Isn't It Time (16 page)

Heather was sitting at a blackjack table, smoking a
cigarette and taking a drink of what appeared to be whiskey, waiting while the
dealer shuffled the cards.

What the heck? Was everyone in the tri-county area in this
casino tonight?

I took in the scene, mostly surprised by the fact she was
smoking, something I didn’t know she did.  I took a half-step in that
direction, planning to go say hello, when I stopped in my tracks.  She picked
up three black chips from the short stack in front of her and placed them in the
betting square.  Even I knew those black chips were worth $100 each.  My jaw
dropped at what I considered the enormity of that bet.  I knew for a fact
Heather made fourteen dollars and hour and only worked twenty-four hours a
week.  How in the world could she afford to bet a week’s pay on a single hand
of blackjack?

My jaw dropped even further when her turn came up and she
picked up three more chips, setting them next to the three already on the
table.  The dealer split her cards and slapped another on top of each before
moving on to the next player.

I didn’t hang around to see if she won.  I turned and
hurried back the way I came, circling the bar and re-entering from the opposite
side.

Jack had arrived while I was gone and was leaning against
the bar talking to Finn, who had helped himself to my seat.

I ignored Nate and Finn and rushed to Jack’s side, bursting
to tell him what I had just seen.

“Jack! Guess what I just saw?”

He turned and smiled at me, pulling me into a hug. “Hi,
honey. I hear you won some money.”

“Yeah, yeah,” I said, breaking away. “But guess what I just
saw?”

“What did you just see?” he asked, amused.

“Heather. Betting $600 on one hand of blackjack!”

The amusement left his face and Nate let out an exclamation
of surprise.

“Are you sure?” Jack asked.

“Absolutely.”

“Well isn’t that interesting?” Jack mused.

“I thought so.”

“Who’s Heather?” asked Finn, getting up and gesturing me
back into my seat.

I smiled my thanks at Finn, then sat down and nursed my
drink while Jack answered his question.  He wanted to walk over to the
blackjack tables to see it for himself, and we had a short discussion about
whether or not that was a good idea.  In the end, he decided against it, not
wanting to take a chance on either tipping Heather off that we knew she was
there, or having her see the two of us together outside of work.

“Did you see who she was with?” Jack asked me.

“No, I didn’t really pay that much attention to who else was
at the table. No one I recognized, though.”

“I think Heather just moved to the number one spot on my
suspect list,” Jack told me.

“Tell me what’s going on. I’m a little lost,” Finn
interrupted.

Jack filled him in, and they were quickly engrossed in a
conversation about how Finn might be able to help.  I was having some trouble
hearing them, so I turned my attention back to Nate, who was still trying,
unsuccessfully, to beat the video dealer.

“One more round?” he asked me.

“Okay,” I agreed.

As he turned away from me to catch the bartender’s
attention, he laid his right hand over my left and held it on top of the bar.

I looked at that for a second and glanced up to see Jack
staring at our joined hands. He raised his narrowed eyes to mine and I gently
removed my hand and set it in my lap before breaking eye contact. Although it
was nothing, really, I felt guilty – as if I was somehow cheating on Jack.

Jack returned his attention to Finn and Nate returned his to
me, not commenting on my missing hand.

As our drinks arrived, I noticed that Jack and Finn were
attracting a great deal of attention from some of the young women in the bar. 
They made an interesting study in contrasting hotness as they stood facing each
other, each leaning on one elbow against the bar and talking seriously.  Finn,
dressed head to toe in black, giving off a bad boy vibe – which I was beginning
to doubt was actually the case – winking and smiling at every woman who used
not-so-subtle body language to flirt in his direction; and Jack, still in a
suit and tie, giving off a serious young professional vibe – and ignoring
altogether the smoldering come hither looks being sent his way.  I thought it
was a good thing Nate wasn’t standing with them, turning on the dimples, or
there might be a small riot.

Nate slumped back in his seat and looked at me. “Shit.”

I smiled at his dismayed tone.  “What’s the matter? Are you
throwing in the towel?”

“Yeah, throwing it in and stomping all over it.”

I laughed and finished off my drink.  “I’m ready to go
whenever you are.”

“I’m ready.” He leaned across me and got Jack’s attention.
“We’re taking off. Do you guys want another beer before I cash out?”

They both declined and Nate signaled to the bartender that
he needed the bill.

“I’m taking off, too,” Jack said. “It’s been a long day.” 
He turned to Finn and shook his hand. “It was good seeing you, man.  I’ll give
you a call tomorrow.”

“You sure you don’t want to stay?” Finn asked. “I can pretty
much guarantee you wouldn’t be going home alone,” he added with a sideways head
tilt to a small group of young women, giggling and whispering as they stared at
Jack and Finn.

“I’m sure. Not really my style. But good luck to you.”

“No luck needed,” Finn replied cockily. “It’s a sure thing.”

We were all laughing at Finn when the bartender returned and
handed the bill to Nate.  He looked at it, set it down on the bar and pulled
out his wallet. Again. I picked up the bill from the bar and declared I would
be paying, as I had recently come into some money.

Three scowling, handsome faces glared at me.

“What?” I asked.

“You’re not paying.” Jack pulled the bill out of my hand.
“Spend that money on something you want.”

“What I want is to pay this bill,” I said, scowling back at
all three of them.

“Too bad,” said Finn, snatching the bill from Jack. “I’ve
got this.”

“It’s my tab – I’ll pay it.” Nate reached across me and
tried to grab it back from Finn.

“I said I’ve got this,” said Finn, holding it out of Nate’s
reach.

“Oh for Pete’s sake!” I exclaimed, throwing up my hands and
surrendering to the testosterone.  “Will somebody please just pay it so we can
get out of here?”

They laughed and relaxed as Finn pulled some money out of
his front pocket and slid it, and the now-crumpled bill, across the bar to the
bartender.

We stood there for a few more minutes, thanking Finn for the
drinks and saying goodbye before Nate, Jack and I headed for the exit and Finn
swaggered over to his group of giggling admirers.

We walked single-file back through the casino, Nate in the
lead, me in the center, and Jack bringing up the rear. We filed into an empty
elevator and Nate punched the button for the fourth floor.  “Where are you
parked?” he asked Jack.

“Four.” Jack turned to look at me as the doors closed.  “So,
did you have a good time?”

“Yeah, it was fun.” I said, covering my sudden yawn with my
hand. “Excuse me. I’m so tired all of the sudden.”

“That’s because you’re not used to being out on a ‘school
night’,” Jack teased, putting an arm around me and hugging me to his side.

“You must be a homebody, like Jack,” said Nate. “Even in
college he’d rather stay home with his pizza than go out to the bars.”

I laughed at the vision of a younger Jack alone with his
pizza. He was still always happiest if he was at home – with food. “Guilty,” I
agreed.

“Kayla’s exactly the same. She hates going out. I think she
doesn’t like spending the money.”

“Sounds like someone I know,” Jack said with another hug to
my shoulder.

We all laughed and Jack released my shoulder as an
electronic voice announced our arrival at the fourth floor and the door slid
open. We walked through the garage, now side by side, with me still in the
middle.

We found Nate’s car first and he turned to Jack and shook
his hand. “Okay, then, I’ll see you shortly.”

“Okay.”  Jack turned to me and I hugged him while Nate moved
away to get into his car. “Love you,” he whispered to the top of my head.

There it was again. Whatever it was he was trying to do, it
was working. Emotion rolled over me and I felt, very strongly, that it would be
a mistake to walk away from him tonight. More than anything, I wanted to forget
about waiting and have that conversation we needed to have right now. Now was
the right time. But I came with Nate, and according to that unwritten code of
ethics, I was obligated to leave with Nate.

I lifted my head and looked solemnly into Jack’s equally
solemn face. “Love you more,” I whispered, the words catching in my throat. I
released him and regretfully stepped away.  “See ya, Jack.”

“See ya, Ange,” he replied without a smile.

He waited until I got into the car and, as Nate and I drove
off, I turned my head and watched as he walked away, alone.

I got to the office early Tuesday morning with big plans of
getting a head start before Jack arrived. I strolled right past my old cubicle,
now empty, without feeling even a hint of nostalgia for what I was leaving behind.
Good riddance.

My plans for an early start were thwarted when I tried to
open the door to my new office and found it locked.

“Shit,” I muttered under my breath.

“Good morning, Angie.”

I turned around to see a smiling Marla, dressed almost like
a normal person in pin-striped charcoal slacks and a dove grey silk blouse.
Except that the blouse was unbuttoned practically to her rib cage.

“Good morning, Marla.” I was in a good mood, so I smiled
back at her. “It seems I’m locked out. Maybe I should just go home,” I joked.

“Oh, no. You can’t do that. Jack needs you,” she said,
smiling like this was the happiest day of her life. “Congratulations on the
promotion, by the way.”

“Thanks. I’m very happy about it.”

“I am, too.  It’s the perfect job for you and Jack really
needs the help.”

She seemed oddly sincere and I was a bit puzzled. Friendly,
supportive chatter wasn’t really what our relationship was all about.

“Well, you’re right about that.” If she could play nice,
then I could, too. “Did you get your coffee yet? I seem to have a little time
to kill.”

She hadn’t, so we walked together to the break room.  She
was chattering on like we had been friends since pre-school while we got our
coffee and sat down at a table. I wasn’t quite sure if I should warm up to her
or be suspicious.

“I heard you were working with Nate yesterday morning. He
seems like a nice guy,” she said casually.  A little too casually - and my take
on her attitude was leaning heavily toward the suspicious side.

“Yes, he does,” I replied, careful not to let on that I had
spent more time with him than just yesterday morning.

“I almost thought you two would make a cute couple, but he’s
not really quite right for you,” she said, tilting her head and pursing her
lips as she examined my face.

“He’s not?” I wondered how in the world she thought she
would know if someone was right for me or not.

“No. He’s a little too…” she paused and waved her hand
about. “Oh, I don’t know. Intense, maybe.  Like he could get his claws into you
and have you at the altar before you even knew what hit you.”

I found myself interested to know exactly how long she and
Nate had talked yesterday afternoon. But she wasn’t completely wrong. He didn’t
seem to be a “take things slowly” kind of guy. When he took me home the night
before, he had walked me to the door and got that look on his face. That
determined look men get right before they lean in to kiss you. I had put on a
big show of yawning and busying myself with unlocking the door and he had
backed off with an amused smile. Then we said goodnight and that was it.

“I barely know him, Marla. I hardly think he wants to marry
me.”

“Maybe not. But he had a lot of flattering things to say
about you and I could tell he was interested. And I’ll bet if you gave him an
inch, he’d take a mile. And that would be bad.”

“It would?”

“Oh, yes. Very bad. He’s not right for you,” she repeated.
She tapped a well-manicured finger against her lips while she studied me some
more. “You need someone who’s more like…Jack.”

“Jack?” I squeaked, hoping to sound as if I found the very
idea appalling.

“Did someone mention my name?”

Marla and I turned as Jack walked in, carrying his coffee
mug.

“Good morning, Jack,” Marla said, pushing back her chair and
standing up. “You locked Angie out of her office.”

“Yeah, sorry about that,” he said, turning to me. “I didn’t
think to give you the key when…” he trailed off with a nervous glance at Marla.
“When I should have,” he finished lamely.

I bit my lip to stop my laugh at his attempt at subterfuge.
“It’s okay,” I told him. “But you could let me in now, if you don’t mind.”

“Well, I’ve got to get to work,” Marla announced with a
small smile. “Have a good day. And congratulations, again.”

“Thank you,” I said as she waved and left Jack and I alone.

Jack got his coffee and we walked together back to his
office. “Come on, I’ll show you what we did yesterday,” he said, leading me
through the connecting doors.

He turned on the light and the first thing I noticed was
that the desk had been moved.  Instead of facing forward, toward the door, it
was now at the side wall, facing toward Jack’s office.  If he leaned forward at
his desk, he’d be able to see me.

The second thing I noticed was a short cardboard box,
holding a tall vase of cellophane-covered flowers, sitting on the corner of my
desk.

I looked up at Jack, who was smiling at me and I knew they
were from him.

“Did you get me flowers?” I asked, smiling back at him.

“Why don’t you open it and see?” he said, giving me a little
push in that direction.

No one but my parents had ever given me flowers before – and
they only did it when I was a kid and had a dance recital. My hands were
shaking a little as I carefully removed the cellophane, revealing a crystal
vase holding a breathtaking arrangement of dark pink and white calla lilies,
interspersed with red roses and baby’s breath.

“Oh, Jack, they’re beautiful,” I said, touched and
struggling not to cry. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. So you like them?”

I pulled in my lips and nodded several times.

“Are you going to cry?” he asked, smiling.

I nodded again and, forgetting where we were, ran to his
arms. “Thank you,” I said again as his arms squeezed around me. “That’s the
nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.”

He laughed and kissed the top of my head. “You always say
that.”

“Well, you’re always doing nice things. Calla lilies are my
favorite.”

“I know.”

A loud knock at Jack’s door sent us hurriedly pulling away
from each other.  “Anybody home?” We relaxed as Nate walked through the
connecting kitchen area, carrying a large shopping bag.

“Good morning, Nate. That’s an awfully big lunch,” I said
with a nod to the bag.

He laughed and handed the bag to me.  “Jack asked me to pick
this up for you. It’s a coffeemaker.”

“Oh! Good idea. I’ll go get some started right now. Although
I had hoped my first official duty would be something more exciting.” I said.

They laughed and followed me into the kitchen. I shooed them
away when they started having a discussion about who was going to have the
honor of setting it up for me.

“I can do it myself. Now scram,” I said, shoving at Nate,
who had the misfortune of being closest to me.

“Okay, okay,” Jack surrendered. “We’ll be in the server room
for a while. Get yourself set up and go through any of my stuff you need to.
I’d appreciate it if you’d make my calendar a priority. I know I have things
coming up but I can’t keep them straight.” 

“I can do that,” I replied.

After they left I made quick work of setting up the coffee
maker and starting a fresh pot then returned to my office. I lifted my flowers
out of the cardboard box and spotted an envelope at the bottom of the box.  It
must have become dislodged in transit and for the first time I noticed there
was a forked plastic card holder in the middle of the bouquet that was holding
nothing.

I picked the envelope up and turned it over, seeing my name
written in Jack’s handwriting. I lifted the unsealed flap and carefully slid
out the card. There was a pre-printed “Congratulations” across the top and
Jack’s handwritten note underneath.

“To new beginnings. Love, Jack xoxo”

I pulled in a breath and pressed my hand, still holding the
card, to my heart – which was doing that fluttering thing again. The card was
ambiguous and it wasn’t.  The signature and the hugs and kisses made it
personal.  If he meant for those flowers to be a strictly professional gift, he
wouldn’t have signed the card that way.  I wasn’t going to pretend I didn’t
know how he meant for that to be interpreted. He was upping his game – and I
was unexpectedly liking it. Very much.

I put the card in the holder, then picked up my phone and
took a picture of the arrangement.  I pulled the card back out - because it
wouldn’t do for anyone from the office to read it - then wrote the date on the
back and returned it to its envelope before sliding the card into my wallet,
nestled against yesterday’s note.

Then I unlocked my office door and left it open, indicating
I was available, and got started on organizing Jack’s calendar.

Right before lunch I was at my desk, chronologically sorting
a large pile of missives I had spent most of the morning gathering from various
places around Jack’s office.  Each sheet indicated an appointment or deadline
of some sort and there were handwritten notes jotted on most of them, adding
additional information.

Nate was sitting at a table in Jack’s office, working on his
laptop and Jack was spending his time making and returning phone calls and
reading emails.  Occasionally my email would ding a notification and I would
find another appointment, forwarded from Jack.  The last email I opened, before
things went crazy, was a company-wide directive in which Jack informed one and
all it was now mandatory that I be copied on all further emails sent to him,
regardless of the subject. Confidentiality ensured. My email notification started
dinging so often that I had to disable it.

I got up and walked to Jack’s office.  “Thanks a lot,” I
said sarcastically.

Jack laughed and Nate looked up, puzzled. “Just find some
way to get me the information that actually requires my attention and handle
the rest of them yourself. I swear I waste half my day on petty emails.”

“So, what? I’m the Human Resources department now?”

“Better you than me,” he said, standing up and looking at me
and Nate. “Let’s go to lunch.”

“Sounds good.” Nate closed his laptop then stood up and
stretched. “I’m starving.”

“You guys go ahead,” I said. “I brought my lunch. Besides, I
want to get all those appointments entered into Outlook. Then I’ll have the
time this afternoon to start looking at the payables reports.”

“So industrious,” said Jack with a wink.

“Gotta start earning that big paycheck,” I said, giving an
exaggerated wink back.

Nate laughed and Jack was smiling as he said, “Okay. See you
in about an hour then.”

By the time they returned, I had emailed Jack twenty-three
appointments.  All he had to do was open the email and they would be added to
his own calendar.

“Whoa!” he exclaimed after unlocking his computer and seeing
the long line of emails from me. “That’s a little intimidating.”

Nate walked around Jack’s desk to look.  “Holy crap, that’s
a lot of appointments!”

“It’s not as bad as it looks,” I assured him, not telling
him he didn’t have them all yet.  “They’re pretty spread out.  It only looks
bad because you got them all at once.  In the future, they’ll come in more
slowly.  At least I hope so.”

Jack opened the first one and added it to his calendar. 
Then he looked up at me and smiled. “That’s awesome. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. And now I’m going to make another pot of
coffee, so help yourself if you want any, and then I’ll get started on seeing
if I can find anything that looks suspicious in the payables reports.”

“Oh, that reminds me,” Jack said. “I need full names,
addresses and social security numbers for Heather, Frank, and Marla. I told
Finn I would have them for him by tomorrow so he can do some checking for me.”

I promised to have them for him by the end of the day and
got started on my auditing task. I wasted a great deal of time trying to figure
out how to run a simple report in the unfamiliar payables program while Jack
and Nate were in and out, doing whatever it was that Jack and Nate did.

It was late in the afternoon before I managed, after a great
deal of frustration and muttered cursing, to put together something I could
work with. By adding various filters to the report, I had managed to whittle
down my original attempt of 1200 pages down to 60 – listing only those invoices
that totaled over $10,000 and were paid in the last two years.

I was frowning at the screen as I sent the report to print
and looked up to see Jack, leaning forward at his desk and looking at me.  I
smiled and waved. He returned the wave then blew me a kiss before laughing and
sitting back again, out of my view.

I smiled and shook my head. That boy was goofy as hell - and
I loved that about him. Still smiling, I got to work on getting him the
information I had promised before I ran out of time.

At 5:00, I was standing in front of my desk, deciding
whether I wanted to take that report home with me or not, when Nate entered my office
from the outside corridor.  He leaned against the door with his arms crossed
over his chest and asked me if I had plans for the evening. I opened my mouth
to reply and was distracted by the sudden appearance of Marla, walking past my
door.  She slowed down, caught my eye, and shook her head vigorously while
wagging a finger at me. Then she was gone.

I looked down at my shoes and bit into my lower lip, trying
to suppress a giggle at this side of Marla I had never seen before. I got
myself under control and looked back up at Nate. “Sorry, I was distracted for a
minute. And, yes – I’m having dinner with my parents tonight.  Are you and Jack
doing anything interesting?”

“I don’t know.” He moved in to the office and shouted across
the room. “Jack! Are we doing anything interesting tonight?”

Jack appeared in the doorway. “Why? Are you offering to make
us dinner?” he asked me.

“Not me,” I said. “I have plans with my parents.”