Triplets Make Five

I walked down the hallway, approaching Preston's door on my left. I could feel the excitement buzzing through my veins. Just the simple act of peeking into his office without him beckoning for me sent me reeling. It was a bold move for me in the office. One that wasn’t usually made. I could feel the fire surge through my veins as I started for his office, my shoulders rolled back and my head held high.

But when I got to the door, I realized it was closed.

Closed, locked, and no lights on in sight.

Sighing to myself, I turned down the hallway and headed for my office. I opened up my door and gazed down at the papers that had been shoved underneath and groaned. The investor’s accounts needed to be updated with their newest monetary additions, and that would take me all afternoon.

Shoving thoughts of my confidence to the side, I picked up the papers and got to work. I shut my door and dug into the numbers, surprised to see the numbers I did. I knew that Preston was trying to cut down on the number of investors meetings that took place throughout the year, so that probably accounted for the money I was handling. But as I went through and updated all of their accounts, I noticed there was another meeting with them set for next month.

Maybe Preston was a smooth talker when it came to garnering funds for his companies.

I kept my nose in the books until my alarm went off for lunch. I looked up and saw that it was twelve thirty, but when I opened the door there were still no signs of Preston. I wondered where he was. Where he could have been. He took great pride and boasted on how he was supposedly doing well, even though that bet had been called off after our date. So it wouldn't make sense for him to simply not show up to work.

Then, the email on my computer flashed.

Delilah,

Welcome back to the office. I’m sorry I am not there to greet you personally, but something called me away from the company. Urgent matters with the business. I will be back in a couple weeks, and there are a few things I wanted to tell you:

The paperwork for the investor’s needs to be settled by the end of the day. I need that money in the budget as soon as possible.

I know you’re probably questioning the investor’s meeting next month. Don’t worry, we’ll talk about it later. It’s not a mistake.

Your sketches were lovely. I’m glad your vacation did you some good.

I will see you when I return. I won’t be back for a couple more weeks, so if anyone comes looking for me, just tell them to slip a note underneath my door and I’ll take care of it.

P. Walker

I smiled at his last bullet point. I hadn't heard from him since I had sent him pictures of

the sketches I did over the course of my vacation. Which meant whatever urgent matter required his attention, he had been attending to it for almost a week. And if it was going to keep him hostage for two more weeks, then it had to be another client. I wasn't worried about the investors meeting, I was simply curious about it. But the mere fact that he felt the need to address it meant two things. One, he meant to keep me at his side in my current position. And two, he knew me a little better than I was comfortable with.

But even still, it brought a smile to my face.

The fact that the investors account needed to be settled by the end of the day, however, meant he needed the funds immediately. And until I sent down the final numbers and my tallies, the Finance Department wouldn’t release a single dime of their checks. Maybe the urgent business was a new client we were taking on. Whatever the case was, I decided to go ahead and work through my lunch. I knew I could get everything settled before five o’clock that afternoon, but if I could get it settled sooner, I wanted to.

I don't really know why, but that's what I felt compelled to do.

But before I got started, I decided to send him an email. After all, that was the routine we had fallen into. I didn’t want him to be expecting a message and not get one in return.

That would be rude.

Mr. Walker,

I am sure you have your reasons for the investors’ meeting. It was curious, but not beyond the scope of what you control at the company. Rest assured I will be there for that one. As far as the investor’s accounts go, I should have them settled by three this afternoon, so their funds should be in the correct account before closing time today. And thank you. I’m glad you enjoyed the sketches.

I was wondering if I could ask you something. Well, request something of you. I have something I want to tell you. Well, discuss with you, if I’m being honest. Would there be anyway we could put something on the books for when you return? Just the two of us?

Delilah

I turned my nose back to the papers in front of me and began drawing calculations. I entered the numbers into the system in order to alter the charts and pie graphs that would be going out to all of the investors in their monthly newsletter. I wrote everything down and started to double-check my numbers, but my email flashing on my computer screen caught my attention.

Preston had responded.

Delilah,

I would love to get together with you again. What do you think about our restaurant?