Asa
“How has business been?”
I tip my head to the glass windows to our left, and the mass of mostly women, and some men, bustling about. “You tell me.”
Étienne grins. “I’m glad to see that.”
“As am I,” I reply, but as I say the words, they fall flat. Since Alex’s birthday, I’ve been thinking of my conversation with Nat and the promise I made her. More than that, that damn hug won’t leave my mind. I think Nat was just as stunned as me when it happened, but I could feel the happiness coming off her in waves.
For a brief second, she was my old Nat. In love with life. Her eyes shined as brightly as the sun, and desire shot through me, making blood rush through my veins. All I needed was her.
Holding Nathalie in my arms was just like before. She fit perfectly against me; the top of her head reached my chest. But feeling and smelling her unlocked a part of me that’s been hidden away for years. I wanted Nathalie before, now I am insatiable.
I want to eat her alive.
Across from me, Étienne talks about work. And for the first time, I’m not invested. Rather, I’m thinking of his sister. Perhaps her coming here and interviewing for a job would be bad for both of us. Yet the idea of not being around her causes me to grip the edges of the armrests in a white-knuckle grip.
If I can’t be with her, I need to at least see her.
“Asa? Did you hear me?”
Immediately, I lower my hands and sit up straight in my chair. I feel like a child with his hand caught in the cookie jar. I shake my head ever so slightly. “I apologize. I was thinkin’ of business matters I need to attend to.”
Étienne grins. “Quite all right. Speakin’ of business, we should discuss your role at EAL.”
My gut twists at the very mention. I knew this conversation was only a matter of time, but I was avoiding it. I think both Étienne and I were avoiding it. My position with EAL Corporation is something I’m rather proud of. Étienne may have started the company, but I’ve been there from its infancy.
“Your time with Southern Bell is time consumin’,” Étienne remarks.
Leaning back in my chair, I contemplate the weight of his words. “Is this your approach to tellin’ me I’m no longer needed?”
“Not in the slightest,” Étienne quickly answers. “This is me sayin’ you are overburdened.”
“Fully steppin’ back from EAL would be incredibly hard for me,” I confess.
Étienne nods with understanding. “I understand. I don’t expect you to completely step back. But I think we should begin to search for someone to fill your position. You will still be part of the company. Still consulted when we need your advice, which I’m certain will be often.”
Standing from my chair, I make my way to the windows overlooking the first floor. Everything is in working order. I have all under control here. I could keep my role at EAL. Yet even as I think the arrangement through, I know it’s impossible. I cannot keep both.
I sigh heavily. “I believe you’re right.”
“As I said, you still play an intricate role in EAL. And this isn’t a transition that will happen overnight. I have people in mind, but we should interview them, and then we need to train them for your position.”
I nod and continue to stare straight ahead when a flash of red catches the corner of my eye. Walking up the steps is none other than Serene, with Nat by her side.
Frowning, I look over my shoulder at Étienne. “I didn’t know you brought Serene and Nat along.”
Immediately, Étienne stands and walks to where I’m standing. “I didn’t.” His brows connect the second he spots the two of them.
“Son of a bitch,” he mutters before he heads toward the door.
Instinctively, I do the first thing that I’ve always done when one of Nat’s brothers loses his patience with her. I come to her defense. “Étienne, don’t.”
Étienne turns and flings a hand toward my door. “She’s here for a job.”
“I know.”
He stops and looks over his shoulder at me. “You know?”
I nod.
“How? When?”
I breathe deep; I knew I would have to explain myself to Étienne at some point. “Nathalie spoke with me at Alex’s birthday party about havin’ a job interview.”
“And you said yes?”
“There’s no harm in givin’ her one. I told her she would have a fair interview as the rest of the ladies.”
I can feel the weight of Étienne’s glare. “She doesn’t need this job.”
Abruptly, I turn to my best friend, my conversation with Nat echoing in my head. “Perhaps she needs this far more than you think she does,” I bite out.
Étienne appears ill-equipped for my words, but he still squares his shoulders and faces me. “What did she tell you?”
“She didn’t say a word to me, Étienne. She just said she wanted a job.”
But if she did, I’d take her secrets to the grave.
As much as I consider Étienne a brother, I’m protective of my conversations with Nat. More so now than ever. She’s different from before, and when she confessed she needed this job, I saw the pain in her eyes. It was a punch to the gut. Was I the cause for that or did it go much further? Did the pain stem from her time in Savannah? Even then, one could say I caused her pain there as well.
Frustrated, Étienne stalks to the door and rips it open. He leans out and points to his sister and Serene who continue to speak in the hall. “Come here,” he demands.
Rather than jump at his beck and call, his wife mimics his actions. “You. Learn some manners.”
The corner of my mouth kicks up, as I watch Étienne breathe deeply through his nose. “Serene, please come here.”
“Well, since you asked nicely.”
Serene walks over, but Nat stubbornly stays put, staring down at the telephone operators. I can’t tell if she’s deliberately ignoring her brother or watching the ladies work.
Étienne grumbles French beneath his breath, and then says, “Miss Claiborne, may I speak with you?”
At that, Nat turns. Her almond-shaped eyes widen as though she didn’t hear her brother the entire time. She looks at me with a false sense of friendliness. “Mr. Calhoun. Good day to you. I didn’t hear you. I heard the beastly roar of a wild animal. You might want to check the area.”
“It’s no wild animal, just my husband,” Serene says as she breezes into the room.
“What are you doin’ here?”
“I was walking through town and found myself on St. Philip Street and who do I stumble upon but Nat? What are the chances?”
Étienne crosses his arms and shakes his head. “What are the chances,” he repeats.
“Stranger things have happened.”
“Please get in here. Now.”
At last, she looks directly at her brother. Unspoken words are thrown between the two of them. His lips go into a flat line before he gestures to my office.
With narrowed eyes, Nat breezes into my office as though it’s her own. Étienne quietly shuts the door behind her. He leans against the wall, and languidly looks between Nat and his wife as though they’re in an alliance. “Can anyone explain why I’m just now findin’ out that Nat intended on workin’ as a telephone operator?”