Chapter 9
The next morning Kelly stopped by Bob’s to tell him what she wanted to do about the job. He told her it was fine, just as long as she was willing to put in the time on the home improvement account. Kelly promised him that he would get her best and that she would do whatever it took to win them over, with Andrew’s help.
Andrew saw her pass his office, and he waved her in and motioned for her to sit. “So, are you back?”
“I talked to Mike. He wanted me to try this account and see how it went coming back full time. Then I can decide.”
That day, Andrew and Kelly worked non-stop, ordering lunch and dinner in. Kelly called Mike about 5:00 to let him know she would be getting home late. The ideas flowed freely and easily between Kelly and Andrew, and before she knew it, it was 10:00.
“Oh my gosh!” Kelly exclaimed. “I have to get home. I can’t believe it’s so late.”
Andrew looked at his watch, surprised. “We must have really been on a roll. I need to get home too.” He smiled. “I guess Bob was right; we make a good team.”
Kelly yawned and stretched. “Well this team member is sleepy. See you tomorrow.”
Kelly got home and went straight to bed, where Mike was already asleep. He didn’t stir when Kelly got into bed. She breathed a deep sigh, thinking about all that they had accomplished that day, and then she drifted quickly into sleep.
Morning came before Kelly knew it, and she struggled to open her eyes and turn off the alarm. She took a shower and woke the boys. She was drinking coffee when Mike walked into the kitchen.
“You must be tired,” Mike said, kissing her on the cheek. What time did you get in last night?”
“A little after 10:00. I had no idea we had worked that long. We did get a lot done though. Hopefully I won’t be that late today.” She rinsed out her coffee cup, called to the boys, and left for work.
“Good morning,” Andrew called to her from his office. “Didn’t I just see you a few hours ago?” He laughed.
Kelly walked into his office and rolled her eyes. “Don’t remind me. I didn’t even move after I went to bad last night. I think I’m getting to old for those all-nighters.”
“Oh please,” Andrew rolled his eyes. “I’ll give you a few minutes to finish waking up, and then we’ll get started again.”
“Slave driver,” Kelly scowled at Andrew and went to her office.
Their work moved as quickly that morning as it had the night before. They discussed and sometimes disagreed, but the presentation was coming together nicely, they had to admit. At 12:30, Mike closed his laptop and said, “I’m not ordering in today. Let’s go somewhere for lunch and get out of this office.”
“Sounds good to me.”
They went to a Mexican place downtown and ordered lunch. While they ate they discussed all they had accomplished that morning. Gradually, their conversation shifted to their lives and families. Kelly listened as Andrew talked about his family; they seemed very close. He told her about his family’s home and his dog, Scrunchy, who was 16 years old.
“Scrunchy?” Kelly laughed. “Who came up with that name?”
“My little brother,” Andrew said. “I didn’t like it, but Mom and Dad thought it was hysterical. Before I could change it, Scrunchy was already coming when people called him.”
They talked and laughed, and before they knew it, it was 2:00. They each paid for their lunch. Kelly shaded her eyes from the bright sunlight as they walked outside. “I sure hate to go back to that dismal office on a day like this. But I guess we had better get back to work.”
“You know, I think the past couple of days, we’ve worked hard enough. What do you think?”
“You thinking of going home to catch up your non-existent sleep last night?” Kelly asked.
“Nah,” Andrew thought for a minute. “Hey, have you seen Pearl Harbor?”
“No, I wanted to. But it’s not in the theater anymore.”
“Yeah it is. You know that small theater, the one that shows movies after they leave the big theaters? Let’s go see it.”
“The boys get out of school at 3:00, and I’m not sure if Mike can pick them up at the sitter’s or not.”
“Call him and see.”
For just a moment, it seemed a little strange to be going to a movie. But it was no big deal, and besides, Andrew was eleven years younger than she was. He could be her little brother. There was no question of ulterior motives, just two colleagues catching a movie. Kelly dialed home – no answer. His cell went straight to voicemail. “Hey Mike, I still have lots of work to do, and I might be late. Could you pick up the boys at the sitter’s?”
“Sure,” Mike replied. “That will give me an excuse to go home early.”
Kelly wasn’t sure why she had told a lie, and Andrew didn’t mention it. But it was just a little white lie. Just in case Mike read too much into it. He had seemed so strange lately.
They made it to the theater just in time to see the 2:20 showing. Since they had both just eaten, they didn’t get any refreshments. As they sat down, Kelly rifled through her purse and found her Altoids. “Mint?”
“Why, do I stink?” Andrew laughed.
Kelly blushed. “No, I just have this paranoia about my breath.”
“OK, that is one of the weirdest paranoia’s I have heard. Why are you paranoid about your breath?”
“It’s nothing. It’s stupid.”
“No, you’re not getting out of this one. It’s too intriguing.”
“Okay,” Kelly sighed. “If you must know, Mike is very sensitive to smells. He doesn’t like to kiss when my breath stinks.”
“No way!”
“Yeah,” Kelly smiled. “In fact, the first time we kissed, we were at his house. His mom had made this spicy Mexican dish. Everyone else had gone to bed. He kept getting closer and closer on the couch. I figured he was finally going to kiss me. But he seemed nervous. I asked him what was wrong, and he said, ‘Would you go brush your teeth?’ I laughed hysterically and kept asking him, ‘Why? Are you planning something?’”
Andrew was dumbfounded. “You laughed? Why would you laugh?”
“It was funny, you know. I could tell he wanted to kiss me.”
“Sorry, Kelly, but I just don’t think that’s funny.” Andrew looked at her and he could tell he had made her uncomfortable. “I’m sorry. That was out of line. I assume he planted a big one on you,” he joked.
“Yes, he sure did.”
The lights dimmed then, and the previews began. Kelly thought about what Andrew had said. I guess it wouldn’t seem funny to some people. But Mike had been looking at her like she was a lifeboat and he was a drowning man. It was funny.
The movie was incredible. It had action, drama, the occasional bit of laughter, and lots of romance. Kelly got lost in the story. At one point, she realized that she was crying and that her shoulders were actually shaking. She looked at Andrew, and he was studying her.
“You okay Kelly?”
“I always cry at movies,” she whispered. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. You want me to get you some napkins?” As he asked her, he touched her hand. For a moment, the screen seemed to go blank. Kelly couldn’t answer him. After a few second, Andrew coughed. “I’ll go get some napkins.”
While he was gone, Kelly felt panicky over the electricity she felt. She wanted to leave the theater; she knew she should leave the theater. But she didn’t have a car. And she couldn’t ask Mike to come get her when she had lied about where she would be. She forced herself to relax. Andrew was showing brotherly concern. And anyway, it was a sad, sentimental movie. She hadn’t been to a movie in ages, and she wasn’t going to let something trivial and meaningless ruin it. So Andrew touched her hand. Big deal. No way had he meant anything by it. Why on earth would he?
After the movie, Andrew dropped her off at home. It was 5:15. When
she walked in, the boys were working on a puzzle. Kelly had bought for Mike the previous Christmas, and she glad to see he had finally broken it out – it was nice seeing them all gathered around the coffee table. All her guys working together. Mike looked up when she dropped her keys on the table in the entryway.
“How’s the advertising world going? Did you get a lot done today?”
“Still needs a few finishing touches. I think we’re getting close now.”
“Wow, this must be some big deal account. You’ve spent hours writing it.”
Kelly felt a twinge of guilt and started to say that she and Andrew had blown off the afternoon and gone to a movie. But it didn’t seem relevant. “What do my guys want for supper?”
“Why don’t we order in? You must be tired after working all day.”
“I’m fine,” Kelly said. “In fact, I have a package of chicken breast in the refrigerator. Why don’t I fry some chicken.”
Mike smiled and nodded. “That would be great. You fried chicken is even better than Mom’s now.”
“Wow, now that’s a compliment!”
An hour later, they were all sitting down to chicken, broccoli, creamed corn, and homemade biscuits. Mike ate, complimented her cooking twice, and ate some more. Kelly beamed. It felt so good to be appreciated. After dinner, Mike offered to help her clean the kitchen. Then, when he went into the den, she decided to catch up on the laundry and do a few things around the house. By 9:00, most of the laundry was clean and put away, the kitchen was mopped, both bathrooms were cleaned, and every room except the den had been vacuumed. Kelly plopped onto the couch and sighed.
“Boy,” Mike said. “Maybe this going back to work is a good thing. The house hasn’t looked this good in weeks.”
Kelly wasn’t sure whether that was really a compliment or not. She didn’t say anything in response.
“Hey, I meant that in a good way, Kelly,” Mike said, and he touched her hand. She waited for the television screen to go blank like the movie screen had, but it didn’t.
“I know,” Kelly smiled. “I am sweaty, and I smell like Lysol. I think I’ll take a shower.”
Kelly stood in the shower letting the hot water stream over her. The day had been a good one. She felt more lighthearted than she had in a long time. The grant writing was going well – she had a gut feeling they were sure to get it. The house really was cleaner than it had been in a while. Mike had complemented her and helped her. She clicked off the mental list in her head. What she didn’t add to the list was how much fun she had had with Andrew that day.