Daniel heavily slumped against his chair, hair neatly disheveled, if that was possible. "We're missing a guy at the bar."
I sat down on the chair across from him, nearly drowning as this was a Friday and the weekends mostly reeled in a large crowd to the club. I had learned to keep up, to be well aware of which part of the business was referred to and I was still trying to get familiar with the staff and everyone but the upcoming launch was an important event, so that meant I had to offer my help where needed–which was everywhere.
"Is it Jack?" I tried my best to approach this comfortably. I had kept the name of the bartenders since I helped out on some details about the launch and my boss's absence was tied to that–there were talks of other deals in connection to the club and sponsors. The club was a high-end place with a certain aesthetic and probably attracted certain people, but not that I would have any clue since I was not the party animal myself. I had only seen it in the daylight and seen some of the girls that worked there, it had mostly been dim and in full preparation of quite a heavy night, the ceiling was tall and although elegant it held an inviting glint with those cages, and that dance floor, and those tall silver railings with everything hidden in the dangerously dim lighting and then there was, of course, the spacious floor–everything else came to life at night.
"An emergency of some sorts," he said, running fingers into his brown-black hair that was cut into one of those stylish curtains, and with the neat shape of his jaw and slightly narrow noise he held quite the handsome face–a sense of fashion too. The brown in his eyes was quite sharp, a burnt whiskey with touches of ebony, and his lips were full and round like a baby's. He however was no child, he sat there with his neatly square shaped eyebrows knitted closely in upset and half of his arms uncovered as he was clad in a fashionable and neat form-fitting maroon golf tee-shirt, tugged into a pair of empire-waisted dress pants matching the navy stripes of his golf tee-shirt. I guess this was his basic self and there he was sitting looking like that–some girls were just fortunate. It didn't matter though, I had never experimented outside my race and wasn't planning to. I was divorced and to be honest, he was getting married and I didn't think of him that way, he was just handsome enough for it to be worth noting.
The sharp outline of the shape of his eyes brought out the sharpness of his high cheekbones and I watched as the man inclined his head to the side, shutting those brown eyes of his for a moment. "We'll have to find a replacement."
The office was simple but not in the way that it was empty it had nice and organic touches to it. There was a bookshelf I was sure had been skillfully carved with bare hands with several books neatly placed there on those mini shelves and it was made in a way that it stylish became a makeshift table decorated with a bottle of liquor matching his eyes. I doubted he ever touched it by the looks of it, maybe it was there for decoration or had been gifted to him.
I paid attention to the staff problem we had instead. "There's no way he can try to make it?"
"I doubt it," he said, sighing. "He's worked for us for years. . .and has never once disappointed."
"Is he. . .okay?" I put my iPad down on his desk right before me and lifted my eye to him. He paused with this look of hesitation in his eyes then something sort of washed over him and his eyebrows slightly straightened much easier. I shifted in my chair well aware that he didn't know me well enough and that maybe by asking this I was somehow pushing him to dive into certain personal things he was, maybe, not that comfortable to share, and maybe it wasn't even his place to do so.
I had to remember I was a fresh face here.
He sat up straight. "Family trouble, his father is a bit of. . .a trouble maker and so he has to tend to certain things at home."
"I hope. . .it goes well." It was about all I could say.
He eyed me like that again, as if trying to decide whether I was worthy of being let on some sort of secret, and of course, the shape of his eyes and the way they looked so curiously sharp made things harder–I barely knew where to turn my eyes.
"Jack's parents are. . .complicated and sometimes they are more of a child than he is," he stated, his deep voice quite steady, "they've always required that of him."
"I get it," I said, nodding just to keep my eyes away from his. "They say you can't choose your family, right?"
He paused and eyed me, his eyes probably swallowing every ounce of courage to look up at him and leaving nothing as he eyed me skeptically, even managing to not make me feel entirely uneasy. "Yeah."
"There's no way that. . .Smith can hold the fort on his own, isn't it?" I sighed trying to figure something out in my head and maybe slyly trying to get him to distract himself with something else besides staring at me with so much question in his eyes.
"Jada can help him out. . ." he trailed, fingers having found his silky hair as he went and bit his lip.
"There's going to be one problem though," I let out, doing my best to not falter.
"I was thinking the same thing. . .we're out of options," he said, furrowing his eyebrows in worry this time. "We just have to make do."
"He'll be here for the launch?" I resisted before I reached for the iPad and did my best to not falter because of the way his eyes kind of made me feel as if my entire soul was bare for him to see–as If he could find every secret.
He cocked his head to the side. "You think he might not?"
"You know him more than I do," I pointed out.
"Touche," he said, offering me a soft smile.
"I've already made space for the upcoming meet with the people of the other restaurant and. . ." I finally got ahold of the iPad and slid my finger across it. I was quick as I went through the schedule I had spent a night going through, with a cup of coffee for company, unfortunately. Then I sat it on the table and turned it towards him carefully, I sort of felt as if it was necessary with him.
". . .there, your uncle's birthday." I pointed to the day marked in red just for me to distinguish between personal and professional matters. "I've cleared your brother's day and. . .he wanted to know about yours. . .though his schedule's been cleared for the–"
"We visit our father's grave three days after our uncle's birthday," he cut in, his deep voice almost wavering with the sentence, "it's our family's tradition and we're catholic, so we go to church right after. . .the only time my brother ever goes to church."
I didn't know what to say. "I'm sorry about your. . .father."
"Thank you. . .but. . .it doesn't hurt anymore." He offered me what I was certain was the saddest smile I had ever seen.
"I–"
"It's okay." He sighed as he pushed his hair from his face. "My brother will probably be back to get him a gift."
"Your uncle?" I found my eyebrows lifting.
He nodded as he wore a soft smile. "Yes. I've already done so."
The room felt a little bit uncomfortable and too quiet for me. I didn't want to leave him be like this and even though I didn't know him like that I didn't feel right about his frown.
"Do you usually order a specific flower arrangement ahead of the day?" I offered and hoped with my whole heart I had not crossed a line.
His big eyes lit up as he offered me a smile. "You don't have to worry about that. My mother's always ahead with the plans."
"Do you need anything before then?" I asked.
"No, we'll be fine." He shook his head politely.
"I will go get us some lunch and. . .I'll call Jada and Smith myself just to give them a heads up," I said, already going for the iPad I had put on top of the desk yet again. "Then you can lunch have without any distractions."
"You don't–"
"You can just call Jack and see what's going on. . .and I'll see if we can get in a temporary replacement if he can't get here for the launch," I stepped in, quickly.
He sighed, surrendering to my suggestions. "Okay."
I was glad but not that much since we had the possible issue of needing one more bartender for the launch since the event was going to be one of the biggest the club was going to host the entire year.
I guess there was no pain in keeping up with certain details.
"Since I don't know Jack that well then you can talk to him. I don't want him to feel. . .–"
"Replaced?"
"Yeah. . .and that's not what I want to do actually," I said, quite comfortably to my surprise. "I just want us to get through the launch."
He looked at me in that odd way again, this time with more humor dangling within his eyes. "I see."
"You didn't tell me what you want–"
"We can just have lunch together," he interjected easily, this unreadable stare hanging off his brown eyes as he stood up from his leather chair. "If you don't mind that is."
I couldn't deny him, it was even obvious that he wanted to get to see me in an environment that was less 'formal', and maybe he had every right to learn me. It just didn't mean I was comfortable with it, it was just that this was their company and I had to put my issues aside.
I didn't like baring certain parts of myself for people and I wasn't particularly gifted at expressing myself comfortably and willingly. I preferred my head most of the time and no one getting past it or through it, forget getting into it. I got myself better than anyone else did and I was okay with this.
I however had nothing to hide, it was just my personal life was mine and the past was the past.
I guess lunch was going to have to do at this point. "Sure."
He offered me another smile, this one practically filled his whole face as it brought some relief to some part of me I wasn't even aware had been feeling so uncertain. "Welcome. . .to the family then."
"Thank you," I said, letting out a soft laugh.