by H. B. Rae
Sheila was just as awkward as he was. He knew she was not too sure if she needed to console him or what. Comforting people was not something that they were good at. He let out a sigh. “I am fine. I know you want to know how I am holding up and I am just fine.”
However, as he said it he knew he was not fine. He did not understand how something like that could happen to two people that seemed perfect for one another. She could not have children, and that was not a bad thing. There are other ways to go about it and cheating was not one of those ways. Martin had always told everyone that Sasha was everything to him. John was not sure how to process everything. He felt betrayed in a way as well, and he was not sure how to explain it.
“Boss you are surely not fine, but if you insist, that is alright. I will go fix you up some coffee and we can just chat about anything. You know, if we can find a topic.”
Sheila walked away and he wondered what they could talk about. He wasn’t sure they had much in common, but he had to admit it was nice having her around. It was somewhat comforting knowing she cared about how he was feeling. She seemed to understand him and he wasn’t sure how he felt about that.
He watched as she walked back into the room with mugs in either hand. She smiled warmly at him and took a seat next to him. She had ash brown hair and piercing hazel eyes. She was petite and always wore slacks and a blouse. Everything about her was simple and it was one of the things he liked about her.
“So,” she began. “Look, I do not know what else to talk about, but I do know we need to talk about you. There is something bothering you and I can see it Boss. Can you please talk to me?”
“Sheila, after this case I think I am done with the divorces. I want there to be something more out there for me. You know? I am sick and tired of seeing all of this.”
“What happened to you a month ago?”
John was taken aback. A month ago? What had happened a month ago? He remembered. He shook his head. “That was just my breaking point, I guess. I mean let me be honest here. I thought that this would be more like finding the kidnapped brother or finding who killed that unidentified woman. I mean I am good at catching cheating spouses, I just don’t want this to be all I do.”
“Is that your final decision?”
He looked at her and knew she wasn’t upset and he wondered why. He finally shook his head. “It is something I am thinking about,” he said. He took a sip of his coffee and Sheila did the same. He could not deny that it was nice having her around, and that was the only reason he was hesitant to close up shop. If he did it would most likely mean they would be limited with resources and he would have to let her go. That was something he did not want to do. He was not even sure he was capable of firing someone.
They sat there awkwardly for the next hour or so. John wondered if she was wanting to say something and she didn’t because she wanted to remain professional. She was one of those professional people through and through; even though they were not at work she remained that way. He doubted she could ever be something else toward him. He wondered why, but he appreciated it. At the same time, he wanted her to feel comfortable enough to just talk to him without being afraid of what he would think.
“So,” John said after a long silence. “Would you like for me to drive you home?”
Sheila eyed him for a moment and finally nodded. She took the mugs and was heading back to the kitchen. “You need to have your cleaning lady in here more often,” she chided from the kitchen. “I do not see how your office can be so clean and this place is not.”
John walked into the kitchen and he watched her rinse out the mugs and set them down next to the sink. He walked over towards her and realized they were closer than what was comfortable. “I will see about having her come over more often then,” he said. “If that is what would make you happy.”
She flashed him a smile and she nodded. “It is not good to live in a mess.”
Sometimes when they would talk it seemed as if they were married, but he would never dare say that out loud. He took a step back and she brushed passed him. He could smell her perfume and it always seemed to be the same one. It was enticing, but she was his assistant and despite how attractive she was he knew they were coworkers and that was all.
As he walked behind her he knew where his keys had been; but now they were not where he had left them. He loved living in a mess. He was able to function in a mess and he knew where everything was. It was organized chaos and he loved it.
“Sheila where are my keys?”
Another smile was on her face. He wondered what she was thinking. Her mind seemed to always be in thought and he always wondered what it would be like inside her head. She walked over to the drawer in the foyer and there was a bowl sitting on top of it. She took out his keys with a clank and she tossed them over to him.
Opening the door to the garage, he was more embarrassed. He had boxes stacked against his single car garage. His car doors could barely open there was so much space that was taken up. He glanced over his shoulder and he saw Sheila looking at all of them.
“Do you even know what is in all of these boxes?”
“No, not anymore. I think most of them are empty.”
“Then why did you keep them?”
“I guess it is because I will never know if I need a box.”
She rolled her eyes and opened up her door carefully and slid inside while he did the same. He had upholstered seats that had cigarette burns in them. This was his first car and he had bought it the year before he had left for college. He looked to Sheila and she was glancing around the car as if she was surprised by it.
“What,” John asked somewhat self-conscious.
“You make a lot of money,” she began. “So I am surprised to see that you still have a car as old as this.”
“Well it drives well and it gets me to where I need to be without any issues so I do not really see a need to get something else.”
“That makes perfect sense,” she paused for a moment. “You are not like other people Boss. I respect that.”
He smiled and he was not too sure how to respond. He clicked the button and the garage door was beginning to open. Backing out of the garage he was surprised there were not more people on the road and he looked at Sheila.
“Uh, where exactly am I going?”
Sheila moved as if she were uncomfortable and looked at him. It seemed as if she did not want to tell him where she lived and finally she did.
***
Pulling up to her estate he was stunned. She had about twenty acres of land and she only used five of it for herself. The rest of it had houses that she rented out, mostly during the summer months because it was right off the lake. He could see part of her residence from his office building but he would never have guessed she owned it.
“Boss,” she said slowly. “Is something wrong?”
“No, nothing is wrong,” he began. “I knew your last name was Awret but I did not know you were the daughter of Josiah and Annette.”
“You know of them?”
“Of course I do! I mean your family is our version of royalty in this town. You have no idea what your father did for my family.”
It was obvious Sheila did not know what to say and she smiled. “Yeah, well you do know that they passed away, right?”
“Yes. I heard about that accident they had two years ago. I am so sorry.”
“I am not sure how to respond to that, but thanks, I guess. I inherited the house and it has just been me ever since. – Well thank you for the lift. Will I see you tomorrow?”
He nodded. “Yeah, I will be in the office tomorrow.”
“Great. Bye for now Boss,” she said as she opened the door. She walked up to the iron gate where she entered a code and he watched as it opened. He watched as she walked several yards to the main door and as she was beginning to open the door, she looked over her shoulder and she saw that he was still there. He wondered if it was weird that he was waiting for her to get inside u
ntil he left.
After she walked inside, he finally pulled away. His father had known Sheila’s father back when he was younger. If it wasn’t for Josiah, his father would not be where he was and that was why he had respected that family.
Chapter 4
He was standing in line the following morning, feeling uncomfortable being around so many people. All of them were on their phones, either texting or talking. While most of them ordered they were holding several conversations and their attention was divided up. No wonder it was so easy for people to forget things. He made it to the front of the line and ordered.
Generally, Sheila came down here to get their breakfast, but he wanted to surprise her. He knew what she liked and as he was waiting for everything to be completed, he wondered what his motive was to be here. Coming here was not normal for him and he did not understand why he was taking time out of his day to do this. He was avoiding going to work because he knew he was going to be meeting with Sasha this morning. She had wanted to come in and talk about something this afternoon, but he did not want to. He could not tell her what he knew because he had yet to get all the information he needed for her to present to a lawyer.
His order was finished and he grabbed the bag and the drink carrier. He had never realized before how flimsy these carriers were and he awkwardly walked out of the café onto the sidewalk. He was several buildings away from work and he was walking in the crowd. For whatever reason, it seemed to be very busy today, but maybe he had not been as observant as he thought he was.
Finally he walked into the building and he saw Tom sitting there. He was half asleep and he did not even see John as he walked by. He walked over to the elevator and stepped inside, listening to the music as he was going up. He wanted to get stuck in the elevator so he could cancel his meeting with Sasha. Hell, he did not even know why she wanted to see him. Maybe she had found out on her own. Whatever it was he was not thrilled for the meeting.
The elevator doors finally slid open, he walked down to the second door on the right and opened it. Sheila was already behind her desk and she was e-mailing someone on the main computer. The only time she ever used the main computer as correspondence was when someone was asking for information.
She was very absorbed in the conversation she was having on the phone. John walked over to her and put down the bag and the coffee. She finally looked up at him and smiled a half smile. She still seemed to be focused on whatever was in that e-mail, she locked the computer and turned all of her attention onto him.
“Thank you for breakfast Boss,” she said. He could hear she was somewhat anxious and he was curious to know what was going on.
“Is everything alright? You do not seem like yourself this morning.”
She looked down and nodded. “Yeah, we have received an e-mail from Renee Zsolney and she is wanting to divorce her husband. I know you were talking about closing up shop,” she hesitated. “But this is Renee Zsolney.”
John thought on it for a moment. The Zsolney family was wealthier than the Awert family. If he took on this case he would receive a check much larger than the ones he had been receiving. He would be able to close down the office until he finally landed a case involving something more interesting. He shrugged. “I will think about it.”
Sheila nodded and she watched as he took his coffee and bagel into his office. She sat there. She could not respect him anymore than she already did. This case would be as lucrative as hitting oil and he had to think about it because he was not interested in the money, just the job. She smiled to herself and shook her head. Taking in a deep breath, John definitely was not a typical man.
***
It was nearing three in the afternoon when Sasha finally arrived. She was dressed in a bulky trench coat and she smiled at John who had been waiting ever since he received her phone call earlier that morning. There was something about Sasha that appeared different and he was not too sure what it was. They walked into his office and he shut the door.
“What do I owe the pleasure,” he inquired as he made his way behind his desk.
“You know something,” she said. “I know you do because he mentioned the two of you going to lunch with one another. What did he tell you?”
“I do not feel comfortable disclosing that bit of information until I have everything tied in a bow for you Sasha. Look, I have no issue telling you now, but,” and his voice trailed. He knew he had said too much. A look of fury and sadness washed upon her features.
“Why? Am I just not good enough?”
John was at a loss for words as he always was. “Sasha you are perfect and he even admitted that while we had our luncheon. He is not himself as you know and because of that he is not too sure what he is doing.”
“I have the right to know everything you know,” she said.
“Yes, that is true. I just do not want to tell you until I know you can win this divorce case.”
Sasha nodded. “I understand and I will not act irrationally the moment I know. Look, I need to know what is going on. I have to know if the man I have given my heart to has in fact betrayed me.”
He tried to look away but knew he had to answer. “He admitted to sleeping with another woman, but he also said that after it was all finished he was guilty about it.”
“This woman he is sleeping with, is she someone I would know?”
“I am unsure, but he did admit that he was torn about getting a divorce with you.”
She nodded. “Catch them in the act,” she said. “I want proof he is unfaithful because I will take that bastard for everything he has.”
Sasha got to her feet and John knew that she was hiding something from him as well. He was unsure of what it was but he knew he would have to investigate her as well to make sure that when he compiled all of his evidence he knew nothing could be thrown out by something she was doing.
Leaning back in his chair was when he heard Sheila knock on his door. He was angry, but he knew he could hide it well. “Come in.”
She stood in the doorway looking concerned for him. She did care about him as a person and not as her boss. He did not understand if that was significant in any way. She closed the door and sat down in the chair. He leaned forward and put his hands on the desk. She reached out and she put her hands on top of his, looking him in the eye.
“Boss, I have no idea how you must be feeling, but I know it must not be good. I am unsure if you have a lot of people to talk to about things like this, so I am here to let you know that I am here for you. Whatever you need.”
John was lost in her eyes and he was not sure if he wanted to look away. Sheila made everything seem better and he had this urge to hold her. He wanted to show his affection towards her but he was not sure how to go about it. These feelings he had should not even exist and he knew that, but they were there and they were not going away.
“I am fine thank you,” he lied and it obviously did not fool her.
“Say that if you like, but just know if you need anything I will be at my desk.”
He was filled with conflict about what he was feeling towards the divorce of two of his closest friends and he was very much conflicted about the way he was feeling about Sheila. There was also conflict about closing up shop. He knew that if he did that he would go months, or even longer, without a client. He knew his funds could last him for eight months, but after those eight months had passed he would have to let go of Sheila. He had to pay her to be around and even if she came from money he was not going to treat her any different.
He finally got up and walked to the door. Sheila heard him come out and smiled at him. “I am going to leave for the day, but I am going somewhere that I think you should see.”
Sheila seemed to wonder what was going on and she smiled and got to her feet. She followed behind him and they were on their way out.
***
They were in the North Woods Plaza where the diner stood alone from the other buildings here. John could see that Doubles was fairly busy.
He grabbed the silver handles that always looked like pipes to him and pulled them open. Sheila stepped in and looked around. Like most diners, the theme was in the seventies, but it was not as cramped as the other ones he had been in. He saw Stan standing at the booth and he smiled.
“Ah, Johnny,” he said. “It has been too long my friend.”
Stan had a thick Italian accent and he did not appear to have changed much over the past year or so. He smiled. “Yeah Stan, it has definitely been too long. Anyways, this is Sheila and she is a coworker of mine. I would actually like for pops to meet her.”
“Well let me go and check that your usual table is ready and I will go see if your father is available.”
John nodded as he watched Stan scurry off. He turned to Sheila, she was looking around and seemed to be admiring this place. John wondered if she had ever been here before and if so he wondered when. He practically grew up here and he would have remembered if she had been in here before.
It took about a minute and he saw Stan come back. “Your booth is ready and your father will be right out.”
“Thank you Stan,” he said as he was leading Sheila through the menagerie of people and chairs. They made it to the corner booth. John never understood why he loved this spot more than any other in the diner, but when they were getting ready to unveil it he had chosen this spot.
Sitting down, he realized Sheila was sitting across from him and these tables seemed closer together than what he had remembered. He could feel her knee and he adjusted. Maybe he was making this more awkward and uncomfortable than it should be and then his father arrived.
“John, it’s a surprise to see you here. And who is the beautiful woman you’ve brought with you?”
“Sheila Awert, she is my assistant and I brought her here to see what her father had done for our family.”
His father nodded, “The last time I saw you here Miss Awert, you were about three years old and you only came up to my knee.”
