Utterly Forgettable Page 10

  I’m feeling better. Stop hovering. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.

  I read it and chuckled. You bet your pretty little ass you will.

  It took me forever to get comfortable and, after tossing and turning for hours, I gave up on sleep altogether. I hadn’t been up this early since my Army days and kind of missed chasing the dawn. I threw on a pair of shorts, a t-shirt and a baseball cap before heading to the store for some 7-Up and potatoes. If Cathryn thought she was showing for work today, she had another thing coming.

  Instead of a large three liter bottle, I bought the smaller plastic bottles of 7-Up. I tossed one in the freezer while I put away the groceries and made Cathryn toast. I thought about putting butter on it but remembered her joy at watching me choke down the dry-as-shit toast. With a satisfied grunt, I loaded up the tray, grabbed the drink out of the freezer and headed up to her apartment. It was a quarter after eight. Hopefully she hadn’t started getting ready for work, yet.

  Halfway down the hall I spotted flowers on the floor mat in front of her door. Damn, I should have bought her flowers. I scanned the hall to make sure no one was looking and pulled one of the roses from the vase. Juggling the tray, I quickly let myself into her apartment. The last time I was here Cathryn was wearing a sports bra and panties. Just the thought of her creamy white skin made my dick stir.

  “Down boy,” I muttered.

  Not surprisingly, her place was spotless. I thought about the computer files yesterday and chuckled. Yes, Miss Haines definitely has a type A personality disorder. I bet I put a wrinkle in her perfectly ironed lifestyle. As I stepped from the living room to the hallway I heard a noise coming from her open doorway. My pulse spiked. Damn it! I knew she felt worse than she let on. In two quick strides I was in her room and by her side. Her head was thrown back against her pillow and, by her facial expression, she was clearly in pain. Not wanting to scare her, I quietly called her name.

  “Cathryn.”

  Cathryn’s eyes flew open and her head swiveled in my direction. If she vomits green, I’m out of here, I thought. Her fevered blue eyes widened in surprise when she saw me standing there. What are you doing?” she shrieked. I opened my mouth to answer but before I could get anything out she sat up and screamed, “Get the fuck out of my apartment!” I was beyond confused. “Get out!” she shrieked, again. Then she reared back and hurled something at me. Whatever the hell she threw was big and it was heading straight for my face. Without thinking I raised the tray to deflect the flying object. Toast flew in one direction and the 7-Up in another. The rose dropped to the floor at my feet, right next to the world’s largest vibrator. I am not a small man by any imagination but I kid you not, this fucker was huge. It was spinning donuts in the floor in front of my feet and I couldn’t seem to tear my eyes away from it.

  “Get out, get out, get out!” Cathryn screeched.

  I lifted my eyes from the vibrator to her humiliated face as the reality of the situation sunk in. “I’m sorry,” I whispered. One lone tear trickled from the corner of her eye down her cheek and my heart squeezed.

  “Please leave,” she quietly said.

  With a nod of my head I did as she asked and left her apartment.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Cathryn

  ‡

  Oh My God, could my life get any worse? I stared down at my vibrator as it spun around on the floor and burst into tears. Zane saw me vibrating myself! H-h-h-e saw me! Directly in front of the vibrator lay a red rose. To the right of the rose was a piece of burnt toast and on the floor by my window was a bottle of 7-Up. He was bringing me breakfast. I threw myself back on my bed and sobbed. I yelled at him and threw my vibrator at him! All he wanted was to make sure I was okay. I am such a giant bitch! The vibrator made a sputtering noise and I got up to turn it off.

  Like every other morning, I’d woken with Zane on my mind. This morning I decided to do something about it. “A lot of help you were,” I whispered. Then I tossed the vibrator in my nightstand and headed for the shower. Clearly Zane knew I wasn’t sick. I shed a few more tears of humiliation while lathering my hair and thought about the hurt look on Zane’s face when I screamed at him.

  What do I do now? My boss thinks I’m forgettable, but I doubt he’s going to forget what he just saw me doing. If I wasn’t at rock bottom yesterday, I certainly was now. So, what do I do? I mulled over the answer while rinsing shampoo from my hair. I didn’t expect to like this job so much. I’d always had a hard time making friends. For the first time in my life I felt accepted. As crazy as it seemed, these people had become my friends and surrogate family. I didn’t want to leave them. So, what do I do? I squeezed conditioner onto the palm of my hand and assessed the situation.

  “I’m embarrassed,” I confessed out loud. “Zane was clearly embarrassed. We are adults, right? I have feelings and he does not. Do I want this job? Can I do this job regardless of how I feel about him? I’m not sure but I want to try.”

  At nine on the dot I let myself into Zane’s apartment. I can do this. Like every other morning, I went straight to the kitchen and started a pot of coffee. I can do this. I waited for it to brew just long enough to pour Zane a full cup before carrying it across the dining room to the office. The office door was half open and I was reminded of yesterday. Cathryn is utterly forgettable. My heart hitched and I had to pause to catch my breath. Don’t you dare cry, I told myself, then I toed open the door and walked into the room. Zane was sitting at his desk with his head bowed in concentration. He was still wearing the t-shirt and shorts from earlier. As if sensing me there, he glanced up and his eyes locked on me.

  “Good morning,” I smiled. Pretend there was no vibrator, Cat.

  He shot up out of his chair and then quickly sat back down. “Uh, I didn’t expect you today,” he stammered.

  I placed the coffee in the usual spot on his desk. “Yes, well, this is my job. I can’t very well lie around forever.” The second the words left my mouth I wanted to take them back. Zane stared at me as if I had grown horns. Could this be anymore awkward? Nope, I didn’t think so.

  “Can we talk?” he hesitantly asked.

  “Ummm, sure,” I answered. I really did not want to talk. In fact, I wanted to run and hide.

  “Cathryn, I am so sorry. I was worried about you being sick and… I completely understand if you no longer want to work for me,” he said.

  Wait, what? This was the last thing I expected him to say. My heart lurched. “Do you want me to quit?”

  “What? No! I don’t want that at all. Do you want to quit?”

  “No, actually I don’t. I really like this job.”

  A look of relief appeared on his face and I felt better. For a second there I thought he was going to fire me. “Other than leaving insulting drawings on my notepad and surprise pictures of Miss Weston on my computer, you are the best assistant I’ve ever had.”

  Oh no! I’d completely forgotten about my photo prank. The same morning Zane left a postscript telling me to “deal with Miss Weston,” I ran into her right outside his door. She had curlers in her hair and was wearing an electric green and gold Muumuu. I thought she looked like a Martian and shot a picture of her. At the time I thought Zane was sleeping with her and didn’t want to deal with the mess he’d made. Feeling put out and very petty, I loaded the picture onto his computer. As if that wasn’t bad enough, I made it his main desktop photo. I’d been using my laptop lately and had completely forgotten to take the picture off.

  I opened my mouth to apologize and out slipped a rather loud snort. Zane’s brow shot up. All of the tension in the past two days and Zane’s funny facial expression were more than I could handle and I started laughing. I laughed so hard I couldn’t breathe. Each time I thought I had it under control I would look up at his unamused face and start back up. I knew I was making a complete fool of myself but I didn’t care. I would rather be laughing right now than crying. Finally, after what seemed like forever, I got ahold of myself.

  “Are yo
u done?” Zane asked.

  I knew I would start laughing again if I spoke so I nodded, yes.

  “I think it’s wise to set new parameters, don’t you?”

  Again, I nodded.

  “I promise not to enter your apartment unless invited,” he said.

  After clearing the residual laughter from my throat, I said, “I promise not to go upstairs unless invited.”

  His lips twitched in amusement. “And no more pictures of that woman on my computer, correct?”

  I raised my two fingers in a Scout’s Honor salute, “Promise.”

  His eyes softened and he smiled. God, the man was dangerous when he smiled. “I really am sorry.”

  I wanted him to be sorry, just not for what happened earlier. “Say nothing more about it,” I told him.

  He handed me the file on his desk and I stood to leave. “Hey, I mentioned you going to Dragonfly with me sometime. Would you be interested?” he asked.

  Yesterday I would have jumped at the opportunity. Today, however… not so much. I now knew exactly where Zane Mitchell stood, and it wasn’t with me. “Thanks for asking but I really think it best if we keep things professional,” I told him. Disappointment filled his face and I had to bite my tongue not to take my words back. I held up the folder. “I’d better get to working on this.” Before he could respond, I turned on my heel and walked out the door. On the way back to my apartment I teared up but I did not cry. I was making progress.

  Four days later…

  “I can’t believe we haven’t hung out before.”

  “Yeah, well, the last manager Zane hired was a real bitch.”

  “So I’ve heard. How long was she here?”

  “Too long.”

  The same afternoon as the vibrator incident I was on my way to get groceries and ran into the tenant in apartment J, Elena Owens. Elena’s car battery was dead, so I offered to give it a jump. Two mornings later she brought donuts over as a thank you and I invited her in for coffee. Elena, or Lena as she likes to be called, works at Dragonfly. With her gorgeous head of black curly hair and rich mocha skin, the woman looked more like a model than a bartender. When I mentioned wanting to see Zane’s competition she invited me to stop by and have a drink on the house but I was too tired. I hadn’t been sleeping well. Zane had disappeared. Other than leaving my morning list, I hadn’t seen or heard from him since that horrible morning and was starting to worry. I thought we cleared the air but now I wasn’t so sure. I asked Lena for a raincheck and she invited me to watch Dillon and Isabella perform on Saturday night. When Saturday night rolled around Zane was still MIA.

  “Do I look alright?” I twirled so Lena could see me from all sides. June in North Carolina was much warmer than Pennsylvania. I was already wearing my summer clothes. Tonight I had on a black sleeveless stretchy dress with a sexy pair of two inch heels. If I wore my hair down I would sweat, so I piled it on top of my head in a messy bun. Since I was wearing all black, I decided on red lipstick. I even painted my fingernails red. Lena had on her work outfit, which consisted of black short shorts, white converse and her Dragonfly t-shirt.

  “Girl, you look better than alright. You are gonna catch you a man tonight.” Lena’s words struck a nerve. I thought I was doing better but was I? I missed Zane. I thought about him all the time. Is this what my father felt when my mother rejected him? No wonder he always looked so sad. There was only one man I wanted but he didn’t want me and I needed to find a way to get past it. As if sensing my melancholy mood, Lena wrapped her arm around me and gave me a squeeze. “I promise you will have fun tonight, okay?”

  I smiled and squeezed her back. “Thanks, Lena, I could definitely use some fun.”

  From the second I stepped foot in Dragonfly I was captivated. Whisky’s was amazing but Dragonfly was equally so. With a chrome bar and metal stools, Whisky’s was industrial looking. Dragonfly was all dark wood and leather. Whisky’s dance floor was twice as big. However, Dragonfly’s had a small stage attached to it. Whisky’s had the rooftop bar and Dragonfly had a beer garden. The song Ghost poured from the speakers. Ella Henderson would definitely not be playing at Whisky’s, that’s for sure.

  “C’mon, let me introduce you to everyone,” Lena said. I followed her past the bar and across the room to an open doorway. She led me down a long hallway past the bathrooms. At the end of the hall was a closed door marked “Break Room-Employees Only.” She pulled out a key and slipped it in the lock. “People like to sneak in here, so we have to keep it locked,” she explained. The room was small but cozy with two leather sofas, a chair and a coffee table. In one corner stood a full size refrigerator and in the other was a sink. “This is the break room where we keep our personal items and occasionally hang out.” I waited for her to place her things in a locker with her name on it. “I want you to meet Dillon before he goes on stage. It’s hard to catch him after he plays.” I followed her back out to the bar. She pointed to an empty stool and motioned for me to sit.

  “Lena, it’s about time!” Someone shouted from behind me. I turned to see who it was and nearly fell off my stool. Two incredibly attractive men were standing directly behind me.

  “Dillon, Kurt, meet my friend Cat. Cat, these are my bosses and the owners of Dragonfly, Dillon Whitaker and Kurt Greenfield,” she shouted over the music. Both men were tall and blonde, though Dillon’s hair was blonder and longer than Kurt’s. He smiled down at me and, I kid you not, the man had silver eyes. Kurt had facial hair, which made him look older than Dillon. His eyes were so blue they were almost transparent.

  “Hi Cat, is this your first time in Dragonfly?” Dillon asked.

  I opened my mouth to speak but nothing came out. I could feel the heat pouring off my face and glanced over to Lena for help.

  “Cat manages Riverbend for Zane,” Lena told them. That was not quite what I had in mind. I glared at her and she smiled.

  “Is Zane treating you well, Cat? If not, let me know and I’ll set him straight,” Dillon teased. A tall, dark haired woman stepped up beside him and wrapped her arms around his waist. She was wearing a black sleeveless maxi dress. Dillon’s expression softened and turned to her with such love in his eyes that I had to look away. “Hey baby,” I heard him say. The urge to rub the ache in my chest was suddenly overwhelming. What the hell is wrong with me?

  “What’s everyone up to?” the woman asked. Her voice had a raspy quality to it. This has to be Isabella, I thought. Zane had told me Isabella’s voice reminded him of Stevie Nicks from Fleetwood Mac. I completely agreed with him. I glanced up at her and she was staring straight at me. “Hi, I’m Isabella,” she smiled.

  “I’m Cathryn or Cat,” I stammered.

  “Cat is Zane’s new apartment manager,” Dillon told her. Isabella started to say something when a loud banging noise blasted from the stage area. A few people shouted and one female screeched. Dillon sighed and shook his head. “We’d better go see what they’ve screwed up now. He smiled down at me. “Nice meeting you Cat.”

  “I hope you like the show,” Isabella added.

  When they turned to leave I noticed her baby bump.

  “She’s pregnant,” I gasped.

  “Yeah, can you believe it? She only shows from the side, lucky bitch,” Lena laughed. She waved a dishtowel at Kurt, who was staring at the stage with concern. “You should see his wife, Joss. She’s ready to pop and she barely looks pregnant. Kurt turned and gave us a sexy wink then he took off across the bar toward the stage.

  “Good God, Lena!” I all but shrieked and she laughed.

  “Girl, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet. If you think Dillon and Kurt are hot, wait until Max McLellan and his crew come in here tonight. You are going to stroke out.”

  “Give me a drink,” I ordered. A catchy country song I’d never heard of started playing and Lena danced behind the bar and sang along while she made my drink. “Who is this?” I asked when she sat my drink in front of me. “It’s Blake Shelton’s new tune. I think it’s called Gonn
a, or something like that.” She nodded to my drink. “Take a sip and tell me what you think.” I took a sip and swished it around in my mouth. It tasted like watermelon and something I couldn’t place.

  “Watermelon?” I asked.

  “Watermelon Vodka, a splash of 7-Up and lime,” she told me. I took another sip and smiled. It was good. The sound of guitars warming up caused the crowd to clap and cheer. I swiveled my stool around to watch the stage and sip my drink. I was well into my second drink when Dillon appeared on stage. The crowd went crazy. The guy had a serious rocker vibe going.

  “You ready for round three?” Lena asked.

  Swiveling around, I held out my glass. “Hit me.”

  “Okay but with this one I’m giving you a glass of water.” I was okay with that. For the first time in weeks I actually felt relaxed. Even though I was worried about Zane I was having a great time.

  Dillon held up his hands to quiet the crowd. “Ibbs does a much better job of talking than I do but I wanted to say a few words tonight. The past few weeks we lost two of my idols, David Bowie and Glenn Frey. Tonight, if it’s okay with you guys, I want to honor them.” The crowd cheered.

  Isabella pulled her guitar into her lap and began strumming the opening chords to Take It Easy. My dad loved the Eagles and played their songs all the time when I was growing up. Dillon started singing. He was good, as in really, really good. I turned to Lena and mouthed, “Oh My God.”

  “Told you,” she mouthed back.

  In the middle of Isabella’s kick ass version of Bowie’s Rebel Rebel, Lena told the people sitting next to me to take a hike. Before I had a chance to ask her why, I saw them heading my way. Three of the guys I’d never seen before but the fourth I knew a little too well. Zane. My eyes shot to Lena and she was grinning like a loon. “Max McLellan,” she mouthed. One by one the guys sat down. Lena introduced me to everyone. When Zane picked the furthest stool from me my heart dropped. When he barely acknowledged my existence, it cracked in two.