Finding Parker (10 page)

“I’ve grown to like my first name. I never much cared for it as a kid, but it’s perfect for me as an adult. So, how’s the search coming along?” he asked.

“Excuse me?” I responded.

The question didn’t make much sense when he asked it. After I responded, I realized he was probably asking about my quest for women. Feeling fractionally uneasy regarding the situation with Katelyn, I rolled my eyes.

“Alright I suppose,” I said as I wiped the condensation from my glass of tea.

“It’s certainly an interesting job description. Mr. Ward spent countless hours drafting the contract. It’s interesting at minimum,” he said as he lifted his glass.

It dawned on me as he spoke that I had never actually took time to read the entire contract. At the attorney’s office, I had merely signed the agreement based on Kenton’s statement of the conditions of the contract, I had not read it. Eventually, after taking a copy home, I flipped through it, but didn’t read it.

“You’ll probably think I’m crazy, but I’ve never actually read it,” I chuckled.

“Oh really? I assisted Mr. Ward in drafting it, so I’m quite intimate with the contents. It’s a simple contract, but you should read it; you’re bound to the conditions of it, you know,” he pushed himself away from the table and slumped slightly into his chair.

“I suppose I will read it eventually. Right now it doesn’t really seem to matter,” I continued to slide my finger along the glass and wipe the beads of condensation from the surface as I spoke.

“Is something troubling you, Mr. Bale?”

Surprised that he asked, I wondered if there were telltale signs which caused him to ask the question. Although there was nothing I could pin point, I had both began the day and continued through the morning feeling somewhat
off.
Not knowing why or what caused me to feel the way I was feeling, I wanted to talk to Kenton.

For whatever reason, Kenton provided me with a level of comfort I wasn’t able to attain elsewhere. Maybe his absence was making me even more uneasy and Downes could sense it. I looked up from my water droplet fascination and focused on the horizon.

“I’m not sure, but I just woke up feeling strange,” I responded as I stared over the putting green and out at the ocean.

“Physically ill, or mentally off balance?” Downes asked as he crossed his legs.

Although I had never been to a psychologist or psychiatrist, I felt as if Downes was acting the part. His voice, as always, was quite soft and monotone. There was a certain comfort I felt from his presence as well. His physical presence, military-esque haircut, and the fact that Kenton revealed his activity in the war, however, made me somewhat hesitant to warm up to him.

“Mentally, I suppose,” I responded as I realized condensation had once again formed on my glass.

“I see. What’s changed in the last few days?” he asked as he raised his hands to his chest and rubbed his palms together.

As he rubbed his palms together, his forearms flexed. I watched as his muscles flared from just above his wrist to the exposed lower portion of his bicep. Although I had never really given it much thought, it was possible Kenton had chosen Downes as his assistant for many reasons, a body guard being one of them.

“Not too much, I don’t guess. I told Katelyn I wasn’t interested in proceeding. She didn’t take it well, called me a douche,” I grinned, wiping my curved finger along the edge of the glass.

“You surely hadn’t developed an attraction to Katelyn yet, so would I doubt you’re feeling uneasy because of that alone. Have you had any reflections or thoughts of your past that might be troubling you?” he asked.

What would cause him to immediately ask such a question, I thought. More than likely he was correct, but who would jump to such a conclusion so promptly? In thinking of how to respond, and what just might be the cause of my uneasy feelings, I stared at the base of my glass of tea.

“Considering
my
past, it was always easy for me to dwell on certain thoughts, events, or ideas, and become a product of my second guessing myself. I believe, at least for me, becoming comfortable with the fact that I couldn’t change my past left me with no other option but to embrace the fact that I was left to accept it for being just what it was,” he paused and leaned into the table.

“My past. And I sure can’t change it,” he smiled and shook his head slightly.

“Do you have things you regret or wish you could change?” I asked as I looked up from my glass of tea.

“I suppose my knee-jerk response should be
yes
, but it’s not going to be my answer. There are probably a good handful of people that would look at my past and say I had quite a bit to be either ashamed of or without a doubt regret,” he paused and began to shake his head again slowly.

“I have no regrets. To regret my past would be to admit I am not satisfied with who or what I have become. Everything I have accomplished and all I have been exposed to – good or evil – has created what sits before you. If I look solely at the reflection I make today, I stand proud. So in short, no Parker, I don’t have things I regret,” he grinned softly as if satisfied with his response.

“I’m sure sometimes I think of events of my past and feel sorry for myself. Not something I do often, but it does happen. Overall, I think I’m happy with who I am and what I have accomplished so far. I’m self-driven to succeed, I guess that’s a good thing,” I said as I looked down at my glass of tea again, realizing my response wasn’t nearly as uplifting or full of emotion as Downes’.

“I imagine it would be difficult to come to terms with losing both parents at such a young age. Feeling sorry for one’s self would probably be quite common,” he said softly and almost apologetically.

“It’s something I think about more often than you think,” I responded, still staring at my glass of tea.

“Wait a minute. How did you know?” as I asked, I realized Katelyn may have told Kenton during my half hour of subconscious Kaetlyn-less bliss.

“Mr. Ward’s background investigation of your past revealed it,” he responded.

“Background investigation?” I sat up in my chair and became a little more focused.

“You didn’t think Mr. Ward would have offered you such a position without knowing anything regarding who you are, did you? And, it’s public knowledge – anyone can find out. You realize that, don’t you?” he stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

I felt proud and ashamed at the same moment. Part of me felt proud that Kenton had performed a background investigation on me, and still had interest in me working for him. I had nothing to hide, and I am quite proud of everything I have accomplished. Additionally, I felt ashamed I didn’t realize this was something he had done. It was a surprise, and I now felt foolish.

“I guess I never really thought about it. It’s probably common for an employer employee relationship like this one, I suppose. To do a background investigation, that is,” I became a little more comfortable as I spoke, realizing it wasn’t anything grotesquely uncommon for an employer to do.

Downes leaned forward again, resting his massive forearms into the edge of the table, “I would say in a situation such as this one, it would be mandatory. At any rate, were your parents a portion of what you were dwelling on in the last few days?”

“Yes sir. I suppose so. That and recollections of my grandmother’s wisdom. It’s depressing thinking about being alone. You know, without family,” I said sadly.

“Your grandmother passed as well, if I remember correctly,” he said, raising his eyebrows slightly.

I didn’t like admitting it, but she was gone. She had passed the summer of my junior year of college – of breast cancer. Something she had fought for years and didn’t bring to my attention. I didn’t like being reminded of it, and in fact, preferred denying she was gone. I looked up and did the only thing I felt I could without losing my composure.

I nodded my head.

“Well, for what it’s worth, you can always look at Mr. Ward and me as being family. Now and always,” he said, turning his palms upward and smiling as he finished speaking.

“Thank you. But one day this will all end. This job won’t last forever,” as I responded I began to feel a little more hollow and alone.

“Quite the contrary. Mr. Ward doesn’t nor has he ever allowed a friend to slip from his grasp. In fact, he has very few people he considers friends. I would venture to say you, me, and Mr. Astur would satisfy the list entirely,” he nodded his head slowly as a form of reassurance.

“Really?” I sat up in my chair, astonished at what he had said.

“Do you really think he considers me a friend?” I asked.

“Mr. Bale, I don’t
think
he does, I know so,” he responded.

“But. Well, he hasn’t known me for long. It just seems like he’d be more inclined to get to know who I was and in time,” I paused and raised my index finger to my lips.

“In time he would develop a friendship with me. Or. Well, I don’t know,” I began to feel satisfied Downes statement was an accurate one.

“Mr. Bale, Mr. Ward selected you from a large group of people. The factors which played the largest part in his decision making were
who you are
. You’re an impressive individual, Mr. Bale. Very much so,” he reached for the pitcher of tea and poured himself another glass. 

“If I remember correctly, there were twelve applicants. It was an exciting meeting for sure,” I grinned, recollecting Kenton’s intimidating demeanor during the meeting.

“Mr. Bale,” Downes shook his head as if in disbelief, “at that juncture, there was only one applicant.
Only one
.”

I sat and stared, trying to decide what it was Downes was trying to say. To the best of my ability, I attempted to recall the conditions of our first meeting. Was it possible Kenton investigated me prior to my having met him? Had he made the decision to hire me before we had even met?

Highly unlikely, I decided.

The advertisement was posted the morning of our first meeting. I responded to the ad, and was called in for an interview. During the meeting, Kenton tossed the contract in front of me and asked if I was a risk taker. I signed the contract, and he gave me keys to a car. There was no way he could have even known I existed before the morning of the meeting. Clearly, I was tired, and my mind was attempting to work overtime.

“What did you mean by the comment? There was only one applicant?” I asked, hoping Downes would continue.

He shook his head slowly from side to side.

“I have offered too much as it is. Just know this, Mr. Bale. Mr. Ward admires you,” he said as he turned to face the ocean.

“Admires me?” I blurted excitedly.

Still staring out at the ocean, Downes nodded his head once sharply.

The thought of Kenton admiring me was almost laughable. I certainly admired him. His brutal honesty was difficult to dismiss and without a doubt almost impossible not to admire – at least not for me. In fact, I aspired to one day become Kenton Ward, or at minimum as close as I could muster.

“So, have you met anyone new?” Downes asked.

“Well, kind of. We’ll see what happens. I may bring her here to meet Kenton if things go well between us. I’m still somewhat embarrassed about how things went with Katelyn. I suppose I’ll wait and see how things go with this one,” I responded.

The thought of Victoria made me smile slightly.

“Well, if you’re going to take her out on an actual date, you really don’t have a choice. Eventually, Kenton
has
to meet her,” he turned from facing the ocean and looked at me as if confused.

“What do you mean, I don’t have a choice?” I asked, puzzled at his statement.

“Mr. Bale, I recommend you read the contract. Entirely,” he responded.

Based on that particular statement and a few which preceded it, I knew there was one thing I needed to do, and do very well.

I needed to read the contract.

VICTORIA.
“As soon as you’re done with the onions, peel the tomatoes, they’re ready. We need to have everything for the bisque done this afternoon, we’re serving it tonight,” Tony stood in front of me, his hands on his hips as he shook his head.

“I know we’re short staffed, but I can get it done, don’t worry,” I responded, my eyes fixed on the onions scattered over the prep table.

“Stop talking and start chopping,” he said as he turned and walked out of the kitchen.

Angelina’s
is the only kitchen I have ever worked in, and I would like to think other restaurants have a more understanding staff to work with. Here, almost every weekend, someone doesn’t make it to work. Typically, it was Tony’s nephew. I never miss a day of work, so inevitably I work harder, later, and under more scrutiny than most of the kitchen employees here.

I find it frustrating, but there isn’t a lot I can do to change it. More than anything I want to open my own restaurant, and someday witness people enjoying the foods that I design, prepare, and serve. Today, this is nothing short of a dream. Today, I must do what I am asked, and do it without arguing or complaining. Today I need my job, my paycheck, and the experience.