She is Home

CHAPTER THREE

“What more do we need?” Guy turned to Xavier, the one he had given today’s presentation to. So far, so good, the young man has been doing well. He actually enjoyed his presentation and the proposal he’d prepared in advance for the new project they were bargaining for.

“A market survey,” Alicia said in response, when he didn’t say anything, she took it as her cue to continue, “well, I had been thinking about it when Xavier here mentioned a tiny part of the products still in the process of being checked. Our marketing strategy and how we advertise these products in advance can tell us how well the public would respond to what Xavier has planned.”

“Exactly, Mr. Harris, I just need to do all that in advance and get it to you before the end of the week, then we would know if it would be possible or not.”

Guy faced him, “I don’t want a maybe Xavier, I deal with products that can be productive. If they weren’t, I wouldn’t even let the higher ups know about this. I have a reputation to uphold. Do not jeopardize that with doubt.” He scolded.

“Yes sir, I will get you the required results.”

“That’s much better, okay, you can all get back to work, thank you.” Guy heard the screeching of chairs and chatter as they all left the boardroom, but sharply looked up when he heard the sound of paper hitting the table.

“Is there something you need to miss-”

“I’ve told you, so many time to address me with my name, Alicia. It’s a simple name.” She moved closer to him. Guy sighed, he was getting tired of this cat and mouse chase he was doing with the woman now standing before him.

“I address everyone beneath me in this office formally miss-” her slender finger on his lips stopped whatever it was he was planning to say. But when she bent so that he could see down her chest and the color of her eyes, Guy knew she was no longer playing the cat and mouse game and instead had decided to go for the kill. He closed his eyes for a minute to organize his thoughts, just for a few seconds, and when he’d calmed down and formed his next words in his head, he opened his eyes but froze when he felt wet, cold lips on his.

Mental check note. Never close your eyes in that kind of position. Cause now, Guy knew in that short moment, he’d communicated the wrong message. He didn’t push her like his brain told him to do, he knew she would put a stop to it herself when she learned that he would be unresponsive to her advances.

“What?” she asked, “you didn’t like it?” she purred.

“I think you should leave, miss-”

“Oh! Crap, the hell Guy, believe me when I say, one day you will ask for all this, and I wouldn’t be so willing then.”

Guy almost spurt out laughing right then, but checked himself and watched her leave the room. He let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding and let the events of a few minutes wash over him.

His mind did a double take a few years back. If she had done this just seven years ago, he was sure he would have responded differently. Before he met her, before he had his daughter and before he’d found out what exactly she had done to him.

He took a long drag of air in and willed himself to let go of the tears that threatened to penetrate. He squeezed his eyes shut tight and when he was sure he had a good hold on himself once more, he stood up and headed to his office.

Not long after he’d sat down, his loyal friend of twenty years came in and sat down in the chair opposite him.

“What are you doing this weekend? The guys are playing.”

“So, what should I do?”

“You should come, everyone will be there, it’s a get-together of our college friends, believe me, the ladies would want to see you again.” Robert clarified with a click of his tongue and one wink at Guy.

“Stop doing that eye thing at me, you know I hate it-”

“Very rich coming from a guy that same eye thing used to be his thing.”

“Well, stop it Rob, it’s no longer funny.”

“Or do you mean, it no longer holds the meaning it was meant for.”

“f**k off, Rob, I have no one to put Nancy with, and the weekend is for her. I dedicate that time to her.”

“Exactly, lay off a bit, try to explore the world outside your daughter,” he moved his chair farther, “I love Nan too, believe me, but I miss you, I miss what we used to have, you are no longer the same.”

“I can’t, I owe so much to Nancy.”

“Well, it wasn’t your fault that woman did what she did, it wasn’t your fault you missed out on your daughter-” The knock on the door dispersed the tension in the room and Robert stood up ready to go.

“Please, think about it…I will leave now, but call me.” He opened the door and found Guy’s assistant at the door, “Come in, miss.”

He gently closed the door behind him and left.

***

The voice of her friends cackling at the story Olivia was telling them about how her week went, made her almost pound them in the ears. They were making fun of what was paining her. She’d expected a bit more sympathy from them, definitely not what they were doing right now. She took a look at them and frowned, even if Joan was just like herself, she’d expected Anna to be a bit subtle about it.

“Just so you know, it wasn’t funny when it happened,” Joan continued, just like Olivia knew she would, but Anna had stopped and was looking at Olivia, “What?” Olivia asked her friend.

“Nothing, I’m just worried about you. Normally, you would have let this go, or treated it as one of your misfortunes. What happened for real? I mean who is he?” Anna shifted a bit and nudged Joan, who was still giggling with her hand stifling the sounds that screamed to be let out, her body shaking from the impact.

“Remember this guy back in school-”

“The guy you used to follow around in our first year-” Joan got a kick from Anna, “what? It was an honest question.”

“Babe, don’t mind her, what about this guy from school?” Anna asked and held her hand.

“It’s the same guy Joan is talking about-”

“Your crush?” This time it was Anna that interrupted. Olivia nodded. At this, Joan seemed to calm down and stopped her antics, “What about him?”

“I met him a few weeks ago when I started working at the kindergarten,” she took a long drag of air and watched her friends' faces, “I met him and his daughter, and-”

“Wait a minute, is he married?” Joan asked.

“I don’t know the whole story, but he isn’t,” Anna and Joan were both nodding.

“So, he is a divorcee, that’s good I guess,” Joan said and took a sip of her wine.

“Wait, is he the one whose daughter you were just talking about?” Anna asked.

“Yes.” Anna wrapped her in her arms.

“I’m so sorry Olly,” she cooed, and Joan joined their embrace, “It’s all good, I’m sure.”

When they at last released her, Joan shifted near, “What do you plan to do? This is an opportunity I wouldn’t pass up if I were you. I’d go for the kill-”

“Don’t listen to her Olly, if you don’t feel comfortable-”

“Why wouldn’t she be? She has waited for this for a long time, she might as well be giving him up for the others to devour.”

Olivia chuckled at their argument and the two stopped to watch her, “Well…I actually want to try to get close to him…”

“See, she isn’t over him yet, after how many years… listen babe, I’ll tell you just this, get the guy and never let him go.” Anna shook her head at Joan’s words and faced her friend.

“What if he is still the rake we know him for?”

“He has a daughter; do you think he would want to be that sort of father to her?”

“Joan, I don’t think having a child has ever stopped men from doing the unmentionables.” Joan grumbled as she stood up and left for the kitchen.

“So,” Anna moved to sit beside Olivia, “Do you still like him? How did you feel when you met him after all this time?”

Olivia smiled, “Happy, is that enough to show how I felt?”

“You can’t describe it?” Olivia nodded.

“Come here,” Anna held her in another embrace, “You have to find a way for him to forgive you, so you can start something with him.”

“How do you think I should start that?”

“Olly, if fate brought your paths to meet again, I believe it has something in store for you both.”

“I hope so too.”

“Olivia,” Joan shouted from the kitchen, “I thought I asked you to always store up beers, you know I prefer those.”

Anna and Olivia stood from their position to help their friend find whatever she was just too tipsy to find on her own.