"Can you believe it?" Bailey gushed over the phone. She and Mike recapped the previous night's event as she finished preparing for work.
"Yeah, man. Those two are taking a huge step," Mike responded.
"I mean that was a huge announcement. I mean, I'm happy for them, but I don't know," Bailey sighed.
"They are adults, and this is their decision,” Mike admonished Bailey, “you can be a friend and support them or not".
Mike's brute response took Bailey aback. She had never heard him take such a tone in all the time they had spent together. She wondered why he just didn't say he disagreed with her. Unsure of how to proceed, she decided to end the conversation. "I hear you; buying a home with someone you're not married to can be a liability." Bailey glanced at the clock on her nightstand, "have you made it to work yet?"
"I'm about five minutes away. I made you mad, and you want to rush me off the phone now?" Mike teased.
"No," Bailey lied. "I'm running late, and I need to get a move on it."
"Fa sho. Hit me up when you get settled at work," he replied.
********************
Work came as a welcomed distraction. As much as she wanted to shake the feeling, Bailey found her spirit conflicted by her interaction with Mike that morning. She could not discern if she felt Mike was chastising her like a child or whether he was trying to invalidate her opinions. Either way, she was not pleased with their conversation and needed to figure out how or if she should address it.
It was nearing the end of the day before Bailey realized she had not eaten anything. She opened her bottom left drawer and grabbed a granola bar. Taking advantage of the mini break she gave herself, she fished for her phone in the sweater pocket she had left it in when she arrived at work. Inspecting the damage from intentionally ignoring her phone, Bailey found the damage was quite minimal. A few missed calls and a handful of text messages. She made a mental note to return Sierra's missed call while driving home. There were texts from her father, Mina, and Mike. Bailey quickly responded to her dad and Mina's messages. She paused to read the texts she had received from Mike. Checking the timestamp, he'd been trying to contact her for most of the day. To ease his mind, Bailey found the message she would respond to. "I'm good, busy day" was all she managed responding to Mike's message asking if she was okay.
The last few hours of work breezed by. Bailey ordered Italian for pickup and would have a Lisa Vanderpump-approved glass of wine when she got home. Though work was routine and uneventful – for which she was delighted – Bailey remained uneasy about Mike. It was far too early in their situation to be experiencing these types of issues. Bailey's father never silenced her or made her feel like her opinions were insignificant, no matter how outrageous they were. From childhood, she was given the space to express herself fully and expected that to continue with her adult relationships. Perhaps she was being too hard on Mike, Bailey wondered. She would use the evening to process her feelings about Mike and if she wanted to move forward.
As she exited the Oilers executive offices, Bailey paused; she was in shock when she saw Mike standing by her car holding flowers. She was parked in the aisle aligned with the doors several rows back. However, even from a distance, she could see her car and who was standing near it. She didn't know if she was shocked or upset that he would come to her job unannounced. Bailey always tried to separate her personal and professional life, and Mike showing up at her job was a much more egregious offense than his unpleasant remarks this morning.
Bailey hated being fake and putting on false airs, but she had no choice if she didn't want to cause a scene outside of her workplace. She gathered her composure and pushed through the double doors towards the parking lot. The light breeze brushed across her face as she inhaled. Countless scenarios played in her mind as she walked through the parking lot. Bailey was pleased to find the parking lot was virtually empty; few cars in the parking lot meant few people were in the building. She hoped she could settle things with Mike quickly and not be seen. Bailey reassured herself that she could handle the situation before her swiftly and tactfully, and heaven help her, unnoticed by colleagues.
Bailey noticed Mike stiffened his back as she approached him. The flowers he held, a vibrant arrangement of orange lilies, sunflowers, yellow roses, and crimson daisies, were stunning. She consciously tried to maintain a deadpan expression; Friday family poker night served her well, especially for moments like this. Mike broke into a nervous smile when Bailey finally reached him.
He left work early to check on Bailey because he had sensed something was wrong, though he could not identify what it could be. They had a great double date last night in La Jolla with Sierra and Corey and even had their daily morning conversation. Bailey had rushed him off the phone, but he figured it was because she was running late. Her significantly delayed and short message left him confused. Mike acted swiftly to address whatever grieved her right away, even if that meant showing up to her job and potentially looking like a fool. She was exceptional, and Mike wanted Bailey to know that. So, he forwarded all his calls to his mobile phone, found a florist, and sprang into action.
"Nice flowers," Bailey said when she finally reached Mike.
"I am glad you like them," he responded, handing Bailey the grand bouquet in a red vase.
Bailey accepted the arrangement without hesitation, "What are you doing here?" she asked.
"You seemed upset with me, so I came to check on you," Mike paused, "I know you're wondering why I'm at your job, but I needed to see you right away," he explained.
"Wow" was all Bailey's brain could get her mouth to agree to. This man left work early to check on her, a lovely and noble gesture Bailey assessed internally. "I ordered takeout then heading home. Would you like to go with me to Luigi's and have our conversation there?" Bailey wanted to talk with Mike, just not in the parking lot at her job.
"It's Thursday night, and that place is going to be busy. Would it be possible if we updated the order and went to either your place or my house?" Mike asked.
Bailey was preparing to respond when she was interrupted by the loud bass of a car passing by. Her back had been to the building, so she could not see who had entered the parking lot. The music became louder, indicating that someone was driving in their direction. It was a Friday afternoon, and people should be leaving the stadium, not coming to it. Bailey began to pray profusely. Slowly turning to her right, a sizeable blacked-out F-150 pickup truck stopped.
"Shit!" Bailey whispered. God did not receive her prayers early enough to intervene.
The driver of the oversized pick-up truck slowly rolled down his deep-tinted window. "Hey Ms. Bailey", he said.
Shifting her weight to steady her composure, Bailey adjusted the flowers she held, "Hello Mr. Christopher." She debated whether to introduce Mike and cursed Mike inside her head for appearing unannounced at her job.
Casey's arrogance decided for her, "Hey man," he started.
"Mike. His name is Mike." Bailey reluctantly made the introduction. "Mike, this is Casey Christopher and Casey, this is Mike."
"Aye man, nice to meet you", Mike chirped as he walked to Casey's vehicle to shake his hand.
"Fa sho," Casey responded. "Did Ms. Bailey take you on a tour of our palatial palace?"
"Not yet" Mike stated, "I stopped by to surprise her." Bailey watched the volleying between the two men uncomfortably as they exchanged a relatively pleasant conversation as they jockeyed for a permanent position in her life.
"Mike and I have to get going," Bailey announced as she interrupted the two men's conversation.
"Say, man, have a good game this weekend," Mike offered.
"Thanks. Y'all be easy," Casey said as he rolled up his window and rode away.
Turning her attention from the departing vehicle, Bailey recomposed herself, "I already have an order started at Luigi’s. I’ll go pick it up and can meet you at your place."
"Sounds good", Mike agreed.