Chapter 7
The following morning, after my run, gym time and shower in the locker room, I took the stairs to my apartment to dress for the day, have breakfast and check in on Connie.
Freshly brewed coffee and breakfast choices were waiting beside the stove. The dishwasher was running. Connie was lying in the middle of the living room floor finishing her yoga routine.
"Hey." She said as she stood. "Hungry? It's all set to cook. Tell me when you're ready and I'll get it started." She wiped the sweat from her brow then reset her ponytail. "Did you sleep okay? Les doesn't snore, does he?"
"Like a bear. I'll be ready in a few. I'm going to get dressed." I headed for my bedroom. The bed had been stripped along with the bathroom towels and the washing machine was spinning.
Pulling a few things from my drawers, I showered then dressed before I returned to the kitchen where Connie was humming something familiar while whipping up whatever she had intended for breakfast.
"Ready for breakfast yet?" She asked again once I had returned.
"Yeah. Sure."
"I had a veggie omelet planned. Okay with you?"
"Sounds great." Pulling out dishes and silverware, I set our place settings at the bar then poured two glasses of orange juice.
Connie was standing at the stove folding what looked like an omelet for a small platoon.
"Wow! That's a huge omelet."
"I know. I'm sorry. I got used to making huge meals for my family. Can't stop myself."
I knew that Connie was an only child but her father, an alcoholic, had died when she was very young so her mother had moved in with the grandmother and the younger siblings, to make ends meet.
"You don't eat that much, do you?" Connie carried a little extra padding but she carried it well. Voluptuous, feminine and curvaceous were words a man would use to describe Connie's build.
"Hell no. However, I do have a huge freezer which reminds me, is there any way that I could go through some of my things later today? Stephanie's clothes are a little tight."
Personally, I was thinking that tight on Connie was a good thing.
"Sure." She handed me a plate with a reasonable portion of eggs and dry wheat toast. "I'll talk to Ella. She'll help you get adjusted up here. You can give her a grocery list too."
Taking her plate to the breakfast bar to join me she said, "I hate having Ella do all of this for me."
"It's her job plus you can't leave the building yet. God, these eggs are really good. I'm going to grow a gut if I don't pace myself."
"I doubt that, but I'm glad you like my cooking. I'll give Ella a list of the things I need but I don't really know what you like besides twigs and branches."
"Where did you get that idea?"
"Stephanie. She said that you don't eat normal food, just twigs, and branches."
"That's not true, though I do try to eat healthily."
"I'd like to but I'm Italian. It's all about the pasta and cheese." After another bite, she added. "You said you don't cook. Is it because you don't like to or don't know how?"
"Time. I'm usually up at four and in the gym or out running by 4:15. I shower then come back upstairs for breakfast, usually just a bagel, juice and coffee. I'm at my desk by six and don't get back here until seven or eight at night. Sometimes later."
"Those are long days."
I shrugged.
"Keeps me out of trouble."
"Don't you ever take any time off? Stephanie said that you don't."
"Occasionally. I am the boss after all. That is when I cook for myself. I enjoy it and I'm actually a very good cook. My mother insisted that we all learn."
"So you know how to cook Cuban food?"
"Absolutely, I do."
"I love to cook. I bought a Cuban cookbook, but I don't think the author had ever heard of ropa vieja."
"You know about ropa vieja? That's my father's favorite. It literally translates to old clothes. It's considered peasant food. Something the poor would eat. Cheap yet plentiful. I'd be happy to teach you some authentic Cuban dishes if you're interested."
"Really? That would be great. Maybe you could show me some of your family's other favorites, too, if you wouldn't mind."
"My pleasure."
Connie stood to take our plates to the sink.
"Wait," I said as I placed my hand on hers. "I'm sorry if I was a little terse with you last night."
"Don't worry about it. I pushed. I shouldn't have. Truce?"
"No truce necessary. Anyway, what I was going to say is that I've been thinking about the sleeping arrangements. I understand how you feel. So here's what I propose." I laid out my plan as we cleaned up our breakfast dishes and took them into the kitchen. "I have two living rooms in case you hadn't noticed; the sitting room with the fireplace and the more formal area for guests. There is an office just beside it which I seldom use." I pointed to the open door to the office.
"I noticed the office. I thought you might want me to work there since I can't go down to the offices below."
"Yes, I do but in addition to that, with your approval, of course, I'd like to move some of that living room furniture into storage temporarily. I never use that room anyway. Not sure why I built it. I don't know that I've ever even sat on that couch."
"Okay with me. It's your stuff."
"I'll move the office furniture into the living room. That will leave the office area empty. I could move your bedroom set and some of your personal things in there. It also has an anteroom that was intended for file storage that you could use as a sitting area. I know that you like to read, plus it has its own bath. It's considerably smaller than mine but it has a shower." After taking a gulp of my coffee, I continued. "What do you think? You'd have a bedroom suite of your own and private space."
"Sounds great but are you sure you want to go through that much trouble?"
"Connie, you may be here for a while. I want you to be comfortable, to consider this your home until you can get your life back on track.
"I don't know what to say. That's very generous. What would I pay you for rent?"
"There'll be no rent. Not only is this about a friend helping out another friend, my employees are all entitled to living quarters here. It comes in handy when we work extended hours or they're on call. Plus, you'll have your hands full putting in long days running searches, doing payroll, and your old job setting up shop here for bonding as well. You'll receive a regular salary and benefits like any other employee."
She let out a breath as she thought about it.
"Well, is it a deal?"
"I won't be in your way?"
"Not in the least. Plus, I like your company." I smiled.
I had quickly come to understand what my father was trying to tell me. In reality, I was tired of living alone. Waking, eating, sleeping alone, and attending family functions alone. My world had become mundane, routine and boring. I was more consumed with my work than my personal life, my sex life notwithstanding. That needed to change.
Smiling, she reached out to shake my hand. "Deal."
