“Oh, come now. Last time I checked, you found your soul mate in that little incident. Don’t knock unanswered prayers, brotha!”
“Yeah, look how happy I am now.”
“Just shut up. I’m about to make your fucking day.”
We rode the rest of the elevator ride in silence. The doors opened to the executive floor and I felt an incredible sense of deja’ vu as we made our way to Peter Weathervane’s office. Jason knocked.
“Come in!” I heard Peter yell.
I don’t know what I expected when I entered Peter’s office. Maybe Jonah drumming his fingers like the evil freak he was? It sure as hell wasn’t Peter’s latest wife sitting on his lap.
“Shit! Sorry,” I began. Wait, he invited you in.
“No worries. She was just leaving.”
His wife pretended to pout and he handed over a credit card, making me want to gag. January would never do that kind of shit. She strutted out of his office, her short skirt barely covering her ass. She smiled at me seductively as she left. Well, that was disgusting.
“Tom!” Peter said, finishing off his drink and standing. He tucked in his disheveled shirt and I almost lost my lunch. No telling what they were doing before we walked in. “I, uh, I’m not good at apologies.” He looked thoughtful a moment. “Matter of fact, I don’t think I’ve ever apologized to anyone before. Huh. Anyway, listen, Jonah’s gone. You’re the new R&D rep. Congrats.”
He sat down and picked up the phone. He was done with us.
Jason ushered us out of the room and closed the door behind us.
“What the hell just happened there?” I asked Jason.
“Congrats, Tom.”
“Thanks? I’m confused.”
“Jonah’s gone. Turns out you were the right man for the job all along. I’d told Peter that a million times but he’s such a stickler for his own stupid rules...Anyway, congrats.”
“I’m wiggin’ out here, Jason.”
“Stop questioning it. Just roll with it, dude.”
I thought about it for a moment. “Fine. I mean, this is fantastic news. Everyone will love that I’m here to stay.”
“Speaking of everyone,” he said. “Come with me.”
We took the elevator down two floors down and I absently remarked that Peter never did apologize, though for what, I didn’t know. Jason thought that hilarious.
“Follow me,” Jason coolly said, walking past the floor receptionist and waving.
I gazed at all the office doors on that floor and noted they were all a serious frosted glass and ten feet high. “What exactly is my new salary?” I asked Jason, staring at the names on the plates beside each door.
We stopped at the last one on the floor and it read Thomas Eriksson. I almost burst out laughing.
“I had Suzanne rush that for you.”
“Who the hell is Suzanne?”
“Your secretary. It’s six figures.”
“Huh?” I asked, inspecting my nameplate.
“Your salary? It’s six figures.”
“Shut the eff up,” I told him as he swung the door to my office open.
“Surprise!” I heard in chorus.
Inside my barren office was my entire family. My mom, dad, sister, Cherry and Charlie, Callum and Harper, and all the rest of the gang, including Kelly and Carter. My eyes began to sting with how happy I was to see them all in one place and I shook it away, clearing my throat. Harper was closest and threw her arms over my neck.
“Tom, congratulations!” She told me, tears streaming down her face.
“Thank you,” I choked back. “Thank you, everyone.”
I noticed my mom in the corner and pushed my way to her. “Mom,” I said, hugging her tightly.
I felt like a little kid. I needed my mom so badly in that moment. I needed her to tell me it was all going to be okay.
“Congratulations, my darling boy,” she said, and I could feel her tears fall on my shoulder.
“I love you, Mom.”
“I love you too.”
“Dad,” I said, moving to him and hugging him fiercely. “It’s so good to see you.”
“Congrats, son.”
I looked around and swallowed the faces surrounding me. The love and admiration from each of them was so incredibly humbling. Everyone I loved was in that room. Every single one save for the one I loved the most.
Knock. Knock.
We all froze where we stood, unsure what to do.
“Answer it, you dolt!” Cherry playfully jeered, making everyone laugh.
I opened the door and was stunned silent.
“Uh, hi,” January MacLochlainn told me.
She was just as stunning as I’d memorized her to be, if not more so. She’d trimmed her hair since last I saw her and her skin was a bit less tan. She wasn’t any better put together or anything but she obviously wasn’t being forced to improvise on the road. She had access to a permanent wardrobe.
She was unbelievably beautiful. I’d wondered what she’d been doing since I last saw her. I wanted to throw her into my arms and kiss her senseless but I didn’t. I couldn’t. She wasn’t mine to throw.
“Hi,” I stupidly replied after too long a silence. Things were awkward.
“I-I just wanted to stop by and congratulate you. Everyone’s really excited to have you back,” she said, then cleared her throat. “Anyway, I see you’re busy,” she said, popping her head in the room and smiling at everyone. “I won’t bother you anymore. It was nice to see you again.” She waved to everyone in the room then left.
I closed the door behind her, dumbstruck. No, struck mute, like a complete idiot. She’d left me tongue-tied. I knew if I had opened my mouth I would have just spouted nonsense or worse, proclaim that I loved her again but at the top of my lungs and in front of my entire family.
I turned toward that family and caught a sea of shocked faces with mouths agape.
I swallowed as I took them all in. “What?” I asked, breaking the silence.
“Was that her?” Cherry asked quietly.
“Yeah, that was January.”
All the girls yelped at once, startling me.
“What!” I yelled.
“Go after her!” Harper commanded. “Right now!”
“What?”
“Are you nuts? That’s the January you couldn’t shut up about?” My dad interjected, the complete surprise etched all over his aging face.
“Yeah,” I sang, more nervous than I’d ever been.
Callum slapped me on the shoulder. “If you don’t go after that girl, Tom, I believe these women may skin you alive.”
“What do I do?” I asked them, desperation seeping into my voice.
“Do you know how you got this job?” Jason asked evenly, interrupting the already conspiring females. He stared absently out the window before turning toward me.
Everyone grew quiet.
“No,” I said truthfully.
“Can you not guess?”
“I have no clue.” I was being honest. I had no idea. I figured Jonah had quit or thrown himself off a bridge. I didn’t care. What?
“January.”
“January got me the job?” I asked, baffled as ever.
“Yes, January put her own reputation on the line to save your sorry ass.”
“How?” I swallowed audibly.
“She went to Peter Weathervane, without permission, by the way.” We both knew that showing up unannounced at Peter’s door is basically a death wish. I nodded. “Turns out, January found she was somewhat responsible for Jonah thieving all your bands.”
“She’d never do that,” I said, defending her.
“No, not directly,” Jason continued, fishing his cigarette and lighter out of his pocket, as if he could smoke it in there. He was nervous just talking about the risk January took. I breathed deeply. “Apparently, when she would phone home, she’d let them know where she was going and I guess Jonah found this out somehow. He’d ring her home soon after claiming to represent the label and conned her little sister into spilling your locations.
“She felt awful about it, I guess, and risked her own job to let Peter know the truth. When Peter confronted Jonah with the phone records, he couldn’t deny it and was fired on the spot.”
“Oh my God, she could have been fired as well.”
“I know,” Jason said.
“Why?” my mom asked.
“Because our locations were label business and we signed confidentiality agreements before we’d left. We don’t want competition from other labels. She risked herself for me.”
“What a brave girl,” Kelly said. “She must love you very much.”
I was staggered by Kelly’s words and could only stand there, staring at my shoes.
“I have to find her,” I said suddenly and bolted out the door.
Everyone followed me out into the hall.
“Wait!” I heard Jason say from behind me. “Don’t you want to know where to find her?”
I turned back around.
“She’s a producer now.”
“No kidding,” I said, happy to hear it, walking backward for a bit before turning back around.
“What does that mean?” I heard my mom ask my dad as I ran for the elevator doors.
“It means she’s a talented, talented girl,” I heard my pop explain to my mom, making me smile. I’d used those exact same words to describe her to Jason in Austin just in a very different context. I had no idea at the time just how true those words really were.
I hit the buttons for the below ground floor on the elevator and my body shook in anticipation.
Cherry came skidding to a halt next to me as the doors slid open and I stepped inside, turning to face her.
“Be patient, Tommy,” She told me. “Remember to be patient.”
I nodded as the doors slipped closed.
The ride down was excruciating. My heart could keep time with a hummingbird’s wing and the sweat began to slide down my neck. I’d never been so nervous in all my life.
Ding.
I startled. Get it together. I practically sprinted down the hall towards the studios and was brought short by none other than Georgia Asher.
“Georgia!”
“Good God, man!” she said before realizing it was me. “Oh! Thomas!” she said properly, making me smirk. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m looking for January. Have you seen her?”
Georgia’s shoulders sank in my hands. “I’m afraid she’s left for the night. She came into the studio a few minutes ago complaining she wasn’t feeling well. She’s taken off.”
“Right,” I said, kissing Georgia’s cheek. “See you around.”
“Bye then!” she said, waving at me with a sweet smile. I loved Georgia.
I returned to my office deflated. When I opened my door, I was bombarded by women.
“What happened? Where is she? What’s going on?” They all chimed in at once.
“Give the guy some room!” Callum said.
I backed off a bit and rubbed my forehead, leaning against the edge of my new desk. “She wasn’t there. She left for the day, said she felt ill.”