Page 12 of Beauty and the Grease
“Decided to finally show up, I see,” Cliff barks.
Linda lightly touches Cliff’s sleeve. “Welcome, Chase.” She’s classy and put together with eyes of steel that kindness never quite reaches. “You brought a guest. Hello, I’m Linda, Chief Financial Officer.”
“Jenny—Jennifer Dixon.” She shakes Linda’s outstretched hand. “Technically, I’m a CFO myself.”
Linda’s eyes widen a fraction with interest. “Oh?”
“And I’m VP of Sales and Marketing… I own my own business, back in Derby.” She beams.
“Derby? I’m not familiar.”
“It’s a small town about fifteen miles from here. As for today, I’m here for the spa.”
Linda’s smile is impenetrable. I can’t tell if Jenny’s won her over or she’s just that good at small talk. Maybe both. “The hot stone massage is incredible—my pick if you haven’t settled on a service.” Linda looks to me. “So nice that you brought someone to the retreat. We’ll have to get Jennifer together with the other spouses and significant others.”
“Oh, actually, she’s—” but Linda has moved on, nowtalking to Ben.
“Sorry,” I half-mouth, half-speak to Jenny.
She shrugs. “Once the weather clears, I’ll take off. You can tell them I booked myself the entire weekend at the spa. Less explaining overall.”
Linda and Cliff check in on another group, leaving Ben and several other coworkers, who immediately focus on Jenny. “What company do you run?” Angelina, a sales associate ten years my junior, asks.
“A repair shop with roadside assistance company.”
Angelina smiles, but judgment shoulders its way past the pleasant expression. “Oh, how interesting.” Thankfully, she moves on. “And how did you meet Chase?”
No, not thankfully. This this is not good.Notgood. We don’t have a plan for this. Who ever thought we’d need a plan for this?
“We met our last year of college,” Jenny answers. Which is the truth.
“You two reconnected recently, then?” Ben asks.
“Yes,” we both say at once. At least we’re on the same page there.
“Good to see you’re moving on.” Ben gives me a look both proud and pitying. He’s the one guy I’m close enough with at work who knows how hard it’s been the past few years.
I don’t let any other coworkers in on my personal life. Even with Ben, we’re sort of at arm’s length. This companydevours weakness or exploits it. Any performance less than 110% is handled passive-aggressively. More like plain aggressively.
Linda, for as smiling and polite as she appeared, is a shark beneath a navy-blue blazer. Don’t get me started on Cliff.
Jenny drifts to the yoga women and seems to hit it off. Not sure if she sensed I needed breathing room or she’s tired of me. Doesn’t matter. She didn’t sign up for this.
I check my phone only to find more angry messages from Lisa on how I’ve ruined her weekend. Then, an update: Lisa’s sister is taking the kids. Which is great. They love their aunt and their cousins are close in age. Hopefully, Owen and Emma won’t feel like they’re being cast off. My goal is always to prevent the kids from experiencing any aftermath of our issues as parents.
But they always feel some element of aftermath. If I can minimize it, that’s at least something. Father of the year here, just looking to minimize damage.
My gaze lands on Jenny. Her smile lights up her face as she energetically chats with the yoga women.
I love how Jenny confidently told Linda she’s a CFO. Jenny knows who she is. She’s made a life for herself and has the drive to achieve what she wants.
My thoughts wander to what life would have been like had we never broken up. Had I never ended our life together. Would she be this confident? Or would I have ruined that too?
CHAPTER 7
Jenny
My bingo card for this year didn’t include befriending a yoga studio in a storm shelter with my many-moons-ago phantom ex-husband, but here we are.
