"Don't-don't bash yourself, Beautiful," Nicole said quickly. "You were vulnerable," she started.
"But I wanted it just as much. Can I really claim that he took advantage of me?"
Nicole smirked this time. "I think so. I'd do it."
Jennifer scoffed and finally opened her eyes. She stared at the bottom of her ceiling. "Yeah, well, I don't see that going over too well with a judge. I can see it now; I'll get to the part where he practically begged me to tell him to stop and I actually nodded and told him yes."
"You did what?"
Jennifer groaned.
"He told you to tell him to stop?"
With a heavy sigh, Jennifer closed her eyes again. "Well, there was more that happened too," she grumbled. Jennifer begrudgingly told the rest of the story. She ended with a pathetic whine, "I think I'm just a terrible person. Maybe it's better I haven't dated these past three years."
"Jenn, you were drunk. You'd been drinking and the man is haut-and that's H-A-U-T. Who would tell him no?"
"A good woman. A better woman," Jennifer whined.
"Alright, look. You've got to stop this self-pity and figure out what you're going to do about Andrew. You can't ignore him forever. So think about that. Maybe you should call him? Ask to Skype or something?"
Jennifer frowned. She didn't like any of those ideas. They were much too direct. Then again, perhaps direct is exactly what she'd need after ignoring him all weekend and the past two days.
"Anyway, it's late, girl, and I do have to go. Next time you call, I promise, I'll tell you about Kyle."
"That's his name? He is an actor too?" Jennifer tried her best to keep Nicole on the line, but her old friend only chuckled.
"Get some sleep, girl. I'll call in a day or so to check in on you, or you can call, text, or email anytime, okay?"
Jennifer murmured a reply and they ended the call. It was a great way to past the time, but her mind was far from settling. Each time it tried to quiet down, she thought of Andrew and that was something she just couldn't face.
She fell asleep on her sofa and tossed and turned late into the night. Morning time wasn't much better, but she finally found solace when the sky turned blue and brightened. A deep sleep finally came to her just before the sun broke the horizon and began to fill the room. She didn't care though, and slept just the same.
She only slept for four hours and awoke with her phone buzzing near her head. It was James. She answered it reluctantly.
"Hello?"
"Are you okay?" James seemed out of breath.
"Fine," she lied and cleared her throat. Her eyes still ached. "Had trouble sleeping last night."
James chortled. "You and me both. When are you planning on coming in?"
"After lunch."
"Okay, thanks. I don't have good news."
"Can it wait?"
James paused before answering. "Until after lunch, sure. Take care of yourself and get something to eat."
The kind and caring professional was back. Jennifer sighed and lowered her phone. She liked that side of James better. She looked at the time and winced. 10:53 am. She needed to be at the office by 12:30, and definitely no later than 1 pm.
Jennifer pulled herself up and began her morning routine. She barely felt the steaming water against her skin and decided to add a bit of volume to her hair. Her mind was surprisingly blank.
She prepared a cup of coffee using the French press and sipped on it quietly when it was finished and ready to enjoy. Her mind began to churn and by the time her cup was gone, she was slipping her shoes on and giving herself a run down on what she could expect when she arrived at the office.
James was going to catch her up and she needed to keep her appointment to hire another scheduler. She was certain James had a few conference calls that he needed to make, but she needed to prepare a light presentation for this new gig in New Jersey. She paused at that thought and wondered. If that was a contract they really took on, would it be just like it was while she was dating Dick?
Of course, the answer to that depended on what happened between her and Andrew. That lingering thought made her frown. She decided she'd call him first thing after the rundown with James. It'd be easier to handle the situation when she was in business mode. Her mind was always so clear, fresh, and bouncy, ready to spring with thought and action when she was ready to work. She needed that to face the mistake she made.
At her door was a soft knock. Fitting earrings to her ear, she moved towards the front door and expected to see the doorman, hopefully with her package of clothes from The Kimberly since they didn't bring them back. James would never be caught carrying his laundry. Ever. Thanks to him, she had adopted the same sentiment.
Jennifer opened the door carelessly and glanced backed at her phone. The screen was bright, indicating some type of missed notification. She sighed. It was probably James, contacting her about some reminder or something before she made it to the office. She turned back to the door and froze. It wasn't the doorman.
"Surprised to see me?" Andrew asked softly.
The earrings Jennifer held fell from her hands. She only had the right side in and didn't bother to see where the matching pair fell. Andrew stepped casually into the condo and stooped to pick it up from the floor.
Standing, he handed Jennifer the earrings. He was incredibly calm. A little too relaxed for her liking.
"They let me in downstairs," he commented. He watched Jennifer and waited for a reply. She only stared. "I can leave if you want."
"No," she said finally in a breath. She looked down at the earring in her hand and stepped back, ushering Andrew in completely. Turning her back to him, she put the earring through and tried to think of something to say.
"You look like you don't want me here," Andrew spoke gently. He shut the door behind him.
"No, that's not it," Jennifer said again quickly. She shook her head. "I'm just surprised. I was going to call you when I got to the office."
Andrew nodded. "You forgot." Jennifer stared back at him blankly. "I'm not surprised though. You never responded to my emails or missed calls." After a moment, he added, "Lunch, remember? I told you I'd come back Wednesday for lunch."
"Ohmygosh," the words were barely audible beneath her breath. "What time is it?"
Andrew chuckled and smiled sweetly. "After lunch. I already ate." Jennifer nodded. "Did you hang up on me Monday night?"
Jennifer wet her lips and stared at the wood flooring. He had to know that she did. Clearing her throat, she nodded weakly. Andrew shifted his weight, but he didn't move to her.
"I thought so, but I figured I'd at least ask. I'm going to go now. I need to speak with Melone about something." He paused, and then added, "Bye." Jennifer looked up then. His back was to her already.
"Is that it?" She asked, quite pitifully. Andrew stopped and turned towards her slowly. It took him a moment more before he finally met her eyes.
"Jennifer, you've ignored me for days. I know you and James went out of town and I know you spent the night together. You hung up on me when I called and," he paused and looked down.
"I really don't do this kind of thing so … Yes," he nodded and sucked in a deep breath before meeting her eyes again. "Yes, that's it. I probably won't see you at the office later today, but when I do tomorrow, I'll say hi."
When he turned the second time, it was much faster than the first. Jennifer didn't stop him and nothing more was said. By the time she slid to the floor, she already knew her mascara was running again.
Chapter Nineteen
Harvest Time
There were days when sitting in his commander's chair while he faced the glass panels offering the inner city view of Chicago's hottest downtown hub made him feel like King of the World. He didn't get that feeling today though.
He had clocked out of work for the past two days and it was hitting him full force in the chest. Coming in Tuesday afternoon from Jersey made him miss an important conference call. He tried to right the wrong over email, but after a quick teleconference, he wasn't so sure that his client was any better.
The conference call was more than just a checkup, but several of their private investors had been scheduled to be present, and had been left waiting. They were interested in where some of their funding was going. The contract they had with the Melone Group wasn't trivial by any means and represented a good chuck of their retrained earnings.
That would be another face-to-face meeting he'd need to make to soothe the feathers out. He made note on a piece of paper. Jennifer would kill him with the notes he had for her to sort through. He couldn't worry about her reaction though, Elaine from the front desk had just called and told him Jerry was on the line. He snatched up the phone on the first ring.