Strange Love (Choose Yours Book 1)

by Robin Edwards

  “No…well, maybe.”

  “Are you going to let me in or did you plan on eating out here in the hallway?” he asked.

  “Oh, sorry. Come in.” I stepped to the side. “I’m surprised you’re here.”

  “Really?” he asked as he set the bags on the table next to the television.

  “After what I said down in the lobby. I figured I was in deep for sure. I’m sorry about that by the way but I’m not sorry about what I said. You really need to be nicer to people, I don’t care who you are, no one deserved to be treated like shit every day.”

  “Do you really think that ill of me?”

  “Kind of?” I shrugged.

  Graham shook his head in disbelief and exasperation and then looked up at the ceiling as if he was asking a higher power for more strength in dealing with me. Normally I’d take offense to that but even I know I can be a handful sometimes.

  “I want to point out that I am surprised you think so less of me because I do not think I treated either one of you less than human beings.” Graham said as he removed the various disposable containers from the plastic bags onto the table as I watched. Normally I’d help but I was already on a roll with rehashing our argument earlier.

  “Why are you so surprised? Do you actually think the way you treated Clay and I was fantastic?”

  “No but I didn’t think it was irregular either.” he shrugged.

  “It definitely isn’t the way people normally treat each other. You were unbearable from the start.”

  “I was not.”

  “Agree to disagree.” I said. “Besides, I’m starving and I don’t feel like arguing a second time today.”

  “Agreed.”

  “Thank you for getting this for us. I was just about to go out to eat right before you came.” I admitted.

  “Well, it’s a good thing I showed up when I did. Please have a seat; I didn’t know what you’d like so feel free to choose whatever it is you want. I bought a little bit of everything.”

  Little did he know that I was a foodie and loved most dishes but my all-time favorite was Italian, not that it had much of an advantage since I liked practically everything. For the next couple of hours, we sat and talked about anything and everything that could be covered in that short time span. As much as I would have loved talking to him forever, we had to get up early in the morning so it was only a matter of time before Graham left for the night.

  I was a little surprised to find out that he was completely different and more humane than I gave him credit for even though I still did not know nor did I agree with him about his reasons for being such an ass before. I also wasn’t sure why I gave him a second chance so easily.

  Present Day…

  “It was the weirdest dream I’ve had in such a long time while napping, Kitt. I mean one minute I was sitting here working and the next minute I fell asleep and started having dreams about how Graham and I first met at a previous job.” I shook my head.

  “I remember you telling that story. Wasn’t he a pompous ass to you at first? Talk about foreshadowing.”

  “He wasn’t an ass the entire time we were together, but he was back then. Turns out he was a pompous ass because he was never told otherwise before.” I shrugged.

  “What kind of excuse is that?”

  “A justifiable one. I mean he was confident and no one really ever told him otherwise. If I thought I was a hot shot, unless someone brought me down a notch, I wouldn’t have stopped thinking otherwise.”

  “Don’t tell me you’re on his side now? I mean it is bad enough you’re having lunch with him in an hour but you’re taking his side too? Sheesh, he must have really put a number on you.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “What I meant to say is that he must have reeled you back in again because you are sitting here after a 30 minute meeting defending him.” Kitt shook her head in disgust.

  “Well…”

  “Well, you better be careful because if you don’t stop getting reeled in you’ll just get disappointed by him all over again and it would be a shame if he hurt you a 2nd time.” she said.

  “Yeah, I know Kitt, but don’t worry. He isn’t going to ‘reel’ me in. We are just acquaintances, that’s all. There isn’t any romantic interest in having lunch is there?”

  Graham

  It was exactly eighteen minutes past twelve in the afternoon when I came to the realization that Lindsey wasn’t going to show up to the restaurant after all. I should have known better; she must have said whatever it took to get me out of her house because I just had to push too far by asking her to have lunch with me. It seemed like a good idea at the time and it felt right in that exact moment but I guess I was wrong.

  It was crazy to think that she’d be willing to spend time with me beyond what she was already forced to professionally and after all of these years since I abandoned her. I was stupid to think that lunch was such a simple thing for her and for a minute there, I assumed she still didn’t hate me. She wasn’t a sucker nor was Lindsey a pushover, so I wasn’t all that surprised she wasn’t here. Who in their right mind would agree to have a meal with an ex that screwed them over without any explanation?

  As I sat here in the dimly lit booth, it dawned on me that I still hadn’t given her one. Not that she asked for an explanation but I did owe her that much especially an apology. I just wasn’t sure if I could tell her the truth, at least not yet. It wasn’t as if I didn’t want to, I just couldn’t tell her before the conference.

  In due time Reynolds, in due time.

  I nearly finished my second bottle of Singha, the owner’s recommended lager whenever I stopped by here to have a warm meal at least once a week. I didn’t have the heart to tell him I was a Chang beer kind of man myself when he comped me my first bottle after I ate here for the very first time a few months ago. I didn’t want to hurt his feelings so I continued the façade and would continue to do so for the kind, old man.

  Just as I was getting ready to call it quits and hail the server over to ask for my check and head home to lick my wounds like a poor sap, Lindsey walked into the Thai restaurant. She spotted me right away as she walked in and rushed over apologetically, “Thank God you are still here, Graham. I was worried you would be long gone by now.”

  “Well, lucky for you I’ve been sitting here having a drink or two.”

  She sighed deeply before shrugging off her coat and then plopping into the seat next to her, “I’m so sorry for showing up late; I had an impromptu meeting. The woman just kept going on and on and then she cried.”

  “Ouch. How’d you manage to get out of that one?” I asked.

  “After I realized how late it was, I pawned her off on Kitt.” she smiled. I loved the way her smile radiated whenever she was in a great mood.

  “Good one. You know what; don’t even worry about it, Lin. I’m just glad you’re here.” I said placing a hand over hers to ease the guilt-ridden explanation.

  “Thanks.” she cleared her throat before removing her hand quickly as if my touch burned her skin.

  “Anytime. I wasn’t sure what you were hungry for so I didn’t take the liberty of ordering ahead of time. However, I want to point out that I still remember your old favorites from what used to be our place.”

  There hadn’t been somewhere known as ‘our place’ in a long time when we still lived in Davis Square near Cambridge together before everything fell apart, “What are my old favorites if you still know me so well?”

  “Well you always loved getting Khao Pad fried rice and an order of Pad Thai noodle as much as I did or has your palate changed?”

  “Well, I wish I could say it had but I’m a creature of habit.”

  “Me too, unfortunately. Shall I place a couple of orders then?” I asked.

  “Sure, but you don’t have to order for me you know.”

  I shrugged, “I know, but I’d like to. Did you want a beer to drink?”

  “No, I’m still on duty remember?
I need to go to the restroom to wash my hands and freshen up. Can you also get me a glass of water with lemon?” she said as she got up and walked down the small hallway to the right.

  It had been going good thus far but I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep things lighthearted with her forever or limited to just small talk. At some point, Lindsey was going to demand reasons from me for the decisions I made that ultimately hurt her. It wasn’t as if it was an easy decision to leave her but it was the smartest decision at the time. I had hoped when I came back from New York, she would have been open to hearing my apology and reasons for departure but by the time I returned to town, she had already moved out and on with her life. I didn’t blame her for moving away.

  That was when I heard she relocated to Portland with a new steady beau otherwise, I would have gone after her. I wondered if she was still with him because I didn’t see a ring on her finger but that didn’t mean she was single either. Not that it was any of my business, because it wasn’t. I had no right to wonder about who she was currently dating, if she had any kids or how she felt about me now. She made it abundantly clear that this was strictly a professional relationship and she wasn’t even remotely interested in anything more than that.

  If she only knew about Cyrus and the real reasons why I left and why I didn’t regret making them, then maybe she wouldn’t be so resistant in getting to know me again. She deserved to know that he’s always going to come first before anyone else in my life. I was sorry that Lindsey had been affected but I tried everything in my power to find a solution to have them both but there wasn’t. I couldn’t tell Lindsey about my son because she wouldn’t have understood at the time. Maybe she would now, but it still wasn’t the right time to tell her about him. I couldn’t risk the announcement, the buzz the conference was going to generate for the company, and that meant an exponential increase in sales.

  Seeing her again and the occasional witty banter coming out of her mouth felt good, almost like old times but I could also see her holding back. I could see her trying so hard to remain tact and professional instead of enjoying my company. I know I caused all of that and I could easily see Lindsey trying to save herself from getting hurt again. She probably didn’t want to be disappointed by the one person she trusted the most and in the end I still let her down. How do you recover from that? The answer is you don’t. You just don’t.

  “Sorry about that. The faucet didn’t seem to be working in there for a sec.” Lindsey admitted as she sat back down in the booth seat opposite me several minutes later. “Did you order already?”

  “Yeah, I did. I also ordered you a beer just in case.” I grinned.

  “Graham, I told you I was on duty.”

  “I know, I heard you the first time.” I laughed. “That is why I said it was just in case you changed your mind. If you don’t, I’ll just drink it.” I explained.

  “Well, you might as well drink it now; I’m not changing my mind.” she said adamantly.

  “Are you sure about that?” I teased.

  “Yes! I can’t start the habit of drinking during hours of operation. That’s not how running a business works. I’ve already gone against the rules and closed the office to be here with you.”

  “I thought running your own business meant that you could dictate your own hours and what projects you wanted to work on?” I asked.

  “You out of the both of us know the answer to that.”

  “Just humor me, Lin.”

  “Well, it does mean that but there are times where you have to just get things done no matter what the task is and no matter how much you don’t want to do it.” she explained.

  “Is that like a small sacrifice for a big reward?” I asked.

  “That’s exactly my point. It doesn’t matter what you see or what you love, as long as you are working toward all of the things you want to accomplish and put the time and effort needed to make those goals and ambitions happen.”

  Chapter Six

  Lindsey

  “What are you doing for the rest of the day? Are you going back to work?” Graham asked me as the waiter brought our orders of Pad Thai and Khao Pad Fried Rice to the table.

  “Yeah, I have a couple of client meetings in the afternoon and then some research. How about you? Busy today?”

  “Yeah, I am actually. I’m completely swamped because of the upcoming conference, a few last minute things we have to take care of. I’m sure you know how it is.” he explained.

  “I don’t really. So what is it like?” I was genuinely interested. I was curious to find out what the new Graham did for a living, if he was indeed a new person since the last time I’ve seen him.

  “Um, let’s see. I have to finish writing my speech; I need to check in with R&D to see how the modifications to the prototype is coming along. I have to talk to our PR department and I need to remember to talk to Will, my attorney. That’s just the first hour.” he chuckled.

  “Wow, I feel like such a slacker.”

  “Nah, don’t get down on yourself. The more employees one has, the more problems that are created out of thin air that I have to attend to. I swear most of the time I’m either putting out fires or making decisions about how to put out the fires. You know what they say, more people means more problems.”

  “What about the prototype, what is it exactly?” I wondered.

  “Sorry, no can do. It’s top secret.” he winked.

  “Right, the big reveal. Sorry, I forgot about that,” if there were ever a time where I put my foot in my mouth, this would be it.

  “It’s okay.” he laughed again. I loved his laugh; it was one of those deep masculine ones that erupted from the deepest part of him.

  “What are you going to tell your attorney? His name is Will Grayson, right?”

  “Yeah, it is. He was the one that called to make the appointment to see you on my behalf. I just need to call him so we can arrange a time to download what I know so far. We haven’t had a chance to do that yet,” he said.

  “Download?”

  “Yeah, it means to update him on how things went. I want to get his advice on what I need to do legally in the meantime. He’s been with the company since inception; I trust he’ll know what to do.”

  “He should. I’m sure this isn’t the first time he’s encountered something like this. Most corporate and criminal law attorneys have dealt with a situation like this at least once in their law careers.”

  “You’re probably right. Oh, I also need to get you the list of everyone the company is connected to when I get back to the office. It won’t be hard to come up with a list of all employees, contractors and vendors by tomorrow.”

  “I’d say it was no rush, but it kind of is important that you get it to me as soon as you possibly can, I don’t like to waste time.” I advised.

  “I know you don’t.” he laughed. “I guess the sooner this lunch is over the sooner I can get that list to you.”

  “Don’t rush on my account; you’ve got some time to impress me.” I winked.

  Graham

  Nearly a decade ago…

  For as long as I’ve known Lindsey Dunn, two things always remained true. One, she didn’t like to bullshit around and second, she didn’t like her time being wasted. I remember the first time Lindsey and I crossed paths at the company both of us worked for. She worked at the Boston office and although I traveled a lot, my place of residence was in New Jersey. I was called in one day to handle an internal investigation on behalf of the Boston office at a BioMed facility. Lindsey and another employee, Clay Clarkwell, were instructed to assist me despite all of my protests about not needing help.

  “It would be more for their benefit, not yours.” Larry, the Regional Manager for the East Coast division said to me before I took off for the airport. I had a short flight to Boston that very morning.

  “I understand completely but don’t you think that it’s a bad idea to make one of the biggest assignments we’ve had this year, their training opportunity?
” I asked. “Let’s just reschedule it for another day with something a little more easier. I don’t want any hassles or complications during this assignment.”

  Moments passed before Larry was confident that he had a strong rebuttal and after a brief pause, he suggested I take a vacation when all of this was over. The last time I took any time off was a year ago; he believed that it was long overdue.

  “Look, Reynolds. They are coming on the assignment and don’t think for a second that it was a suggestion, it came from the top. I have no say in this and neither do you. Make sure you don’t lose your cool while you three are out there, you’re already skating on thin ice. We don’t need the Board or clients hearing about another one of your ‘moments’. They don’t care how great you are at your job, they’ll be quick to let you go if you pull another stunt.”

  “I’m always professional.” I scoffed.

  “Ask the last few interns you’ve had; I highly doubt they’d agree with you.”

  “Brad was a complete idiot. For someone who had been here a few years, he didn’t know what he was doing.” I argued.

  “It doesn’t mean you need to take it upon yourself and scare him off. You reduced his ego to the size of a flat pancake.” Larry warned.

  “Someone had to teach him a lesson about not being an idiot. It might as well have been me. I’m great at pep talks.”

  “Making a grown man cry isn’t considered a pep talk, you need to turn it down a notch. All I’m asking of you is to take the two staff members under your wing and teach them a thing or two. Please don’t make me regret this.”

  I sighed heavily, “Alright, I will make nice and take them under my wing but as soon as they become a hassle, I’m cutting them off. Do we have a deal?” I wagered.

  Larry considered all options before he agreed to my request, it was the least he could do since I never worked with a partner of any kind. I worked best alone. I had a sinking feeling about agreeing last minute to having a couple of entry-level staffers join me on this witch hunt of sorts. As long as they kept their mouths shut and weren’t in the way, then we would not have any problems. Like all entry-level staffers, I knew better. I knew they were either naïve individuals or unnecessarily cocky. They were all spoiled pricks with no sense of learning experience because they didn’t know what it was like to be rejected. Mommy or daddy always called in a few favors and rescued them.