When Love's at Work (7 page)

As everyone said their hello’s and exchanged
hugs, Courtney was introduced to Misha, the sweet little calico
kitten Purity had rescued and then given to Meg.

“
How did you come up with
the name?” Purity asked.

“
It’s Russian for
friendship,” Meg explained.

Aw’s echoed from Courtney and Purity’s
mouths. Pure gave Meggie a hug and said, “It’s perfect!”

Indeed, it seemed that the kitten not only
liked the name, but was developing her personality rapidly after
receiving it. Courtney snatched Misha out of Meg’s arms almost
immediately and then placed her inside a paper bag that was tipped
on its side and laying on the floor. Court was tapping the end of
the bag and running her fingers across the opening. Misha was
batting at Courtney’s fingers furiously.

“
I think we have a little
attention whore on our hands,” Courtney proclaimed as Misha poked
her tiny face out of the bag to make sure all eyes were on her and
then scurried back inside her playground.

“
I’ve decided to quit my
job and start my own accounting firm,” Meg dropped the bomb on the
two unsuspecting friends.

“
Really?” Court asked, not
quite sure whether to believe her friend, although the look in her
eyes was new, and determined.

“
It is so past the time
when I should have done this.”

“
This is so exciting,
Meg!” Purity beamed at her friend and gave her a big smile and a
heartfelt hug.

“
I found some space in an
office building for $325 a month. It’s just a little space, but I
think it will be perfect for what I need.” Meg paused. “I’m
terrified, thrilled, and I want to throw up.”

“
Like that time on the
spinning tubs?” Courtney offered. “Remember??

“
I remember,” Meg said,
the reminisce burned into her brain. “It’s exactly like
that!”

The trio were all lost in the past for a
moment as the vision of Meg puking into the bushes after spinning
around so fast her head felt like it was going to fly right off.
Her stomach contents were not sure which way was up or down. Meg
loved carnivals and fairs and was the first one to start spinning
the circular amusement ride. Of course, Courtney and Purity had
joined right in. Before they knew it, they were all feeling a bit
green around the gills, although Meg was the only one who tossed
her cookies. Half an hour later, all three of them were on the ride
again, with Meg stating defiantly that it wasn’t going to get the
best of her! This time no one vomited. Meg had been triumphant.

If she wanted to venture out on her own,
Courtney and Purity knew Meg could do it and they’d be right there
to help in any way they could.

“
Meg, I bet Tapestry would
help you decorate your place,” Purity said, knowing how much Tap
loved to create a warm, welcoming space.

“
What about me?” Court
asked, slightly insulted. “I’m creative and I know how to
decorate.”

“
She doesn’t want shrunken
heads and castrated penis art, Court,” Purity said, smothering a
giggle.

“
I resent that,” Courtney
began.

Meg interrupted her by saying, “I’m sure
you’d do a great job, Court. but you’re right, Pure, I’m looking
for a business-like atmosphere with just a touch of whimsy.”

“
I can be whimsical,”
Courtney muttered under her breath, still playing with Misha. “At
least the cat loves me.”

“
Oh, Court,” Purity said,
joining her friend on the floor and showering her with kisses and
hugs. “We love you! We just don’t want you to decorate our places
of work. You can decorate my home any time.”

“
Yeah, you say that now. I
know how it is. Misha is the only one who understands me,” Courtney
said.

Meg joined her friends on the floor and they
double-teamed Courtney with I love you’s and hugs and kisses until
they were all laughing and the small tiff was forgotten.

“
I can’t believe you’re
doing this, Meg,” Purity said with joy in her eyes. “I’m really
proud of you. I know this is scary, and I also know you’ll be
great. You deserve this so much.”

“
It’s so nice to have
friends I know I can count on.”

“
When can we see the
place?” Courtney asked.

“
Any time you want. I’ve
already paid this month’s rent and I’ve got the keys.”

“
Let’s go see it now,”
Court said.

“
Yes!” Purity joined
in.

“
Okay,” Meg stated,
thrilled that her friends were as excited as she was about her new
endeavor. She was finally doing what she had dreamed about for so
long.

Everyone loaded themselves into Meggie’s car
and headed over to her new office space. Meg was right, it was
perfect. Not too large and not too small. Goldilocks would be
proud.

There was a space for a receptionist,
although Meg wouldn’t be availing herself of any kind of
secretarial service until she got established. Meg pictured a round
table where she would meet with clients and, of course, she’d need
to purchase a desk for herself. The space also had a small storage
area and restrooms down the hall.

“
It’s fabulous, Meg!”
Courtney told her friend.

“
We need to do some kind
of blessing,” Purity said, “of the office and of your new
venture.”

“
It can’t hurt,” Meg
responded. Purity was always the first to say they should bless
this or pray about that. When their friend, Allison, moved into her
home, which was a serious fixer-upper, Pure had suggested that her
friends come over and write messages of love and wishes for
Allison’s future all over the walls before they were painted. The
party had been great fun. Every time Meg went to Allison’s house,
she was reminded that lying just below the surface of paint were
all the well wishes and blessings of her friends.

It didn’t take long for the group to make
their way back to Pure’s apartment. The smell of roasting chicken
inflamed their appetites as soon as they walked in the door.

“
Oh my gosh, I hope that
chicken is done. I could eat the whole thing,” Courtney said,
heading directly for the oven to sneak a peek at the golden brown
bird.

“
It should be just about
done. What does the timer say?” Pure asked.

Before Courtney could answer, the buzzer on
the timer went off.

“
Yea!” Courtney said, her
mouth already salivating.

“
Let me just check the
temperature with the thermometer real quick,” Purity
commented.

“
Smells done,” Meg said,
“I’ll get the salad out of the fridge.”

“
I’ll set the table,”
Courtney joined in.

There was a flurry of activity as
preparations were made to enjoy their feast. All three women
assumed their regular positions on the living room floor, using the
coffee table as their dining surface.

They all joined hands and said a prayer of
thanksgiving for the food, Meg’s new business, their new friend,
Misha, and the blessing of their friendship.

“
Hey, did you hear that
Mrs. Cravens is finally selling her home?” Meg asked.

“
Oh, is she really?”
Courtney said sadly. “I wish one of her kids would buy it, but
they’re spread out all over the place now.”

“
Pure, didn’t you say you
were looking to buy a house?” Meg queried.

“
Yes, but Mrs. Cravens’
house is so big. I don’t need all that space.”

“
I don’t know, seems to me
if someone had that much space, they’d find a way to fill it up,”
Courtney stated.

“
Like with babies,” Meg
said pointedly to Purity.

“
I can’t even keep house
plants alive, Meggie, let alone human beings.” Meg and Purity had
the “you should be a mom” conversation about every three to four
months. Pure wanted to fire back with, “When are you going to have
babies?” but she couldn’t. Meg wasn’t able to carry a baby to term.
There was some hereditary thing that Purity didn’t quite
understand. She would never be so cruel as to tease Meg about
having children when she wasn’t actually able to. That would just
be mean.

“
You’re not getting any
younger you know,” Courtney said to Purity.

“
Well, thank you very
much,” Pure replied. “Neither are you, may I remind
you.”

Courtney laughed, she knew that’s what
Purity would say. She was so predictable.

Chapter Five

Everything for the Garden Party, which was
only two days away, was falling apart. The flowers Purity ordered
were delivered, but the color was wrong, Kathy’s Rentals didn’t
have enough chairs, Marsha Persimmony was waiting for a return call
with the confirmed number of guests and Sheila couldn’t find the
RSVP list, and it was too damn hot.

The air conditioning at The Kids’ Place was
on the fritz and the heat wasn’t doing anything for Purity’s mood.
She could feel the sweat trickling down her back.

Sheila Martin buzzed Pure on the intercom to
let her know the members of the jazz band booked for the event had
eaten some catered food at their last gig and ended up with food
poisoning. They had to cancel.

“
Of course,” Purity
replied, her frustration leaking through her normally calm
facade.

That’s all she needed. This was going to go
down as the extravaganza that wasn’t. She had let everyone down,
including herself. She just had too many balls in the air at once
to keep them all airborne.

“
How’s it going?” Alex
McCallister’s voice grated on the one nerve Purity had
left.

“
Dandy. Wonderful.
Terrific. If you want a party with no place to sit, no food, no
centerpieces and no music.” Pure reached for a tissue to wipe the
perspiration off her neck and the inside of her elbows.

“
Sounds like my kind of
party.” Alex had a humorous glint in his eye.

“
You think this is funny?”
Pure stood up, then came around her desk to stand within a foot of
Alex’s body as he leaned casually against the doorjamb.

“
Amusing,” he replied,
“not funny.”

Purity’s eyes darkened and her nostrils
flared as her anger, annoyance and disappointment in herself
finally found a target for release.

“
Did you come here for a
purpose, Mr. McCallister? You see, unlike you, some people have to
work for a living. Do you like spending all your free time poking
your nose in where it doesn’t belong?”

Not one to back away from a challenge, nor
one to have his integrity questioned, Alex replied, “The Kids’
Place is my business and may I remind you, Ms. Zyetta, that I am a
board member of this organization and have the ability to hire and
fire employees.”

Alex knew it was a direct hit by the way
Purity physically took a step backward; however, he also saw the
defiant tilt of her chin.

“
Was that supposed to be a
threat, Mr. McCallister?” Pure put her hands on her hips and stood
her ground.

“
Call it what you want.
All I care about is that the Garden Party is a success for the
agency. I don’t care how it happens, just make it happen.” Alex
turned to leave Purity’s office.

Purity shot forward like a bullet being
fired from a gun. She maneuvered herself around Alex so they were
now facing each other in the hallway.

“
You think I don’t want it
to be a success?” Purity practically yelled, knowing she should
keep her mouth shut and go back into her office, but also knowing
she was beyond out of control and swiftly passing into the
this-kind-of-behavior-could-get-you-fired territory. “I have worked
day and night to get this event ready, plus working on all of the
other events planned for this year. No wonder you have such a high
turnover in this job, you use people up and toss them aside when
they’re all burnt out! No one can keep up this pace and yet you
have the audacity to casually walk into my office and tell me that
you don’t give a rat’s behind about how things get done, you just
want them done. Well, let me tell you something Mr.
I-Can-Hire-And-Fire Board Member, I quit!”

With the words hanging in the air, Purity
spun around and headed for the main entry doors of the building.
She was fuming. The kind of anger that you know is misguided and
you can’t even feel self-righteous about it. You know you’ve
crossed a line and there’s no going back. And, you also know you
were dead wrong, feeling overwhelmed, and too afraid everyone would
think you were a loser if you asked for help.

By the time Purity made it to her car, hot
tears were falling down her cheeks and the deep heaving of her
breath was enough to make her feel as if she was choking. She
hadn’t been mad at Alex, it was the stress of the situation and
feeling inept. She hated feeling inept. Purity pounded her hands on
the side of her car. She hadn’t stopped to grab her purse. She
couldn’t even get in her car and drive away.

“
Damn it to hell!” She’d
have to actually go back inside and get her bag. Pure sighed, not
even trying to stave off the tears. Her jagged sobs emptying the
past month’s anxiety from her body. After several deep breaths, she
finally felt her lungs fill with air.

What had she just done? Not only had she
quit a job she loved, she had insulted the very man she’d spent so
many hours dreaming about.