Karen could see the bitterness tugging at the corners of her cousin's mouth. She knew better than anyone how much he had fallen for Dorothy.
"Hey, you'll find the right one, you're still young," she said, trying to offer some comfort.
Kenneth just shook his head, "There won't be another one. | think I've lost it." Karen fell silent, not knowing what to say.
"Don't worry about me," Kenneth continued, "You've got your hands full with the wedding prep. It's not a walk in the park, you know. If you need anything, just holler. I might not be a fan of your future hubby, but as long as he treats you right, that's what counts.” Tears suddenly welled up in Karen's eyes.
"I'm sorry. You've been there for me, and | couldn't..." "Sorry? For what? Maybe I'm just not good enough, huh? Some things aren't meant to be, no matter how hard you wish for them." Kenneth had run through this scenario in his mind a thousand times, knowing all too well that Dorothy's chances of saying 'yes" were slim to none.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtBut that's the thing about longing for something so deeply; you can't help but hope against hope that the slightest chance might just land in your lap.
Now, with his dream shattered, he had no choice but to face the music.
The next day was a Friday, and Dorothy woke up early. She freshened up and headed to the office outright.
She was the only one in the fourth project team there; the office was quiet as a tomb.
She cherished this tranquility, feeling as if the world was hers alone.
After compiling and printing thirteen sets of documents for the morning meeting, she neatly placed them on her desk. Then she washed a cloth and wiped down the office. The cleaning crew did their job, but with a long weekend ahead, she wanted everything to be extra tidy.
Once everything was in order, Dorothy sat back at her desk and flipped through her phone.
Everett had been surprisingly quiet yesterday, with not a single message or video of the kids, and Kevin was MIA too.
She wondered if Kevin had been told not to message her, but she didn't want to pry. What if they were just busy? After all, Everett usually kept her updated on Abigail and Langston's latest antics.
"Ms. Sanchez, time for the meeting!" her assistant called, snapping Dorothy out of her reverie.
She quickly nodded, gathering the documents and heading out the door.
Dorothy knew it had been a tough week for everyone, so she hadn't assigned any weekend work. That would allow them some time to recharge.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmAn hour later, as the meeting wrapped up and she was about to leave, Austin stopped her.
"Ms. Sanchez! Team dinner tonight — I'll text you the BBQ's address!" "Tonight?" she asked, taken aback.
Usually, a team dinner was planned beforehand.
"Yeah! Let's all head over after work. We thought about doing it tomorrow, but some of the parents wanted the weekend free for their kids, so we moved it up. Can you make it?" Since the meeting had just ended and the fourth project team members were still around, all eyes were on her.
Dorothy couldn't bring herself to say no.
Thinking it over, she'd be with the fourth project team for another six months, and standing out as a lone wolf didn't seem appealing. So she nodded, "Sure, | can make it. And today, coffee's on me. Let me know what you want in the group chat!" "Awesome! Thanks, Ms. Sanchez!" "Thank you, Ms. Sanchez!" With a smile, Dorothy clicked her heels back to her office and proceeded to order everyone's coffee as requested.
As she was about to pay, she noticed a fleeting notification on her phone - someone had added her.
After completing the payment, she checked again and saw that indeed, there was a new contact request. The verification message read: [Hey, it's Jeffrey. Are you heading to the resort or what?]