Original publication date March 27, 2016
It’s my day off again, and Graham has gone to work when I hear a knock at the door. It’s Alex!
“Hey! I haven’t seen you in ages!” I don’t hug him. He’s asked me not to.
He lets out a small laugh. “I was in the neighborhood. My, um, yeah… I was around and thought I’d stop in and say hi.”
His dad’s company went under. Alex was right. Their name is mud in the finance world after the trafficking ring scandal went public. Luckily for Alex, his record is whistle clean. The worst that happened to him was losing his job, and well, losing his dad to prison. Mr Goth ordered Alex to stay away, and I’ve spent a good amount of time talking to Alex on the phone as he’d talk about it, trying not to cry.
“So how’s the new job going?” I ask. He’d managed to scrape together funds to start up his own company — not in finance, though. He does internet security, having learned so much about hacking while trying to ruin Graham’s life. The irony isn’t lost on either of us. He knows he was a jerk to Graham, and he knows Graham still hates him.
“It’s going very well, actually. I was just at my … assistant’s house, and she told me we landed Voyage Air Lines. We’re negotiating the finer points of the contract, and I feel very optimistic about it.” His smile wavers for a second before he re-pastes it. “I didn’t tell you. My secretary stayed with me when Dad’s company fell apart.”
I think of the movie Jerry McGuire and remember how Renee Zellwegger’s character stayed with Tom Cruise’s character when he quit his job. Of course, she was in love with Tom’s character, but…
I closely watch my best friend. “Well, that was really nice of her…” I leave my statement hanging, wondering just how closely the two situations run.
He can’t look me in the eye, more like he won’t look me in the eye. The very tips of his ears turn red.
“What’s her name?” I ask. I’ve really wanted Alex to find someone. It would make our friendship so much easier.
He looks down at the floor of my front porch and smiles shyly. “Laura.”
“She must be pretty devoted to you if she stuck with you through that scandal,” I state in a leading way.
His face collapses. “Scandal. Yeah. My secretary.”
Oh plum. “Alex…I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to bring that back up,” I quickly say.
“I know. I know! It’s that… Well, during all that… And I don’t really know what to do. I mean I think I do, but… I don’t know.”
“Uh…I’m going to need more details than that.” Am I actually right?!
“Well, I wondered…because she kept sending me little signals, but I thought I was imagining it. And then, Dad’s company went under, and she stayed with me anyway. I was so grateful but not really sure how to keep paying her or what exactly I was going to do. She told me she could do more than just secretarial work, so she’s practically a partner in this if it weren’t for me doing the actual job.” He looks up at me with a small smile. “She’s a fantastic negotiator!” He replaces his head in his hand and says, “Well, then, the ‘signals’ got stronger.”
“Is she cute?” I ask with a small smile, kinda like a teasing sister would.
He gives me a deadpan look now. “No. She’s plumming hot, and I can’t believe how weird this feels.”
I laugh hard, holding my stomach. Yes, it does feel a bit odd since Alex had once tried to start something romantic with me, but I always hoped he’d find someone else. It looks like someone else found him. Graham worries Alex still has and hides feelings for me, and I have to wonder sometimes if he’s right. He might be, but Alex has done nothing to allude to them ever since that day he met Ethan as a baby. Now, he’s moving on, and I’m tickled that someone else caught his eye, that someone chased him for once.
“Are you finished?” he asks, looking like his feelings might be hurt.
“I’m laughing because I’m happy,” I tell him. That, and I thought his expression was funny.
He doesn’t smile back to me, but he still says, “Well, then I’ll ‘happily’ tell you that I took her to dinner last night, and that’s when she left absolutely no doubt in my mind what she wanted. I’m dating my former secretary now assistant.”
I keep teasing him. “Alex! Would you please stop being such a downer? Do you honestly think you’re the first man to fall for his secretary? You won’t be the last either.”
“But it’s an ethical thing!”
“She approached you, and it’s not like you pushed her away yet she kept coming at you, was it?” I question, hoping he’d see how this is a good thing for him. I punch his shoulder. “Lighten up!”
“Hey! No punching!” he also teases and very lightly punches me back.
I open my mouth in mock outrage. “Look who’s talking!”
He finally laughs. Then, he simply smiles at me and asks, “So, you don’t think this is… bad?”
“No, goober-head,” I reply.
Before I know it, Ethan comes home. Alex happily offers to help him with his homework while I fix some food. Later, Alex and Ethan go play a game together on the computer, and I decide to take a small nap, tired all of a sudden.
I hear Graham as I slowly start to wake up. “Yes, and I’m sure Granma will think you’re cute as a button!” he says in a teasing voice.
“Dad!” Ethan complains but still sounds happy.
In a more normal voice, my husband asks, “So, what have you been up to while Mom’s been passed out on the couch?”
“Me and Uncle Alex were playing Incredible Sports on the computer!”
Plum, I think and force my eyes open.
“He what? ALEX!” Graham yells.
Alex comes into the living room as I sit up. “You know, if he didn’t resemble you, I’d wonder how the plum Ethan could be your child. He has such a kind, fun personality. I guess lucky for him he has Brielle for a mom,” he snarls.
“What in hell were you doing on my computer, Goth?!” Graham asks, his fists clenched.
“Graham-” I start to say, but Ethan interrupts me.
“We were playing a game,” Ethan tells his father in an exasperated voice.
“Sure you were,” Graham replies sarcastically, giving Alex the evil eye. “So, Goth, how’s the finance world been going for you lately?”
Alex uses that oily tone of voice he saves for Graham when he answers, “Oh, I had to unfortunately get out of that line of work. However, lucky for me something I once considered a sideline has turned into a profitable business.”
“A sideline business like your father had?” Graham growls.
“Graham, stop it,” I say tiredly.
Alex answers, “Due to present company,” he says, meaning Ethan, “I don’t believe that is an appropriate topic of conversation. No, of course I wouldn’t do anything like that. I’m in internet security.” He gives him an evil smile, knowing that Graham now knows what ‘sideline’ he meant.
“Would you two cool it?” I ask, but nobody listens to me.
Ethan turns to Alex. “Sorry, Uncle Alex. I didn’t realize how late it was and that Dad would come home soon.”
“That’s okay, kiddo. It’s not your fault at all,” Alex tells him nicely. Then, he turns to my husband, changing his tone again. “Oh, by the way, Graham, my company has really started taking off, and I worry my assistant may be overloaded with work soon. Perhaps I could use an accounting agent. Do you know of anyone?”
My eyes widen, and Ethan happily answers, “My dad is!”
Graham roars, “If you were the last client on earth, I wouldn’t work for you, Goth! Get out of my house!”
Alex takes a step back, holding his hands up in surrender. “All right. Okay. No need to get hostile. I thought I’d just put a bug in your ear.”
Agent… Bug…
“Well, that’s settled. Goodbye, Alex!” Graham suddenly says with false cheer. I get the feeling that right at this moment, Graham would rather Alex just leave than spend more time arguing.
I hear Alex’s smirk. “Until next time, Taylor.”
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Voyage Air Lines: This is a work of fiction. Any similarities to any actual airline mentioned are purely coincidental. I wanted to re-use the name since I’d already mentioned it in my Rose legacy.
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