Peyton
The kiss from Simon left me floored. As I got ready for work on Monday morning, I replayed the entire date. He’d been formal at first, but I’d noticed him relaxing throughout dinner. Although the bit about wondering why I wasn’t in a relationship was momentarily bothersome, I was certainly used to the question by now. I was turning the big 3-0 later this year, and even my sister was starting to encourage me to “settle down.”
All I focused on in that statement, however, was the word settle. I’d meant what I said about not understanding why an age should dictate what you do. Sure, I’d love to have someone to spend my life with. Someone to have kids with and who’d plan a future together with me. But I hadn’t found the right match yet. And I’d never subscribed to the theory a man was needed in order to feel complete. Not even when I was turning thirty.
After taking Cooper for his morning walk and gulping down a cup of much-needed coffee, I drove into the office on a typical Monday morning commute.
As urban sprawl grew, the roads were progressively getting worse traveling in and out of Dallas to the north. Although there were some train options or the bus, I was much more of a get-in-my-own-car, listen-to-my-own-music-and-not-have-to-smell-anyone-else-in-the-morning kind of girl.
My sister’s number showed up on the console of my Tahoe over Bluetooth. I was sure she couldn’t wait for me to dish on my weekend with Simon by evidence of her early phone call. I was shocked she hadn’t called yesterday until I’d remembered they’d had a day planned with my nieces which had probably prevented her from doing so.
“Good morning.”
“Well, good morning to you. I don’t have much time as I need to get the girls off to school, but how was your date?”
“Great.”
“Great as in penetration great?”
I rolled my eyes, looking around at gridlock as if to say to the other drivers, you see what I have to put up with? Part mom, part older sister, and a lot of friend, my sister took on all hats for me. “Good grief, Jen. The word penetration sounds so crude.”
“Fine, did he stick his noodle in your doodle?”
I burst out laughing. “No. We had a nice dinner, then a kiss good night on my porch.”
“Probably for the best. You probably don’t want to go putting out on a first date.”
“Noted.” Although if given the opportunity, I’m not sure I’d make it past the second.
“I wonder if he’s uncircumcised. I’ve heard most Europeans are.”
Only my sister would voice this type of question. “That’s a really personal question.”
“Translation: you didn’t suck his dick, either.”
“On my front porch. No. I didn’t.” What part of one kiss didn’t she understand? I then laughed when I heard my brother-in-law, Kevin, in the background.
“Who’s sucking whose dick?”
“Not yours, honey. But if you want to do the girl’s hair this morning, I bet there will be one in it for you tonight.”
I groaned. “La, la, la la. I do not need to hear your blow job bribery at seven o’clock in the morning.”
“You scoff, but you should be taking notes. Blow jobs are the very best currency in marriage. And it’s a win-win for both of us.”
“Got it. But I’m about to pull into the parking garage, so I’m gonna let you go.” In truth, I had fifteen more minutes on the road, but this conversation had deteriorated into the gutter, and there was little hope of a rescue.
“If you say so. But at least tell me if you plan to see him again.”
I smiled in remembrance of his text yesterday telling me how much he’d enjoyed our date. “I am. Probably Friday as he has to work late nights this week.”
“Damn, I can hear your blush through the phone. I certainly hope he’s in town awhile then.”
She wasn’t the only one.
I was running a bit late. Then again, this was the perk to being an exempt employee who put in ten-hour days. Although I typically was at the office by seven, today I was pushing half past.
After parking in the garage, I walked the short distance over to the fourteen-story glass building and took the elevator up to the sixth floor. While strolling in, I called good morning to the people who were already here in the head-height cubicles throughout the space. Only those with the status of directors and above had offices lining the walls.
My office wasn’t especially big, but it had a window and room for at least two other people to come and sit in front of my desk. It wasn’t as neat and clean as it probably should be, but then, who had time for filing? I enjoyed my quiet mornings because I could look at my calendar and sip my coffee while trying to figure out my day.
But Megan wasted no time coming in and shutting the door behind her. “Well, did you make a decision?”
“Yes. I applied for the CFO position on Saturday.”
She practically squealed before fist pumping the air and doing what could only be described as a poorly constructed, pregnant woman’s version of a jig. “Thank God. It was in time, right?”
“I’m assuming so since the job was still posted. But I’m hoping to talk to George about it while he’s here today, in any case. If he can’t make an exception to the long-distance travel, then it’s a moot point to go through the interview process.”
Only a few people, including Megan, knew about my petrifying fear of flying and the circumstances behind it.
She frowned. “That would be a really stupid reason not to give the most qualified candidate the job. If he gives CFO to that fucking fuck, Jeff, I’ll lose all faith in karma.”
I laughed at her colorful language until my cell phone buzzed with a text flashing up on the screen. I grabbed it quickly off the desk and, seeing Simon’s number, broke out in a grin.
“Counting the days until Friday.”
“Holy shit. I’ve never seen that kind of expression on your face. Who is he?”
I looked up, blinking twice at Megan, having completely forgotten she was here and observing my reaction. “Um, someone I met on Friday. Then we had a date Saturday.”
“It must’ve been some date, judging from the look on your face.”
“Yeah. It was nice.” It had been so effortless to be with him, especially for a first date. Not only was he interesting, but he also seemed to get my sense of humor.
“The sparkle phase is always the best. No worries, no fighting—just getting to know one another.”
“Are you saying it doesn’t get any better?” She’d been married for ten years to her college sweetheart.
“It does get better, but it gets harder, too.” She patted her baby belly. “But I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Anyhow, I was hoping you’d have the scoop on the owner being here today. You don’t know how happy it makes me to hear you applied for the CFO position. Gives me hope I might not have to look for a new job.”
It was the last thing I wanted her to worry about; she had enough anxiety regarding her baby. They’d tried for years without success, making this truly a miracle pregnancy. That’s why I’d ultimately done it. In the CFO role, I’d be able to protect my staff from a horrible manager like Jeff.
After Megan left my office, I responded to Simon’s text, writing that I was also excited for Friday.
Not getting the dots back right away on my phone screen, I figured he was already into his busy day. Meanwhile, I needed to get to mine. I perused my email and thought it strange that George hadn’t scheduled anything with me for today. Or even let me know he’d be in. Normally, he did. If Jeff was already selected for CFO, Megan wasn’t the only one who’d need to start looking for another job.
However, given my inheritance from my parents was still sitting in the bank, I could take some time off if I wanted to. I’d always been frugal about the money. Now it sounded quite good, actually, to sleep in, take Cooper to the park every day, and finally get to those various projects I’d always wanted to do around my cute, little house.
When I saw George come through my door, I snapped out of my fantasy of early retirement and smiled.
“Good morning, Peyton. Looking lovely as ever. How are you, my dear?”
I loved that, despite wearing a suit, the man always wore cowboy boots. The bolo tie completed his ensemble.
I stood up, taking his offered hand. “I’m great, George. I’d heard you might be in today.”
“I didn’t want a fuss, so I only told HR I was coming in as I need to sign some things.”
If Jeff was sleeping with the new HR girl, that would explain how he’d known on Friday that the owner would be here.
George seemed tired, with less energy than he normally portrayed.
“How are you? How are Carol and your grandkids?” I asked.
He shut my door, which gave me pause. Then he took a seat in my guest chair. “Wonderful. Matter of fact, I’m taking the whole family to Hawaii in a few months.”
“That sounds great.” I had to fight a shiver over the idea of flying in an airplane, let alone doing it over a large body of water. “So what brings you in to the office today? Everything okay?”
He sighed, causing my stomach to drop. If he was about to tell me Jeff was getting the promotion, maybe I wasn’t as anxious to quit my job as I’d thought.
“One reason I’m here is I’m hoping you’ll reconsider and apply for the CFO position.”
It meant a lot that he’d encouraged me for weeks to do so. “I did. On Saturday, as a matter of fact.”
He appeared pleased. But before I could bring up my concern over the travel, we were interrupted with a knock at the door.
I fought the urge to shout go away, so I could find out the second reason he was here, but of course, I couldn’t. “Come in.”
In walked a handsome gentleman I didn’t recognize, someone who gave me a smile which lacked sincerity and warmth before he turned to George. “Hello, George. Reception told me I’d find you here. We’re ready for you upstairs.”
“Okay. Peyton, this is Tom Sanders. Tom, this is Peyton Waters, my accounting director. Why don’t we grab Jeff, and all head upstairs, and I’ll finish explaining what’s happening?”
It appeared I was the only one in the dark. I looked over at Tom in his expensive-looking suit, Rolex watch, and slicked-back hair and got a foreboding feeling in my stomach. But nothing could’ve prepared me for what happened next. We got off the elevator two floors up and walked into a space I’d never been in before. Once there, my gaze zeroed in on the one person that I wouldn’t have expected to see in a million years.