“In sickness and in health, sweet pea.” Then he ended the call.
Will someone ever love me the way you love Mom? God, I hope so. She also hoped if she did find someone, their love would never be tested as her parents’ had been.
There was a brief moment when she and Charles were together in Alexandria Bay, that she’d let herself daydream what it would be like if they were together. Not married, but an actual couple. They could go out on the sailboat and watch the stars at night. But Alexandria Bay must have bored him. It’s beautiful and great for boating and fishing, but when you’re used to the lights and sounds of the city, one would grow tired of hearing crickets and frogs at night.
She had called her father because she needed his advice. If he knew who Charles was would he have still welcomed him into the house? What am I talking about? Of course he would. Dad’s awesome. He doesn’t have a mean bone in his body, just like Mom.
Rosslyn needed to think along the same lines as her parents. Charles wasn’t rich and powerful. He was just a man who knew how to make her laugh and smile. That’s all he should be judged on, right? It definitely shouldn’t have anything to do with how Uncle Max felt. If so, Charles would be considered the devil himself.
So without being able to talk to her father and with no sisters to call, she had to think of someone who’d listen. Brandy wasn’t going to be impartial. She may have heard the bed rocking a bit more than it should’ve on their stay in Alexandria Bay. Brandy would say anyone who can make someone scream like that was a keeper.
Taking money, prestige, and sex off the list left the things she already knew and liked about him. There really wasn’t any reason to overthink it. They were going out for pizza tonight, and she just wanted to enjoy it. What else could happen?
She looked up at the ceiling and said, “Please universe, let this be it. I really need a break.”
Charles had asked for one week. That’s something she could commit to. Her one fear was becoming even more emotionally invested and then having to face that it wasn’t going to work out. He wasn’t the first guy she’d been involved with, but he had the potential of being the one who would break her heart.
She wasn’t sure which scared her more, that he could be the love of her life, or they find out that no matter how good it was between them, they weren’t compatible? At least all the cards were on the table and in one week, they would . . .? Who the heck knows what tonight will bring, never mind a week.
If she didn’t stop worrying about next week, how was she ever going to be able to enjoy tonight?
Rosslyn looked at the clock again and it seemed to have stopped. There’s no way it was only noon. Yesterday she was so busy the entire day flew by. Today, nothing. If she thought there weren’t cameras hidden somewhere spying on the staff, she’d pull out her phone and read a book, play a game, or just catch up on what’s happening on social media. She was so out of the loop, but as long as she was in the building, that wasn’t going to change.
She’d had four cups of coffee already and they were no longer helping. There really was no need for her to sit at a desk when no one called. All calls except Uncle Max’s were being diverted to the operator who redirected them to God knows who. Rosslyn was on a need to know basis and obviously she didn’t need to know a damn thing. All I have to do is show up.
There was no better time to grab lunch than the present. But as soon as she pulled her purse from the desk drawer, the phone rang. She knew exactly who it was, but still answered the same. “Mr. Grayson’s office, this is Rosslyn, how may I help you?”
“I’m expecting a delivery today. I want you to call me immediately upon delivery. I’ll give you further instructions then,” Max barked.
“Yes, sir.”
He hung up and she placed her purse back in the drawer. It would just be her luck that it came as soon as she left the office. There was no way she was getting her butt chewed out for leaving her post unattended. That didn’t mean she wasn’t going to play a bit on the computer.
She needed to start looking for an apartment. It was something she’d procrastinated about for too long. Maybe because her gut said she wasn’t going to require one. She had never been fired from a job before, but then again, Max wanted perfection. That didn’t exist. Just in case she didn’t screw up and still had a job in two weeks, she was going to need a place to lay her head. It didn’t need to be much. Actually it couldn’t be, or she wouldn’t have any money to send home. So she started looking at one bedroom places. She practically passed out when she saw the rental fees. She didn’t need anything that big so she refined her search to efficiency apartments. They were out of her price range as well. So she went into the one thing she didn’t want to do, rent a room in someone else’s place.
Not that she was afraid to share a place, but living with someone she didn’t know bothered her. What if they had disgusting habits she couldn’t ignore? She’d be stuck in a lease with no way out. And the ones she found on the internet weren’t in neighborhoods like where Mama had her restaurant. If there was a loud boom, it wasn’t going to be from a fireworks celebration.
She was done looking. So far, running by the seat of her pants had worked out. Something would come up. Maybe there would be another apartment that needed to be watched. Wonder if Miss Snuggles would give me a letter of recommendation?
Rosslyn laughed, thinking how pissed off the cat looked this morning before she left for work. She knew cats didn’t like water, but she figured they were smart enough not to walk into a shower that was turned on. That fluff ball Persian looked a lot smaller dripping wet. After a quick towel dry, she looked a bit better, but would need to be combed out tonight.
Rosslyn knew exactly what Miss Snuggles felt like. Her hair wasn’t naturally straight. More like naturally frizzy. It had been really humid when she walked to work this morning and she felt like a hot mess. It was an exaggeration, but she knew she was going to shower again before her date tonight. Guess I’ll be doing more than just the cat’s hair before I go out.
Thankfully one of the security guards came up to the office and said, “I was told to deliver this to Mr. Grayson’s office personally.”
“Thank you. I’ll inform him that it has arrived.”
She took the large envelop and went back to her desk. Max answered on the first ring. “You have it?”
“I do,” she replied.
“Go into my office and put it in the top right drawer. Then be sure to lock my office when you exit.”
“Okay. Is there anything else you need me to do?”
“Go home.”
“Now?” There were still three hours left before her workday ended.