The One Who Holds It All

Suitcase

Maximus

“You mean he wasn’t even willing to help us even a little bit?” I asked Xavier, frowning.

“No, Megan said he sounded really nervous, obviously he knew he wasn’t allowed to give out information about his passengers, unless to the police,” he says, pursing his lips.

“I see. So that’s another dead end,” I said solemnly.

Staring out the window on the way back to the office, I was close to admitting defeat. Why are the fates keeping her from me? I have tried to always do everything I can to accommodate everyone around me. I take care of those who are suffering. I always drop what I am doing to help those in need around me. What else can I do to find favor with whoever is in charge of my fate?

Just then, I heard my phone buzz. A message from an unknown number appeared on the screen. Knowing Amy’s protocol for new employees, I opened it, thinking it was probably from the new temp. As my finger flips the message open, my heart skips a beat. Blaming it on the dullness of the day, I started to read the message.  

‘Hello Mr. Pack, my name is Kylie Holden and I am your new PA for the week. I am at the office now and ready for any instructions you may have for me.’

The rest of the message includes her contact information. At the end of the message, she included her peanut allergy.

This will be hard. I love peanut butter. I will have to be careful this week.

My eyes glaze over as I process this new information.

Xavier looks at me quizzically, and as he opens his mouth to say something, both of our phones buzz, and our eyes become distant.

We don’t even have to open the messages to know what's going on.

“Tony, take us to the airport,” I said to the driver of the car.

“Yes, sir.”

He pulls into a random parking lot and does a U-turn.

We sped away from the office where we were almost due to arrive,and I couldn't help but feel a heaviness in my heart. I am so emotionally drained from the past 24 hours, I am not looking forward to this emergency trip we have to take.

I pulled out my phone to email more documents to Kylie. I sent another message to Megan, making sure she got the memo about Kylie’s peanut allergy and to make sure she was doing everything she can to make her feel at home in the office. I pulled up my texts to let Kylie know my change of plans, and to change my itinerary for the remainder of today and most of tomorrow.

“You seem oddly happy with this change of plans,” Xavier said, looking at me curiously.

“Huh? I'm not happy. In fact, I feel the opposite of happy right now. Flying back to Virginia is not something I was planning to do, especially under the circumstances,” I said as I put my phone in my pocket.

“You sure were smiling awfully big, at whoever you were texting. You looked goofy, like a school girl who found a piece of candy on her way home.”

“I was just letting my new PA know I wouldn’t be in today, and to have her send my overnight suitcase with Ross before he leaves from the office to meet us,” not realizing I was smiling while I typed.  "I guess I didn’t know I was smiling.”

I continued to stare out the window for the remainder of the trip to the airport.

Kylie

My phone dings again, breaking me out of my typing-trance.

‘Please send my overnight suitcase from the office with Ross. I have emailed you more documents that need editing and sent to clients. Our meeting will have to wait until Wednesday. Please forgive this sudden change of plans.’

I sat there in complete silence for a moment, feeling a little more disappointed than I should have at his last sentence. I guess I will just have to wait a couple more days to meet my boss. But why would he feel so bad about it? I’m just a temp, not a permanent new employee. I brush it off as him just being nice.

Yeah, he’s just, really nice.

Just then, a knock on the door breaks me out of my daze and I ask the person to come in. As the door opens, I almost gasp at the man who walks through the door. A 6-foot-something man, (probably 6-foot-9 maybe?), walks in wearing a black suit, a very well measured, almost too tight, back suit. His sandy blonde hair is about midlength, pulled back into a neat ponytail. His surfer-esque demeanor should have been seen as a bit sloppy, but with his attire, it made him almost regal. His tanned skin and bright blue eyes looked at me, and his smile was probably one of the most gorgeous smiles I've ever seen a man wear. Picking my chin up from the floor, I tried not to gawk at him for too long.

“Hey there, you must be Kylie? He asked, while walking toward me.

I suddenly felt like a tiny mouse in comparison to this full-grown tiger. I decided I needed to stand up to try to make myself feel a little bigger, but it was no use. I was still a shrimp in comparison.

“Hi, um yes I’m Kylie,” I managed to stammer out.

Not only have I never met anyone so tall in person before, but he was equally handsome and I apparently couldn’t handle the combination all at once.

“I’m Ross,” he said as he kept smiling and held out his hand.

I took it wearily, hoping I didn’t trip or make a fool of myself in front of this apparent important male in front of me.

As our hands connected, I sensed a hint of disappointment coming over him, like he was expecting my hand to be stronger, or softer? Or like I wasn’t shaking his hand as sternly as he would have liked? I probably should exfoliate a little more, but I inherited my father's strong work ethics, as well as his leather hands. Shaking off the awkwardness of the introduction, I stepped around the desk to head for the walnut desk of my superior. Amy’s instructions said that his suitcase was located in the storage cabinets behind the desk. As I’m walking, I try to recover from my silly self.

“Oh yes, Mr. Pack said you would be coming by to grab his luggage.”

Just as I’m about to open the cabinet, a hand reaches the door before me, making me squeal in surprise. How in the world did he just get over here so fast? The expanse of the room was much too large for him to have made it over here without running, especially since I left him there at my desk by the door before I turned around. And I didn’t hear him run. I didn’t hear anything, honestly. I must have zoned out.

I really need to get more rest.

“I’m so sorry!” he says as he reaches for the bag himself. “I didn’t want you to have to lug it all the way over here, I didn’t mean to startle you. A-, I mean Mr. Hide has a tendency to overpack and his bags usually weigh a ton.”

He laughed as he picked up the bag like it weighed nothing at all.

“Oh, that’s ok, I just didn’t hear you is all. I get spooked easily I guess,” I said as I nervously bit my lip.

No Kylie, don’t get all weird and nervous! He seems nice enough, just relax!

“So what title do you have, Mr…….” I asked, as I didn’t know what to call him exactly. Corporate offices usually don’t like the use of first names, but he didn’t tell me his last name, so there I was, stuck.

“Please, you can call me Ross,” he says with a grin. “I’m the head of the security department for the building and the corporation.”

How appropriate considering he looks like he could take out a whole room of ninjas, probably with just one hand.

“Okay, Ross. It's really nice to meet you. I hope that's all you need to take to Mr. Pack? I don’t think there was anything else on Amy’s list,” I said, unsure of what to do with my hands at the moment, so I folded them in front of my waist.

“This should be it,” he says, almost looking regretful that he has to go. “Well, I had better get going, I don’t want to keep the Alpha-male waiting. It makes him cranky when he has to wait for someone else. It was really nice meeting you again,” he says as he looks at me one last time.

Was that regret I saw on his face? No, I think I’m just going crazy. What in the world would he have to regret? I'm the one who was stammering and awkward. I walked back to my desk as he exited the room. Trying to shake the strange feeling I had, I sat down and pulled out my phone to send a text to Mr. Pack.

‘Mr. Pack your suitcase is en route to your location with Mr. Ross.’

I type, a little unsure of what to formally call him to my boss. I hit send and got back to my work. My heart oddly beats back into a normal rhythm and I can’t help but smile as I await his response.