Page 20 of One Drink
Chapter 9
Jake
No matter how muchI tried to psych myself up about going into the office this morning, it didn’t work. The thought of Stephanie avoiding me for another day was unbearable.
So I didn’t go.
I stood outside my building and stared at the front door for a good fifteen minutes before I left and headed to my favorite coffee shop two blocks down. I’d hoped that kiss would be a turning point for us. I didn’t expect her to come completely around, not yet, but I’d hoped it’d be enough to show her how I much I needed her.
She’d kissed me back like she needed me, too. There had been so much longing in the way her body pulled me in, longing for more than just a kiss. When I pulled away there was an unspoken promise of more. Then I returned to work the next day, and she avoided me at every turn.
I missed our morning chats and our coffee breaks where we’d just talk about how our day was going. We would laugh about the good stuff and complain about the bad stuff. We always talked about every project we worked on, whether it was a project we did together or independently of each other, we talked about it. We usually left work together. Sometimes sharing a cab home since we lived close to each other and sometimes stopping for dinner before we went our separate ways. Stephanie had been a part of my daily life and I missed her.
The way she avoided me and the hint of regret I saw beneath her gaze was breaking me, and I didn’t know how much more I could take.
I hated the awkwardness between us, and at this point, I’d do almost anything she asked to make it go away. She’d postponed every meeting we had scheduled this week and emailed me to tell me she didn’t need me to attend the meeting with the art gallery we were featuring in next month’s issue. That hurt. Especially since I was the one writing the article.
I didn’t have to be there to write the article. Most of the material would come from the event itself and the interviews that followed, but I still should have been there, and she knew it.
So instead of showing up for work, I emailed her saying I would be working out of the office for the day.
There I sat, in the middle of the coffee shop, trying to focus on writing—my writing, not articles for work. I hadn’t looked at my novel since I agreed to take the job at the magazine. Come to think of it, we’d met in this very café the day she’d asked me to help her.
***
“JAKE, I NEED YOUR HELP.” Stephanie sat across from me with a serious look on her face. She was usually all smiles but today her pouty lips were pinched tightly closed. Her brown eyes were almost black and a small vein that ran around her chin pulsed.
“Everything okay?” I’d never really seen her look this distraught. “You’re worrying me.”
“Well, it depends on how you define okay.” She took a deep breath and straightened in her chair. “I need a huge favor—like the biggest ever—and I’m nervous about asking you.”
I reached across the table and took her hand in mine. She trembled from my touch and her eyes glossed over. She was worse than nervous, she was scared. She knew I’d do anything for her and the fact that she was scared to even ask me, told me it really was huge. “Just ask me, it can’t be that bad.”
“It’s a lot to ask and I’ll understand if you say no. I don’t want you to think you have to say yes because it’s me asking, and we’re friends, and you’ve always been so helpful, and supportive. I don’t want you—”
“Stephanie, you’re rambling, and I can’t keep up.” I squeezed her hand and she let out a long exhale. “Just ask. What’s the worst I can say?”
She avoided looking at me as her eyes wandered around the café. “So, the magazine is in worse shape than I thought and it’s going to take a miracle to turn it around.”
“If anybody can do it, it’s you.”
“That’s just it. I can’t do it alone.” She sighed. She pulled her hand away from mine and fiddled with the napkin beneath her coffee. “My creative director quit last week, and things have spiraled downhill fast. Half the staff is threatening to leave, and the other half stand around and do next to nothing all day. If I don’t gain control over the staff soon, the entire place might implode.”
“You knew this would be a challenge.”
She dropped her face into her hands. “I know, but it’s so much worse than I thought.”
“Hey.” I pulled her hands away from her face and leaned down until she looked me in the eye. “You’ve got this. No one is stronger or smarter than you. And let’s not forget about your determination. Things always get worse before they get better, especially when change is involved.”
“Thank you for that.” She stared down at her hands before she looked back at me with wet eyes. “You put too much faith in me.”
“No, I don’t. You don’t have enough faith in yourself.” I reached across the table and wiped away a tear that escaped her eye. “Tell me what you need, and I’ll help.”
She sucked in her bottom lip and rubbed the back of her neck. She was really starting to make me anxious. She rocked forward and looked to the side, her stare not really focusing on any one thing.
“Come on, Steph. This is me. I’ll do anything for you.” And I would. No matter what it was she asked me, I’d say yes. I’ve never been able to say no to her.
She shifted her eyes to mine and took a deep breath. “I’d like you to come work for me. Take the position of creative director and help me get this mess under control.”