Chapter 6
Emmi
“Can we go get some drinks?” I asked Jessica the second I walked into her apartment at the end of the week.
“Bad day?”
“The whole week has been bad, but it could have been worse. At least he’s able to keep his hands to himself. But yeah, it sucked.”
“Want to wait for tomorrow? Or is it a drinking Thursday night, sort of night?” she asked as she pulled off her business clothes and slipped on a dress.
“Tonight, for sure. But do we need to dress up? Can’t we just go in our jeans?” I whined.
“I’m a club marketer, Emmi. I can’t be seen out on the town in jeans and a t-shirt; that’s not very professional. I’ve always got to look that part. Here, slip this one on and let’s go.”
She threw a bright blue dress at me, and I rolled my eyes and pulled it on without arguing. I knew Jessica, and it would take me a half an hour to argue my way out of wearing that dress. That was twenty-five minutes longer than I wanted to wait to get a drink.
We walked across the street to a hip bar call Sand. The reggae music and Caribbean-style drinks were exactly what I needed that evening. I didn’t even care that I still had one day of work left for the week; I had to relax a little.
My body tingled as I sipped from my strawberry daiquiri. Fruity frozen drinks weren’t my typical drink, but the music and atmosphere were irresistible. It was as if we were transported to an island bar with the warm breeze of the ocean swirling around us. I wasn’t sure how they made the bar feel so realistic, but it was fantastic.
“We should take a cruise,” I gleefully announce as I sipped my drink.
“Yeah, it’s normal for someone to want to take a weeklong vacation after only working for four days. What’s going on there? This job was supposed to be a piece of cake. You’re just an assistant, not even close to your stratosphere of work level.”
“Jess, he’s working me to death. I can’t understand how his elderly assistant every kept up with him. He’s definitely got ADHD or something like that. He can’t stay focused, constantly loses things, and has an ego the size of California.”
Jessica rolled her eyes and laughed at my description of Declan. We used to like men like him who ran companies. We’d talked about it before and knew exactly how these guys got to the positions they were in: charisma. Of course, there was more to it, and my last boss had been much worse. At least Declan had a brain.
“It’s weird though. I kind of like the guy, even though he’s totally exhausting.”
“Like him?”
“Not like that. He’s interesting and straight forward. I think he actually appreciates everything I’m doing there, and that’s a huge change. Maybe I’m just so exhausted because I'm not used to actually working this hard.”
“You do like him. Oooh Emmi this is going to be fun,” Jessica teased.
“Like I said, it’s not like that. I’m just getting adjusted to a boss that doesn’t try to grab my ass every day.”
“So are we going to the club this weekend to blow off some steam?”
Going to the club every weekend wasn’t really my thing at all. It wasn’t even Jessica’s thing either, but with her job, I could see how it would be important to get out and socialize with that crowd on the weekends. I also could see that I was going to get tired of that lifestyle within a few weeks and was going to have to pace myself a bit.
Sitting at home ordering take out and watching a movie was more my pace for a Saturday evening. But everything in my life was switched around lately, and as much as I was trying to keep up, it was exhausting.
“I’d love to stay home this weekend and sleep. I feel like it might help me feel a little more caught up.”
“Oh, you can sleep all day long, and we will go out.” My phone started ringing and interrupted her. “Who is that?” she asked with a huge smile.
“Probably my dad. I promised I’d call him this week and haven’t done it yet.”
Sure enough, as I looked at my phone, it was my father. I’d been so busy all week that I’d kept putting off talking to him. I knew I needed to take the call, so I walked back toward the restrooms as I answered.
“Hi, Daddy, I’m sorry I haven’t called.”
“I know you’re busy sweetheart. Declan says you’re doing a fabulous job.”
“Oh, he does?” I laughed. “He hasn’t told me that. Most of the time he just barks orders and expects me to get things done before he’s even finished a sentence.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that. He’s just a fast thinker and blurts things when it comes to his mind. You’ll get used to it.”
“Dad, you know I’m not staying in the job for long, right? I can’t work as someone’s assistant forever. I have an MBA. I need more of a challenge.”
“Emmi, everything in life doesn’t need to be a challenge. Sometimes good things come from stepping back and just enjoying something different. You sound tired though.”
He hit the nail on the head. The emotion of moving, the stress of constantly trying to keep up with Declan’s demands, and being in limbo was exhausting. Stress wasn’t my favorite thing in life, and I really didn’t have good skills in dealing with being overwhelmed. Typically my way of dealing with stress was to work harder and harder until I got everything possible completed.
“I am tired, Daddy,” I said as I felt my voice crack.
“He’s treating you okay, isn’t he?”
“Oh, yes, Dad. He’s professional. There’s just been a lot going on this week. I’ll try and get over to see you this weekend.”
“It’s okay. I feel better after catching up. You call me if you need anything.”
“Love you.”
“You too, sweetheart.”
Talking to my father was just what I needed to refocus myself. Life didn’t have to be so worrisome. I deserved a good night out with Jessica and a few more of those delicious daiquiri drinks. Almost as if she had read my mind, there was a fresh drink waiting for me when I returned to our table.
“How’s Dad?”
“He’s good. Man, I’m really glad I’m out here and really glad we came out. This is exactly what I needed today. A little bit of a reset to get me through the week and insight to see how friggin awesome my life is.”
“It’s true. You’ve got me as a best friend. Life doesn’t get any better than that.”
We laughed, and I gave her a big hug. Finally, I started to feel relaxed and enjoying myself. It probably didn’t hurt that this bar made me feel like I was on vacation. I couldn’t imagine anyone would stay agitated after an hour sitting there.
“I’m getting drunk tonight,” I announced to Jessica. “This is the best feeling.”
“Another round,” Jessica asked the waitress as she walked by.
“These drinks are dangerous. They taste so delicious you forget how much alcohol you’re actually drinking.”
“I know. I could drink pina coladas every day and not get tired of them. Maybe we should actually take a long weekend to Mexico; that might be fun.”
“Now that sounds like a good plan. Beach vacations are the only kind. I don’t know how people can actually enjoy the cold. Like Declan has built his whole business on snow equipment. That sounds like torture to me. I might actually have some time off next week because Declan needs to go to that new building site.”
“I heard he started out as a professional snowboarder. Is that true?”
“I don’t know. He doesn’t talk about his past or anything like that. He’s caught up in the day-to-day business. He and Daddy are building a new resort in Breckenridge, Colorado. That’s pretty much all anyone is talking about.”
I quickly sipped the remaining contents of my third drink and felt the warmth of the alcohol rush through my system. Then I grabbed the fourth and started in on that one. Most of the people in the bar were young professionals blowing off steam from a long week. I already knew this was going to be my favorite after work hangout.
“Is your phone ringing?” Jessica asked as I started to realize a buzzing noise coming from my purse.
“It’s Declan. I’m not answering it.”
I pressed the decline button and went back to sipping my drink. All while Jessica looked at me with a questioning glare.
“I’m off the clock. I don’t need to answer.”
“But you probably should.”
“I know. But I’m literally drunk here. I can’t talk to him. I’m not good at talking to guys when I’m drunk.”
“Ha, yeah. I remember you professing your love for our teaching assistant during grad school. That was hilarious,” she said and then stopped to look at my purse while it continued to vibrate. “Maybe it’s important?”
“Probably not,” I said as I sent the call to voicemail again.
But soon a text message popped up from Declan.
DECLAN: I swear if you send me to voicemail again, I’ll fire you.
I showed the text to Jessica. My boss of four whole days was threatening to fire me because I wasn’t answering my phone at midnight on a Thursday. Maybe my praise for him was a little premature. I couldn’t imagine any business reason Declan would have for reaching out to me at such an hour, and I’d had more than enough experience with a boss who suddenly needed my help at his apartment in the middle of the night. I wasn’t falling for that again, not like my old boss and his excuses to try and get me to his place.
“Maybe he really does need you?”
“Or maybe he’s going to make up some excuse that he needs me to come to his house and help him with something.”
“You’ve already said he’s not that sort of boss. Give him the benefit of the doubt.”
“Fine, but the second he asks me to show up at his house, I’m quitting this damn job.”
As my purse started to vibrate again, I reluctantly answered the call. I took in a deep breath and did the best I could at pretending like I wasn’t too tipsy to hold a conversation.
“You threatened to fire me; this better be good,” I said calmly.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. But I do really need your help.”
“What is it?” I said as I rolled my eyes.
“Are you in the Caribbean?”
“Nope. Now what is so important it couldn’t wait until tomorrow?”
“I have to attend a Valentine’s Day event tomorrow night for the Boys and Girls Home. I need to give a speech. I forgot about it, and Margery normally would help me gather my thoughts. With all the meetings going on tomorrow, there will be no time for me to get this done. It’s got to be tonight.”
“Then write your speech. Good night,” I said as I tried to get rid of him.
“I’ll come get you. Please, I need a fresh pair of eyes. I can’t get my thoughts across, and this is really important to me.”
“Why not just write a check and be done with it?”
“They count on me to be there. It’s the biggest fundraiser event of their year. I’m not going to let them down.”
I could hear the anxiety in his voice. There was a vulnerability to how he was asking me for help. It was different than the way he was in the office, and I felt compelled to oblige him. If he was so serious about having a good speech, I could at least try and give him a hand. Even in my tipsy state of mind, I knew I could throw together a halfway decent speech.
“Fine, come get me. I’m at…”
“Sand, the bar across from where you live?”
“That’s a little creepy that you know that.”
“I could hear the music, remember? I’m pulling up shortly. Come out.”
“This isn’t some perverted move to get me to go to your house, is it? You know I’m not naive, I know how you bosses work. Just because I’m a pretty young blonde doesn’t mean I want to sleep with you. Let’s just get that straight right now.”
“Emmi, I just need help writing a speech.”
“Fine, I’ll be right out. But we are not going back to your place.”
“I’ll be there in two minutes.”
As I hung up the phone, I rolled my eyes in exhaustion. This guy was the head of a huge company, yet needed help writing a damn charity speech. It baffled me, but then again, I’d realized over the years that the boss almost never knew as much as his employees did. Bosses were just better at delegating their work.
“He’s coming to pick me up.”
“Oh, so you said yes to going to his house?” Jessica joked.
“No! He just needs help with a speech for tomorrow.”
“At his house, in the middle of the night, when you’re drunk. Oh, yes, this is going to be fun.”
“Stop teasing me. I’m not going to his house. Now walk me out so I don’t have to wait alone.”
“You look damn fine for a late night booty call,” Jessica continued to tease.
“Oh, stop.”
My heart thumped harder and harder as I looked down the street for a car that might be Declan’s. But as a supped up Jeep Wrangler pulled around the corner, I was honestly surprised when I saw him behind the wheel. A sports utility vehicle that was actually functional was the last thing I had expected.
“That’s him,” I said quietly as I held onto Jessica and tried to steady myself.
“Shit, I’d go home with him in a second. That’s one damn fine boss you’ve got there, I can’t get enough of him.”
The Jeep pulled up in front of us and Declan jumped out and came around to open the door for me. Jessica and I both looked at each other wide-eyed, as if we were witnessing some sort of alien right in front of us. Guys didn’t open doors anymore. The gallant gesture seemed natural to him though, as if he’d been opening doors for women all his life.
Maybe it was because of his gallant door opening gesture, or perhaps because I’d had a few drinks in me, but Declan looked amazing as he stood there holding the door. He was dressed in cargo shorts and a black t-shirt, with flip flops on. His hair was tussled, and his short beard was slightly out of control after a full day of growth.
He smiled at me with his big blue eyes and raised his eyebrow as he motioned for me to get in. My legs didn’t move. They were already wobbly from the amount of alcohol I’d consumed, but Declan had thrown me off. He looked like a regular guy I would have run into on the beach or something like that. Declan absolutely did not look like the millionaire owner of an international business.
“Are you coming, or do I need to carry you?”
“Carry her,” Jessica said as she squeezed my arm.
“I’m coming, sorry,” I replied as I pulled myself back into reality.
No matter how normal he looked, Declan was still Mr. McMillan to me, and I needed my job. I hadn’t even started to look for a real job yet. Plus, he was paying me a very nice salary, which would help me a great deal as I tried to get back on my feet in Los Angeles.
“You and your colorful dresses,” he said quietly as I hopped into his Jeep.
“It’s Jessica’s.”
“Should we wait and make sure she gets home alright? It looks like you girls were having a rocking time tonight.”
We sat in his vehicle and waited until Jessica had crossed the street and made it into the main building. I expected him to pull away then, but he waited until he saw the light turn on in her apartment. It was another kind gesture from a man that I’d thought only cared about himself.
“Hungry?” Declan asked as we pulled into traffic.
“I could eat a horse.”
“We can try that another time. How about a late night breakfast?”
“Yep. Sounds perfect.”
I let my eyes close as I laid my head against the seat. Suddenly I was utterly exhausted. My heart was still racing from the excitement of seeing Declan pull up and being pretty damned shocked by his appearance. Plus, I was deathly afraid of saying or doing something stupid since I was all loosened up by the alcohol in my system.
It was just a few minutes before we arrived at the all night diner and Declan jumped out and opened my door for me.
“Do you always do that?” I said as I climbed out.
“What?”
“Chivalry and door opened? That’s hot,” I said as I stumbled with the first step I took.
Declan grabbed my arm quickly and steadied me. He didn’t respond to my comment, which I was more and more grateful for as we made our way into the restaurant.
I felt his left hand around my waist as he held onto me and kept me steady while we waited for the waitress to come and seat us. I should have asked him to remove it, but I felt unsteady enough that I knew he was being helpful. His firm hold on me was probably the only reason I was still standing.
The quick drinking I’d done earlier in the evening was catching up with me, and I felt the warmth of the alcohol running through my veins. I wanted to lay down and sleep and seriously doubted my ability to help Declan write any sort of speech at all.
“Can we get some pancakes, bacon, and scrambled eggs, please?” Declan said as he helped me slide into the booth. “And two coffees, please.”
“Sure. Would you like anything else?” the waitress asked as she looked at me, but I couldn’t get my mouth to form any coherent words at the moment.
“This is a good start,” Declan said for me.
“Thanks,” I managed to say after our waitress left.
“No problem. I know how the alcohol fog works. I’m sorry for ruining your night. I really appreciate you helping out. But let’s eat first and drink some coffee so you feel a little better. How’s that sound?”
“Could I also take an hour nap?” I teased as I laid my head onto the table.
“Sure,” Declan replied without missing a beat.
“Do you have a lot of cars?” I said without lifting my head.
“Nope, just my trusty Jeep.”
“Really?”
I lifted my head in surprise.
“Yep. It’s all I need. Why?”
“You’re just surprising me tonight,” I mumbled as I laid my head back down.
My eyes closed again, and I felt the warmth of the alcohol slowing down my breathing. I pulled in a deep breath, and my eyes relaxed even more as I drifted off to sleep right there at the table. I couldn’t help it; I couldn’t keep my eyes open no matter how hard I would have tried.
When I started to wake up, I heard the noises around me first. There were plates moving and clinking around the diner, silverware scraping against the plates, and conversations going on all around me. As I lifted my head and pried my eyes open, I felt the undeniable wetness of saliva dripping down my chin. Mortified, I grabbed for a napkin and wiped myself while hoping that Declan hadn’t noticed.
He was writing on a yellow notepad as he sat across from me. The food wasn’t at the table, but the remains from a small plate of jams and butter cued me into the fact that the food had already come and gone.
“Let me get you some food,” Declan said without looking up.
“How long was I asleep for?”
“A little over two hours. But hey, I got a lot of work done on my speech.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry. Here, let me take a look at it,” I reached for his notepad and pulled it away from him while he was still writing.
“It’s horrible, I know. But that’s why I needed help.”
I started to read his speech and realized another piece of Declan that I hadn’t know existed. He was passionate about the Boys and Girls Home of Los Angeles. More than just a man with money trying to pretend to care, I felt his heart in each of his paragraphs. He clearly had a real connection with this charity and the children that it helped.
“It’s not horrible,” I said as I kept reading. “This is tomorrow night?”
“Yep.”
“Can I make some changes?”
“Yes, please do. That’s what I need. I take no offense to any changes. I welcome them.”
“Is the event just for adults or are the kids there too?”
“It’s just adults. A charity dance, dinner, drinks sort of thing.”
“You’ll bring a date?” I asked as made some notes.
Declan didn’t answer right away, but I kept reading and making small changes to his speech. He had the core down exactly like it should be. The only changes that were needed were very simple and purely to evoke more emotion from the words he already had written down.
Our waitress came back, and Declan ordered another round of food while I continued my editing. All I could think about was how this speech was going to motivate anyone in the room to give all they could to the charity. From what I could see, Declan was a very motivational guy and told stories from the heart.
When our food finally arrived, I pushed the yellow notepad back over to Declan and dove right into the food. The soft buttermilk pancake filled my mouth with such deliciousness, I could hardly slow myself down enough to chew my food.
“I don’t usually bring a date to this charity event. It’s pretty emotional for me.”
“You should bring a date though. It would help you socialize with people and connect. The more they connect to you before your speech, the more they will donate once they hear this.”
“Really? You think so?”
“Definitely. Isn’t there someone you could bring?” I said as I smiled and finished chewing another bite of food.
“Not really.”
“Oh, come on. You can’t even tell me you don’t have a hundred women in your little black book.”
“No one special, and this event is special. Why don’t you come with me?”
I raised my eyebrow at the offer. Was this my boss talking, or this new and interesting guy Declan that had just let me sleep for two hours on a diner table?
“As your date?”
“No, not like that. I just mean, you could help me socialize and it doesn’t have to be a date.”
“I’m a really good schmoozer; I might show you up a bit,” I laughed.
“Deal, I’d love to have you.”
“I don’t really have anything to wear,” I said as I contemplated his offer. “But I guess I could ask Jessica; she’s probably got something in her giant closet.”
“So it’s a yes? I’ll come pick you up around five tomorrow. You should probably take a little time off at the end of the day so you can get ready too. Would getting off at noon help at all?”
“If I could get off work at noon, I’d go with you to a charity event every week.”
“I might just take you up on that offer. Now finish up that pancake so I can get you home for a little sleep.”