“Can we please leave for lunch already?”
I glance up at Robert as he continues his constant whining about how hungry he is and how he wants us all to take a lunch break. I look over at Jenna in her home office, typing rapidly on her keyboard, and can tell she is nowhere near ready to break for lunch. As soon as Jenna and I got back from our walk, we got ready for our day and decided to work from her home today. Her dining room used to be Robert’s office/conference table, so her apartment is fully equipped with everything one would need from a regular office. Due to her company’s growing success, she decided to rent a small office space downtown that she and Robert, along with two new employees, occupy. As soon as Robert heard that we were working from home, he decided to join us. We have been silently working compatibly these last two hours and I’m pleasantly surprised to see that I have knocked out most of my to-do list from work.
“Can you wait thirty more minutes, please?” I ask, needing to finish my report from the trip to Los Angeles.
“You said that thirty minutes ago!” he huffs, slamming his laptop shut.
“It’s only noon, Robert! Get a snack and calm down.”
“I would be calm and not so ravenous right now if you bitches would have brought me back a donut. Some ‘work out’ that turned out to be for you!” He air quotes ‘work out’ and looks at me with genuine anger in his eyes. I can’t hide the smirk on my face, relishing in the enjoyment of watching his child-like tantrum. “Furthermore, you’ve lived in this house for a month. You know the snacks that occupy that pantry. It’s all cardboard, crap tasting, healthy shit!”
I laugh, as he does have a point. Since Cal moved in, Jenna’s selection of snack food went from moderate on the bad for you scale to ridiculously healthy. I can’t help but feel that Avery is missing out on some snacks that should be staples in her childhood.
“Wait a minute, how do you know we had donuts during our walk today?” I look at Robert with suspicion as it dawns on me that Jenna and I never mentioned our detour today. He returns an evil smirk right back and casually shrugs. I glance over at Mason to see if he has any guilt written all over his face, but like usual, he conveys no emotions. After he took a shower and got dressed, he planted himself on the couch with his laptop and has been there ever since.
“Don’t look at Mason that way, he wasn’t the one who told me,” Robert says as Mason looks up upon hearing his name.
“You didn’t tell him we had donuts today?” I question as Mason shakes his head no and goes back to his work. I roll my eyes at his refusal to use any kind of language to communicate. I’ve tried really hard these last six months to get Mason out of his shell, but he sticks to his sole focus of protecting Jenna and Avery and only talks when needed.
I look back at Robert, wondering if he and Mason communicate via telepathy and have decided to mess with me. “I don’t believe either one of you. Mason was the only person with us.”
“Au contraire, ma chérie! It’s such a shame how you have quickly forgotten about your sexy, Canadian lover,” he jokes, my mood immediately souring at the mention of Chase Wilson. I have purposely blocked that man from my mind and forgot that he still follows Jenna around, reporting back to Cal her whereabouts and copying Robert on all of his reports. It’s one of my grudges against Cal as I don’t like how he has her followed, despite his claims it’s for her safety. What really stumps me is how he continues to employ Chase, knowing that it was he who revealed the story and has made money off of it. Why would he want that man in their lives still?
“Please don’t ever mention his name in my presence, especially the part of any kind of relations I had with him,” I demand and look Robert in the eyes for him to see how serious I am.
“You mean the part where his dick was inside of you?” he asks, raising his eyebrows in mock innocence.
“Ugh, why do you have to be so crude?” I pick up my pen and sling it at him, hitting him right in the chest. When he yells “ouch," I smile in satisfaction. I honestly don’t remember much of my night with Chase. I remember my reaction to him staring at me. I was shocked that someone that sexy was even interested in me. He looks like he should be gracing the covers of magazines and walking the runways of Paris with his tall, well-toned body, long caramel-colored hair and piercing hazel eyes. I push his sexy image away from my brain as he’s enemy number one in my book, no matter what he looks like.
“Whatever, hypocrite!” Robert throws the pen right back at me, his aim just missing me as it hits the top of my laptop instead.
“I can hear the little beasts are out,” Jenna says as she steps out of her office. “Alright, children, let’s break for lunch. I’m going to the restroom and when I return, please have it figured out where we are eating today.” She turns on her heel and heads to the master bathroom.
“Aye, aye, Mom!” Robert chimes, while saluting her.
“I don’t understand how she puts up with you two,” Mason mumbles. Robert and I gasp and look at him in shock that he actually spoke. Mason smiles at our reaction, closes his laptop, and stands up to leave with us.
“He finally speaks!” Robert jokes as he gets up from the table. “C’mon Mason, we all know that we’re your best gig to date.”
“I wouldn’t say my best gig…definitely the most amusing one so far.”
I’m about to respond that he wouldn’t know amusing if it bit him in the ass when we hear a key sliding into the front door lock. Our confusion turns into disbelief as the door is flung open and Cal rushes in. He looks disheveled in a wrinkled white t-shirt, running pants and sneakers. He drops his bags and looks around, his blue eyes wild with need as he scans the room.
“Hello,” he greets us and starts walking forward into the apartment. “Where is...” his voice trails off as he catches sight of Jenna. We turn our heads to see she’s standing right outside her bedroom door, her hand over her heart, mouth open in shock.
“Is it really you?” she faintly asks as I see her eyes start to water up. “Am I dreaming?”
“No, darling, I’m really here,” he says, his eyes raking up and down her body as he slowly moves toward her.
“How? You never told me you were on your way!” she croaks, not being able to hold back her emotions any longer.
“It was unexpected. One of the crew got hurt, unfortunately. Director told us to take a fortnight off, so I got on the first plane home. I wanted to surprise you.”
“What’s a fortnight?” Robert whispers to me.
“Two weeks,” Mason whispers back before I could answer. Not that I had any idea since I’m not up to speed with British jargon.
Jenna suddenly catches all of us off guard by crying out and running straight to Cal. He lifts her up and she automatically wraps her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. She buries her face into the crook of his neck, her back shaking from her sobs. I can’t contain my own tears falling down my cheeks as her cries stab at my heart. Seeing my best friend in pain is excruciating, but watching her reaction makes me realize just how deeply in love she is with him.
“Please don’t cry, darling. I promise you, Jenna, we’re not doing this again. Do you hear me?” He nudges her with his chin to get her to look at him. “We’re not going to be apart for this long ever again. Okay?” He brushes away her tears with the pad of his thumb, wraps his hand around the back of her neck and crushes his lips to hers. Jenna tries to kiss him back, but she’s so overcome with emotion that she resumes hiding her face in his neck again.
“Do you guys mind giving us some privacy?” Cal asks as he carries her into their bedroom and kicks the door shut. The three of us look at each other, grab our belongings, and head to the front door in silence.
“Well, we know what Jenna is having for lunch today,” Robert quietly says, as he closes and locks the front door. I cover my mouth to stifle my giggle while Mason shakes his head in disgust as we head to the elevators for our now extended lunch break.