RebeccaRebecca climbed out of her car. The pub was packed with people because it was two dollar beer night. Thursday night was college night, and all the University of Houston students enjoyed a release. She remembered all too well having many Thursday nights at Barney’s. She pulled her coat tighter and walked toward the front door, a nagging sensation about Parker’s warning eating at her. She didn’t want to text Jason. It seemed like a controlling, silly thing to do.Yes they were together, but they were starting out with a trusting relationship. If he texted her that he was going to have dinner with an old flame she would either be put off or think it was a silly text and wonder if he thought she was controlling and overbearing. Either way, Parker wanted her to do it because of his own situation, not because it was reasonable.She walked in and was greeted by an uber-happy hostess who bopped up to the front. Rebecca smiled politely and pointed toward Kade, who was standing and wavi
RebeccaJason had called into work on Friday and Monday and ignored Rebecca’s calls and texts completely. Parker had railed at her over not telling Jason about meeting Kade, and if she felt any worse, she might jump from a building.Rebecca sat at her desk, the dark circles under her eyes throbbing from lack of sleep and crying. She should be at home, and yet there was too much to do because it was month-end for a lot of her clients. She worked late into the night every night and shut her door in the mid-afternoon, just to make sure no one stopped by to talk to her or invite her anywhere.Parker stuck his head in as the sun set in the window behind her, a sad smile on his face. “Come eat with me.”“I’m not hungry,” she mumbled and grabbed her calculator, her fingers furiously slipping over the keys.“You have to eat.”“No I don’t.”He walked in and she huffed loudly, closing the file in front of her and sitting back, the burn of misunderstanding sitting heavy on her chest. It hurt to
Rebecca“Is there really any point?” Rebecca huffed as her best friend Trisha stared her down from across the small table. Rebecca glanced around the bar, which was filled with people and buzzing with excitement.“You’re not going to be a killjoy tonight. We’re going out this weekend if it kills us. I’m stuck at home with four kids all day, not living the glamorous life of an entrepreneur.”“I’m not sure who sold you that lie, but I’ve got some oceanfront property in Arizona …” Rebecca smiled.The bar was busy, but the restaurant was dead around them, which always seemed to be the case on Thursday nights. Their ritual beer at five was a must-not-miss event and neither of them did, unless death or some other large-scale occurrence called them from it. They’d been friends for as long as Rebecca could remember, and yet she’d never grown tired of sharing life with Trisha.“What are you thinking? You have that look in your eye.”“What look?” Rebecca held up her empty beer mug, the waiter w
RebeccaRebecca pulled up to the large electronic gate, the apartments looming above her. It wouldn’t be long before she’d be in her new house, the builders hopefully sending out the new contractor on Saturday to do a final walk-through of the structure and talk about the design for the pool. If nothing else in her life was working out, at least her house was almost done and her business was booming.Having graduated at the top of her class from the University of Houston in business, she’d worked for a few accounting firms and gained a reputation for being brilliant, bold and innovative. A few years after working hard for the man and bringing him and all of his good old boys loads of money, she’d left and opened Martin and Co, a company led by a group of hard-working business professionals. She had an MBA and her license in accounting, and Parker, her business partner, had his masters in marketing with a specialization in multi-generational advertising. They were a one-stop shop for b
Rebecca“There you are. I was starting to think someone snatched you up at the bar last night, but then I remembered that Trisha was there.” Parker looked up from the reception area as Rebecca rushed in, out of breath.She stopped and let her briefcase land in a nearby plush crimson chair, their waiting room quite impressive for the small operation they ran. Appearances were everything, or so Parker always reminded her.“I got home late last night and meant to shower and didn’t, so I promised myself I’d get up this morning—”He cut her off. “But you didn’t, or you did, but late.”She rolled her eyes, collected her bag and walked toward her office, the small hall that led from the front lobby to all of the offices decorated in St. Patrick’s Day paraphernalia. “Is our receptionist missing in action too?”“She quit.”“She what?” Rebecca slipped into her small office, depositing her stuff and walking back out to stand beside Parker. She put her hands on her hips, her black pencil skirt ge
RebeccaRebecca worked without interruption for a few hours, a small sound of reminder coming from her computer right before lunch. She was meeting with a client for an introductory consultation and then getting on a call on her way back from work with the new contractor that was coming out to inspect the work on her new house. She’d fired the last one a few weeks back, not able to put up with their sliding fees and jacked up timetable. Moving into the house was important to her, but not so much so that she was willing to give up quality or extra dollars.She was wealthy for a reason.“I hope your appointment with Mr. Vandenbilt goes well.”Rebecca stood, turning to smile at Jason over her shoulder. “Me too. Thanks for watching the front this morning. You know I was just kidding about the promotion.”He smiled and nodded, tugging at the light blue tie that sat perfectly around his muscular neck. “I figured as much. I can’t understand why someone wouldn’t want to work here with us. Eve
Rebecca“You know, if you’re not busy, some of us are grabbing a drink in a few minutes at O’Malley’s down the street.” Jason moved into her doorway, Rebecca looking up from her stack of papers on Vandenbilt, a smile on her face.“Oh yeah?” She looked over at the clock on her computer, leaning back a little and then realizing the position jutted her chest out. She corrected it quickly, blush touching her cheeks. She stood up and smoothed down her skirt, her eyes remaining on Jason. “I think I’ll probably just work late and then head to the house. It’s been a long day, and I’m hoping to make some serious progress on my new house this weekend.”He leaned against the doorframe, a smile on his handsome face. Crossing his arms, he lifted his eyebrow. “You’re going to work on your house this weekend? As in decorating it or building parts of it?”For a younger man, he had the confidence of one a few years older than her. It was none of his business what she was doing for the weekend, and yet
Rebecca“You still here? Damn, Becca, it’s eight o’clock.” Parker walked in and sat in one of the open chairs in front of her.She turned and tilted her head a little, the look on his face one of built-up tension. “Why are you still here? You have a life, I don’t. Work fills that hole for me.”He smiled and shrugged. “I’m thinking Jason would fill a few—”She cut him off. “Hey … shut it. Too much information between friends.”He laughed as he leaned forward, his smile draining from his features. “Come with me for a drink. I need to talk to a friend.”Rebecca felt the change in his persona and realized that he wasn’t being comical or jovial anymore. Something was on his mind, and as his partner and, even more so, as his best friend, she’d need to man up and spend her evening playing counselor.“Okay. Let me pack up and I’ll meet you in the lobby.” She turned and started to shut down her computer, stowing it away, along with a huge handful of papers, in her briefcase. Parker left withou