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CHAPTER 16
I stepped out of the elevator, glancing around for the last time. Did I want to see Howie? That was a big fat NO! But, he was my boss, signer of my cheeks, which it was pay day. I took a deep breath and pulled open the doors to the DLF office. I saw Amber and smiled. She tried telling me that D didn’t set the scene up at her house, but I couldn’t buy that. Like the first time, it was just too perfect not to be planned. She waved me over to her desk.
“What’s up?”
“Just wanted to get your input before I saved the files.” I glanced at her.
“I don’t work here.”
“Come on, you’re the other half of this creative web site and you know it. I’m gonna be lost with you.”
“Hahah, ain’t you funny? Fine, I’ll do a quick glance at it.”
“Great, you can sit here; I gotta run to the little girls room.” I took her seat, rolled it up to the desk and checked over the website, which was all about the cruise. She set it day by day, picture by picture, and quotes from all of DLF. I hadn’t even known she had taken all of these pictures. A few minutes later, she stepped up behind me.
“So, what do you think?”
“I think it’s great, G. You really don’t need me.”
“That’s a huge whatever.” I stood up and gave her seat back to her.
“D in yet?”
“Um, honestly, don’t know. I know John is.”
“Thanks.” I made my way over to John’s office and knocked on the open door. He glanced up from the paperwork and smiled. “Hey there. Just wanted to know if D was in.”
“Um, haven’t seen him yet. Wanna sit though?” I gave him a strange look but pulled the seat out and sat. He walked over to the door and closed it. I frowned, for this was personal if he didn’t want other people to over here.
“What’s up John?”
“I wanted to talk to you, if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all. What about?”
“The cruise.” I cringed, not really wanting to hash out anything from that point in time.
“I would feel better if you didn’t.” He sat down on the edge of the desk and looked at me.
“I know you would, but I wouldn’t. I told you something that maybe I shouldn’t have.”
“Like seeing Howie?”
“Yes. That was wrong of me. I, well, didn’t quite approve of you dating my little brother, for lots of reasons.”
“Like?”
“One, you worked here, and I don’t like business relationships.”
“You don’t like?”
“Two, I didn’t think it was the right time, being on the boat and all.”
“Just great.”
“And three, as horrible as it sounds, I thought he could have done better.” That got me jumping out of my seat. I had known Howie and John for quite a while, why would he think that? He saw the anger, but he saw the hurt and sighed. “There is no easy way to say this, Theresa. I think you’re one hell of a worker, an awesome friend, I just didn’t see you…”
“I get it. Because I’m not a size two model looking person, you didn’t think I would fit in his world.”
“Something like that.”
“You’re saying this in the past tense. John, there is no D and Resa.”
“Which brings me to the next point that I’m not so thrilled about it.”
“Why do I really get the feeling I’m not liking this next part any more than I liked the first part?”
“That night on the boat, Howie didn’t stage anything.” With that, I crossed my arms over my chest, not buying it. “I know you think he did, but he didn’t. I was supposed to meet him on the deck, all that was true. But, I was so against you seeing him, even more so while on the boat, I brought the girls up there to see you. They just got more than they bargained for. I was hoping they would just start some stupid little ass rumors to get you two to stop, but it backfired.”
“Your damn right it did. I don’t get why you would do that!”
“Call it stupidity if you want! Just don’t blame Howie. The last few days of the cruise, he was miserable without you. And he actually chewed out those girls and banned them from anymore DLF events because of what they were saying. That’s when it dawned on me that my little brother had…”
“Had what?” Both John and I turned to glance at Howie. Neither one of us was aware that he had knocked three times before opening the door. He had stood there, listening to all his brother said, not quite believing that his own brother would set him up just to stop him from seeing Theresa.
“Had fallen in love.” I turned from Howie to John, than back to Howie. I just couldn’t believe this. Yet, that still didn’t make up for what happened at AJ’s house.
“I want my check please.” How I managed to get that out, I don’t know. Howie nodded and made his way to his office. “As for you, John, did it cross your mind that you’re an asshole?”
“What you two were doing wasn’t right.”
“For whom? We are adults, thank you very much.” I shook my head and walked to his door. “You can’t control everyone’s life.”
“Everyone told you to stop.”
“No, everyone told us to keep it behind close doors. They could have cared less if we hooked up. Not everyone is as superficial as you are.” With that, I closed the door behind me and made my way to D’s office.
“You’re check is on the desk.” I walked over to it and slipped it inside my purse, glancing over at Howie’s back. I wanted to talk to him, wanted to say something, anything. Why the hell was I feeling like that for? It wasn’t me who caused all the stupid ass stunts. Although, it was me who refused to listen to the poor man and his side of the story. I took a deep, shuddering breath.
“Thank you.” On that note, I walked out of his office. I stopped by my desk and gathered the last of my photos. “I’ll check ya later G.”
“Wait.” I turned around, seeing Howie fly out of his office and stopping right in front of me. “Don’t leave.”
“I have to D.”
“No, you don’t. I love you Theresa. I don’t know when it happened, how it happened, I just know it did. You are the only one I want in my life. Those couple of days on the boat were truly the best.”
“And what about AJ’s house?”
“With Nick? I didn’t set Nick up to that. You just really got to meet the guys, but when you get to know them, you’ll see Nick is just one who can be nice, or he can be a dick. That was him being a dick. Granted, I got a little carried away, but I had missed you so much and that kiss just heated me to the core.” I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my lips against his, not giving a rats ass who saw us or what they had to say at that moment. That took him by surprise, but only for a second, for his arms wrapped my waist. Moments later we pulled away, smiling at each other as everyone hollered and clapped. “Will this always work?”
“What do you mean?”
“Will you always get hot and bothered in public?”

~*~ In Public by Kelis