She swung into the local coffee shop and picked up something for herself, Alex and Gina. The hope was to brighten everyone's day, and where Gina would enjoy the coffee, Alex was sure to be busy to stop and have it while it was hot. Regardless, it didn’t stop her from getting him something.
The office was quiet when she walked in, which was a little surprising. She set the coffee for Alex and Gina on their respective desks, then made her way to her own office.
A chorus of happy birthday caught her by surprise. Whose birthday was it?
She took a tentative sip of her drink, finding it perfect after the twenty-minute drive into the office. She hadn't remembered seeing anyone's name on the birthday list, but knowing that she was the face of their CEO, she walked down the hall and moved into the breakroom.
"Jamie! This is Paul. He's going to be interning with us this summer. It's his first day, but it's also his birthday." Gina beamed as she touched the shoulder of the handsome young guy next to her.
"Fantastic!" Jamie walked toward him, extending her hand. "Nice to meet you, Paul. I'm Mr. Reid's PA. Jamie Connors."
"Lucky Mr. Reid." The intern smiled and shook her hand with a firm handshake.
"Yep. I work hard for my pay." She gave him a professional smile and moved back to stand beside Gina as the rest of the staff cut the cake and served it up. She held up her hand refusing. Too much sugar in the morning would leave her feeling like shit for the rest of the day.
"He's insanely cute, right?" Gina whispered just beside her. Her dark hair brushed Jamie's shoulder, tickling her skin.
"Yeah, he's a looker, but blond hair and green eyes always seem a combination that grabs attention. Especially here in New York where the Italian's rule."
"Yes we do, girlie." Gina laughed and pushed her shoulder against Jamie's. "And don't you forget it."
"Never." Jamie stood in the kitchenette for a few more minutes before making her leave. Paul seemed like a good guy, young and a little ballsy, but nice nonetheless. He had to be utterly brilliant at finance or he would not have been given the intern position. Alex only brought in one each semester from what Jamie understood. Thousands applied for the one position, which made for an interesting interview process. The poor kids outdid themselves to try and get their foot in the door.
"Kid?" she mumbled to herself. She wasn't but four or five years older than Paul, which left her with the realization that calling him a kid didn't fly.
Her phone rang as she approached her office, and she picked up her walk to a jog, grateful that she'd chosen to wear flats with her sleeveless blue dress that day.
"Alex Reid’s office. This is Jamie." She sat down and moved up, pressing her arms to the desk as she put the person on speaker.
"Jamie. Do you have a minute?" Her mother's voice was pinched, as if bad news was coming.
She reached up and picked up the receiver, pressing her ear to it as her thought moved from bad to worse. "Hey Mom. What's going on?"
"Well, you know your dad and I both love you right?"
Jamie rolled her eyes and stifled the need to groan. Why couldn't her mother just be authentic and get to the point? She wasn't a ten-year-old kid anymore.
"Of course, Mom. What's going on?"
A sniffle caught her attention, and her shoulders stiffened.
"Your father has decided he wants a divorce." Another sniffle.
"Oh, Mom. Why? What happened?" Jamie leaned back in her chair as ice cold realization ran down the center of her. If her parents, who seemed to love each other, could get divorced after forty years of marriage, what chances did she have?
"He just came in last week and said that he was tired of feeling nothing. I have no clue what he means, seeing that I still love him very much. I'm simply the victim here." Her mom let out an ugly sob as she started to cry.
Victim? Her mother was aggressive, mouthy and mean. Victim wasn't at all a name she would associate with the woman. She'd been the attacker many times in Jamie's life, but never ever had she been the victim.
"I'm sure you guys are going to work it out." Jamie pressed her fingers to her mouth, catching a part of the conversation in retrospect. "Did you say last week?"
"Yes. It was last Tuesday." Her mother cried a bit more. "I've asked him to think about things again before he files for the divorce, but he sounds so cold when we talk. I'm sure there's someone else involved."
Her father had left her mother over a week ago and no one thought to call her then? Even in the midst of wanting to comfort a woman who would never have tried to comfort her, she was stunned into silence. The pain of realizing that nothing had changed between her and her mother filled her heart. She didn't matter to them. If she did, her mom would have called her immediately.