Whoa Kelli, how do you get any work done with him around?” she asked, just for my ears.

  “It’s easy, I ignore him.”

  “Why would you want to? Look at him.”

  I did look at him, and he looked great. He was wearing some brown dress slacks paired with an off-white shirt and vest. I looked away quickly. He was my boss, end of story. “So he’s good looking. So what?”

  “You’re not fooling anyone, Kelli, and neither is he. I saw the way you two were looking at each other when we walked out here.”

  “You got the whole loathing vibe then?”

  She squeezed my shoulder and laughed. I just rested my head against hers briefly. For some reason, I needed the comfort only she could give. I wasn’t sure why I needed it at that particular moment, but it felt nice. The feeling of peace that brought only lasted for a moment until we were joined by Delfia and Matt. They looked like they were together; I thought there might be a little something going on between the two of them. I noticed, when Matt came up to work with me, the stolen glances between the two. I thought he was like ten years younger than her, but they looked great together.

  She seemed a little nervous, which was unlike her, and he looked like he had just hit the jackpot. Amanda knew both already from our monthly lunch dates, so there was no need for introductions. I also tried not to draw attention to the fact they were together; they seemed unsure about it. But it only took me a minute to wish I had brought up my suspicions, as my sister and Delfia started talking about me and my boss, who, at the moment, was engrossed in conversation with my brother-in-law. Amanda was trying to extricate any juicy details from her on what went on in the office, and she also spilled the beans that I had once dated the new boss and I had it pretty bad for him. I kept trying to hush her.

  Delfia was delighted to get the scoop. “I knew there was a past there. You should see the fireworks in the office,” she eagerly told my sister.

  Matt kept looking at me, somewhat embarrassedly. I finally couldn’t take it anymore. “I’m off to find Boss and Holly.” No one cared that I left; they were enjoying their gossip fest. I walked past Zane and Mr. Greyson on my way back in; they were now sitting and talking like two old men on a front porch. It made me nervous. I didn’t want him to be friends with my family, and where was the family loyalty, for crying out loud? I just shook my head at Zane and glared at Mr. Greyson, who looked at me curiously as I walked by.

  Ever since he walked back into my life, it had been nothing but unpredictability. Unfortunately, the one thing I could predict tonight was Luke, and he didn’t disappoint. As I walked into the house, he was coming out. He already looked like he had had too much to drink.

  “Baby doll, I’ve been looking for you.”

  I hated when he called me that, but I just ignored it. The last thing I wanted was for him to blow up at his parents’ party, and when he drank you never knew what would set him off.

  “Do you know where your parents are?” I asked instead.

  He just shook his head and looked me up and down from head to toe. I could see the sinister gleam in his eye; it gave me the willies. I couldn’t believe this was the Luke I used to know. He grabbed my hand and tried to pull me back outside. I pulled back, but for a drunken guy, he was still well in control of his bodily functions, and he sure didn’t lack strength.

  “Luke, please let go.”

  “Come on, Baby.”

  He drew closer, and I almost puked from the smell.

  “Luke, knock it off,” I tried to keep my voice down. I didn’t want to make a scene. His parents deserved better, but he still didn’t let go, and now he was disgustingly licking his lips. That was it. I yanked as hard as I could. That did the trick, but it set him off. He tried to grab me again, all while lobbing a few choice words my way. Thankfully Mr. Greyson and Zane were alerted, and they came to my rescue just as Luke got a hold of my arm again.

  Mr. Greyson grabbed his hand while Zane grabbed the back of his shirt.

  “I suggest if you want to keep that hand you let go of her immediately,” Mr. Greyson said with absolute authority. I had never seen him look so furious. His eyes blazed with hatred toward Luke.

  Luke let go, and Zane directed him forcefully out the door. Luke kept spouting out vile words, letting the world know how I had ruined his life because I couldn’t love him for who he was, if only I would have married him, and what a witch I was (but he didn’t use that nice of a word). I was so embarrassed.

  “Thank you,” was all I could say quietly to a stunned Mr. Greyson. I walked off as fast as I could. I made my way through a crowd of people to the front porch, and there I sat on the porch swing, trying not to cry. It didn’t work very well. No matter whether you believe them when a person says such things to you, it still hurts. The hurt and embarrassment were too much, and the tears began to spill over. After just a minute or two, the front door opened and out walked Mr. Greyson with eyes full of concern.

  He looked at me for just a second before he made his way to me. I tried to wipe at the tears furiously, but to no avail—they kept coming.

  “May I join you?” he asked.

  He looked so sweet. He looked like my Ian. I stopped swinging and scooted over. He sat right next to me and handed me a tissue.

  I gladly accepted the tissue. “Thank you. Where did you get this?”

  “Your sister thought you would need one.”

  She knew me so well, but I wondered why she hadn’t come to find me as I dabbed my eyes and cheeks.

  “Did Luke leave?” I asked.

  “He won’t be bothering you anymore.”

  That didn’t really answer the question, but it made me feel better. I just didn’t want his parents’ party to be spoiled.

  “Do Gary and Holly know?”

  He reached over and gently picked up my arm and began carefully pulling up my sleeve. “Quit worrying about everyone else right now. Are you alright?”

  His concern and gentle behavior made the tears start up again. He lightly touched the finger marks left by Luke. “Does that hurt?”

  I shook my head no.

  He delicately placed my hand back in my lap. Then he reached up and brushed a few tears away.

  I smiled. “Doesn’t this cross some professional boundaries?”

  He brushed my cheek one more time and grinned. “I guess it’s a good thing were not in the office.”

  Without thinking, I reached up and grabbed his hand as he touched my face. It was so natural. It was an old habit, and my heart leapt. For a moment our eyes locked, and there I saw …“Ian.”

  He grinned wide.

  I dropped my hand, and his smile dropped.

  “I mean, Mr. Greyson …Thank you, but we should probably get back to the party now.”

  His shoulders dropped, and he sighed. “Someday, Kelli,” he responded.

  “Someday, what?”

  He came to himself again. “Just someday.”

  I stood up and smoothed out my dress. “Do I look like a mess?”

  He laughed. “After everything that ju
st happened, that’s what you’re worried about?”

  “I don’t want to worry Boss and Holly. Plus, a girl never knows when Mr. Right will pop up.”

  He shook his head at me and stood up. I looked up at that beautiful face of his.

  “You still look amazing, but …” he replied.

  “But?”

  He gave me a mischievous grin. “But … the question is will you ever call Mr. Right by his first name?”

  What a weird response, I thought, but I responded the only way I could. “Unless his name is Mr. Darcy.”

  He shook his head at me. “You still love that book?”

  “Doesn’t every available woman in her thirties?”

  “That I wouldn’t know,” he responded.

  I began walking toward the door.

  He didn’t follow. “I need to take off,” he said.

  I turned back toward him. “So soon?”

  Why did I sound disappointed?

  “I have an early flight tomorrow.”

  “Oh?”

  “I’m heading to Colorado. I have some personal things that have come up.”

  “How long will you be gone?” Not like I really cared.

  “A week, maybe two. But don’t worry, I’ll be checking in everyday.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Oh thank you, you don’t know how worried I was just there.”

  He shook his head at me again.

  “Goodnight, Kelli. I’ll call you.”

  Wow that sounded familiar. I caught my breath for a second.

  “Goodnight, Mr. Greyson.”

  He walked off saying, “Someday, Kelli, someday …”

  I watched him walk off, and I felt a tiny tug in my chest. I chalked it up to heartburn.

  Chapter 11

  I felt like I kept saying this lately, but that did not go how I had anticipated it. I just wanted a nice evening with family and friends to celebrate the milestone of one of the greatest men on earth, but instead I ended up being manhandled, to put it nicely. That led me to kind of a moment on the porch with my boss, which caused all sorts of confusion, and to top it off, Mr. Greyson was now my brother-in-law’s new BFF; they were even going golfing when he got back from Colorado. Oh yeah, and now the whole office would know that I had a thing with Mr. Greyson, and if that wasn’t enough, Mr. Greyson now knew about my history with Luke. It was like my life was coming undone stitch by stitch. My sister said this was a good thing, because I needed a change of wardrobe.