Sentient

Sentient: Chapter Twelve

“There you are.”

I look beside me and find Mr. Cavanaugh grinning at me.

“Here I am.” I mutter, copying his antics, although I doubt we share the same enthusiasm. The reason might have come amiss to me, but it's pretty obvious that he's enjoying his time here.

“Your mother is a very energetic woman.” He muses, ordering a drink from the bartender while I take another sip of my champagne.

I chuckle through my drink. “Did she make you Salsa with her?”

“And Tango and Boogie,” He says after a sip. “She really knows how to mix it up. I tried to keep up because she keeps changing from one thing to another without any heads up but I hope she didn’t notice my flinching feet.”

I wince internally. “I’m so sorry about all this. Though in my defense, I didn’t ask you to come. And I especially didn’t ask you to pretend to be my boyfriend. Had you let me say you were my boss, she would’ve been completely civil with you.”

“And miss all the fun?” He asks enthusiastically. “I think I’m gonna require you to let me attend your family gatherings from now on.”

I smile fakely at him, “Please don’t.”

He laughs and finishes off his drink before offering his hand before me,silently asking me for a dance. “Shall we?”

I frown and shake my head.

“Don’t keep me waiting, Charlotte.”

I close my eyes and wish for my guardian angel to appear right now and fry this place toasted, but to no avail. So I accept Mr. Cavanaugh’s hand and then let him take me to the middle of the room where most of the guests are dancing.

A more upbeat version of ‘Three Times a Lady’ plays through the speakers and Mr. Cavanaugh whips me into his arms. I’m thinking about how wildly inappropriate this is because he’s my boss but since he’s also the owner of the company, I think he can bend the rules a little. Besides, he did say we’re friends and in my opinion, most boss-assistant relationships are better if there’s a good friendship between the two. Like how it was with Mr. Sandmoore and I. It’s not like I’ve never danced with Mr. Sandmoore like this. The only difference is that he’s a fifty-two year old man and Mr. Cavanaugh’s a young, handsome, attractive one.

Well, he’s your boyfriend in the eyes of everyone here tonight, Charlie.

No! Stop it, Charlie! You’re not playing along with that one!

Whatever you say, but it did make your Mom and sister leave you alone for the entire night.

I sigh through my nose, seizing the battling of my wits and conscience inside my head. This isn’t going to help with my nerves. Maybe some more champagne...

We sway slowly to the music, looking everywhere but Mr. Cavanaugh. His eyes are too intoxicating to be looked at and I should probably avoid them at all costs.

“For someone who doesn’t want to go to family gatherings, you sure are very interested in them right now.” He says, noticing that I’m looking everywhere but him.

I look at him and smile. “Sorry, sir. I’m just a little uncomfortable dancing with you… my boss.”

“Why?” He asks. “Did Alan never accompany you to matters like this? Or even danced with you at company parties?”

I purse my lips. “Oh he loved dancing. He always came with me to family stuff whenever he had the time. You know, to distract my family from flocking on me. And we’d always dance.”

“So what’s the difference between me and him?” He raises a brow.

Does he seriously not know?

For one, I’m not attracted to Mr. Sandmoore.

Oh my God, I finally said it… or thought it.

But no way in a million years I’d ever say that out loud.

“I guess it’s because we barely know each other.” I respond quietly.

“Well, what do you wanna know?” He proffers. “I suppose it’s only proper that we should get to know each other better since we’ll be working together for a long time. At least, I hope.”

I frown at him, looking for a hint that he might be lying or joking. “Why?”

“Well, do you have any plans of quitting your job?”

“No.”

“Then I hope we’re together for a long time.” He states firmly. “I’ve had my fair share of short-term affiliations in this lifetime.”

“May I ask why?” I pry about it—although I’m not really sure what made me. It’s probably the seven glasses of champagne acting up.

He smiles at me. “Don’t worry about it, Charlotte. So what’s the deal with you and your family?”

I scoff internally. Didn’t he just ask me what I wanted to know about him? And now the first question I have, he evades. If only he’s not looking at me right now, I would have rolled my eyes to eternity.

“Well, if you still hadn’t guessed, I’m kind of the black sheep in the family.” I say, ignoring the fact that he quickly turned that on me. “I kind of don't live up to the bar they’ve set—which is perfection; perfect career, perfect family, perfect life. Remember when I mentioned that my parents owned a couple of restaurants here?”

He nods.

“This is one of them.” I muse, “There are three actually. My parents run the original one, my sister Patty runs the second one, and my brother Keno runs this one. I worked under Keno for three years, after I graduated. You know, before I came to New York. I don’t know, I guess I left because I felt like I needed to be out there. Like I’m destined to be more.”

“So in those years you were here, there was never a guy who tried to pursue you?”

My brows crease as I look at him with a smirk, “Why are you so interested in my love life?”

He looks straight into my eyes and says, “I just can’t believe no man has claimed someone as wonderful as yourself.”

“Claim? You make me sound like lost baggage.” I say.

Mr. Cavanaugh laughs. “I sort of understand why your family does what they do, setting you up and all.”

I smile challengingly at him and ask, “And why is that?”

“It’s not that they want you to be perfect like them,” He says, “It’s just that they want you to find someone as perfect as you, hell they’re looking high and low to find someone suitable enough for a date with you.”

I purse my lips, “Huh. I never really looked at it that way.”

“From what I see, Charlotte, they think the world of you, and nothing less, as it should be.”

Mr. Cavanaugh’s words make me think. Those profile-flashcards filled nights now seem like they’re pitching in proposals in a meeting and I’m the petty boss who never found anything to my liking. I kind of feel snobbish right now.

“Well, then good thing I have a CEO for a boyfriend now.” I mutter, barely above a whisper.

He chuckles and says, “Oh no! I’m just a valet.”

We both laugh and sway some more and then I start to get comfortable in his arms. After Mr. Cavanaugh showed up, I didn’t think I’d ever be this comfortable tonight but it seems like he’s been surprising me a lot since we met.

Then Mr. Cavanaugh whispers, “I don’t know Charlotte, but it seems like someone like me still won’t make the cut.”

Suddenly, there’s a tap on Mr. Cavanaugh’s shoulder and I look to see my Dad standing behind him.

“Mind if I cut in?” He asks my boss—or rather, boyfriend, in his eyes.

Mr. Cavanaugh agrees and hands my hand over to him. “Of course not, Sir. I’ll go see if Judy still has some other moves to teach me.”

As soon as my Dad puts me in his arms, I hug him tightly.

“Mom still not driving you crazy?” I ask against his chest.

He laughs, reverberating through my ears. “Honey, she’s been driving me crazy since the 60’s. I doubt she’ll change her ways now but I’m used to it. I can’t say the same for your boyfriend, though.”

I laugh and tighten my hand around his. “He’s a big boy, he can handle Mom… or survive at least.”

“It’s you I want to know about.” He says, “How have you been doing? I wish you would call more.”

I bite my lip, “I know, I’m sorry we haven’t talked that much. I’m just so busy with work, especially now with the replacement. It’s like I need to start from zero with the new boss.”

“Is he giving you a hard time?”

I shake my head. “Not any more than necessary.”

I can’t very well say that I am having a hard time because he’s handsome and I’m partially attracted to him in a way an assistant shouldn’t be with her boss. And I especially couldn’t say that the man I’m with tonight is that handsome boss.

“I wish you would give time to other parts of your life.” He mutters under his breath. “There’s more to it than work.”

“I know Dad. Patty and Keno have the perfect life. I know I should be more like them.”

“Patty and Keno have it easy.” Dad says, causing me to lean my head back and look at him to see if he’s serious. “I’m serious. Everything came easy for the both of them. But you, you’re my little warrior. You don’t like it easy. Ever since you were little, you always wanted a challenge. You wanna know why?”

“Why?”

“Because you want it to be worth it.” He states. “You want to deserve it. And that’s the best kind there is, honey. I’m so proud of everything you’ve accomplished.”

I smile and lay a kiss on his cheek. “Thank you, Daddy.”

Dad and I finish dancing. I return to my old post at the bar and ask for another glass of champagne when I spot Mr. Cavanaugh at the corner, beside a tall fortune plant, talking on his phone. I walk up to him but before I reach him, I can already hear his whispering voice.

“I’m sorry, Louise. I can’t do it.” He says on the phone. “You’re asking for too much.”

Louise. That may be the woman that’s been texting and calling him. Finally, there’s a name to the mystery.

Then I hide behind the other tall fortune plant, within earshot distance from him. He pauses and pinches the bridge of his nose, sighing inaudibly.

“You think I don’t know that?” He says in between his gritted teeth. “It haunts me every night. It kills me at every waking moment. And there’s nothing I can do about it.”

The pain that I saw before is back in his eyes, and it’s more than that. He’s in agony. Darius was right, he’s been hurt. And right now, that’s all I can see. I thought what he said hurt, until I heard the next words he mutters.

“You chose him. I can’t watch you walk down the aisle and know that the man you’re walking towards isn’t me.”