Head over Heels: A Single Dad Romance(2)

Chapter 2





"My day starts at the butt crack of dawn every day and ends," I paused and looked up at the ceiling, "around the same time." I took a gulp of my chocolate martini before going on, "I'm still just an intern, but I've done everything that's asked of me and more to claw my way up that architecturally designed corporate ladder." Mimi was looking at me with a deadly serious stare and I began to nod my head in agreement, "my goal is not just to cross every I and dot every T, my goal is to hand deliver that T and that A on a comfortable fluffy pillow along with a warm chocolate chip cookie and-"

"Oh my god," Mimi interrupted, "I remember when you used to bring in those cookies." She took another swig of her margarita and asked wistfully, "why did you stop? I wish I could bake like that, those were awesome. I could go for one right now," she gushed.

"Mimi, listen," I almost slurred, "Those cookies got me nowhere." I waved my hand around to emphasize my point, but it was lost on her.

"But they were awesome," Mimi went on as if suddenly ambivalent of the gravity of my story.

"Yes, they were awesome," I conceded, "but it was just another case of me using my personal time-"

"Of which you have none," she chimed in.

"Of which I have less than none," I agreed, "and what did it get me?"

"I loved them," she sighed.

"I meant at work," I swiped my finger in the direction of the office as I grilled her, "what did it get me at work?"

"Nothing?" Mimi all but hiccuped.

"A big fat nothing is right!" I emphasized the point by driving the palm of her hand into the rickety table and felt a rush as the empty glasses clinked together. The tinkling sound energized me as if it were my personal call to arms. "I've been so busy making sure that the Brothers Rainier were getting all my attention that I've not left anything over for myself."

"You have to start taking care of yourself," my wise-beyond-her-years friend advised - not for the first time.

"Well, I started to," I almost wailed, "I found the perfect house, a beautiful antique Victorian with lovely bones and a crappy layout. It was perfect and I had it all planned out."

Mimi put up her finger to shush me as she down the last of her drink. When she drained the last drop, she waved her finger to re-start our conversation.

"Like I was saying," I continued, "I would stay in the basement apartment while working on the main house, and then move upstairs and live there while I finished up the rest. Save myself a shitload of money doing as much as I could myself, and then use the whole thing as my own personal showcase until I flipped that sucker for a huge ass profit."

"You should SO do that," Mimi grabbed my arm and implored me as if we hadn't been discussing the very issue for the past three drinks. "You have such great ideas about things, like where people should walk and how high ceilings should be, and… stuff..."

I listened to Mimi's thoughts trail off until the silence hung in the air between us and wondered at what point this conversation had become pointless. Even during our early college years Mimi was a sloppy drunk and considering the crushing blow I had experienced earlier, this perhaps wasn't the best idea I had ever had.

"The loan, Mimi, remember the loan," I reminded her as if we had been discussing a long forgotten pet. "I was so busy with the Anderson development that I lost out on the 203k construction loan for the property. I could have easily turned that dilapidated shack into a kick-ass house. That would have been the cornerstone of my plan to re-work how people live."

"Yeah," Mimi whispered around another swig of her drink, "that would have been awesome."

"Yes, it would have," I agreed wistfully. "But, without that loan, I'm going to lose the house to some other buyer."

"And your dream of world domination will go away with it," Mimi lamented my loss with another swig of her drink.

"Yes," there was nothing more to say so I picked up my drink and drained the contents before summoning the waitress for another. As I waited to place my order, another thought ran through my head and I almost smacked myself in the face, "and to top it all off, I have to be out of my room soon. I don't even have anywhere to live."

"You're right sweetie," my friend finally agreed, "you are screwed."

"Yes," I said emphatically, "and that has to change right now!" Focusing my attention on Mimi with laser-sharp intensity, I was determined to come up with a new plan. "I need a life."

"A real life this time," my friend joined in, "with… things… and… people…"

"Yes, a real life where I make friends with people outside of work."

"But, I work with you," Mimi said sadly, "You don't want to be my friend?"

"Of course I want to be your friend, I'm talking in addition to you," I rubbed her arm soothingly, "now keep up Mimi. I need to change things fast, or I'm going to turn around one day and be an 80-year-old cat lady looking at old blueprints and waiting for my chance."

"You make your own chances," Mimi imparted the words with solemn reverence. "You've gotta take the bull by the horns and grab his life with all the gusto you can muster."