A Promised Fate by Cat Mann Page A

redhead with a big smile framed in glossy lipstick.
    “Ari, this is Lirik Nino.”
    Julia gasped and locked eyes with the redhead.
    Lirik, meet Ari Alexander. He is our CFO here at baio . If everything goes right, he'll be the one you report
to.”
    “I am so excited and thrilled to finally meet
you.”
    “It’s a pleasure to meet you too, Miss Nino, but
right now is a very bad time.” I turned to escort the two women
from my office. “Best of luck to you. I am sure we will meet again
on a better schedule.” I ushered them out of the door and into the
side lobby just off my office where Fauna sat.
    “Miss Korie?”
    “Yes?” Fauna stood from her chair.
    “No more interruptions, please.”
    “Of course. I’m sorry. I was on the phone working
through the itinerary with Zach and they must have snuck past.”
Fauna gave the red head an angry eyed stare down.
    Yvette huffed in annoyance and she and the applicant
walked back towards the conference room.
    “Whoa, hold it. Where are you going?”
    “I have to leave.” Julia flew down the hall and her
flip-flops smacked the bottoms of her heals with each rushed step
she took.
    “We aren’t done talking about this, Julia.”
    “Sorry, Ari, but I can’t.” She flung her purse over
her shoulder and brushed passed me through the doorway that leads
to the main lobby.
    “Julia, get back here now!”
    She ignored me and disappeared into an elevator.
    “God, this day cannot get any worse.” I mumbled and
took off down the hallway after Julia.
    Pounding on the elevator call button more times than
necessary, I knew my efforts were pointless. Julia was gone.
Reaching the lobby in a second elevator, I wove through an ocean of
warm bodies and then exited onto the hot blacktop parking lot. The
narrow, yellow-lined slots of the baio visitor parking
spaces were all full except for one. Her tires squealed at the far
corner stop light.
    I turned and looked back to the building just as the
door opened and the redhead walked out.
    “Oh!” She smiled with a sort of eager delight. “Mr.
Alexander. Hi.”
    I nodded, hoping that would be enough of a greeting
but knowing beforehand that it was not.
    “I am sorry about earlier, you know for barging in on
your meeting. I want you to know that I normally wouldn’t behave
that way. It is just, Margaux was eager for us to meet. I hope it
doesn’t reflect too poorly on me. I really…”
    I waved a lazy, pardoning palm at the air space
around her. My head was due to explode any moment and her incessant
rambling was not helping matters. “Please. Forget about it.”
    “Mr. Alexander, are you alright?” The redhead cocked
her head slightly to the left, the tight, white skin around her
eyes barely made a crease. Her freckles danced with the slight
scrunch of her small nose.
    “I’m fine. And, it’s just Ari.”
    “OK, Just Ari. It was a real pleasure meeting
you.”
    “Uh, you, too…”
    “Lirik Nino. Lirik like a song.”
    “Ok, Lirik Like A Song. It was nice meeting you,
too.”
    She smiled too brightly.

Chapter 8
Need
     
    “Hey, I’m home,” I called out to anyone who might be
interested, closed the garage door that led to the kitchen and
dropped my car keys in a little bowl on the counter top.
    “Ava? Max?”
    A loud crack of a baseball smacking off a bat pulled
my attention into the living room. The broadcasters offered a play
by play and I leaned in and shut off the TV. Quieting the
house.
    They were curled up together on the sofa, both of
them sound asleep. A discarded children’s book was draped across
Ava’s chest and Max’s face was nestled into her neck. His body
snaked around her protruding bump and his leg hitched over both of
hers and sloped down off the sofa. My shoulders dropped in
disappointment. Although his bedtime had passed a long time ago, I
had a glimmer of hope that I would at least be able to spend a
little bit of time with Max before bed. Instead, I eased him into
my arms, careful not to wake