Her Chance at Love

by Nicki Night

  “Richard! Look at me,” Cadence ordered, wiggling his chin to get him to look directly at her.

  His focus wandered aimlessly as he tried to talk. “She socked me right in the eye!” The words tumbled out of his mouth before he hiccuped. “I’m suing her for every dime she’s got,” Richard slurred, and Cadence’s senses were assaulted by the strong odor of coffee and whiskey that permeated the air around him. She assumed he’d started his day with a couple of hot toddies.

  “Amy, get him a cup of black coffee and meet me in the conference room.” Cadence snaked her arm under Richard’s and guided him out of her office through a sea of inquisitive stares from coworkers, and into the conference room. Richard, a crumpled mess, had been mumbling all along the way.

  Once she successfully planted his sinewy body in a chair, Cadence took a deep breath, once again taking in the sharp odor of whiskey that wafted from his mouth. She paced a few times as she tried to gather herself before asking her next set of questions. She couldn’t believe what she was witnessing.

  Amy scurried into the room with a steaming cup of black coffee and tried to get Richard to drink some. His head bobbed as if he had no control of his neck. Amy had to support his chin to get his mouth to the rim. Tipping the cup, she got him to swallow a few sips before placing it down on the sturdy mahogany table.

  Cadence sent Amy to get Adam so she would have another attorney in the room before she began asking Richard questions. She was at least thankful that he’d begun to calm down a little. He had stopped mumbling incoherently and was now drinking the coffee on his own.

  Cadence jerked when Richard slammed the cup against the conference table. “I need another cup!” he barked.

  Amy was just about to enter the room, but instead nodded at Cadence, exiting swiftly toward the break room.

  “What’s going on here?” Adam’s voice bellowed as he entered the room. Rearing his head back at the sight of the large purple-and-black ring surrounding Richard’s eye, Adam looked back and forth between Cadence and Richard. “What the hell happened?”

  “That tramp.” Richard cleared his throat. “She socked me in the eye.”

  “Tell me who and why,” Adam said.

  Cadence stood next to Richard, arms crossed, awaiting his answer.

  “Victoria Kelly!” Richard said, slamming his hand against the table and then flashing a look as if he thought this was ridiculous.

  Cadence closed her eyes, shook her head and sighed, recognizing the name as one of the employees that had filed a recent sexual harassment claim against him. “Tell me exactly what happened, Richard,” she said calmly, taking a seat next to him.

  Adam shook his head and sat, also. Once again, Cadence tried her best to keep her composure and remain stoically professional as Richard gave an absurd account of how he’d simply brushed against the backside of an employee from whom he’d been warned to keep his distance. In addition, as he said, one thing led to another and, before he knew it, she’d wound up her arm and unleashed a blow that connected directly to his right eye. After that, he ran out of the office, jumped in a taxi and headed straight to the law firm.

  “When I get back to that office, I’m going to fire her so fast!”

  “Okay. Rich. Calm down.” Cadence was speaking softly while her eyes were on Adam, whose brows were still tightly knit as he nodded his head. “How about you get some rest and I’ll take care of everything.” Cadence was sure his claim wouldn’t hold water in light of all of the recent filings against him, but her job was to try to do all she could for her client. Right now she needed to get him calm and sober.

  “I’ll call for a taxi. Go home and get some rest, and then after that we can get started filing your claim.”

  “Whew!” Richard held his forehead. “Thanks, Cadence. I knew you would handle it.”

  “Cadence always does,” Adam added proudly. Cadence smiled for the first time since Richard came barreling into her office.

  “Don’t go back to the office today, okay, Richard? If you need anything, I’ll have Amy call and have your secretary send it to your house.

  “That won’t work.” Richard threw his hands up in the air.

  “Why not?” Cadence looked confused.

  “Victoria is my secretary, remember?”

  “No worries, Rich. We’ll see that you get what you need.” Cadence assured him.

  Just then, Amy walked back in with another cup of coffee. Richard, finally settled, took the cup, nodded halfheartedly before he began drinking.

  Adam got up from the table and patted Richard’s back. “You’re in good hands, Rich. Take it easy and we’ll get everything under control.”

  Rich simply nodded.

  “Cadence, can I speak to you for a moment?” Adam motioned for Cadence to follow him into the hallway. Adam looked back in the room before speaking. “You need to get to the bottom of this right away. Once you’re sure he’s home and settled, get over to that office and see how far this has gone. See what you can find out. We need to handle this as quickly and quietly as possible.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Adam cast her a hopeful glance before heading back to his office. Cadence watched his long legs sweep across the floor in quick strides as she avoided going back into the conference room for just a few more minutes. She took a deep breath, dropped her shoulders and straightened her back, bracing herself for the task at hand.

  There was no telling how this would all play out. She knew that meeting Alana for drinks after work wasn’t likely to happen. Alana would understand. What Cadence found surprisingly disappointing was the fact that she wouldn’t get to see Blake tonight. Even if she knew she wasn’t his type.

  This new fiasco with Richard would eat up a considerable amount of Cadence’s time. The progress she’d made earlier in the day would mean nothing now that she had to shift her focus and try to clean up his latest mess. She made sure he’d made it home safely before she prepared for the trip to his company to get answers.

  The display on her cell phone lit up as it shimmied around her desktop. She’d put off calling Alana to cancel their plans for the evening long enough. Cadence sighed and picked up the phone.

  “Hey, girl,” Cadence said.

  “What’s the problem now?” Her lackluster greeting apparently put Alana on alert.

  “I can’t even begin to tell you. My sleazebag client managed to dig himself an even deeper hole. I won’t be able to meet you tonight.”

  “Aw, Cadence!”

  “I know. I’m so sorry, but there’s nothing I can do about it. I’ll make it up to you. I promise.”

  “Okay. Duty calls. Handle your business, chica! We’ll catch up.”

  “Thanks! Now I’m off to clean up this sleazebag’s—I mean, my client’s—mess.”

  “Wow, is that how we address our most valuable clients these days? I wonder if the partners would take issue with that.”

  Cadence’s head popped up at the sound of Kerry’s voice, which sounded more like fingernails on a chalkboard.

  Cadence bit back what she really wanted to say. “Eavesdropping, are we?” Cadence replied and forced a smile.

  “You need to let me at her one of these days,” Cadence heard Alana say as she held the phone to her ear.

  Cadence smiled on the inside, remaining cordial and professional on the outside for Kerry’s benefit.

  Despite the fact that Cadence was still obviously on the phone, Kerry sauntered the rest of the way into her office and planted herself on the edge of the desk. Silent moments passed as Cadence stared at Kerry, taken by her rudeness. Kerry tinkered with the picture frames on her desk.

  Another beat passed. “Can I give you a call back?” she asked Alana politely.

  “Getting the picture,” Alana obliged. “Handle your business, my friend. We
can chat later.”

  “How can I help you, Kerry?” Cadence asked.

  Fingering figure eights along the desktop, Kerry took a moment to respond. “I see that your client has gone rogue.”

  “I guess you can say that.” Cadence busied herself gathering the documents that she’d pulled together for her visit to Richard’s office. “But soon it will all be under control.” She stood, hoping Kerry would get the hint and leave her office.

  “Perhaps I could help,” Kerry offered.

  Cadence smiled, once again biting back the words she preferred to say. “I think I can handle this on my own.”

  Kerry pouted. “Oh. That’s too bad. I figured you’d appreciate my assistance.” She slid down from Cadence’s desk. “I thought you were a team player,” she said as she sauntered toward the door. “It would be a shame if the partners got the impression that you weren’t.” Slowly, she turned away, tossing the words “Good luck” over her shoulder.

  Standing rigid, Cadence felt her insides grow warm. She fought to keep her cool. Kerry was always able to get under her skin, but she refused to let it show. Closing her office door, Cadence took several deep breaths to rein in her temper. Then she reasoned with herself that Kerry was just trying to rattle her competition and, although she could probably acquire some dirt on her, she vowed to earn a clean win, allowing her merit and work ethic to garner the position she coveted. She wasn’t going to fall prey to Kerry’s ways. Then she remembered that Kerry had bragged about hanging out with Richard the night before, which made her wonder if she had anything to do with what happened at his office today. Shaking off the anxiety brought on by those thoughts, Cadence stuffed her documents into her bag and moseyed through the office with her head held high.

  Meeting Alana and seeing Blake would have been a great way to cap such a disastrous day, but unfortunately, that would have to wait. Right now she had business to take care of and a position to fight for. This was another testament to the fact that she had no room in her life for dating anyway.

  Chapter 5

  Blake had successfully proved that he was a jack-of-all-trades as he helped get things set up for the mentoring organization’s annual career fair. The organizers seemed technically inept and after several attempts to hook the computers up to the university’s Wi-Fi system, he jumped in and saved the day.

  Blake and a few other NYAA members had volunteered their Saturday to help young high school and college students with their résumés. Now that the laptops were set up and most of the folks who’d signed up to help out had arrived, it was almost time to tackle the long line of students waiting to get their résumés evaluated and typed.

  From the looks of things, they weren’t going to be leaving anytime soon. He had to call on some members to bring in additional recruits. Alana had promised that she would rally a few extra hands on her own. The fruit of her labor was yet to be seen as Blake anxiously awaited her arrival, hoping she’d bring at least five more volunteers with her.

  What he really wanted to know, but didn’t dare ask Alana during their phone conversation, was if her friend Cadence would be coming along. He still hadn’t had a chance to work his charm on her but couldn’t seem to get her off his mind. Despite the fact that this volunteer effort would offer him little time to focus on wooing Cadence, he was determined to make some kind of move. He refused to let her get away again without at least getting her number.

  “Blake!” Sandy Grove, one of the other volunteers, yelled. “This thing is not printing.”

  Blake trotted over to the station where they had set up several printers. “Let me see,” he said, checking all the connections. “Everything looks good over here, Sandy. Did you make sure that you selected the right printer?”

  “What?”

  Blake shook his head at the sheepish grin she flashed at him. “You have to go into the control panel and add the one you want. Did you do that?”

  “No! I figured after all of that tinkering you did, it would just happen.” She snickered.

  Blake chuckled. “Scoot over,” he said, gently shoving her to the side.” Blake tapped on the keys for a few seconds. The copier clicked and the document came sliding out. “There you go.”

  “Blake, you’re cute and smart!” Sandy giggled.

  “Gee. Thanks, Sandy,” Blake said sarcastically and shook his head at her.

  “Now, don’t get a big ego,” she said, nudging him on the arm.

  “Blake!” someone else called from across the room. He dropped his head.

  “You’re being summoned again.” Sandy sang and laughed once more.

  “Coming.” Blake jogged in the direction of the call. This time, the organizer needed him to help another vendor set up.

  When Blake was done, he looked across the room, hoping the backup volunteers had arrived. The fair would be opening in minutes and the lines were now snaking around the corner, as he was told. The vendor thanked him and he shot back across the university’s gymnasium to the other side.

  Alana had arrived, and as she’d said, she had seriously rallied the troops. She had at least ten more volunteers with her.

  “Alana!” Blake leaned in and wrapped her in a grateful hug.

  “Did I do well?” she asked, presenting the folks she brought along with a sweeping gesture.

  “You did very well.” Blake was especially appreciative of the fact that she’d brought Cadence along. Blake waved a general greeting to the group but kept his eye on Cadence, flashing his most brilliant smile. “Welcome and thanks, everyone. Just give me a moment and we will get you all set up as fast as we can. Did you all bring laptops?” The crowd collectively affirmed by nodding their heads. Some lifted their laptops in the air. “Great.” Blake clapped his hands together, but before he could show them where they needed to be, he heard his name being called again through the PA system.

  The frenzy had heightened. With minutes left, representatives from recruitment companies, other businesses and vendors lined the perimeter of the gymnasium, scurrying to prepare their tables for the throngs of students outside of the double doors.

  Blake helped yet another vendor gain access to the university’s Wi-Fi, showed the organizer how to do it for the umpteenth time and headed back to make sure his group was ready to go.

  While he was gone, Alana had taken charge finalizing the setup. She had the custodians pull out a few more tables. A total of five six-foot-long tables were lined up in two rows with three volunteers set up at each table. She had also set up table signs that said, Résumé Services Sponsored by the NYAA.

  “Let’s do a test run to make sure all of you are connected to the printer correctly.” Alana stood addressing their group as if she were conducting a symphony.

  “Thanks, Alana!” Blake pulled her into another friendly hug.

  “You know I’ve got your back. Everybody printing okay?” Alana asked.

  “I’m getting an error message.” Cadence said.

  Before Alana could respond, Blake had run to her side. “Let me help you out.” Once again, with a few clicks, he had her all set up and her test page was sliding out of one of the printers set up behind them.

  Blake trotted over to retrieve the printed page and brought it back to her. “There you go,” he said, making a point to graze her hand as he handed it to her. The slight touch sent heat surging through him. He seized her with his eyes and allowed his gaze to linger. Cadence turned away first, but not before Blake made his point. He could tell by the slow way she dipped her eyes that he’d affected her, too.

  As Blake walked away, he couldn’t help the quick groan that escaped his throat. He had to remind himself to remain focused, though it would be hard, since he still smelled the sweet scent of her perfume, which now permeated his nostrils. He wished he could capture the way it mixed with her scent and recall it at his
will.

  Blake looked at his watch. The doors would be opening in less than a minute. “Okay. Is everyone up and running?” The group responded with a collective yes. “Great! We are ready to go.”

  Seconds later, the doors opened and students from all backgrounds poured into the gym, filling the space with their wide-eyed excitement. Immediately, all fifteen volunteers were busy helping to proofread, evaluate and rewrite résumés and offer career advice in response to the many questions the eager students asked.

  It was quickly determined who served best in certain capacities, and the group made the necessary adjustments to keep the flow of traffic moving. Alana’s hands moved like lightning across the keyboard. She and a few others who typed fast focused on retyping résumés that required major editing. Cadence and Blake were really good at helping the students put their skills into words. They began to help those students who needed assistance with sprucing up their job descriptions.

  With so many people seeking their help, the morning blazed by. Blake hadn’t realized how hungry he was until his stomach growled right in the middle of telling a young woman how to reword her administrative skills. Her endearing eyes bore into him the entire time he spoke and she smiled sheepishly when it was time for her to speak. When they were done, he typed in the last of her changes, printed the résumé and bid her good luck with a professional handshake.

  As much as he loved the attention from women, he was never one to take advantage of a young starry-eyed girl. Politely he sent her on her way. As she made her way around to the vendors’ tables, she kept looking back at him.

  His stomach growled again, reminding him that it was time to eat. He stood before another student took the seat in front of him. “You guys hungry?”

  “Yes” rang out at various pitches.

  “We can take turns going to get something to eat or I can just run and grab something for all of us.” Blake looked out over the line of folks that never seemed to cease. “Things don’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. How about I go get something for all of us? I could use some fresh air.”