“I won’t be able to go out today. I’ve got a lot of work to do.”
“It can wait,” he states.
“No, it can’t.” My patience is wearing thin and I just want to be alone for a minute to process my thoughts. “It’s probably best you just go for now.”
“What’s going on with you?” He raises his tone.
“Marcus.” I turn to face him. “I’m at work. I need this job to earn money. We can talk about things later.”
I turn back around, ignoring the fact that he is still standing there.
“Okay, I’ll call you tonight. I love you.” With a solemn goodbye, he leaves my cubicle and finally I have the peace I deserve.
Later that afternoon, Mr. Sadler calls me into his office to discuss the manuscript I have been working on for months.
“Good afternoon, Presley,” he greets me.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Sadler.”
Taking a seat at the table, he finishes an email he is typing, then turns to face me. Beside his phone is a picture of his wife. She is a pretty lady, and the one time I met her at a work function, she was very nice. There are only pictures of her and who I assume is his daughter. He once told me she lived in Korea with her husband.
“I called you in today to briefly discuss the manuscript you’ve been working on. You’ve got the green light to go ahead with that one.”
“Oh wow! Thank you. That’s fantastic news.”
“There’s just one—”
The Jerk walks into the room without even knocking. Mr. Sadler’s face softens, and he motions for Haden to sit down. Taking a seat beside me, he leans back and crosses his legs accordingly. How do guys do that? Don’t their balls get squashed?
“So, as I was saying before Haden joined us, please go ahead with the manuscript for Fallen Baby. I’d like you to collaborate with Haden on releasing it before the holiday season.”
What the…?
“But…but I don’t understand why we need to work on this project together. Besides, I thought he was busy with that sci-fi series that he picked up in London?”
My panicked tone amuses Haden and he cocks his head with a sly grin. From the corner of my eye I can see that he is studying my body and, paranoid, I rest my hands on my stomach to cover the small bump that has grown overnight. Or so I think.
“Haden has been quite efficient and that is already at the printers ready to go. The both of you have strong opinions and together, I think you would make a great team.”
A great team? A great team was Donny and Marie, Sonny and Cher, not Haden and Presley!
Why won’t the Jerk object to this?
“So that’s settled? Okay. I need to head out. Please feel free to use my office if you need to brainstorm.” Mr. Sadler is out of there fast, leaving my mouth gaping, staring in shock at the door.
“Why didn’t you say something?” I snap.
“What do you want me to say? I already had the same argument when he originally asked me,” he responds, too casually for my liking.
“We can’t work together.”
“Why not? We’re both professionals, Malone.”
“Because it’s awkward!”
“Maybe for you. I’ve swept it under the rug, like you suggested.”
“What?” I shake my head, trying to process the enormity of another pile of shit added to my shitty doorstep. Working with him would mean I would have to talk to him. Interact outside of working hours, and maintain a composed and professional relationship. There is no way in hell this will work, and even if I give it my best, his cocky attitude will only cause another fight between us. This seems all too much and makes me tired just thinking about it.
He opens his mouth to say something, but I interrupt him, noticing the time on the wall.
“I have to go.”
I stand up and walk towards the door without saying goodbye.
“We are supposed to be discussing work. You can’t just leave,” he hisses.
“I have somewhere I need to be. I’ll be back later.”
He doesn’t seem pleased with my answer. “Where?”
It’s not the moment to tell him that I’m off to my 16-week scan. This lying is so draining, so I do the next best thing—I put on my bitch panties and unleash.
“None of your business, Jerk!”
I storm out of the room, then out of the building, hailing a cab as I rush to my appointment.
Flustered, I barely make the appointment and the receptionist ushers me to the room quickly. I’m given instructions to undress and lie on the bed. As I settle in, the sonographer arrives and briefly explains what she’ll be doing today since it’s my first time.
Everything is going according to plan. Baby is measuring right, things and bits are in the correct positions. Not much to report, apart from the lack of emotion I feel. I always envisioned it differently; I’d be holding my husband’s hand as we both cry at the sound of the heartbeat. Instead, I squirm uncomfortably from the gallon of water I am forced to drink while staring at a screen and pretending to know what I’m looking at. Not to mention the copious amounts of warm lube spread all over me.
At the end, she gives me a picture of the baby.
I stare at it the whole cab ride back to the office. Because I haven’t felt the baby move, and the fact that I’m still in utter shock about being pregnant, the so-called attachment I’m supposed to feel is missing. According to a pregnancy book I picked up over the weekend, many women have already bonded with their baby at this point and there’s some bullshit about how it forms part of the mother-child bond after birth.
Great, my kid is going to hate me.
Back in the office, I drop my purse onto the ground and make my way to one of the spare boardrooms, counting down the minutes till it’s time to go home (something I rarely do).
“Oy!” Clive scans the area and pulls me aside. “What’s the gossip with Haden getting engaged?”
“I know just as much as you…I think. Why, what do you know?” I pry.
“Dee is throwing a temper tantrum. I think she was hoping to pick up from where they left off.”
“But Dee has Big Daddy now.”
“Big Daddy has a big wife that caught wind of Dee.”
“No!” I gasp. “Listen, I have to get to a meeting. I want full details tomorrow. I swear Clive, you really should work for the Inquirer.”
“I know, my talents are beyond wasted here.”
Upon entering the room, I see Haden sitting at the table with his laptop and coffee. He doesn’t make eye contact with me, and seems engrossed in whatever’s on his screen. Probably porn.
“Make this quick,” I complain. “I want to go home.”
“You’re the one pushing for this erotic make-believe story, not me.”
“What’s your problem with it? Obviously Mr. Sadler has no issue and neither did the board,” I point out in a huff.
“There’s fantasy and then there’s plain ridiculous. Men are not virgins at twenty-five.”
“Clearly you weren’t. Did you even read the story? He came from a strict Catholic upbringing. His mother had cancer from when he was eighteen to twenty-four. When she died, he wanted to honor her wishes.”
“I did read it, it’s just difficult for me to compute but hey, I’m not a horny old woman reading erotic fantasies to escape my failing marriage.”
“You don’t need to be an old woman to enjoy these types of books. I was in a happy relationship and read books in this genre. It was fun, even gave me ideas.”
Crap, I said too much.
Haden shifts uncomfortably. “Right, when you were with Jasper.”
“Jason,” I correct him.
“Whatever,” he mutters under his breath.
This is heading to an uncomfortable place, yet his snide comment irks me.
“Do you have a problem with Jason?”
“I don’t know your ex-fiancé. Except for when you constantly mention him.”