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“I wanted to make sure that we were really going to move here, that you were really going to accept their offer and that we talked about it first. I didn’t want to make a snap decision without discussing it with you.”
“Well, I think that you should take it,” he replies without hesitation.
“You sure? I don’t want to impose on your career, having your girlfriend be an employee for the organization may be too much. Before I worked for OPS not the Hornets organization, this time - it may be different. I don’t want the new guy to get made fun of.”
“I can deal with a little bit of hazing.”
“So, we’re doing this? We’re moving to Arizona?” I ask.
“We’re moving to Arizona,” he replies.
I TAKE the calendar down off of the wall and started counting the days until the end of the season. It’s been three weeks since we’ve been home from Arizona and now that we’re getting everything in line for our move - I’m feeling confident to start adding it to the calendar, which to me feels more solid and real for what’s to come for our future.
I marked off the dates that the relator in Arizona have us along with our financial advisor of closing escrow. The Hornets were playing decent this season, but unfortunately, unless they get the Wild Card for the series, there will be no October games for the team, which means we can likely move to Arizona any time after they finish their season. Which gives us a month and a half left in San Diego, which is only terrifying me a little. I need to plan the linguistics of when my last day would be at my job, and they are being flexible with my departure. I began training Rachael, one of the junior marketing consultants on my accounts a week ago and have begun to taper off my involvement, as she has gotten more familiar with each account.
I take a seat at my desk after getting my morning coffee and something catches my eye on the chain of emails in my inbox.
GOOGLEALERT: KEYWORD: GUNNAR REYNOLDS: WHO IS THE MYSTERY WOMAN WITH GUNNAR REYNOLDS IN ARIZONA?
THE GOOGLE ALERT flashes in my inbox, the same one that I set up to stay on top of the team when Gunnar and I first started dating. I open up the email and click on the article. The photo is slightly grainy, but the woman in it appears to be a tall blonde who is leaning into an awkward hug with Gunnar. I’m not completely certain, but the location looks familiar and the woman also resembles someone that I know as well.
Another alert pings in my inbox and I roll my eyes at the headline.
GOOGLEALERT: KEYWORD: GUNNAR REYNOLDS: HORNETS TRADE REYNOLDS TO ARIZONA, LEAVES THE BRUNETTE IN THE SUNSHINE FOR THE BLONDE IN THE DESERT.
THERE IS ANOTHER PHOTO, it appears to be Gunnar and our realtor sitting at a cafe together and that’s when I realize that is why the woman in the other article is familiar. I scroll through the horribly written article and cringe.
Sometimes, the media will do whatever they can to get a headline; unfortunately, these sources are incorrect in their assumptions, and I want to call them up to correct them, but the fact that the source was anonymous, means that they likely won’t be able to do anything about it.
I click back over to the other article and now that I know who the woman is as all the other details return to me. She had asked for a photo for her son when we met with her the following day after viewing the house. We stood outside of a cafe, and I took the photo of them. Afterwards, Gunnar gave her a hug and she was taken aback by that which is likely the cause of the awkwardness in the photo.
The second photo is from a meeting that Gunnar had with her that I couldn’t make because I was meeting with Dwayne in regards to my new position with the Gila Monsters Organization.
A tap on the door of my office startles me. I look up to see Rachael standing in my doorway. She looks nervous and slightly terrified.
“Everything okay?” I ask her.
“Your… um… boyfriend is here,” she says in a whisper.
“Oooookay?” I wait for her to continue. Gunnar usually just acts as if he owns the office and walks in on his own rather than waiting up front, the comes in here.
“There’s a trail of reporters outside that seemed to follow him here and Mr. Lyons looks annoyed.”
Déjà vu. I stand up from my desk, smooth the front of my shirt as I round my desk and walk towards her.
“Where’s Gunnar?” I ask looking around, not seeing him.
“Mr. Lyons called him into his office when he was on his way back here. I think it’s so cool that he comes and visits you at work,” she gushes trying to keep up with my fast moving pace.
I smile. “How are the color swatches on the new branding for Kit and Kaboodle? Did the art department color match or ruin it?” I turn the conversation around and away from my personal life.
She stands ramrod straight. “They mocked up something that was completely wrong and I have them re-doing it right now. They’re supposed to get back to me within the hour. I also did a quick write up based on your notes and my initial meeting with them. I think I want to change their website wording a little to reflect a less passive voice.”
“Excellent. Since they are new-ish and created this website out of their asses without consulting us, their freaking marketing group - they need all the help you can give them. Nice work. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go save Gunnar from Mr. Lyons before he talks us out of moving.”
I walk over to Mr. Lyons office and see that Gunnar is sitting in the chair across from him. The two men are laughing about something just as I walk inside the office space and sit beside Gunnar. He looks over to smile at me reaching out his hand to me. I take it and he squeezes.
“Hey babe,” he says lightly as I return his smile.
