Chapter 6
8 days later
Liza woke at the crack of dawn that Monday. She had tried to sleep, but her anxious mind kept running over possible scenarios of what would happen when she saw Charles later that morning. True to her word to Maggie, she had refrained from calling, texting or emailing him the past week. Instead, she had thrown herself back into her work, adamant to prove to Kelsey that she had meant every word she said to her. Things had gone well, although she was now having to deal with a lot of sarcastic age related comments and jokes from Lauren and Kelsey. The morning after she had told them Lauren and Kelsey showed up for brunch with a six pack of Ensure for Liza. She knew she deserved it, and it was all in good fun, but she was over it.
She got up and surveyed the rack of clothes in the corner. She wanted to wear something that would wow Charles. Something mature and professional, but not stuffy. She wanted to prove to him that she was done with the lies. Some of her millennial getups would have to go. She settled on a pale pink pencil skirt that had a sexy little slit in the side and ended just above her knees. She grabbed a white and cream striped tee and tucked it loosely into the skirt, and slid on some white heels. She pulled on a pair of white heels and, hearing Maggie moving around in the kitchen, sauntered out and did a little caltwalk strut.
"What do you think, Mags? Am I pulling off trying, not trying?" She did a little spin before sitting down at the island.
"Definitely! Charles coming back today?"
"Unless I scared him off for good. I just wanted to look a little more professional and a little less millennial."
Maggie slid a travel mug of coffee across the island to her. "Mission accomplished. I can't wait to hear how it goes. And remember, my offer to kick him repeatedly in the groin still stands if he is a jerk to you."
Liza smiled and began to gather her things. "Hopefully it won't come to that."
Charles
Charles was the first one to the office that morning, arriving at 6:55 A.M. He had had the nanny make sure the girls got to school, but not before he had woken them up with the promise of blueberry pancakes. Smiling, he recalled the past week. He had needed some time with his girls. He had taken them out of school for a week, but it was the beginning of June. They weren't missing much.
Bianca and Nicole were both still realing from Pauline leaving. It had been over a year and a half since she had seen them last. He had spent the last week doting on them. Swimming, hiking, horseback riding, collecting shells on the beach. Whatever they wanted to do, he made it happen. It had been a welcome distraction from the rest of his thoughts.
Liza, he thought, as he sat down at his desk and powered up his laptop. Every moment of the last week that he had not been distracted by the girls had been consumed by thoughts of her. He couldn't get her out of his head. He hadn't heard from her at all, and it had only taken him a day or so to realize that he was hoping that she would call.
That realization had given him the answer he was looking for. Was he upset that she had lied? Yes. Did he feel betrayed? Yes. Was he confused about what that would mean for their office dynamic and how it would affect Empirical? Yes. But did he want to be with her? Yes. He wanted everything with her. He wanted her waking up at the brownstone. He wanted diner dates at their hole in the wall secret spot before work. He wanted chaste kisses in the hallway at the office and he wanted locked door "meetings" in his office. He wanted weekends with her at Pound Ridge, with the girls, and just the two of them. He wanted to be with her at her apartment, to meet the infamous Maggie and see where Liza called home. He wanted her intoxicating scent of coconut and vanilla to linger in his home, in his office, on his sheets. He wanted all of it. And he wanted it with her.