Falling for Maria Read online

  “I’ve never met one of our clients in person,” Maria continued. “Wearing bright colors or strappy dresses hasn’t had a negative impact on my job performance and shouldn’t for anyone else either.”

  “There have been studies… Maria… that have been conducted for decades that prove that a dress code in a workplace adds to the employees’ productivity,” Walker said in a slow voice as if he was speaking to a child. “It ensures fewer distractions and fewer temptations to veer into off-topic conversations.”

  “That might be the case,” Maria said, “and I don’t mean to refute decades of research, but this sounds like an argument between parents discussing whether or not their kids should wear school uniforms.” She looked around the table at her co-workers. No one met her eyes.

  Really?

  She turned back to Walker, finding it disconcerting that he was watching her carefully.

  “I’ll make a note of your thoughts,” he said, when in fact he wasn’t writing anything down at all. Then, as if he’d just cut her off, he said, “Next on the agenda is the cubicle spaces. I trust everyone has read the guidelines. Are there questions?”

  Maria waited a heartbeat, then lifted a hand again.

  Walker acted as if he’d expected her to. One side of his mouth lifted ever so slightly as if he was amused. Was he mocking her?

  “Yes, Maria?” he said in a perfectly even voice.

  “I work better if I don’t feel like I’m going to fall asleep surrounded by gray and tan partitions.”

  One of Walker’s eyebrows shot up.

  Maria pressed on. “I mean, we’re a marketing company. We should be allowed to bring things in that give us inspiration and encourage our creativity.”

  Across the table, Lisa was nodding. Maybe she’d at least support Maria in this.

  “Studies have shown that tangible distractions can actually curb creativity and diminish profitability,” Walker said in his perfectly even tone, which was becoming perfectly annoying.

  “Decades of studies?” Maria asked, then felt instantly contrite.

  Walker didn’t react. In fact, it was like her quip hadn’t registered with him. Instead he said, “What sort of décor do you have in your cubicle?”

  Maria glanced at Lisa again, who was now conveniently studying her nails. “I have a collection of bird houses and a few herb pots, but that’s not the point. Any of us should be able to surround ourselves with things that make us happy.”

  “Happy?” Walker said.

  She couldn’t read his expression. She couldn’t tell if he was baiting her or merely wanting to understand. But how could he be so obtuse? How could he buy into these white-washing policies?

  “Yes, happy,” Maria said. “Things like bird houses, colorful skirts, big earrings, and spicy food shared with a co-worker makes me happy.”

  The faintest bit of color stole across Walker’s cheeks but was gone before Maria could be sure.

  “I’ll make a note of your concerns,” he said. “The next item on the agenda has to do with interpersonal relationships among co-workers. Perhaps I should start by asking if Maria has any questions.”

  Her co-workers chuckled. Traitors.

  “Actually, sir,” she said, “I think Josh is the one with questions about this policy.”

  If a pin had been dropped on the table at the moment, it would have echoed like a gun shot.

  Josh shook his head and shot a death glare at Maria before turning to face Mr. Harris. “I don’t have any questions about the policy. It was clearly stated in the procedures manual.”

  “Very well,” Walker said, looking at the others around the table. “Any other questions about this particular item?”

  No one spoke, no one asked a question.

  Maria had been betrayed. She didn’t care about her lonely yellow and red skirts in her closet back home that she might never get to wear to work again, or the bird houses that she’d have to relocate, but she did care that her boyfriend, the man she’d given her heart to, had once again acted as if she didn’t exist at all.

  “For the record,” she spoke up before Walker could announce the next agenda item. “I do have a question about the interpersonal relationship policies of Baker Corp.”

  “Go ahead,” Walker deadpanned.

  “Are all of the executives at Baker cookie-cutter robots like you?”

  Lisa actually gasped. Ben lowered his head. Josh turned red. Maria didn’t notice any one else because she knew she had to leave the room immediately. She stood and picked up her pen and notebook. Then without another word, she walked out of the conference room.

  The sun was just starting to set, casting orange and gold tones across Maria’s balcony and tinting the leaves of the surrounding potted plants gold. Maria sat curled up on the deck chair as she listened to the sounds of traffic below and breathed in the mixture of the blooming plants and the moist Seattle air. She had turned off her cell phone after walking out of the meeting. She’d driven aimlessly for about an hour, then ended up at a coffee shop, where she had bought a couple of muffins.

  Once back at her apartment, she’d eaten a muffin and changed out of her “conservative” clothing into an orange floral sundress. She undid her hair and let her dark curls fly free. Then she made tea, and while eating the second muffin, she registered with three online job sites.

  At some point, she might have cried a little, might have napped a little, but mostly the day had been a blur.

  There might be a termination email in her inbox right then. Tomorrow. Tomorrow, she’d check her email. But she knew she had to update her friends. Tell them about the mess she’d made. Ask them if they thought it could be salvaged, ask herself if she wanted to salvage it. She had a few thousand in her savings account and a decent credit limit on her credit card. She estimated she could survive four to five months unemployed. Beyond that, things would get sketchy.

  But by turning on her cell, she might see the trail of damage she’d done that morning in the meeting.

  Reluctantly, she reached for her phone and powered it on. A couple of text messages popped up. All from Sydney and June.

  She opened those first and read the usual questions full of concern. Maria had never gone completely dark like this.

  The next text was from an unknown number. She stared at the words and guessed it must be from Walker Harris, which shouldn’t surprise her. Yet it did. Let’s meet.

  No apology, no questions, nothing but a request. Or was it a demand? It had been sent at 1:35 p.m., so, hours after she’d left and, according to previous emails, during the scheduled employee lunch break that ran from 1:00–1:45 p.m.

  There was nothing from Josh. No text, no call. It was now 6:30 p.m., and Josh had been finished with the work day for over an hour. They’d planned to go to dinner right after work, then catch a movie. It seemed he’d ditched that plan. Not that Maria could completely blame him. She’d pretty much stolen all the balls and kept them in her court.

  Maria opened up Walker’s text again and saved the number into her contacts as “ex-boss.” Then she called Sydney.

  “It took you long enough,” Sydney said. “How was the meeting?”

  “I’m conferencing in June, too, hang on,” Maria said.

  Moments later, they were all connected, which was pretty miraculous since it was a Friday night.

  When Maria started spilling out the whole story to her friends, she fully expected to start crying and ranting, but instead, she found herself laughing.

  Sydney and June were shocked at first. Then they started to laugh too.

  “You just walked out?” Sydney kept saying, unable to get over it.

  “And Mr. Gorgeous texted you during his scheduled lunch break?”

  “Yeah, it’s all so ridiculous,” Maria said. “I guess I should have seen the writing on the wall when I got the first email about the new company policies. I can always find a new job, though I’m not too sure about a new boyfriend.”

  The women
on the other line were silent for a moment. Then June said, “I can come up tonight. My plans have fallen through anyway. Portland isn’t so far.”

  “It’s okay,” Maria said. “I’ll be all right. And… I should probably get the conversation with my soon-to-be-ex-boss over with as soon as possible so I can take the weekend to regroup.”

  “If you’re sure?” June said.

  “I’m sure,” Maria affirmed. She knew June was dating someone new. Her “fallen through” plans would be because of Maria. And she didn’t want that guilt trip. She’d gotten herself into this situation, and she’d find a way out.

  After hanging up with her friends, Maria scrolled through her texts again. Why hadn’t Josh called or texted? Yes, she could call him, but it really bothered her that he hadn’t even tried to reach out. If the situation had been the other way around, would she have reached out to him? Of course she would have.

  She leaned back and closed her eyes, wondering what she should do. This entire day was already a bust, so what else could make it worse?

  Opening her eyes, she dialed Josh’s number. He answered on the fourth ring, which frankly surprised her, since she was wondering if she had any value to him at all.

  Before she could even greet him, he started to talk.

  “Everyone thinks you quit,” Josh said. “Why did you walk out of the meeting? You should have seen Walker Harris’s face.”

  “I don’t care about Walker Harris’s face,” Maria said. “I care about what yours looked like when I was trying to get some support.”

  “What are you talking about?” Josh asked. “I didn’t ever say I wanted to push back on the new policies. I’m more interested in keeping my job than arguing about whether or not I can wear a bunch of mismatching outfits.”

  “My outfits match,” Maria retorted.

  Josh went silent for a moment. “Things aren’t looking good for you, Maria. Even though I’m over human resources and can put in my recommendations, everyone saw you blow up and leave. That was totally unprofessional, which is the exact reason Baker Corp has the policies it does— to keep the work environment professional.”

  Maria rose from her chair and started to pace the balcony. “They’re turning us into yes men, or yes women. Whatever. And I can’t work that way.”

  “You can work that way,” Josh countered. “Come on, Maria, it’s a good job. Our coworkers are great people, and Walker isn’t so bad, as far as long-distance bosses go. He’s only at our offices for the week, and then we won’t have to deal with him again until next quarter.”

  Maria stopped pacing and bit her lip. “What did he say after I left?”

  “Nothing specifically about you,” Josh said. “He didn’t speak for a full minute after you left, though. Then he continued with the agenda items. Later he met with each division individually and went over our job description duties.”

  “He texted me,” Maria said. “How did he get my cell number?”

  “He asked me for it,” Josh said. “Have you called him back?”

  “Not yet,” she said. “Do you think he’ll fire me over the phone or make me come in?”

  “I don’t know,” Josh said. “I told him to give you a break, that you just have to get used to the changes.”

  Maria blew out a breath. “Did you tell him about our relationship?”

  “Of course not,” he said.

  Maria took that in stride, but she couldn’t help digging deeper. “When are you going to tell your parents?”

  Josh huffed. “I don’t know,” he said. “Why are we talking about this now? Your job is on the line here.”

  “Yeah, I know,” Maria said. “I just wonder how long we’re going to date secretly even though I’m a twenty-six-year-old woman, and you’re twenty-eight. Will you ever grow up, Josh?”

  “What the hell is wrong with you?” Josh spat out. “Yesterday you were normal, and today, you’re like out of control.”

  Maria squeezed her eyes shut. “I just don’t get how you can stand by while I’m obviously struggling at work, especially when you’re the freaking human resource director. And I don’t get why our relationship has to be a secret from your best friends and your family. I mean, we’ve been dating for nine months. That’s like two years to a twenty-year-old.”

  “So you want a commitment?” Josh asked. “Is this what this is about?”

  “Not from you,” Maria said. “I don’t think you even know the definition of the word. I’m all for having fun, but I don’t think it’s healthy to have a boyfriend who wants to keep me a secret. I think we’re done, Josh.”

  “So, you’re just going to walk away?”

  “I am,” Maria said, thinking how she needed to revise her list of the perfect man. Well, there was no such thing as a perfect man, but the man who would be perfect for her. She’d have added: introduces me to his friends and family.

  By the time Maria hung up with Josh, her hands were shaking. She couldn’t believe she’d actually broken up with him. She sat back on the lounge chair and waited for the tears to come, but nothing did. She waited a bit longer, but she was still dry-eyed.

  “Hmm,” she said to herself and lifted her head. Why wasn’t she more sad? Why wasn’t she crying? Why wasn’t she throwing stuff off the balcony?

  The sun had set, and only a pink glow lingered in the sky, quickly replaced by a haze of violet.

  The sound of her phone ringing startled Maria. She turned it over in her hand and saw that the number she’d saved as “ex-boss” was glowing on her screen. She already knew she’d lost her job, so she might as well officially get it over with.

  “Hello?” she said in a firm, no nonsense voice.

  “Maria.”

  Just the deep tenor of his voice brought the image of his dark hair and green eyes to mind. She hated the butterflies that spun in her stomach. “Mr. Harris, I need to apologize for walking out on the meeting. But my viewpoints have not changed.”

  “Can you meet me downtown?”

  Maria was surprised. “At the office?”

  “I thought we could meet more informally,” he said. “For drinks.”

  Maria hesitated. “In a bar? Are you going to fire me in front of a bunch of people in a bar?”

  “Maria, we need to talk,” Walker said in his maddeningly even tone. “I’m not going to fire you. Your employment at Baker Corp is entirely in your hands.”

  “Where do you want to meet?”

  He rattled off an address to a sports grill, and she exhaled. “All right. I’m on my way.”

  It was an hour and a half before Maria arrived at the agreed-upon sports bar. She’d decided to go all out and dressed as if she was going for a night on the town with her girlfriends. She wore a short blue dress with a flirty skirt, strappy rhinestone stilettos, a row of silver bracelets on both arms, her hair straightened to a sleek shine, dark eyeliner, and deep red lipstick.

  She knew she would turn heads, and she was counting on it.

  When Maria entered the sports bar, the lighting was dim, the lights strategically placed, accentuating the tables beneath the row of flat screens showing various ESPN channels. She spotted Walker right away. He was larger than life in a sports bar, too, and two women were chatting with him. Maria started to walk toward him before he noticed her, and she was grateful at the eyes following her, showing him she wasn’t invisible.

  Just before she reached him, another man crossed in front of her.

  “Hey there,” the man said. His blond hair was spiked, and he sported a goatee, along with a diamond stud beneath his lip.

  “Excuse me,” Maria said, sidling past him, but the man moved again so he blocked her way.

  “Where’s a pretty thing like you going?” he asked.

  “Joining a friend, sir,” Maria said. “Please excuse me.”

  He leaned forward and inhaled. “You smell sweet, and I like my women sweet.” His fingers snaked around her arm, and Maria instinctively pulled away.

  Sh
e stepped back, deciding she’d escape to the bathroom for a few moments to ditch this guy, when a hand slipped around her waist.

  “She asked you to move,” a deep voice said.

  Maria knew that voice and looked up to see that Walker Harris was standing next to her, his arm possessively around her.

  “Yeah?” the man said. “I just wanted to buy her a drink. She came in, looking alone and upset.”

  “Are you upset, babe?” Walker asked, looking down at her.

  Maria could play along. “Not until this man started to bother me.”

  “Good,” Walker said, kissing her forehead and lingering slightly longer than was technically necessary.

  Warmth pulsed through Maria, and she decided it was because the situation was tense.

  “She’s with me,” Walker said. “I can ask you nicely or not too nicely to leave us alone.”

  The man stepped forward. “Guys like you think you can have any woman you want, but tonight it’s gonna be different.” The man shoved Walker.

  It all happened so fast that Maria wasn’t exactly sure who did what. Walker steered her behind him, then swung a fist into the man’s face. The man staggered back, then dove into Walker. They crashed to the ground, and people swarmed them, pulling the two men apart. Then Walker was on his feet, grasping Maria’s hand and leading her to the exit.

  They stepped outside in the cool evening. Clouds had gathered, and it had started to drizzle.

  “Where are we going?” Maria asked as Walker headed down the sidewalk at a brisk pace, still clutching her hand.

  He didn’t speak until they were at least a block away. Sirens wailed in the distance, growing closer. Someone had called the cops.

  At the street corner, Walker released her hand while they waited for the light. He scrubbed his hand through his perfect hair, messing it up. “Where’s your car?”

  “Parked behind the sports bar,” Maria said, folding her arms against the cool air. “What was that all about? You started a brawl.”

  Walker darted a glance at her and shook his head. “I… we’ll circle around the block, but I can’t talk to the cops.”

  Maria stared at him. His left eye was swelling. “Looks like you’re going to have a nice bruise too. The guy was a drunk. A jerk too, but you shouldn’t have hit him. He could press charges.”