“See? Our friendship is special. We’re practically family.”
“You’re like a brother to me. I know I can trust you with anything that comes up, and I don’t have to be a hard-ass to get results. That’s how family works; we just pick up where the other leaves off. I wanted the people we work with to be family, too.”
“We are. Just not Garret.”
That coaxed a laugh out of her, then she let out a heavy sigh. “What I didn’t want was to tell off my graphic artist because he spent all week watching dog videos on YouTube instead of nailing down the talent’s vision for the album cover.”
“Garret always waits until the last minute, which throws everyone off their game. I’m not the only one that can’t stand him. Maybe it’s time to give him an ultimatum.”
“I thought about that, but I had a better idea.” She bit her lip.
“What did you do?”
“I only called a meeting to get him away from his desk. Danny installed parental controls on his computer. He can only access the programs he needs for his work. Nothing else works.”
I guffawed, clapping my hands over my mouth in shock. “Laura, you didn’t.”
She nodded. “I had to do something. Not everyone can self-regulate, but I’m not paying him to play online all day.” Laura pulled her feet away and slipped them back into her heels. “Thanks, Jeremy. You always know how to make the worst days better.”
“I do my best.”
She smiled. “When you’re done for the day you can head home. I don’t see Garret finishing today and I don’t want you wasting your day waiting for him. Besides, he’s probably going to pout about his computer for a few hours.”
“I have some side projects I can work on when I’m done. I’ll stick around in case Garret gets out of hand.”
She hugged me quickly, then stepped back. “Don’t let Garret get you down. He might be a genius, but that doesn’t excuse his behavior, you know?”
“I do.” I flashed her a smile. “Things are going to be awesome with this new singer, and Garret is going to straighten out because you’re an amazing leader and mentor. We’ve got this. Dis-chord Records is going to be a household name soon. You’ll see.”
I decided to take a longer lunch than normal, just to get away from the sounds of discontent coming through the wall of Garret’s cubicle. He hadn’t said a word, but if I knew Danny, there would be a graphic wagging its finger at Garret every time he tried to access any off-limits program. Garret was fuming, but he was making it known in the most on-brand way. Grumbling, moaning, and shifting in his chair every few seconds, he was more annoying than usual. I lasted until four, then I decided to call it a day. Garret could wallow in his self-made misery alone. I needed a drink.
When I left the building I decided to check by the koi pond to see if the feral cat was there. He wasn’t, but to my delight, the turkey was gone and all the fish in the pond were accounted for. It seemed my new friend accepted my offering after all. For some reason it made the day that much better, though I was still tense. If the feral kitty could find a way to make life work despite his challenges, so could I.
I decided to stop by the pet store before I went to the bar. I wasn’t sure turkey was okay for a cat, and even if it was, he was better off with something that was made for him. After walking around the cat food section for a while, I picked the most expensive dry food they had and bought a small bowl with two reservoirs in it. He’ll probably want some fresh water with that food, I thought as I picked it out, then I grabbed a gallon of spring water and carried my purchases to the car.
For a moment, I considered going back to the office first, but I pushed the idea aside. The cat food bag was much too big to store at the office, so I would need to divide it at home and just take a little bit.
“Damnit,” I said, running back in and buying two pet food storage containers from the same clerk who only smiled at me. Armed with one large container for the bag and another smaller one that would hold a week’s worth of food, I got on the highway and headed toward the bar. Tomorrow was a new day, but tonight, I needed to let loose a little and forget that I worked with Garret Tucker.
2
Brian
I held the phone in my hand, text message open, cursor blinking at me impatiently. For what felt like the millionth time, I rewrote the text, then deleted it. Blank screen, heavy heart, shaking hands.
The pain swelled in my chest again, threatening to cut off my air. David was going to be disappointed, but I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t go to a lavish dinner celebrating his relationship with Seb when my heart was breaking. And it was supposed to be my wedding date, a voice inside my head added angrily. It was one thing to celebrate David and Seb on a random Tuesday in April, but this wasn’t a random day. This was the day I was supposed to exchange vows with the man I thought was the one.
Settling on some bullshit platitude that sounded forced, I sent my regrets to David and wished him well. Then I tossed my phone on the table, watching it indifferently as it slid, teetered on the edge and nearly fell. Somehow, it managed to stay on the table, precarious at best, but I was already on the move.
I stalked through my house, shoulders hunched, lips tight, hands balled into fists. The universe was a bitch, but at least it worked out for David and Seb. I scoffed. The only reason all our friends were available on a Saturday was because they’d saved the date for my wedding. My wedding. But it wasn’t happening, and I had a closet full of regrets to prove it.
My attention turned toward that closet and the keepsakes and decorations it contained. Mocking me every time I walked past, the door had remained closed for months while I nursed my broken heart and cursed fate for bringing him my way. I couldn’t even say his name, and the thought of those things being in my house one more minute was eating me up inside. I had to do something, and it had to be now.
I yanked the door open so hard it bounced back and hit my shoulder, but I was already focused on what I had to do. Carboard boxes of table centerpieces and guest swag bags filled the tiny space. One by one I dragged them to the driveway until I had a decent pile. In the more open area, the pile didn’t look so big. In truth, it was only five boxes, but that was five too many. They needed to be gone, and I had a plan. I ran back into the house and took the long lighter I used to light the fireplace, then back to the pile I went, smiling for the first time in what felt like a lifetime. I clicked the trigger and held the flame to the bottom of one of the boxes, then I stood back and watched the flames grow.
The night was chilly, but the warmth of my impromptu bonfire quickly chased the goosebumps away. It was only then that I realized I was outside in my bare feet, pajama pants. Standing there in front of the fire and grinning, I was sure I looked every bit the hot mess I felt. But this wasn’t who I was, and already, a few of my neighbors in my posh little corner of suburbia were pulling back the curtains to watch the show.
“Damnit,” I said, unrolling the hose and putting the fire out. As good as it felt to light it all up, it wasn’t worth the spectacle. It wouldn’t take long before those curious stares would turn into calls to 911 and I would end up spending a weekend on watch. “They take the joy out of everything,” I muttered, still dousing the flame long after it was out.