Over the Hedge: Part 2- The Finale (Lucky in Love) Page 17

  Now, I was standing in the lobby talking to one of the receptionists, when I instantly noticed Sean’s brawny frame, strutting in with earbuds in his ear with a confident stride. The man walked like he had no worries in the world. One of the lab techs came in a few seconds after and called his name. Sean turned around, and the two men started talking. Unconsciously, I found myself easing over toward them, to get a better listen.

  “We’ll work out the kinks in the cooling system by next week,” Sean was saying. He pulled out his company assigned cell phone and tapped the screen a few times before holding it up to the other guy. “I’ve been working on a new design. I think it should take the load off the primary energy system. That would alleviate the problems for the system constantly overheating.”

  “Wow! You designed this?” The other man grabbed Sean’s phone, eyes wide with excitement.

  “Well, I’ve got a lot of time on my hands of late; so, you know.” Sean shrugged his shoulders.

  Lots of free time?

  I had to get to the bottom of this. Was he and Lashawnda broken up? Did he finally come to his senses and realized he could do so much better? A devious smile crossed my cherry painted lips as my brain started formulating ways to get back into his good graces. Since that night at the club, I started to get the feeling he wasn’t really into me. I mean sure, I flirted with him shamelessly, knowing he was dating someone, but guys never had problems with stuff like that.

  “This is amazing,” the guy gushed.

  “I’m meeting with Dr. Barnes today to go over the schematics. If he likes what he sees, I’m thinking we should look into patenting the design.” Sean took his phone back and tapped on the screen before stuffing it back in his pocket.

  “What’s up with the lunch bag?” The guy asked pointing at the floral print bag Sean was fisting at the top.

  I rolled my eyes a bit at the way he was holding the bag like a brown paper sack. It was as if the bright colors and floral pattern went against everything masculine in him.

  “Oh. Lashawnda and I grabbed the wrong lunch bags; I got stuck with hers.” Sean explained with a simple shrug.

  “Roses and daisies look good on you, Dr. Colcord.” He threw his head back and laughed.

  “Yeah yeah...get to work.” Sean shook his head with a wry chuckle.

  I’d looked at his gorgeous face long enough to know when his smiles were genuine. This one wasn’t. Did it have anything to do with why he came to work without her, this morning? Had she finally revealed her true self to him? I needed to find out what was going on.

  Sean nodded to the other man as he hoisted his bag on his shoulder. The two men separated with Sean walking away toward the back stairs and the other guy heading down the hall. I looked around the lobby, trying to figure out the best way to intercept him. It had been a long time since I was able to get him alone without Lashawnda by his side. He turned around, pushing his headphones back in his ears. Our eyes met across the lobby. I waved enthusiastically, unable to hold back my desire for this man. Sean turned away from me without a word.

  My heart sunk. Maybe he didn’t see me? As I was about to go after him, I heard my name.

  I turned to see Dr. Henry Grant Jr. approaching. He was the son of the Grant behind Grant and Hines Research Institute. I’ve been employing my magic on him for the last year and the fact he was calling out to me in public only meant that it was finally working.

  I noticed his wedding ring was missing at a charity fundraiser a few months back. We chatted for a bit, and I found myself heading up to his hotel suite for private drinks. He spent most of the time talking about his wife and kids. Basically, whining about how tough his life was and how difficult he had it. I offered to ease his pain by way of a blowjob, which he accepted. What man could turn down a blowjob from a beautiful, young woman like myself? None I’ve ever come across.

  This was all before Sean started working here so I wouldn’t have put that much effort into Henry once I met Sean. But, then again, a girl can’t have too much male attention; at least I couldn’t

  “Ms. Reed, it’s been a while.” Henry stepped close to me, but not close enough where it would cause anyone to think there was more between us than employee and employer.

  “Hi, Dr. Grant. I’ve been preoccupied these last few weeks. How’s the family?” I asked. My smile was as fake as my concern for his wife and kids.

  “Everyone is doing well.” He leaned in, just close enough that his words wouldn’t travel. “My father is holding another dinner with some of our shareholders this weekend. I thought maybe we could meet up afterward. Same hotel room as last time?”

  My mind went through a few scenarios: pros and cons of what to expect if I were to take this arrangement seriously. I was drowning in debt and Todd’s daughter was still being a bitch about the money and the condo. If I didn’t find a replacement soon, I’d be out on my ass. Henry Grant Junior was starting to look more and more appealing by the second. His financial status was the kind of sponsor I was looking for.

  Yet, the thought of our arrangement getting in the way of me working things out with Sean, made me hesitant about answering him. My long-term goals were going to have to wait. I needed to get these bills paid before I became homeless.

  “So, what’s the dress code for our little meeting after the dinner?” I asked, looking at Henry like he was the man I really wanted to spend my time with.

  CHAPTER 15

  LASHAWNDA

  I hate oatmeal.

  It was the last lingering thought as I trudged through the front doors of H&G.

  For some reason, I thought it was a good idea to try and make up with Sean since our big fight the other day. Well, I wouldn’t call it a fight, more like a disagreement of opinions that seemed to take a terrible toll on our relationship.

  So, like a good girlfriend, I made him lunch and breakfast, and brought it to his house. I figured we could have breakfast together before coming in and get things back on track. Maybe even get a quick romp in before leaving for the office. However, Sean was still stuck on this whole living together situation. We ended up having another argument. As an attempt at compromising, I offered we wait a month and then find a new place together. I didn’t want to be the girl who gave up everything to move into a man’s place.

  I just didn’t.

  Sean wouldn’t hear of it. He told me my compromise wasn’t good enough. Getting a new place wasn’t a smart move especially since he’d already purchased his townhome. I stormed out; calling him, ‘an overbearing turd’ in the process, but that was only because he was telling me I was being childish.

  When I got to the parking garage, I attempted to eat my breakfast. I spent all morning preparing this food, and I planned on enjoying it. The moment I opened the container with the oatmeal, the thick, sticky substance shot forth like an exploding can of soda. Who knew oatmeal had projectile properties?

  How does one have so much bad luck that even simple things like having a nutritious breakfast turn into a disaster? Sadly, if I was with Sean. I bet none of this would have ever happened. Now here I was, covered in oatmeal underneath my cardigan. I was trying to make it to the bathroom to change before anyone noticed I reeked of oats with a hint of cinnamon sugar.

  “Lashawnda!” I turned to the sound of my name. Jenny was standing next to Dr. Grant Jr.

  I waved back hoping that neither was expecting me to stop. Unfortunately, Jenny waved me over. If it was just her standing there, I would have walked on. But, with one of the senior members of the entire organization, I couldn’t blow him off. I tightened my cardigan around my body, pulling my rolling cart of bags behind me. I no longer struggled with my mountain of bags since Sean usually hauled my load in. But he also bought the rolling cart for the days we didn’t come in together.

  “Good morning,” I greeted, silently praying underneath my breath.

  “Good morning, Ms. Price. How are you this beautiful, Monday morning?” Dr. Grant asked. He was a handsome, older
man that looked a lot like his father. In the years I’ve been working at H&G I’ve had quite a few meetings with him and his team. I’d heard recently, through office gossip, he and his wife were going through a nasty separation.

  “Oh gosh, Mondays,” I huffed and swiped my hair away from my face, self-conscious they could smell me.

  “One more day added to the weekend would have been nice.” Dr. Grant smiled, letting his easy-going demeanor shine through. As an exec in the company, he was still down to earth and quick to hold a casual conversation with those beneath him. It was one of the reasons most of the young people loved being a part of his research team.

  “Wow! Don’t you look frazzled.” Jenny waved her hands over my body while shaking her head.

  “Yeah, it’s been one of those rough mornings,” I confessed, mind going back to my argument with my boyfriend.

  “Oh, come on, with you it’s always a rough morning.” Jenny chuckled.

  I furrowed my brows at her words, not sure if I should take them as an insult.

  Jenny had had my back on more than one occasion over the last few years. She’d seen me come breezing into the office like the hounds of hell were chasing me. She witnessed my many mishaps of walking in the office still wearing my bonnet from the night before or forgetting to take hair clips out of my hair. She even made it a priority to swing by in the mornings to make sure I didn’t accidentally wear something crazy on the days when I had important people visiting Dr. Barnes in the lab.

  So, I had to take a moment to assess her words to see if she was trying to sound bitchy, or was I taking this the wrong way? I was still overly sensitive from my fight with Sean earlier, and I didn’t want to think the worst of her. When Tracy came up to my desk to discuss Jenny a while ago, it was the last time I had any real conversation about her. It was as if she’d just disappeared into oblivion.

  “Yeah, you know how calamitous I can be.” I laughed off the comment instead of over-thinking it. “Dr. Grant, I hear a few of your interns got accepted into med school. I’m sure working with you gave them a leg up.”

  “It would be easy for me to take all the credit, but we investigators are only as good as the people who work underneath them. I’ll miss the four students leaving this fall, but I’m sure they have bright futures ahead of them. I’ve already offered them summer internships to keep them connected to the H&G family.”

  “That’s awesome. I would have loved an opportunity like that when I was finding my way out of the undergrad program. In this day and age, it’s a blessing to find opportunities at places like this.” I praised in admiration at Dr. Grant’s ability to look out for the young people looking to make a way in this field.

  “I’m aware of your contributions along with Dr. Colcord. You two make a great team. That MIND Project is getting quite the buzz in the industry,” said Dr. Grant.

  “Thanks, Dr. Grant.” I felt my cheeks tighten as I tried to hold back my grin. Sean and I did make a great team, professionally and personally. Now, all we needed to do was figure out a way to get over this small bump in the road, so we could keep doing what we do best...love each other.

  “Whenever you decide to leave that crazy person you call a boss, give me a buzz. I’m willing to double or triple your salary to get you on my team. Not sure if you’re aware, but Dr. Barnes has threatened to maim anyone that tries to poach you from him,” Dr. Grant added.

  “You can double my salary, now. Why wait?” I joked.

  “Seriously, are they not compensating you adequately?” His face pulled into a deep scowl, mistaking my playful banter for something more.

  “No, no, no,” I quickly spoke up. “I’m being compensated more than fairly.”

  “I’ll have Mallory send a quick email to HR. You are one of the brightest young minds we have working here, Lashawnda. I would hate for money to be the thing that causes you to leave.” Dr. Grant pulled out his phone and typed all the while he was talking.

  “Sir trust me I’m very well compensated,” I argued, hoping that I didn’t just open a can of worms with my sad attempt at a joke.

  “Nonsense, you’re priceless, Miss Price.” He gave me a cheeky grin before stuffing his phone back into his trousers. “Besides, you could use a spa day to clear your head from dealing with Nathan.”

  “Thanks, Dr. Grant,” I said, looking at Jenny with a shrug. The heated glare I got in return was a sign she and I needed to talk to clear the air.

  “I’ll see you two later. I’ve got a meeting with Dr. Vanderpool in about fifteen minutes.” I waved at them, before hustling toward the elevator.

  I checked my calendar the moment I sat down at my desk. It was a routine I put in place years ago, and it served its purpose for keeping me on track. My routine also included reviewing my calendar the night before. You could imagine my surprise when I saw my meeting with the MIND Project team had been canceled at Dr. Colcord’s request.

  Dr. Colcord’s request?

  I immediately pulled up Sean’s calendar and scrolled through his schedule for the day. We’ve shared access to each other’s calendars since we started dating. It was nice to come in and see he’d put a lunch date on my calendar. Or if I had a late night in the office, he would schedule his day, so he would be here with me.

  My eyes bulged upon seeing his schedule. He had absolutely nothing going on throughout the day that would require him to change the meeting. The only reason for him changing our meeting was if there was an emergency in the lab. I plucked the handset from my phone and dialed his assistant’s extension.

  “H&G Research Labs, Biochemical Research Department, this is Suzie speaking,” Suzie answered after the second ring.

  “Hey, Suzie!” I replied with a cheery tone. “It’s Lashawnda.”

  “Hey, Lashawnda. How’s it going?”

  “It’s going great. How are things with you?”

  “I could use a nap, but who couldn’t, right?”

  “Amen to that.” I took a calming breath. “So, listen, I’m going through my calendar, and I’ve noticed that a meeting I had scheduled was changed. I was just hoping you could give me a heads up on the reason, or if there’s a way for us to reschedule for today. I’ve got a timeline I’d like to keep, but with today’s meeting canceled, I’m not sure I’ll be able to.”

  Honestly, it wasn’t that serious. Yes, I had a timeline, but it wasn’t that restricted that it was a requirement for us to have this meeting. I prayed I sounded convincing enough and Suzie didn’t see through my ruse. Any other day, I would have just called Sean’s phone directly about the meeting. But I had a feeling he canceled our meeting as a way of avoiding me.

  “It seems like Dr. Colcord canceled it himself about ten minutes ago,” Suzie replied. I could hear her tapping on her keyboard. “Not sure why? Hmm...curious. He usually has me take care of any changes in his schedule.”

  “There’s no emergency in the lab or something that would warrant the change?” I offered, desperately hoping she would counter my suspicions.

  “I’m sorry, Lashawnda, but I don’t see anything. If you’d like I can check with Dr. Colcord and call you back,” Suzie offered.

  “No, that’s not necessary,” I quickly answered. The last thing I wanted was for her to go to Sean. It was clear it still upset him about our argument this morning. I would never expect him to bring our personal issues into the workplace. Sean was mature and level-headed, not this petty man.

  “Thanks, Suzie. I guess I’ll just reorganize my schedule for the day. I’ll shoot Dr. Colcord an email shortly to reschedule,” I said.

  “Lashawnda...” Suzie started.

  God, please don’t ask is there anything wrong. Please don’t ask. Please don’t ask.

  I crossed my fingers and prayed to the heavens to grant me a little reprieve from the troublesome morning I was already having. The last thing I wanted was for a coworker to get wind of our relationship issues. The way gossip travels around this place, the entire office would know come lunch
time.

  “So, this is awkward. But I wanted to know if you knew if Brad Ealey was seeing anyone. I got into a random conversation with him the other day, and he seems like a nice guy.”

  Whew!

  “I’m not sure. I can definitely find out for you if you’d like.”

  “Yes, please. He’s really good looking; I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s already taken.”

  “Hey, there’s nothing wrong with asking. I promise I’ll make it a casual conversation and won’t even bring up your name.”

  “That would be great. It’s so hard putting yourself out there only to find out the guy isn’t even available,” Suzie confessed with a self-deprecating chuckle. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”

  “Have a good one,” I replied, completely understanding how she felt.

  I hung up the phone and the smile I was wearing slipped from my face. My eyes narrowed, and my mind raced with how best to approach this situation. Should I confront Sean or just let it go. This was business. I was taking lead on the MIND Project, and I would hate if my personal life got in the way of us conducting a successful protocol. Not to mention the compliments I just received from Dr. Grant. Nothing...not even my relationship with Sean would ruin this for me.

  His reaction to us meeting today was a perfect example of why I wouldn’t move in with him, yet. Our relationship was still new, still too fresh. I’ve been witness to too many women giving up their jobs or homes for a man only to end up with nothing but heartbreak. What if I moved in with Sean and he changes from being this loving man to a complete monster? I’d have given up my independence for nothing.

  Six months of being in euphoric bliss weren’t enough time to make big decisions like this. What if things don’t work out? What if we can’t make it work in the long run? Sean would just have to understand. We needed more time together.