Preseason Love (22 page)

“Sure, send it over and I'll take a look at it right away,” he said.

“Perfect. You're the best! Thanks, Thomas.”

When I hung up the phone, I heard shuffling from down the hall and it seemed to be headed in my direction. I had a feeling that it was Dean. I wasn't in the mood to hear her ranting and foaming-at-the-mouth tirade.

“You need to call your contact at the
Wall Street Journal
and have that mix-up fixed ASAP. Have you talked to them yet? Where are we with this?”

I hate when people fire questions at me. They do it to throw you off and get you frazzled. But it always managed to annoy me. Everyone else in my group was slightly fearful of Dean and it was obvious. She was a corporate bully.

I shot Dean a stern glance. “I just got off of the phone with the writer, Thomas, and he is going to make the correction immediately. The change should be posted within the hour.”

“Good. Send me the updated version when it's done.”

“Okay.”

That was a battle averted. Thank goodness that exchange did not turn into an epic blowout, which I had witnessed her engage in at least six times since my start date. It was never directed at me, but being in the vicinity was bad enough.

I sat back in my chair and drafted the correction email. It was a very simple request so it didn't take long. I looked at the bottom of my computer screen for a time check. It was almost 1:15 p.m. and the interview session with Byron had likely wrapped. For a brief moment I entertained the idea of going back upstairs to check the interview room or his dressing room simply to say goodbye. But I didn't want to seem pressed. Instead, I decided to keep working and block him out of my thoughts.

My throat was feeling a bit scratchy from all of the constant chatter I had been doing, so I headed to the kitchen to get a glass of water. Lydia was at the microwave warming up her lunch. I hung around and chatted with her for a bit. She asked how the presentation went and without a moment of hesitation. I gave her the rundown but intentionally omitted a few details. We were extremely cool with one another, but the general version would do.

On the way back to my desk, I thought about Kari. I realized that I had not heard from him all day. Normally, he would call or text me about absolutely nothing at least a few times before lunch. I decided to text him once I got back to my desk.

When I plopped down in my chair, I noticed that the red light on my phone was blinking. I became excited like a schoolgirl when her crush calls. I knew it was Kari calling to say that he was thinking about me. He was such a sweetie. I picked up the phone and started to smile with a kiddy grin.

“Please enter your pass code,” blared through the receiver. I took direction from the automated woman. She told me that I had one new voice message. I hit the number one on the keypad to play the message.

“Hi, Scottie…”

Uh, flag on the play! The voice was familiar, but it wasn't my man's. It was deep, intense, and definitely male, though. I was
thrown off and my stomach began to do backflips. It didn't take long for me to recognize exactly who it was. Fear nearly compelled me to hang up the phone. I had no idea what the rest of the recording would say. I wasn't prepared for this.

“You didn't come back and check on me so I wanted to check on you.”

Faint.

“I got your number from the computer system that you so kindly showed me. Anyway, it was nice meeting you, and you'll be hearing from me again soon.”

Oh hell! What did I get myself into?

I slammed the phone down in the cradle like the FBI was tapping my phone line. Maybe by hanging up quickly, the people tapping my line wouldn't hear what I heard. I was losing it. I was paranoid.

What was he calling me for anyway?!

I needed to regain my composure and go back into my voicemail to delete the message. I picked up the receiver and hit the little mailbox symbol on the phone.

“Hey, Scottie!” Joel said.

I jumped. He was standing by the other side of my desk. My heart was racing like ponies at the track. It was as if someone had caught me cleaning up the blood after a murder. I felt like I had done something wrong.

“I'm sorry…I…I didn't mean to startle you,” Joel quickly offered.

With his briefcase still in his hand, I figured that he had just returned to the office from his social media seminar. I'm positive that my reaction made me look like a freak.

“I'm fine, probably my hunger kicking in and making me a little
kooky,” I said, hoping that he didn't notice how suspicious I looked.

“So how did things go at the unveiling?”

Gosh, if you only knew.

“It went extremely well and the media seemed to really like the uniforms. There should be great stories hitting within the next couple of days.”

“Fantastic!”

Once he walked away, I released a sigh of relief and it was time to get back to business: Operation Erase the Evidence in full effect.

I logged back into my voicemail and despite my apprehension, I listened to the message one last time. I shook my head rapidly from left to right in an attempt to clear the dirty thoughts and scandalous possibilities from my mind.

After work, I headed home to relax and unwind. It had been an eventful day that I could not have planned or anticipated. Dev was home, so we chatted and got caught up. I desperately needed the girl talk and I hadn't even realized how much so. Red wine wasn't my thing, but Dev popped open a bottle and I gladly gulped from my glass. Throughout our entire conversation, I never once mentioned the voicemail. Dev asked me twenty-one questions about the overall event and the players, even Byron specifically, and I told her everything…except about the voicemail.

Once I felt the stresses of the day slipping away, it was time for a steamy hot shower and a date with my bed. When a girl is tipsy, the normal routine flies out the window.

I walked up the stairs from the basement bathroom dripping wet and shuffled my way through the living room into my boudoir. I plopped my damp butt on the bed to try to focus on my next
move when my phone rang. My chest fluttered with fear and nervous tension. Interactions with phones over the last twelve hours had not exactly served me well. I was jumpy. Kari's name popped up on my screen.

Oh shit.

I couldn't ignore his call.

“Hey, babe,” I answered.

“Hey, Scottie.”

Humm, that was an awfully dry greeting to offer someone whom you haven't spoken to all day.

Now I wasn't certain that answering the phone wasn't the best idea.

“How was your day?” I asked, trying to lighten the mood.

“It was okay. But you don't really care one way or the other.”

“Damn! Like that? Really?” I had no clue where the attitude was coming from, but I couldn't appreciate it and he was definitely fucking up my high. “So that's how you feel tonight, Kari?”

“Pretty much.”

“So why the hell did you even call me?”

“I'm asking myself the same thing.” There was a brief pause, then Kari added, “Act like I never did.”

All I heard was a click. This motherfucker hung up in my face. My first reaction was to call his punk ass and curse him the fuck out. How dare he! You don't call me with an attitude from jump, not state your issue, and then hang up in my face. I didn't know him to be a drug user, but he must have been on that shit. That could have been the only explanation for his erratic behavior. I was pissed and I still had the phone in my hand ready to dial. But I was also tipsy and tired. I figured I'd deal with his madness in the morning.

K
ari received no communication from this girl. My pride forced me to allow a few days to pass after he left me speaking to a dial tone. He called, texted, and emailed, but I wasn't impressed by his little elementary tantrum. I decided to make him sweat.

My BlackBerry buzzed. I picked it up from my nightstand to check my email. I froze. This could not be happening. I looked at the sender's name for the most recent email, then I blinked to clear my eyes. Maybe I'd misread something. Hell no, the name clearly said B. Stalling. I clicked on the message since my nosy nature would not allow me to hold off a moment longer.

The email did not have a salutation. It jumped straight to the point.
“This could be completely strange and awkward, but I may or may not have memorized your email address from the directory at your office. Honestly, I can't get you out of my mind. I liked what I saw. I want to know more about you. I respect your decision either way, but I hope to hear from you.”

My mouth dropped open at some point during my reading of the email and my jaw had not managed to close. I was surprised at the audacity of this guy. But at the same time, I was flattered. I had no clue how I should react, what was appropriate, or what my
next move would be. I couldn't manage to get a grip on the million-and-one thoughts racing through my mind.

Do I tell anyone about this? Get a second opinion.

I sprawled out on my bed, knees bent toward the ceiling and my eyes staring straight up. I needed to think.

Despite my awareness of the reality, something was appealing about Byron. He seemed highly calculated. I knew that if he had access to my email via my profile, then he was also able to see my cell phone number. Sending an email to my work address was risky, though not as risky for him as it was for me.

The situation was a doozie and I needed to call in reinforcements. I rolled over, grabbed my cell phone, and dialed up my Jolie. She would not be able to solve my problem or tell me exactly what to do, but that's not what I was looking for. I needed someone to talk through the madness with me.

“Hello?” she answered.

“What's up? What are you doing?”

“Hey, honey, not much. How ya doin'?”

I let out a long exasperated sigh. It was extremely dramatic and I was fully aware. “I have a dilemma.”

“Oh hell. What's going on?”

My Jolie lived for details. I took a deep breath and began to explain the entire scenario starting from my meeting Byron. I could sense that once my Jolie realized where this story was going, she was a bit relieved. She probably thought that I had really bad news from the way that I started the conversation.

“Umph. That Byron Stalling is something else, hunh.” I could tell that she was shaking her head.

“You can say that again.”

“I saw him in one of my magazines not too long ago.”

“I'm sure that you did. The media loves him.”

“So what about Kari?” she said with way too much concern for my liking. “He seems like a nice man from what I know and when I speak to him on the phone, Scottie.”

“I'm well aware. But hello, we are not talking about him right now.”

“Okay, okay, so what are you going to do?”

“I have no clue. Hell, I'm not married. So I'm essentially free to entertain other men. For all I know, Kari could be doing the same thing. He seems like he is legit, but you never know. For more reasons than one, it would be a huge risk to entertain Byron's advances, though.”

“Your father is trying to say something.” I could hear him yelling in the background. “Dad says, ‘Don't limit yourself, babygirl.' He probably wants tickets to a game.” My Jolie continued, “Well, you're normally pretty good with judging character and knowing what's best for you. I say follow your gut and do what you think you should do. You know that it's not for me to say go one way or the other. I'm here for you no matter what you choose, honey.”

“I know…and you're right. I'll call you later and let you know what I decide. Thanks for the chat.”

My Jolie was right. Byron was something else, but the way that Kari had been acting lately, he wasn't a saint either. Kari was a factor in the back of my mind, but if he kept up his crazy antics, we would be over soon.

I reasoned with myself that everything would be clearer in the morning. At least I hoped it would be. Regardless, I wasn't going to be rushed into making any hasty moves. Before my head hit the pillow, I forwarded Byron's email to my personal email address and deleted the original. I couldn't take any chances.

•  •  •

I woke up the next morning feeling good. The warm sunrays broke through the slits of my eyes to reveal the bright light of a new day. I lay in my cozy, plush bed with only my thoughts and complete silence. Although I had a restful sleep, the clarity that I hoped for had not appeared. I had to be at the office in an hour so I hopped out of the bed to start my day, grabbing my phone off my nightstand as I did it. I shook my head. I had three missed calls from Kari. Glad that I kept my phone on silent overnight.

I couldn't wait to get into the office. At least the demands of my workload would distract me from my reality. During my commute, I tallied up the pros and cons of the situation and mostly fantasized about the pros.

Dev and I were chatting on IM in between my checking emails and transcribing an executive interview. She was telling me about this new guy that she recently met at a Summer Stage concert. I was excited for her. Mel was now a distant memory, but I knew that she desired the attention and adoration of a man.

11:17 DEVinly1: Scottie—he is such a cutie!

11:17 SassyScottT: Umph…do tell me more! How old, kids, where does he live?

11:18 DEVinly1: Born and raised in Brooklyn, no crumb snatchers, and he is twenty-eight.

11:19 SassyScottT: That's what's up. So when are you guys going out?

11:22 DEVinly1: I don't know…he hasn't asked me yet.

11:23 DEVinly1: What do you think?

11:23 SassyScottT: Well have you guys been communicating?