Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 79963 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79963 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
So she had neither.
In a way, it was restful to be back at work. Max appeared to be busy with some secret private project that only he and Chris seemed to be privy to. Even stranger, he never asked me to come into his office for anything naughty. We had so much fun on his desk that I thought he would want to repeat, but he never seemed to want to.
I asked him once if he ever got serious with a woman and thought about settling down. His answer was instant.
Never.
It was like a knife in my heart. It was not easy being in love with someone who was not in love with you. It feels as if your heart is being torn to pieces in a bear’s claws.
I was a fool for love, but I’d never felt for another man the way I felt for Max. One smile from him made my whole day exciting and meaningful. He was the salt and sugar in my food. Without him life was in grayscale. Black, white, and shades of gray.
No colors, no flavors.
I knew I was setting myself up for heartbreak, but right then, I was still quietly hopeful. I really was.
To keep me busy so I didn’t obsess about what was going to happen to me if Max got bored and wanted to move on, I decided to put the finishing touches on the bachelor party invitation cards before sending them off to the men on Chris’s list.
I had made sure it would be a night to remember. The rented limo would pick them up and take them to the Empire Steak House on 50th Street. They would then start their night with premium steak, chops, and a feast of seafood. Afterwards, I had booked them on a pub crawl until they eventually ended up at Madame Tussauds on 42nd Street where bartenders from Lady Blue would make them delectable signature cocktails while they gambled at the pop-up casino, or they could indulge in ‘escape the room’ games together with nun strippers.
To make sure the night would never be forgotten, I also hired a professional photographer who was going to set up his own photo booth with props. I had also made sure to equip them with a hangover recovery kit, each complete with electrolyte drinks, pain relievers and snacks.
An hour later I put my computer in sleep mode and, grabbing my purse, left the office. Rose had asked me out for lunch and when my sister asked, you went because she rarely did.
It was a beautiful day to be out walking. Rose and I had agreed to meet at Max’s favorite deli a block from the office.
I wasn’t expecting her to be there and she wasn’t, so I got myself a cup of coffee and sat at a table for two in the small seating area of the deli and daydreamed about Max.
“Hey,” Rose said, snapping her fingers in front of me. “You look so deep in thought. Are you okay?” She set her coffee on the table and sat down.
“I’m good,” I said, not ready to admit to anyone, even Rose, that I was in love with my boss. It was cool to have a wild, passionate affair, but not so cool to fall in love and not have it requited. I’d look like an idiot. What was wrong with me to even imagine that a man like Max could fall in love with his assistant?
“Just thinking about work,” I lied. “You had some news? What’s going on?”
“Let’s get some sandwiches first then I’ll tell you all about it,” Rose said and stood up. “Grilled chicken?”
I nodded. A few minutes later, she came back with the food.
“Come on then. I’m dying of curiosity,” I urged.
Rose laughed. “I got a job. It’s just an admin position at a pediatrician’s office, but I’m so excited. I can’t wait to dress up and go to work every day. Dylan is happy too because I’ll get experience to help him out when he starts his clinic.”
“I’m so happy for you, Rose,” I said, grinning. She had dedicated herself to raising her girls for two years, and if she felt that it was time for something else, then I was happy for her.
“Thanks,” she said. “I know it will make Mom happy too and then maybe we’ll stop irritating each other so much.”
“She means well,” I said, dabbing the sides of my mouth with a napkin.
“I know. Doesn’t make it less irritating though,” Rose quipped and we both laughed.
“So you’re on for this evening, right,” she asked, referring to her idea to get Mom to move. She wanted her realtor to show Mom some cute small houses because she believed sometimes seeing something might work out better than just hearing about it. The truth was I didn’t think Mom would ever be ready to move, but I didn’t want to discourage my sister. At this point, I was ready to try anything.