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Three months went by with things falling into place for Alastair and Tanya. The buzz about their confirmed relationship flew around the office just as fast as the speculation. News that didn’t sit too well with her boss, Gretchen. The outlandish demands turned into vindictive orders.
Tanya’s stay at the hotel suite ran out due to the boss’s pull with upper-level executives who owed her a “favor”. Although rough times were stewing at the workplace, London life entailed a new relationship with Alastair and a budding friendship with Brie. Loneliness was no longer keeping her awake at night, while phone calls with Shauna, fizzled.
Another long meeting ensued, with Gretchen talking about nothing. She scheduled them on purpose to prevent Tanya from getting work done. That resulted in later hours in the office, and a few missed deadlines. The boss wanted Tanya out, all because of a man who chose her.
“I want this presentation done on Friday. When I mean done, it has to be drafted, proofed, because I’m sure I’ll have notes, and approved. By Friday.” Gretchen demanded in a condescending tone.
“Okay.”
“So it’ll be done by Friday?” She asked, sternly.
“Yes.” Tanya replied, focusing on emails.
“Are you prepared for this?” Gretchen stood over her. “Because the last time I asked you for the numbers on the Johnson campaign, we came up short.”
“That’s because you added more information and requirements at the very last minute.”
Offended by her response, Gretchen continued the rant.
“Look, Hunter, you have to keep up. This is a fast-growing business. The London office CANNOT fail like the Paris office. Stay on your toes.”
“I got it handled.”
“Maybe you should cut back on activities that keep you distracted.”
Tanya raised her head, disgusted. “I’m fine at balancing my personal and business life, thank you.”
“Sure you are.” She patronized. “I’ll follow up with you this afternoon to check on your progress. Don’t let the department down, please.”
“I won’t.”
“If you’re capable...”
“Gretchen, I got it. Thank you.” Tanya dismissed.
Like clockwork, Alastair popped in for their lunchtime walk in the park.
“Hey T.” He smiled, not acknowledging Gretchen’s gruesome stare. “I’m ready whenever you are.”
“Hey! Give me a few minutes. I need to jot down some notes before we head out.”
“Hunter, I just gave you a big assignment. And you’re taking a lunch break?” Gretchen scoffed. “A dedicated employee would skip a silly walk.”
“I can’t eat?” She snarled. “I’ll see you this afternoon.”
Gretchen snickered, happy she’d finally gotten under Tanya’s skin.
“T, just come by my office when you’re ready.” Alastair chimed in.
“Okay. See you soon!” She smiled in his direction.
He winked at her before leaving the office. Gretchen quickly followed after him, leaving a frustrated Tanya to her emails and notes.
“Brooke. I need to talk to you.” She called out to him.
“My name is Alastair. I hate it when you call me that.” He snapped, without looking back.
“Really?!” Gretchen shrieked.
That night, Tanya cuddled with Alastair, in the new flat. The only furniture she had, was a queen sized bed he bought as a house warming gift. Better than the old one back in Birmingham.
“So what do you think I should do? I love my job, but Gretchen is getting worse.” She complained.
“Love, I don’t want you to feel as if you have to sit back and take it. What do you think her problem is with you?”
“We both KNOW what the problem is Alastair.” She stroked his arm.
They both knew Gretchen’s issue, however, Tanya didn’t have the full scope. There was more to the boss’ jealousy, which stemmed from a situation she knew nothing about. His mind went back to the earlier conversation with Gretchen after she followed him to his office.
“Brooke!” She closed the door behind her.
“Didn’t I tell you to stop calling me that!?” He whispered harshly.
“Okay.” She rolled her eyes. “Alastair.”
“What?!” He sat at his desk and faced the computer.
“A year ago, we’d be on top of this desk.” Gretchen replied, in a sensual tone. “You even made sure the office next door was empty. So many times you’d pound me hard, then beg me to be quiet.”
Alastair turned his chair to face her, with a disturbed look.
“Why are you bringing that up, Gretchen?”
“Remember when you used to call me Gretch?” She moved forward.
“Stop that!” He stood up. “Whatever we had, ended a long time ago.”
“Whatever he had?” She mocked. “We were an item. I’m the reason you’re even here in this office.”
“So I should forever be indebted to your ‘kindness’? Kindness that you only executed to benefit yourself, because you wanted me around all day. To control my every move. Please save the ‘I owe you’ speech for the next sucker.”
Gretchen was blown away by his response. She hoped to jog his memory of their intimate relationship. However, that backfired.
“Does Hunter know about us? Our baby? I think about him all the time. Don’t you?”
Alastair remained silent. Thinking of how his new lady would take the news. It hurt him that he kept such a big secret from Tanya, but he didn’t know if it was the right time to tell her.
“So she doesn’t. Hmph.” Gretchen antagonized.
“Tanya, her name is Tanya.” He fired back. “Of course I think about our son! I’m the only one who has tried to keep in contact with him remember? You, on the other hand, pretends like he doesn’t exist!”
“Because it’s too painful.” She replied with a fake cry.
“Stop it, Gretchen. You only had that baby to keep me. And you gave him up for adoption to spite me! I wouldn’t marry you when you wanted me to, so you gave up my son!”
“That’s a damn lie! And he’s OUR son!”
“What we had, is in the past. What we had, doesn’t even measure up to the relationship I have with Tanya.”
Gretchen’s eyes welled with tears. Pride didn’t allow them to fall. Malice came instead.
“Maybe you should work on keeping me quiet.” She threatened.
“Her knowing about us, and our child won’t be the demise of our relationship Gretchen.” He scolded. “And it damn sure won’t get us back together.”
The growing anger from Alastair’s words set off alarms. Before she could control it, Gretchen slammed her palms on his desk. The smack on the wood shook the pen holder.
The noise alerted Brie, who was working next door. Wondering what the fuss was about, she turned off her music to listen closely. Standing next to the wall, Brie clearly heard Gretchen’s grievances towards Alastair.
“Do you know how it feels watching you parade her around? When we were dating, you didn’t do that with me!” She painfully explained. “You said you didn’t want people to know, because it would cause an issue. But you wanted to keep our child. How would you have explained that to everyone?”
“I’m sorry you feel that way.” He replied with no compassion. “We couldn’t make it work. You have to find a way to move on. Stop bringing up our son to hurt me. And don’t mention that to Tanya, I’ll tell her when the time is right.”
“I can’t believe we’ve come to this. Alastair, when you broke things off, it BROKE me!”
Alastair came from behind his desk and walked up to her slowly. Her body language changed back to sensual, thinking the pity speech finally broke him down.
“Gretchen.” He said in a low, raspy voice.
“Yes?” She replied, with a soft smile.
“I have to meet Tanya for lunch.”
Tanya noticed her spaced out lover and shook him. “Love, are you okay? What are you thinking about?”
“Oh!” He jolted, coming back to the present. “Just work stuff.”
“Ugh.” She hugged him tightly. “Don’t even mention that word.”
“Let Gretchen know you’re not going to mess about with these vindictive ways. Make it known that you respect her as your boss, but she can’t put personal feelings into the job.”
“Maybe this mood is just a phase. I’ll wait and see how it goes.”
He was secretly relieved that Tanya didn’t want to have that conversation with her boss. Although he didn’t want to deter her from talking to Gretchen, he was scared.
Alastair kissed her softly on the forehead, then continued. “You sure you don’t want to put your foot down?”
Tanya climbed on top of him. “Right now, I wanna put YOU down.”
She kissed his soft lips while stroking his hair. That always got him aroused.
“Put me down, baby.” He demanded, pulling up her shirt.
After making love, they laid in bed, watching the still ceiling. The last time Tanya stared at a ceiling was from the floor during the mini-meltdown in her wedding dress. Appreciating where life had brought her from, she held onto Alastair; feeling grateful.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you. I got a call at three this morning from my estranged best friend.” Tanya giggled.
“Who? Shauna?” He asked, scratching his bare chest.
“She’s pregnant.”
“Wow, that’s great news! Are you flying down to see her soon?”
“Not sure. Either way, I won’t be able to travel until the holidays. She’ll be having her baby shower around that time. I’m happy for her, but I’m upset that she’s three months pregnant and JUST NOW telling me.”
“Why do you think she waited so long to tell you?”
“We haven’t been talking much. At first, we talked all the time, but it’s hard waking up at 2 and 3am. Only to hear about how I shouldn’t have left. It’s like I have to constantly defend why I chose to move on with my life.”
“What?!” Alastair sat up quickly. “She knows what you went through.”
“Yep. Shauna was front and center for the shit show. But I think she’s really starting to resent me for leaving.”
“A best friend should be supportive, not make you feel bad. However, friends tend to grow apart when distance is a factor.”
“That’s true in some cases. My friend Keena, she’s not like that. She always says how happy she is for me. But that Shauna, a totally different story.” Tanya explained. “Shauna is one of those clingy friends. It took her forever to get over me living in Miami.”
“Looks like you chose the wrong maid of honor the first time around.” Alastair mumbled.
“Hell, I chose the wrong groom.” She laughed.
That was the first time she was able to laugh about being left at the altar.
“Guess it was doomed from the beginning.” She continued. “Now that I look back, everything about that day was wrong. It wasn’t the wedding I wanted. I didn’t want any of it. Except for the dress. Damn, I loved that dress.”
“Maybe you can alter it, and save it for next time.” Alastair suggested.
“Nah. I gave it to Ms. Lucy, the dressmaker. Hopefully, another blushing bride with my measurements will appreciate it.”
“You ever thought about getting married again?” He asked sincerely.
“Right now, I don’t want to.” Tanya uttered suddenly.
“Oh.” He laughed nervously. “Well, that’s a fair answer.”
“But.” She sat up, pulling his face toward hers. “I didn’t think I’d be in a relationship this soon. And here you are.”
He rubbed her lips gently with his fingertips. “What is it about you T?”
“What do you mean?”
“When I first saw you, deep down I knew. I just knew I wanted to be closer to you.”
“Is this your roundabout way of saying that you’re falling for me?” She teased.
“Yes!”
The next day, Tanya took a late lunch with Brie. Gretchen made sure to schedule a meeting with her during Alastair’s only free hour in the day, which prevented their midday walk in the park.
“Girl, I’m so over Gretchen and her mess.” She griped. “Do you know she met me at my office this morning JUST to ask the same damn questions I answered yesterday before I left.”
“So petty.” Brie frowned.
“Very! I was talking to Alastair about it last night. He suggested that I should talk to her, but I think that would only make it worse.” Tanya said, reading the menu.
“Go over her head. That’s what HR is for.”
“Yea I know.” She sighed. “But I’m the new girl around here. Gretchen has connections.”
“You can’t let that washed up supermodel wannabe make you feel inferior at your own job.”
Tanya burst into laughter and smacked her hand on the menu. “Noooo, not a washed up supermodel!”
“It’s true! Gretchen’s ‘talents’, or lack thereof ran her out of New York.” Brie rolled her eyes. “Trying to start a runway career at 35.”
“Damn, another piece of her bitter puzzle.” She shook her head.
“You’re valuable to this company. They didn’t move you all the way out here for nothing. Don’t you have connections of your own?” Brie encouraged.
She shrugged. “In Miami and Birmingham but...”
“Use them!” Brie’s eyes widened. “Nobody likes Gretchen.”
“Was it always like that? Everyone hating Gretchen?”
“Ever since I’ve been here.” Brie grinned. “Well, so I thought.”
“So you thought?” Tanya inquired, perplexed.
Brie wanted to disclose the conversation she overheard but had to figure out what all Tanya knew first.
“Yeah, Alastair.” She nodded, in an attempt to throw a hint.
“He told me they met in New York, and she helped him get the job. I guess they could have been associates at one point in time. But Gretchen doesn’t seem like the type of person Alastair would be around. I’ve met his friends, and they are TOTALLY different from her.”
“Associates huh? Hmmm...They had to be something.” Brie mumbled quickly before sipping tea.
Tanya’s suspicion over Brie’s body language was put on hold due to the phone ringing. The name displayed on the screen sent her into complete shock.
“Hold on Brie, I’ll be right back.”
Tanya walked outside for privacy, then answered.
“What in the hell do you want?!”
“Tanya.” Kenneth called out. “I hope you’re not busy.”
“As a matter of fact, I am. I’m busy living my life. The one that you could have been part of but instead you chose to leave me at the altar.”
“Tanya, please. Shauna’s pregnant.”
“You called to tell me that? Shauna’s my friend. She told me that herself!”
“I know. I talked to her. She said it would be a good idea for me to reach out, and try to fix us. Shauna told me that you were on the rebound. Tanya, don’t get too serious with anybody until we deal with...”
“Bye!” Tanya hung up.
Fuming from Kenneth’s call, and Shauna reporting back to him about her personal life, she returned to Brie. Lucky for her, the waiter was there checking on the table.
Brie noticed the change in her mood. “You okay?”
“I’m about to be.” She replied, then turned towards the waiter. “I’ll have a whiskey neat please.”
“Am I missing something here?” Brie asked, confused.
“I’m taking the rest of the afternoon off. I’ll work on this presentation at home.”
She emailed Gretchen and slammed the phone on the table.
“My ex-fiancé had the nerve to pick up his phone, and call me.” Tanya explained with a mean mug.
“Whoa. So I take it you two didn’t end well.”
“He left me at the altar.”
“Damn!” Brie shouted and leaned back in the chair. “You know what, friends don’t let friends take off work, and drink alone.”
As the waiter came back with a stiff one for Tanya, Brie ordered a vodka martini for herself.
“I think Alastair will understand.”
“I keep forgetting he’s your boss.”
“Yes, yes your boyfriend is my boss.” Brie smiled. “Now take a drink, and spill the tea it on the ex-fiancé!”
Tanya narrated the wedding day that never happened, however, she left out the parts involving self-medicating and meltdowns. She trusted the new friend, but only to a certain degree. Shauna was to thank for that state of mind. Everything that happened back in Birmingham, made her second guess the newness of London.
Drinks and good conversations over lunch made Tanya feel better about the rough day. However, there was a portion of the lunch she needed to discuss with Alastair. A new revelation arose, only to have her mind wondering about the recent decisions made while settling into the next phase.
Heading home in the back of the taxi, Tanya marinated on the conversation that left her puzzled.
“One more for the road?” She asked while sending a text to Alastair.
“You know I’m always down?”
“How long have we been here?” She laughed, eyes buried in the phone.
“Umm.” Brie replied peaking over in Tanya’s direction. “About two hours. You and Alastair sexting?”
“No! But, that’s not a bad idea.”
“I don’t wanna be a part of that. Just like I didn’t want to be apart of that heated conversation between him and Gretchen yesterday.”
Tanya lifted her head, with wrinkled eyebrows. “What heated conversation?”
The martinis set in for Brie, which gave her the courage to talk about what she heard.
“Do you know how he got this job?”
“Yea, Gretchen.”
“And you never questioned that? How they became so close that she’d help him get a job all the way in London. At the SAME company she works for.”
“What’s there to question? He met her in New York and...” Tanya paused as she caught onto Brie’s insinuations.
“Hey, don’t shoot the messenger. But, you really need to talk to Alastair. He’s a good guy, but if you two are getting serious, some things need to be out in the open.”
“You know what? Let’s take a raincheck on the last round. I really need to get home and start on this presentation.”
“Okay. I definitely understand, Gretchen’s wrath awaits.” Brie joked.
Back at her flat, Tanya wasn’t able to concentrate on the presentation. Alastair kept a secret, and she needed to get to the bottom of it. A phone call from Shauna was a surprising distraction from incomplete work, and questions about her boyfriend.
“You have some nerve.” Tanya answered.
“What?!” Shauna shrieked.
“Encouraging Kenneth to call me. What were you trying to accomplish with that? And why are you telling him my business?!”
“I know you’re probably mad right now, but I’m soooo nervous about this pregnancy. Can we put your aggravation on hold? I need my best friend.”
“You mean the pregnancy you hid from your best friend for three months?” She snapped.
“Wow, THAT’S your problem?”
“You’re ignoring the REAL problem.”
“Look, I wasn’t the one who picked up and moved to the other side of the world. Sorry if me trying to stay in touch is a bit too inconvenient.” Shauna fussed.
“Picked up and moved? Really? I got something that’s called a JOB OFFER, and I took it.”
“Well if you were married to Kenneth, you’d still be here. You drove him away with your ‘I wanna travel the world’ bullshit!”
Tanya was stunned by what her best friend said to her. “What the hell did you just say to me?”
“IF YOU WERE MARR...”
“I know that if I was married I’d still be in Alabama. Country ass Alabama. Being miserable, at you and Kenneth’s beck and call. Never traveling, never exploring any new career options, and probably wobbling around with you....miserable.” Tanya scolded.
“So, since your life didn’t work out the way you wanted it before you’re calling it a miserable situation. Settling down with Ken in Birmingham was something you once wanted, remember?”
“What the hell is wrong with you? I know your hormones may be jacked up right now but damn! Why throw up something in my face that was horrible and devastating to me?” Tanya said with a pained tone.
“It’s time you faced the music. You left without giving Kenneth a fair chance to explain himself.” Shauna replied.
“I get left at the altar, and NOW you’re telling me how I should be handling it. I think I’ve done well by moving on with my life, and a REAL best friend would be supportive.”
Alastair knocked on the door as Tanya yelled. She let him in while boiling with anger.
“Are you alright babe?” He asked, following her to the bedroom. “What’s the matter?”
Shauna heard him in the background,. “Oh, you’re with your rebound?!? That’s why you’re not thinking about us. The ones you left!”
“Just shut the hell up and go to sleep. I thought you were happy for me! You have a husband. Talk about your pregnancy with the person who knocked you up!” Tanya yelled, then hung up.
She turned to face Alastair. He held his arms open, to embrace a heavily agitated lover. Tanya collapsed in his arms and started to cry. She didn’t know where those emotions came from. It could have been from the fight with her friend. Or the guilt she was feeling by leaving her family and close friends. Or it could have been the overwhelming thought of Alastair holding back about his past. But feeling him hold her tighter, made her feel safe. Tanya didn’t think of him as the “rebound guy”. He was HER guy.
“All of this. You growing distant with your best friend, it’s not because of me is it?” He asked as she pulled away.
“No....I don’t think so...It shouldn’t be. She’d like to see me and Kenneth back together.”
“Why would your best friend want you back with a man who hurt you that bad?”
“Rod and Kenneth are good friends. Shauna has this fantasy where all four of us are enjoying married life together. My life is totally different now, and this is what I truly want.”
“Look, I know we aren’t close to the marriage level, but I do see myself being with you for a long time T. You’re amazing, and I don’t want to lose you to a guy like him.”
“I’m not getting back with Kenneth!”
“So it’s me and you? Right?”
Tanya didn’t answer. She knew things may change between them, based on their upcoming conversation. A conversation she didn’t have the strength to start. Placing it on the backburner, she enjoyed being close to her lover, even if everything she was to him could possibly be a lie.