Chapter 3

I should have been a little more specific when I was talking to Julie. She took my invitation literally and two days later she showed up at my office.

I was on a conference call still dealing with the fallout from Moorman Industry's demise when I saw Julie, Danielle and Belinda standing in the doorway.

I lost my train of thought immediately and I couldn't seem to regain it even after they saw I was busy and left.

When I finally was able to get off the phone I found the three women sitting in the conference room drinking coffee. I could tell by the quick silence that claimed the room when I walked in that I was the topic of conversation.

"Don't let me interrupt," I said pointedly. "Danielle, Belinda, I'm sure you have some work to do somewhere."

Both women looked at me and shook their heads.

"All finished, Boss," Danielle said in a fake southern drawl. "You won't have to paddle our asses this evening."

I shot my former wife a glance but she was sitting demurely studying the writing on her coffee cup.

"We invited Julie to have lunch with us," Belinda said. "We really are caught up on things. Is it OK if we take the afternoon off?"

She knew she didn't have to ask. If her work was finished I saw no reason for her to sit in the office just for the sake of being there.

"I'll log you off when I leave," I said. "I apologize for the comment I made to Julie. It was meant in jest."

Danielle and Belinda both rolled their eyes at me as they got ready to head out of the room.

"You never know," Danielle said as she wiggled her behind at me. "I might just have enjoyed it."

I spoke to Julie for a few minutes while her new buddies closed out what they were working on and we made arrangements to meet at 5 p.m. for dinner.

Danielle popped her head into my office before they left.

"Uh, David," she stammered. "About that, uh, in the conference room. I hope I didn't embarrass you. It was harmless, you know. I mean, you saw me in my undies in L.A. I just don't want problems."

I was one of only two males in the department when it started and it had taken some time to break the women from sharing intimate details in loud voices. Most of them had worked with only one or two others in their previous jobs and none had worked with a male in proximity. It wasn't unusual for them to discuss feminine hygiene or other things that I neither wanted to know about nor needed to hear about.

"I know," I said. "I shouldn't have made a joke about it to Julie. I can't see any problems arising from it. Just make sure you don't make that offer too many times. Next time, you never know."

I figured if she wasn't offended and I wasn't offended it didn't hurt to make light of it.

She laughed but there was an exaggerated sway to her hips as she walked away. She looked back over her shoulder and smiled when she saw me watching.

Sexual harassment lawsuit, here I come!

It was a few minutes before three when Julie called.

"Do I need to get a hotel room?" she asked and I could hear Danielle and Belinda urging her on in the background.

"I guess that depends if you mind sleeping in your car," I said as I tried to hide a laugh.

"Oh," she said.

I heard Danielle in the background and then her voice on the phone.

"What did you say to her?" she asked.

I repeated it.

"You better have been kidding," she insisted. "It wouldn't hurt you to let her stay."

"Well," I said. "I was going to do exactly that after I let her stew for a minute. But someone apparently grabbed the phone away from her. Now I can't let her stay with me because she will think it was your idea and not mine. I guess she'll just have to stay with you."

I don't think she could tell if I was joking or not. I'm not exactly known for my sense of humor at the office.

"Kidding," I said. "I'm kidding. If you'll just hand her the phone back I swear I'll make amends."

"My ass might not be the only one smacked," Danielle said and in a second Julie was back on the line.

"I'm sorry to upset you," I said. "I was kidding. You can stay at the house. I still live where I did last time you were here."

That brought an uncomfortable silence from Julie.

"I had hoped you had moved," she said.

"Moved? Hell, I haven't even changed the locks," I replied. "If you still have your key it still works in the front door."

"I probably still have the key somewhere," she replied. "But not with me. We'll still meet you for dinner. Any chance you can get away early?"

There wasn't and I knew it.

"Not today," I said. "I might even be a little late. I'm expecting another call in a few minutes. I never know how long those will last. I'll be no later than 5:30 p.m. though. I'll see to that."

I finished up a little after 5 and was getting ready to call Julie's cell phone to figure out where we were meeting when the sound of laughter drew me to the conference room.

There on the whiteboard, instead of facts and figures pertaining to our work, were caricatures of every member of the staff drawn in Dry-Erase marker. Julie was just finishing up when I walked in.

"I'll stop and get a new board on my way in tomorrow," Danielle said. "I think I can lacquer this one and we can keep it."

I nodded my assent. I had allowed the staff to decorate their workspaces in any manner they saw fit. The only rule was no offensive language or artwork. Since everyone in the drawing had clothes on, I saw no harm.

"Take the money out of petty cash before you go," I said. "Just remember the receipt."

"You forgot David," another member of the group said. "And there's no space for him."

Julie looked at the board.

"I don't draw pictures of David," she said. "Well, I don't share the pictures I draw of David. Maybe someday I'll put something together for you."

Everyone was looking at her to continue but I knew she had said all she would.

"OK, everyone," I interrupted. "You know the rules. It's after 5 and you're still here. Get out."

"You don't have to go home but you can't stay here," the group replied in unison as they started to the door. Julie was dressed casually so I was thinking about a chain restaurant for dinner. She surprised me.

"Let's stop at the market and I'll cook tonight," she said. "I assume you still have a few kitchen utensils."

The shocked look on my face was unmistakable. Julie hated to cook and she was terrible at it. Cooking was always my department.

"Uh, maybe that's not such a great plan," I said. "I have all the items necessary but I haven't checked the smoke detector batteries in, well, probably five years."

I was further stunned when Julie gave me the finger.

"I can cook," she stated. "Well, I can cook a little. I fix a steak and a salad and things like that. It would be what you ordered if we went out anyway."

Julie had taken a taxi from the airport so we loaded up in my pickup and headed to what used to our home.

"I had hoped you got rid of this piece of crap, too," Julie said with a laugh. "You kept everything else and just got rid of me."

I replied with a shrug.

"Everything else still worked," I said. I instantly regretted it but I couldn't take it back.

"I guess you're right," Julie said sadly. "Maybe we can change that outcome this time."

I figured it was as good a time as any to come clean with Julie.

"I'm not looking for that kind of relationship with you," I confessed. "We can try to make it as friends but I think that is as far as I can go. I'm sorry if that isn't going to be enough."

"You've been upfront with me from the beginning," Julie said. "So I'm going to do the same."

She got a determined look on her face.

"I'm going to do everything I can to win back your trust and your respect," she continued. "And eventually your love."

I looked over at her.

"You've never lost my respect or my love, Julie," I said. "Until you confirmed my suspicions about L.A., you still had my trust. I just love you and respect you more when we aren't together."

I got an icy stare for my efforts.

"You can say that all you want about the person who left here five years ago," she said firmly. "I spent an afternoon with people who have worked beside you for years and they learned more in an afternoon with me than they have in all that time with you.

"You were never like that. You were friends with everyone you worked with and half the people you dealt with. You used to play softball and go to football games. We would go to barbeques and picnics. Even when I couldn't go, you would. Now you don't. You've changed and not for the better. So have I. If I accomplish nothing else, I'm going to drag you back kicking and screaming to the person you were. And I'm going to do it quickly. Once you're there, you'll see that our outlooks on life are similar."

I bit my tongue and watched the road. Over the years I had learned to temper my comments for the most part and this certainly seemed like the time.

"Go on and say it," she said. "I know I'm the cause of any changes on your part. I may be the reason but you're the one who let it happen. The same is true for me. You're the reason I've changed but I'm the one who made the decision to do it. You can say whatever you want to me. I deserve whatever you have to offer and then some.