Chapter 16 — Douglas

Lunch wasn’t a word in Douglas’ vocabulary. At least, not on most days. Today, drained after an intense week of caring for Ian on his own, he carved out an hour of his time to disappear from the office and detox from the stress that was the corporate world. The projections weren’t looking good. If he couldn’t sit down with the other newbie executives Kenneth had hired on and iron out a concrete plan with them, something drastic was going to happen.

Douglas didn’t want it to come to that.

He slipped out through the back door, successfully dodging Jenna, the chatty secretary. The back door was seldom used—it led out into an alley that was kept less than spotless and used primarily by the kitchen staff from the ground floor cafeteria—but Douglas didn’t mind breaking from routine.

Nothing about his life was routine anymore. Getting to a point where he could accept that and roll with it was vital.

Besides, even if he didn’t eat, lunch would do him good.

Douglas checked left and right down the alley. To the left were some soggy cardboard boxes, stacked and left to decompose. To the right was a large dumpster. The alley led to the street from either direction, but what Douglas wanted more than anything was to put some space between him and the line of sight of the door. Like a teenager trying to skip class without getting caught, he rounded the dumpster, intending to hide on the other side until he’d de-stressed enough that he could go back in to work.

To his surprise, he ran into a familiar face. Eric, one of his best work friends, leaned against the wall on the other side of the dumpster, an energy drink tilted to his lips. His tie was loosened and his suit jacket was open. It looked like he’d been there for a while.

“Shit!” Eric jumped when Douglas entered his field of view. Energy drink spilled from the can’s opening. “God. We need to put a bell on that door. Just about gave me a heart attack. I thought it was Kenneth.”

“Just me.” Douglas slotted in beside him, leaning against the wall as Eric did. The grit of the facade caught on the fine fibers of his suit jacket, but as long as he didn’t rub against it, Douglas was sure it would be fine. “Looks like we had the same idea.”

“Never seen you around these parts before,” Eric remarked. He sucked the spilled energy drink from the rim of his can. “Is this your first time, or are you showing up early for your regular post?”

Douglas chuckled. “First time.”

“I’ve been coming here since you left on paternity leave. Things went to shit real fast after that. Kenneth’s been breathing down all our backs.”

“Good to know it’s not just me.” Douglas glanced skyward. It was overcast. “I mean, not that I’m glad everyone else is suffering. It’s just nice to know I’m not being picked on.”

“Couldn’t say. I try to keep to myself these days.” Eric shook his head. “I have no idea what Kenneth’s thinking. It’s like he’s gone off the deep end, you know? Maybe he’s jealous that you’re a father and he’s just a crusty, grumpy, single guy steadily approaching middle age.”

“I’m also a crusty, grumpy, single guy steadily approaching middle age.” Douglas narrowed an eye and playfully gave Eric a look.

“But now you’re a crusty, grumpy, single guy steadily approaching middle age who has a little bundle of joy. That’s got to be eating Kenneth alive.”

Douglas shrugged. He didn’t like to think about it.

“So I’m thinking that since you officially became a dad, he’s been acting out in unpredictable ways. It’s a far-fetched theory, but was else do I have to think about when I’m out here?”

“Mm.” Douglas thought on it for a while. Kenneth was his cousin by title, but they barely considered themselves related. A fallout with Douglas’ mother’s side of the family had divided his aunts and uncles, and tensions were high. Some of the cousins were more engaged with the feud than others. Douglas didn’t give it much thought, but in the last few years, Kenneth’s increased bitterness toward him had begun to convince him that Kenneth didn’t feel the same way.

“Well, whatever it is, I hope he gets over it soon so things can go back to normal. People have started to leave. Can you imagine that? We’ve had one of the best rates of employee satisfaction in the city for three years, and now people are jumping ship. Something’s been going on. I don’t know what’s going on in his head, but I’m hoping you bigwigs in the executive offices can set him straight.”

Douglas snorted. “If you mean me, forget it. Kenneth doesn’t listen to a word I say.”

“You and the others. There’s a few of you now. Enough that he should listen if all of you approach him saying the same thing.” Eric ran his thumb along the raised lip of his can. “You know, it might be his company, but he hired you for a reason. You’ve got a good head on your shoulders, a sharp mind for business, and he’s lucky that you decided to work for him instead of opening a company on your own. I imagine that you’d run a tight ship. His business would be on the line if you decided to go on the warpath.”

“That’s flattering, but I don’t want that.” Not now. With Ian at home, Douglas had much more to live for than professional success. As long as he earned a comfortable income that would allow him to pay the mortgage and contribute toward Ian’s college savings account, that was all that mattered. He worked so hard for Kenneth that he couldn’t imagine the responsibility that would land on his shoulders if he started a company of his own.

Maybe when Ian was in high school and able to be on his own, he’d reconsider. Another fifteen years would give him plenty of time to come up with a solid business plan.

“Well, I don’t think you want this, either. Not with Kenneth acting the way he is.” Eric shook the can. The sound the remaining liquid made told Douglas he was almost finished with his drink. “You might not know this, but while you were gone, almost the entire accounting department left.”

Douglas frowned. “Accounting?”

“Mm. Just up and left. I think there was one woman who stayed behind—there used to be four of them, you know. And after that happened, Kenneth told her that she needed to shoulder the work the others had left behind until he found a replacement. We’re almost four months later and nothing. I heard that the accountant’s been out sick for the last few days from stress.”

Douglas tightened his lips. “Is he hiring anyone else?”

“He’s trying to get a team together, but apparently it’s hard to find qualified individuals. I don’t know.” Eric leaned a little closer. “But you know, I had Heather from accounting’s personal email, and I sent her a message wishing her luck. She told me that she’s doing great, and so are the other two who left. Apparently, there’s a big firm opening up that’s thirsty for all kinds of talent—accounting, management, executives, whatever it can get its hands on.”

Douglas listened, storing the information away in the back of his mind. He knew that being a manny wasn’t Sebastian’s end goal. With information like that, he could potentially find a job that would turn into a career in his chosen field.

But with information like that, he’d be leaving Douglas and Ian behind.

“Do you think you can send me the name of the company she’s working for?” Douglas asked.

Eric laughed. “Thinking of jumping ship, too? I don’t blame you. I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t looked into it, but I’m still not sold. I feel like after we iron out the bugs, this place is going to go back to how it used to be. Whatever bee got under Kenneth’s bonnet is going to sting itself to death eventually, and when it does, he’ll calm down and go back to normal.”

Douglas hoped that, too. He knew Kenneth, and when Kenneth came to his senses and saw what was going on, he’d make a move to fix it. Douglas only hoped it wasn’t too late.

“So, I think I need to head back inside now. I’ve been gone for a little too long to be inconspicuous. It was really great talking today.” Eric pulled off the wall and nodded respectfully at Douglas. “We should make this a thing—like the changing of the guards. I thought I needed quiet, but it was damn nice to vent to someone about work. Marie doesn’t like to listen about it. She says that I’m hyperbolizing.”

“You’re fine. I don’t think you’re hyperbolizing at all.”

“Because you’re living in it.” Eric snickered. “Thanks for listening. If you want, tomorrow you can vent. I’ll bring you an energy drink. What’s your flavor?”

“A bottle of water would suit me fine.”

“Boring, but acceptable. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Eric ducked his head, then traversed the dumpster and was gone.

For a while longer, Douglas remained against the wall, thinking. He had the connections that Sebastian needed to start his professional life, but could he bring himself to share them?

He makes me so goddamn happy that I don’t want to let him go, but if I hold it back from him and force him to stay with me, what kind of man does that make me?

Douglas closed his eyes and let the choice fight itself out both in his heart and in his head. If he gave it time, one of them would emerge the true victor.

But Douglas already knew which one he was rooting for. He hoped he was choosing right.