My parents were currently living the good life in Italy, so I, and in turn, Pam, had twice the case load this week. We’d been burning the candle at both ends, not just this week, but last week as well, since we’d wanted to get ahead of the game as much as possible.
“You know I appreciate it,” I told her, knowing I’d be drowning if I didn’t have her to help me stay organized and on task.
“Thanks. Don’t stay too late.”
I nodded in response and turned my attention back to my work as she walked away.
Sometime later, a knock on the door had me once again checking the clock and looking up.
“Hey,” I said with a smile when I saw Whitney standing in my doorway with a takeout bag in her hand. “You aren’t still working?”
If she was, I’d be having a talk with Paula Dixon. It was seven o’clock, after all, and it wasn’t tax season, so there was no reason our associates should be working so late.
“No, I went home. But I figured you’d be working straight through dinner again, and since my kids are with their father, I thought I’d pick something up and bring it by,” she said, lifting up the bag as evidence.
We’d had a few dates, lots of phone calls, and some pretty racy texts over the last few weeks. Our relationship hadn’t necessarily progressed, in that I still hadn’t met her kids and she hadn’t met my family, but I was feeling really optimistic that both events were on the horizon.
The more time I spent with her, the harder I fell, and she was way more comfortable and open with me than she’d been initially.
This is new though, her bringing me food … taking care of me … I like it.
“I hope there’s enough for two,” I said as I got up from my desk and rounded it to meet her at the small table by the window.
“There is,” she replied shyly. “I hope that’s okay.”
“It’s more than okay. Come here,” I said, taking the bag from her and placing it on the table before moving to gather her in my arms. “I’ve missed you.”
“I saw you at lunch,” she said with a laugh as I nuzzled her neck.
“That was hours ago,” I joked.
We kissed for a few moments, but when I felt things start to heat up, I broke off the kiss.
“What are we having?” I asked, resting my forehead against hers while we both caught our breath.
“Indian. After you told me about that place across the street I just had to try it out.”
“You are not going to be disappointed,” I said, my stomach growling at the scent of food.
We opened the bag and took out the containers of delicious, spicy food and opened them all up. Whitney had the forethought to get plates and plasticware, so we dished out the food and took our seats across from each other.
“Thanks for doing this,” I said as I dipped my naan in to the Tikka Masala.
“Well, you said last night you forgot to eat and by the time you got home all you had to eat was a jar of pickles and some leftover soup. I didn’t want that to happen again.”
“How was your day?” I asked, loving the normalcy of the moment. I’d never been in a relationship where I’d liked the person so much that I wanted to enjoy the simplicity of having a meal and talking about my day with them.
“It was good. After lunch I went over the account Mrs. Dixon gave me. I’m pleased she’s starting to trust me enough to handle my own accounts.”
“Yeah, Paula has a hard time loosening the reigns and giving over control, but she means well. And she’s smart as hell.”
Whitney nodded and said, “I really like her. I already feel like I’ve learned so much.”
“I know she’s happy to have you on the team.”
“How about you? Have you made any headway?” she asked.
“I have, finally. Luckily my dad’s files are flawless, so it’s made things easier.”
“Have you heard from your parents? Are they enjoying themselves?”
“My ma is in heaven. She could not stop talking about the olive groves and the cobblestone pathways,” I replied with a chuckle. My mom hadn’t wanted to be on the phone for long, she said it was a waste of her precious vacation time, but she couldn’t not call each of us daily for a few minutes to check in.
“I bet. I’ve always wanted to go to Italy.”
“You’ve never been?” I asked.
“No, not yet, but it’s on my list.”
“List?”
“The list of places I want to visit before I die,” she said, cocking her head to the side as she asked, “Don’t you have one?”
“Not an actual list. I guess I do have places I intend to visit, but I’ve never written them down, I just keep them all up here,” I said, tapping my temple with my finger.
Whitney smiled and shrugged. “I can’t help it, I’m a lover of lists.”
“I know, and I love that about you,” I replied. When I noticed her eyes widen a fraction, I caught her gaze and asked, “Can I mention something without freaking you out?”
“Um, sure…”
“I know you want to take things slow, and I hope the pace we’ve been keeping has worked for you. But, Whitney, these last few weeks have been great. I really like you and I love spending time with you, so, with the risk of scaring you a bit, I’d like your permission to slap a label on this thing.”
“What do you mean?”
“Exclusivity,” I told her, watching her closely for any indication she was about to bolt. “I don’t want to see anyone else, and I’d like it if you didn’t see anyone else either.”
“I’m not seeing anyone else,” she said quickly.
“Me neither, not since the moment we met,” I told her honestly. “And I’d like to keep it that way. I’d also like to meet your kids, if you’re up for it.”
Whitney took a deep breath and paused, before asking, “Can I think about it?”
“Of course,” I said easily, because frankly, I was just ecstatic her answer hadn’t been no.
Seventeen
Whitney
I moved through the house, picking up discarded sweaters, notebooks, and anything else the kids had left lying around throughout the day.
It was my nightly ritual and I found it soothing.
I liked to make sure the house was straightened, all the dishes were done, and everything was in its place before I went to bed, because I enjoyed waking up to a clean house. It helped me start my day off on a positive note.
I discovered this little tidbit about myself during the last year. When I’d wake up to a mess, I was generally grumpy and annoyed from the get-go. I’d found this out the hard way, because after Marco had moved out, there had been many days of lounging in my pajamas, eating junk food, and binge watching tv. The house was always a disaster and I was always in a bad mood.
Sure, the fact that I was going through a divorce also played a part in my sour mood but being dirty and living in filth didn’t help.
One day I woke up and decided the days of wallowing were over and that’s when my new routine had begun, and I’d honestly been much happier since. Sure, there was the odd day where I was run ragged and fell into bed exhausted without making my rounds through the house, but since I maintained the cleanliness, it wasn’t a big deal.