5
“Are you sure you don’t want to go out for dinner?” Liz asked.
“Yes, really. I’ve got plans.”
“You’re not just saying that because I ditched you for Sam on Wednesday are you?”
Rosslyn shook her head. “I enjoyed my lunch just fine. Maybe not as much as you did. I can’t believe you were gone so long.”
Liz blushed. “We used to date and broke up a few months back. It was over something so stupid.”
It was none of her business, but for some strange reason, Liz seemed to want to talk to her about it.
“Sam hates me working for Grayson Corp. See, he is on the construction side of things. And he and his brother used to work for the company. But Sam is the type that questions everything. Guess he asked the wrong question and the next thing he knew, he was fired. So was his brother.”
“I can understand how that would put a strain on a relationship.”
“It wouldn’t have been so bad, except for how closely I work with Mr. Grayson. But now he sees that I’m just doing my job. And quitting because of what happened to him wouldn’t make anything better. If anything, it’d drive us further apart.”
“Why don’t you give him a call? Maybe you guys should go out tonight,” Rosslyn suggested.
“I don’t want him to think I’m pushing him to get back together.”
“Is that what you want?” she asked.
Liz nodded. “He’s all I’ve been able to think about.”
“I’ve always found it’s better to be up front and honest about your feelings. The fear of what could happen usually is unwarranted. I’m sure Sam had his own set of concerns too.”
“You’re right. He said that after breaking it off, he thought I hated him and moved on. God, he was so wrong. I cried for weeks, not just days. And the only date I went on was with someone down in accounting and that wasn’t really a date. We went to a company party together.”
“Then it sounds like you and Sam need time together to work things out. And more time than you can get on your lunch break.” Which had gone over by a lot. Thankfully Max and Laura were still too busy fighting to have noticed. Things seemed to have quieted down a bit, but not much. Each time Laura came around, everyone was on edge and ran for the hills.
“I guess I’ll see you on Monday,” Liz said as she headed toward the bus stop.
Good luck. She really liked Liz and now understood why she wasn’t fond of her dear ol’ uncle. Liz was doing what she had to in order to pay her bills, no different that Rosslyn.
She made a mental note to get to know Liz better. It sucked that Liz was opening up to her in a way she never would if she had a clue Rosslyn was related to Max. Heck, no one would like me.
Rosslyn wondered if Charles would feel the same way. She hadn’t told Charles she worked for Grayson Corp. What if his boss didn’t want him talking with the competition either? She had a feeling Charles did what he wanted to, but she didn’t want to get him in trouble. After hearing what happened to Sam, Rosslyn realized it didn’t take much around here to be fired.
She didn’t believe her uncle would do that to her, but then again, what would stop him? He didn’t care enough about his own sister to ask how she was. I don’t think you know how sick she is.
Rosslyn looked at her watch and knew her father would be cooking dinner right now. She tried not to call him unless she had to. That last thing he needed was to worry about her. And if her mother was having a rough day, her father needed all his mental and physical strength to get through it as well.
So she opted to head home and change. Rosslyn had been lucky to find a cheap room for rent. The couple was traveling and needed someone to stay and watch their cat and apartment for a month. The timing was perfect, but one week had already passed. She needed to come up with a long-term plan for housing. Nothing in the city was going to be affordable. She couldn’t talk to Charles about it because that would sound like she was asking him to move in. That definitely wasn’t the case. So she made a list of topics to avoid tonight.
Work.
Housing
Family
That left hobbies, music, and food. That was plenty for one date and probably more than they would have time for. It was dinner. She’d probably be home before dark. As Charles had suggested, she wore a pair of sneakers so if they did go for a walk, her feet wouldn’t feel like they were on fire. Besides, she wasn’t out to impress him. He’d already seen her at her best at the event. He might as well see her as she liked to be, in a pair of jeans with a casual top. Normally she’d have pulled her hair into a ponytail, but it wasn’t long enough anymore.
Rosslyn’s mother used to love her long hair. She wondered if she would notice she’d gotten it cut. The night before Rosslyn left to meet up with Uncle Max, her mother was so confused, Rosslyn wasn’t even sure if she knew who she was. It was hard being away from her, but it was a blessing that her mother hardly knew she was gone.
She didn’t want to stay away too long for fear her mother would forget her completely. Traveling back and forth wasn’t cost effective, but she’d promised her father she would be home every other weekend. So having a date with Charles tonight would at least help ease the ache within her.