“See you then,” Esther said before hanging up.
I hung up the phone and fell back against my headboard, covering my eyes with my arm. A smile creeped up on my face – JB West, Inc. was the most in demand real estate agency in the entire state whether you wanted to purchase a home or were looking for a job. I had my eye on them for years and now that they were local to me, I jumped at the chance when I noticed they were hiring for an Executive Assistant. Not to mention the pay was good, something I needed in order to provide a stable life for Billy and move out of my parents’ house.
I appreciated the hospitality and care my parents have provided when I asked if I could live with them last fall and they have been there for me after my car accident and in taking care of anything I needed when it came to Billy but I needed to be independent.
When I was in college years ago, my parents couldn’t quite understand why I wanted to work towards a business degree if I wanted to work in Real Estate in New York. I already knew at that age, if I could get into a place like JB West, Inc., I could work my way up and transition over to operations or accounts. I thought about going to law school a few times like they wanted but I wanted to see what was out there before I dedicated my life pursuing an occupation I had no passion for.
The sounds of car horns blaring out of my window startled me and beads of sweat dampened my pajamas slightly. On occasion, the PTSD would get to me and usually things like car horns, rain storms and sometimes stress when it came to Billy set it off. I used to love the sounds of car horns and the hustle and bustle of city life and as much as I loved New York, I would never go back there again. I really missed it but there was no life for me back there. Not anymore, not after my ex-husband Rick.
After college, my best friend, Lindsey and I packed our bags and despite our parents’ warnings we moved to New York. Her parents were healthy and they purchased a flat for her on the Lower East Side and I was invited to move in with her and be Lindsey’s roommate. I wanted to show my parents that I could make it on my own, so I managed to get a job at a high end retail store around the corner that had a base pay plus commission.
I picked up the phone and started dialing, realizing quickly that Lindsey was still in New York and in a different time zone and despite her usual Wednesday night club hopping, there was no way she would still be passed out incapable of holding a conversation. I laughed at the thought of Lindsey passed out on the edge of her bed, probably wearing some short skirt and faded mascara running down her cheek.
Lindsey was a hair stylist, a drastically different career than she originally started college with but she was picked up by a major salon after she joined cosmetology school right after graduation and has never looked back. Sometimes, I couldn’t help but be envious of how carefree and independent her life was and though I couldn’t be more grateful I had Billy in my life and this job opportunity I just landed, I still wondered what life would be like if I was her. Would I be just as happy or would I be happier?
I sat impatiently watching the clock, wanting so badly to tell Lindsey the news. Finally, I gave in and dialed her cell number. The phone rang several times, and by the fourth ring, I assumed she wouldn’t be picking up. To my surprise, however, I heard the phone click, and I waited and listened to her fumble around trying to get the phone to her ear.
“You better be on fire and dying,” she groaned, her voice sounding unusually raspy.
“I guess, in a way, you could say I am,” I replied.
“What? What’s going on?” Lindsey said, her voice instantly sounding more awake.
“I got the job at JB West, Inc.,” I said with pride. “I’m going to be the new Executive Assistant to the CEO.”
“Shut the front door,” Lindsey exclaimed, making me giggle. “Girl, this is fantastic news. You’ve wanted to work for them forever!”
“I know! I am so excited. This is going to be so great for me and Billy and I can give him the proper care he deserves and get our own place,” I sighed.
“Hey maybe you’ll run into the owner, I hear he’s single,” Lindsey sang. She was always trying to hook me up with rich men - the ones who had the money to take care of a single mother and her child but I knew men with money and power didn’t want single mothers when they could have had supermodels instead.
“Pfft, yeah right. He’s also known for being a complete snake, only dates models, and having quite a chauvinistic side,” I scoffed.
“Hey, I’m not bad at matchmaking, what about that? What about that last guy I set you up on a dinner date with? He was nice,” Lindsey said, hurt in her voice.
“Lindsey, he was balding, had three ex-wives, didn’t like children and asked if I’d do him in the bathroom,” I laughed.
“Okay he’s a bad example,” she giggled. “Well, you know what this means right? When I land there this evening, we are going to get all dolled up and go out and celebrate. Ask your parents to watch Billy for you. Lord knows you need time off to do other things besides going to your physical therapy appointments.”
“You know, for once I am completely open to the idea of going out,” I replied, really wanting to let loose before I start my job. “When I get back from shopping, call me when you land so I can pick you up and show you all of the new clothes I bought and you can help me get ready.”
“Sure thing,” she yawned. “But for now, I am going to nap for a couple of hours before I have to head to the airport. Congrats again and I’ll see you in a few hours.”
I hung up the phone with Lindsey and hopped off the bed, ready to do a little shopping. I had saved a little money over the past year knowing one day I would need the right kind of wardrobe for when I landed a job with my dream company and today was the day where it all happened.
I jumped in the shower and lathered up my long blonde hair, thinking about how I probably should get a trim before I go into work. Lindsey could do it after she lands, I just need to text her to pack her tools. It was nice having a New York City stylist for a friend, though she was always disappointed when I didn’t let her go nuts on my hair. New York was such a crazy city and I still miss it after spending most of my life there.
An hour later after I walked down after asking my parents to watch Billy for the day, I decided to do a little window shopping at first, knowing most of the smaller stores were going to be way out of my price range.
Finally, I came to the magnificently decorated department store doors. I heard the department store had been around for decades, and though pricier than my days of bargain shopping, was perfect for the kind of clothes I would need for my first day at work.
I perused the petite section first since I was slimmer yet toned than the average girl. I was looking for something in black and something in lavender. Both of these colors worked perfectly with my light blue eyes and gave me a sense of professionalism and playfulness. They had a ton of choices, but after reading an article about mix matching wardrobes, I decided separates were the best option for me and my budget. After about three hours, and four bags of clothes, I made my way home to drop off the bags so I could rush to the airport to pick Lindsey up.
As if she was psychic, Lindsey must have heard my thoughts from the other side of the country because Lindsey texted me to let me know that they would be landing in an hour. I texted her back letting her know that I’d be there waiting for her when she landed.
As I waited at the gates an hour later I stood there anxiously waiting for the friend I haven’t been in the same room with for over a year. I almost didn’t recognize her at first and as she walked down the tunnel I couldn’t help but think she looked amazing.
Her long brown hair billowed in soft curls around her. Lindsey’s perfectly high cheekbones, pouty lips, and big hazel eyes were pronounced from the deep dark hues on her eyelids, and deep rose lip stain on her mouth. Lindsey always wondered what took her so long to get ready, but after trying to do her own makeup one night, she realized what kind of dedication it took to look that perfect. I r
aised my full arms in the air and smiled, watching as she did the same, except one hand held her stylist’ bag and the other pulled her rolling luggage.
“Heeyyyy girl. I missed you so much,” she screamed in excitement.
I laughed and started heading towards the exit, hoping other people in the airport didn’t notice us being louder than what was acceptable and common place.
When barreled through traffic and arrived home, I showed Lindsey everything I bought, hung up my clothes and went to the kitchen to grab a bottle of champagne and two glasses. When I walked back into my bedroom, Lindsey was standing there holding a short black dress in one hand and a pair of red stilettos in the other.
“I hope that’s what you’re wearing because you know I tend to fall in shoes like those,” I said laughing.
“Nope this is all you and I don’t want to hear any whining,” she said, tossing the dress at me and opening her jacket.
Lindsey was that girl that just had so much confidence, and it beamed outward in everything she did. She loved to party, and she loved men, nothing else really ever crossed her mind. She swiveled her hips showing off her short black dress with sheer cut-out sections on the sides and straight down the middle, showing off her amazing figure and perky cleavage. Lindsey laughed and popped the cork out of the champagne. I handed her a glass, and we raised them high in the air.
“To new experiences, an amazing vacation and one hell of a girl’s night out,” she said, clinking our glasses and dissolving into the bubbles.
Chapter Two
WILL
“I miss you too, buddy,” I said as my son gave me the pouty. “Now, go eat dinner and go to bed. We have all day to hang out the next time I visit. Do me a favor and put Ms. Helena on the phone.”
As I sat waiting for my seven-year-old son to run down the stairs to tell his foster mother I called, Jake walked into the kitchen area of the firehouse, and I stuck my finger up to signify I was on the phone. I heard mumbling on the other end and flinched as Benson dropped the phone on the tile floor.
His foster mother’s calm and quiet voice was always comforting. She had been in Benson’s life since he was born because I have never had the wherewithal to care for him, and had been the only person in his life that saw the importance of having me in his life even if I couldn’t be there physically. She was a saint.
“He’s doing alright, asks about you all the time though.” Helena said on the other line, already knowing what was on my mind. “You’re always welcome to visit as much as you’d like.”
“I know. I just don’t think I’m all that ready yet. He’s better off with you.”
“I think he’s better off with his father who he misses very much.”
“I know. I’ll see you soon. Tell him goodbye for me.” I said.
I hung up the phone and looked down at the withered pictures of Benson and my parents in my wallet. Benson had my mother’s eyes and there wasn’t a day that went by that I didn’t think of her. Who knew my blue collar, ‘man in uniform’ persona could be shattered so fast. Jake cleared his throat drawing me from my daydream.
“So, are we a go for tonight?” he smiled and put his thumbs up.
“Yeah, we are on,” I said with little emotion in my voice.
“I know contacting your son is always hard on you, but hey, the quick solution is to take a vacation and go spend time with him,” Jake said snapping me with a wet dish rag.
Jake had been my college roommate, football teammate, best friend and was also a fireman in the same station house with me. He has always been there for me and has been there when my mother died, during the birth of my son and also when my ex-wife left me.
He has always been an excellent friend which surprised me since he was pretty much only ever thinking of women and parties. Either way, he was a very good distraction from my melodramtic thoughts. We were going to some swanky club tonight, which was all right with me because the music was too loud to hold a real conversation and the women only cared about what job you had. We were firemen and that’s all that had to be said.
“Yeah, I’ll visit him soon. So, remind me again why we’re going out tonight?”
“We are going out tonight because we need to find you a new woman since you kicked Bianca to the curb,” Jake laughed. “What happened with that anyway? I mean she was like in her twenties, at least ten years younger than you and a model. Was that good enough for you?”
“She wanted to meet my son and started to get all comfortable,” I said looking back down at Benson’s picture. “Way too fast.”
“Bro, you had been dating for like six months,” Jake said with his eyebrows lifted.
“Five months and I didn’t want to get that serious but somehow it went in that direction anyway,” I replied.
“Have you ever thought maybe it’s time for serious?” Jake had this habit of trying to push relationships on me even though he was probably the biggest player in the entire state of California.
“Nope sure haven’t,” I said with a sigh. “I know it’s been a long time, you don’t have to remind me.”
Jake shrugged his shoulders, all too familiar with my defensive “I don’t want to have this conversation” tone of voice. “It’s your choice but it’s not good to keep pushing people away,” Jake said as he walked towards the door.
“You know what you are right,” I said, catching his attention. “By the way, you’re on kitchen duty this week with me but first we have to head upstairs. Chief called a meeting.”
“Awe man,” Jake stuck out his lip. “But dad!”
“Doesn’t work for you, jackass, god forbid I really was your dad,” I said walking toward him and kicking him in the back of the leg.
“Would it work if I had on a sexy skirt and walked like I was on a runway?” Jake walked towards the stairs to get to the bunk area in significant strides, his hands on his hips.
“No, that would make me throw up,” I said chasing after him. Sometimes we still acted like we were young again, and that was one of the best parts about having him work with me. That and the fact that he was the best damn fireman I had ever seen and had already saved hundreds of lives, just by himself.
We sat the through the meeting listening to the Chief and Eliza, the Lieutenant talk about the new and upcoming legislations, city protocols and how we needed to put on a fundraiser to collect donations so that we could continue to support the Make-A-Wish foundation and several other charities geared towards helping children. These were causes that were close to the Chief’s and Eliza’s heart and to mine.
Eliza and I dated for a while, and I ended up breaking up with her in the best way possible since the Lieutenant and I just didn’t think it was right to mix work with my personal life. She was also talking about quitting just to make things easier for the both us to continue seeing each other and I didn’t want her to do that because what we had going wasn’t that serious even if she thought it was.
“So, what are you guys getting into tonight?” Eliza asked after the meeting was over. “What? You don’t think I didn’t notice the two of you tuning out during the meeting. Come on guys, I know you guys better than you think I do.”
“We’re going to church and then feeding the homeless.” Jake said backing up away from her.
“Right,” she said laughing. “Don’t drink too much beer.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Jake said, standing up straight and saluting Eliza. She rolled her eyes and pushed past him into her office off of the conference room. Jake winked at me and turned towards the bunk room.
“So, I’ll see you tonight to pregame at my place,” Jake yelled at me down the hall. I stuck my thumb up in his direction before going back downstairs and sitting down in the chair.
“Don’t forget kitchen duty.” I called over my shoulder.
“Yeah, sure.” Jake waved me off.
“Silver!” the chief shouted from his office.
“Yes, Sir,” I replied as I walked into his office.
“Yes, sir,” I said, saluting him before I exited his office.
“Have a good three day weekend.”
I grabbed my wallet, keys and duffel bag out of my locker, walked down stairs towards the back door that lead to the employee parking lot. It was a Thursday night, and I had promised Jake a great night out, and that’s exactly what I was going to do. He only lived three blocks away but the evening air was cold so I made the decision to drive instead of walk over.
I definitely hadn’t lost control at work because it’s where I excelled, but sometimes I really lost in my life. I shook my head and walked into the high-rise condo building that Jake had just moved into. It was kind of glamorous with floor to ceiling windows, a front desk concierge, and golden elevators. It kind of reminded me of the homes I dreamed about living in when I was younger.
Before I could get to Jake’s door, he flung it open and smiled, handing me a glass of whiskey and walking back inside. I hadn’t gotten to see his place since I had pretty much been working, spending time with Benson, and appeasing Bianca with her incessant need to spend time with me. In the end, breaking up with her was like finishing a massive project, you had fun while it lasted, but you were so glad to have your time freed up.
“Nice place,” I said looking up at the lofty ceilings and large glass windows overlooking the city.
“Thanks, man,” he said excitedly. “I just now am starting to feel at home. But let me tell you, chicks dig this place.”
“I mean, why not spend your life savings on a place just to get some tail?” I laughed at his mindset, realizing that I never went through the whole “trying to impress the girls” phase they always just came to me.
“Anyways, there's some food on the counter, help yourself. I’m going to hop in the shower and get ready,” Jake responded, ignoring my comment.
Silver Back (Wild Ones Book 1) Page 2
