FRAGILE: Part 1 (2 page)

“Oh yeah,” I say. “Of course it would be Mr. Richardson. Like, not only was I wrong that he wasn’t a thief, but it was Mr. Eli Richardson, CEO of Marnvell Jewelers—one of our biggest distributors, no less. Goodness gracious.”

I’m glad to hear Larisa and Mrs. King laugh. It makes me feel like everything is going to be just fine, as anxious as I am.

***

“So,” Jonah says as he closes the door behind me, “Larisa didn’t tell me much, except that this is a preventative meeting.”

I smile at Jonah as a take a seat in the black leather chair in front of his cherry wood desk. Jonah Varrihan is my lawyer, and I notice a slight tinge of gray in his otherwise black hair that is swept back. He looks smart in his dark suit—although there’s a slight line in his brow, one that he only got when I’d made really bad mess-ups for my company in the past.

“Everything is fine,” I say, “but I thought I better tell you why I never made it to the office a few days ago. Plus, I thought you’d like a good laugh.”

Jonah blinks at me, frowning a little. “Okay. Go ahead.”

Five minutes later, Jonah has his face in his hands. I can see his shoulders are moving as he chuckles, but he’s shaking his head and running a hand through his hair.

“Ruby, Ruby, Ruby,” Jonah says. “Words…do not describe….” He sighs and looks at me, smirking. “Well, I respect your efforts to stop the ‘thief.’ It’s just unfortunate that not only was he not a thief, but he was Mr. Richardson.”

“I know,” I say.

“So you got off with a warning?” Jonah asks.

“Yes.” I pull out the ticket, as well as the report they had given me, and hand these to Jonah. He looks it over and breathes a sigh of relief.

“At least Mr. Richardson was in a good mood,” Jonah says. “Did you apologize?”

“Many times at the station,” I say.

“You know, it might be good to do a more formal apology, now that some time has passed,” Jonah says. “Send a gift. Flowers, or something. Make it clear that you really are sorry.”

I lift my eyebrows as an idea comes to mind. “I could gift him jewelry,” I say.

“That will work,” Jonah says. “But you better meet him at his office. You’ll have to be careful with the harassment warning until some time has passed.”

“Okay,” I say.

My mind is already pouring over jewelry pieces, trying to think of something more masculine. We have some men’s watches that I’m particularly proud of, and I think through them, deciding which one I’ll pick. There’s one watch in particular that I really like; we set it in clear glass so that people can actually see the cogs working underneath. It’s fascinating to watch, and I love how open the watch is.

“Ruby?”

“Hm?”

“You heard me?”

“Meet Mr. Richardson at his office,” I say. “I’ll have Larisa schedule the appointment.”

Jonah smirks. “I just recognize that look. You’re off looking through your jewelry. Or designing something new.”

“Looking through jewelry,” I say. I sigh. “I haven’t had a new idea in forever.”

“It’ll come to you. Your muse just needs a rest. Goodness, you worked her hard enough to make Ruby’s Jewelry into what it is today,” Jonah says.

I laugh. “Yeah. I wasn’t very kind. That’s probably why she keeps sending headaches my way.”

“See? Maybe you should stop working weekends—at least for a few months,” Jonah says.

“You’re always trying to get me stop working weekends!”

“That’s because you’ve seemed a little more run down lately,” Jonah says.

I roll my eyes. “Between you and Larisa, I don’t need to call my mom.”

Jonah laughs, as he leans onto the desk, watching my face. “Alright, I’ll lay off, but I’m serious. You just haven’t been your normal, peppy self for the last couple of weeks.”

“I’m fine. Am I not sending enough work your way? Should I go out and assault more folks for ‘stealing’ stuff that belongs to them?” I ask.

“Dear God, no,” Jonah says.

I laugh, as Jonah, shaking his head and smiling, shuffles my warning ticket and report into a file folder to store away and hopefully never to be seen again.

***

On Friday, I stand in my walk-in closet, looking over my outfits, feeling anxious and exhilarated at the same time. Larisa had informed me that I had an appointment with Eli—today, at five o’clock—which surprised me, given how busy he had to be. I can’t decide if that means he really wants to meet me, or if he wants to get it over as soon as possible.

My first thought is to pick one of my more professional-looking suits. Go in, totally business-like, and represent Ruby’s Jewelry in good old owner-style fashion. Then, my hand grazes over one of my favorite red cocktail dresses.

While some people may be annoyed that their name is a product of their business, I relish it. I love the color of red, and I’d jokingly thanked my mom for my name as my business had grown. We laugh about it often on the phone.

I suddenly recall Eli tackling me and the feel of his strong body. My mouth goes dry, and a chill runs through me, as I imagine his lips as they move and his deep voice rumbling through me. He really is very attractive, and I’d give anything to date him. I’d be a lover, if that is all he wants, even though I have no idea what that really means.

I look between my suit and my dress, conflicted. I want to look professional. But there’s a part of me, a very small part of me, which hopes that maybe Eli is as interested in me as I am in him. He doesn’t have a girlfriend, and there hadn’t been a wedding ring, which had been part of the other reason I’d assumed he was a thief so quickly.

I take the dress off the hanger and slip into it, adding a pair of newly purchased nude heels to the outfit. I turn in front of my floor-length mirror, inspecting my image. Red looks great on my coffee-colored skin, and this dress is definitely one of my better outfits, accenting my curves and just long enough not to be slutty but short enough to show off my legs. I’m quite tall and most of my height is in my legs. I add gold jewelry to the look, put on makeup, and check myself out again. I am rocking it.

Would Eli be interested?

Well,
I think,
it never hurts to try!
I toss my black curls over my shoulder, smiling wryly, and the brown-eyed girl in the mirror gains a sultry look.

***

“You’re going like that, Miss Jennings?” Larisa asks.

“Yes.”

I can see Larisa calculating the amount of cleavage and leg I am showing behind her black-rimmed glasses. “Are you sure?”

I smile. “I am.”

I put a long black coat over me. It is a beautiful, much cooler day, and while I could have done with a smaller jacket this late into the afternoon, I decide to look more professional on the initial greeting. If Eli really isn’t interested, I want to retain some dignity with him and his staff. I don’t even know who else was going to be there, and I have to assume that at least Eli’s lawyer may be there. So, I want to have the ability to stay professional. However, if things go well, I want to look stunning.

Larisa, who is standing by my desk, sets a bouquet of flowers on the desk, a card, and a black box. I check the box, admiring the gold watch inside. I sign the card with a quick “So sorry!” and my name, close it up, and inspect the flowers.

“Looks good!” I say. “Thank you.”

“You’re quite welcome, Miss Jennings. The secretary you’ll be speaking with is Kim.” Larisa glances at the large clock in my office. “Are you sure you don’t want me to drive you?”

“No need,” I say.

“I’m just worried,” Larisa says.

I smile. “Thanks, but really, I’ll be fine. I did knock the poor guy out.”

Larisa chuckles. “I’m less worried then.”

“Fine, I’ll text you on how things are going,” I say.

“Thank you,” Larisa says. She breathes out a sigh of relief. “Was there anything else you need? The cab should be here soon.”

“Nope, you’ve done great. Thank you, Larisa. Please go home. And have a good weekend!”

Larisa smiles. She’s well aware that I work most weekends, but recently I’d insisted that she go home and have weekends to herself. Probably for the same reason that Jonah and Larisa keep telling me to do the same thing. Maybe it’s a double-standard, but my business is my joy, and it’s not a job like it is for others, so I really don’t mind working on it on the weekends.

“You too, Miss Jennings,” Larisa says. “Let me know if you want to meet. I have plans Saturday, but nothing on Sunday.”

“Sounds good! Thanks again!”

“You’re welcome. See you!” Larisa calls. She smiles at me, and we wave as I walk out.

I bid the rest of my staff a good weekend, encouraging them to go home as I leave. I’ve got a great group of people working for me, and while I work them hard, I also have no problem letting them off early. The company continues to excel, so I want my employees as happy as possible. It makes them eager to come in Monday, and not as zombies. At least, once we all got coffee in us—even I wasn’t exactly thrilled to work early in the morning.

The cab takes me to the corporate building of Marnvell Jewelers, and I stare up at the high building as we park in front of it. I had been there once just to visit the place, but Eli had been out, and another supervisor and salesman had given me a tour.

Paying the driver and tipping him, I exit the cap, double-checking that I have my black clutch, card, box, and flowers in hand, and then I walk into the building. It is pristine inside, the windows shining neatly, everything in white and faded colors, sterile and lacking personality, like a hospital. I’m thankful that I decided on my black jacket; my red dress would’ve stuck out like a period dot on a new feminine pad. The bright orange, yellow, and red flowers in my hands look exuberant in here as it is.

Kim, the secretary, is a very petite woman with a short bob of brown hair, and she gives me a distant smile, though she eyes my flowers with interest. “Miss Jennings, I presume?” she asks.

“That’s correct,” I say. I flash her the friendliest smile I can. “Is Mr. Richardson available for our five o’clock appointment?”

“Let me check, Miss Jennings,” Kim says. She picks up a telephone on her uncluttered desk, and I half turn away to give her a little privacy. “Miss Jennings is here. Yes, sir.” She puts the phone down. “Mr. Richardson will see you in his office.” She points at an elevator not far from the front desk. “Twelfth floor, very last door down the hall.”

“Thank you,” I say. I give her another smile and walk towards the elevator.

I take deep breaths, trying to stay calm, and the elevator rings and comes to a stop sooner than I’m ready. The door opens, revealing another tiled, exquisitely-clean and lifeless hall with perfectly-straight and symmetrical pictures, certificates, and awards on the white walls. It’s very quiet, and I can’t help but note the loud click of my heels on the floor. I reach the last door, which is a large oak door, and I take another breath and knock on it.

“Come in,” Eli says, his deep voice unmistakable.

I open the door, unsurprised to see a very dull room with everything as neatly organized and boring as the rest of the building. There is a large black desk in the middle of the room, a computer to one side and files on the other. The leather chairs and one lounge sofa match the black desk, and off to one side is a dark cabinet.

I am surprised, however, and glad that the only one in the office is Eli. He sits at his desk, dressed in a black suit this time, no less handsome than when I saw him before, perhaps more so now that I knew he isn’t a thief. He is looking down at some papers, and when I walk in he looks up at me. His gaze is initially hard, but it softens as he looks at the flowers and items in my hands.

I smile as I close the door. “Thank you for seeing me, Mr. Richardson,” I say. I set everything on his desk slowly.

Eli nods his head at the coat rack right beside the door. “You may put your coat there, Miss Jennings.”

Trying not to look as apprehensive as I feel, I shed my coat and hang it on the coat rack, and turn in time to see Eli’s eyes widen a little as he takes me in—although he keeps his face impassive. I pause just long enough to let him see me from head to foot before I sit down in the chair in front of his desk.

Eli looks down at his papers—although I notice his eyes aren’t reading anything. Then, he shuffles the papers together and sets them aside and peers over the items I set on his desk.

“It’s just a little something,” I say.

Eli seems on guard as he looks at the flowers, and after a time, he sets them to one corner of his desk, and then he opens the card. His eyes skim it, he sets the card aside, and then he opens the box. Now, he blinks and leans closer, inspecting the watch.

“I don’t think I’ve seen this piece before,” Eli says. “Did you make this?”

“Yes,” I say. “I don’t think Marnvell Jewelers carries this watch line.” I take a breath. “I wanted to come, see how you were doing, and offer a more formal apology. I’m really, really sorry about the other day.”

Eli’s square jaw tightens for a moment, and his once kissable-looking lips press together to form a thin line. “I’ve had a bump on my head for days now,” he says.