Page 80 of Roar for Me
Duncan waved him off. “I’m not sleeping well.”
Carlos turned his head to one side and raised an eyebrow. “We’ve worked together for quite a while, Duncan, and this is the first I’ve seen you so distracted. I know this project means a lot to you. I thought it was because of your girlfriend—”
“She’s not my girlfriend,” Duncan cut him off sharply. Then his voice got quiet, as he ran a hand through his hair. “She’s made that clear.”
Carlos nodded. “I’m sorry. Do you still want to look in Pennsylvania for a factory?”
“I do,” Duncan started. “My son is out there. I need to make up for lost time. So, I’m still committed to Riverton. Just not for the same reason.”
A frown creased Carlos’s forehead. “Isn’t she the whole reason for this major endeavor?”
Duncan felt a headache coming on, and a dull ache in his chest. When was the last time he ate? “She was the inspiration.” His mind wandered to that night before the reunion, listening to her rant about the plastic waste in the medical industry. “What time is it?”
Carlos checked the clock behind Duncan, and his eyes narrowed. “About two o’clock. Did you eat lunch?”
“No, and that’s not helping. I’m going to order some pad thai. Do you want anything?”
“Thanks, but I ate before the meeting.”
“Well, could you run some numbers on shipping from Pennsylvania to California? I don’t want to counteract our cost savings on real estate with higher shipping costs.”
“I’ll email you a report. Why don’t you take the afternoon off? You seem like you could use it.”
Duncan sighed and looked out the wall of windows at the city below. His distraction today almost cost them the contract, and his chance of getting Aurora’s attention again. The goal, of course, was not only to contract with Kaiser—that was the first step. Getting their buy-in ensured EcoPlastic was going to be a market leader. Deep down, Duncan prayed she’d stop ignoring his calls if he could get them into medical plastics. She’d been his inspiration, and he wanted her to know it. But he couldn’t bring himself to keep calling when she wouldn’t answer. He’d been abandoned again, and he didn’t know what to do about it except pray this got back to her without him.
“I think you’re right. I need to clear my head.” He smiled at his assistant. He’d be running the rest of EcoPlastic while Duncan was getting the medical plastics division off the ground. He knew Carlos could handle the rest of the day’s work. “I’ll see you Monday.” He rose and headed for the door, resolving to get the pad thai on his way home.
“Try some melatonin so you get some sleep, boss. Or call her.”
“I’ll try the melatonin; it can’t ignore my calls.” He gave a sad smile. “Have a great weekend.”
Aurora had forgotten to pack her lunch that day, so instead of heading right home, she went to the café a few blocks from her office. They had excellent soup, and a bowl of chicken noodle would go down easy. She found a corner booth in the back where she could be alone.
As she spooned the hot, salty broth, Lizzie, Stacey, and Carrie appeared in front of her table. “What are you three doing here?” Aurora asked, eyeing Lizzie’s grocery store uniform.
Carrie had her mouth drawn tight, a look she’d used on their kids when they acted out. “This is an intervention.”
“What about the kids? Work? Are you guys playing hooky?”
“Laura is home sick from school with my mom, and Stacey has the day off.”
“And I told my staff I had a family emergency,” Lizzie added.
As one, they slid into her booth, Carrie on her right, and Lizzie to her left, with Stacey on Lizzie’s other side, caging her in.
“My boss sent me home early. I wasn’t feeling well. I thought soup would help.” Aurora returned to eating. “There’s no emergency.”
“Oh, she’s going to be stubborn.” Carrie wasn’t usually the first to call on her on her bullshit.
“Would you expect anything less from my sister?” asked Lizzie.
The other girls shook their heads.
“What happened with Duncan?”
“I ended it.”
One beat. Two beats. Three …
