Fanning The Flames

CHAPTER ONE

David Reynolds sat quietly at his desk on floor thirty-something of the Premier Accounting Partners office building, situated in the bustling business district of New York City.

He was a clean-cut character, dressed sharply, with tailored outfits that complimented his fit body. He shaved daily and kept his hair short but neat.

He was still new to this job; he'd taken it only a few months ago. It constituted a move across the country, from California to Manhattan, and was preceded by a divorce from his then wife, Sarah.

Their relationship started ten years prior when they met at his old workplace and were put on a project together. David felt they peaked a few years after that and slowly petered out into a situation he'd describe as more akin to roommates. He knew, deep down, somewhere, that it was largely his own fault.

He also knew he was not emotionally mature enough to come to terms with that. So, he buried it, deep, deep down, and now filled his time with spreadsheets and reports.

He took this job as a means to escape it all.

California just reminded him too much of it; he took this job as a means to escape it all.

California just reminded him too much of it; he needed a fresh start, and being only thirty-eight, he still felt he had plenty of time to make it. He was the Chief Financial Officer at Premier Accounting Partners, a stone's throw away from CEO, but that'd never happen. His boss was too proud and seemed like he was going to live for eternity.

"Another shakeup, huh?" He muttered, pottering over this morning's email from the CEO.

"New approach to... mmhmm, yeah... Bringing in a new Executive Marketing Strategist... Wonder what happened to Bethany?"

Bethany was, until recently, it seemed, the Executive Marketing Strategist. David brought up reports on his dual screens and, in a matter of minutes, had determined that Bethany had been moved on; her strategies were not only unsuccessful, they were objective failures.

"I wonder whom they're replacing her with," he exhaled, moving to drink his coffee.

He continued to read the daily announcements, and the answer was buried within the second

page.

"Sarah Williams." He huffed. "Surely not my Sarah. She wouldn't have changed her name back so fast." He felt a little perplexed, even annoyed. He wasn't sure why; he couldn't really explain his feelings, not even to himself.

He assumed it just happened to be another successful marketing strategist who shared the same first and maiden name as his ex-wife.

The chances of her moving to New York and landing a job right next to him had to be slim.

David punched in the numbers, spending way too long doing so. His custom algorithm spat out odds that skewed heavily in favor of it being a coincidence. He felt a lot better after that. He wasn't sure he could handle working with her again. The email mentioned a meeting at two for the executive team to meet this Sarah Williams.

Despite his cold calculations, two o'clock felt like it couldn't come soon enough. He was anxious, in a quiet, emotionless way. He hid it well, as he did all feelings. He continued about his day, working with his team, both directly and over video calls. Yet, in his mind, thoughts of his ex-wife lingered.

He did still love her, greatly, just in his own way. He missed her; he missed just being near here. He found it comforting, just watching TV with her on the same couch or quietly eating dinner together before turning on the news.

His mind seemed to conveniently ignore the memories of arguments over relationship stagnation and boredom. He'd buried that too.

Two o'clock finally rolled around. David sat in the designated meeting room, their usual, for executive-level meetings. It was a frosted glass room in the middle of the thirty-eighth floor. A long pine desk with eight chairs and a huge TV on the wall for remote calls.

Already in the room were a few of his colleagues. Tim, the chief security officer; Kate, the chief technology officer; Bella, the head of human resources. All that was missing was the CEO and the new addition.

David's stomach dropped when Mark, the CEO, walked around the corner with Sarah Williams, his ex-wife, in tow.

She froze at the door, their eyes met for a moment, and David felt a surge of discomfort.

"David?" She gasped.

She'd changed her hair. Her hair was mousy brown instead of blonde, but it was definitely her. The same hairstyle - a tight bun, the same aesthetic - pencil skirts, blazer, blouse, and her body was the same tight, limber figure she always had from endless hours of hikes and yoga.

"Sarah?" He retorted.

"Seems our new ESM and our CFO are already acquainted," Mark smirked, looking back and forth between their astounded expressions.

"Yes, um," Sarah muttered.

"We are-" David spoke, cutting her off nervously and accidentally. "Sarah is my ex-wife."

"Right." Mark smiled, almost insincerely. "Well, we've dragged her all the way from California for this job; she's the best in business."

David nodded, agreeing with him. She was absolutely gifted in her role and a perfect fit for the job.

"And David, you will have to put your personal feelings aside because this shakeup involves a totally new marketing strategy, and with marketing comes finance."

Mark sat down, knitting his fingers together.

"The entire company is resting on these outcomes, team.

You can sort out personal things in your own time, but on the clock, I need you all at your best..."

Much of the meeting went in one of David's ears and clean out the other. He sat there, completely silent, dwelling in an endless spiral of nauseating discomfort. Either his calculations were wrong, or he was just exceedingly unlucky.

It was literally millions to one. Yet, somewhere, in the back of his mind, was a thought, lonesome, quiet, but definitely there...

This was a chance to reconnect with her, to lose what he had.

On the outside, Sarah and David looked civil.

They got along fine and didn't have any awkward exchanges. David made no attempts to flirt with her, despite how much he wanted to.

Over the days, they discussed work issues, casually, as if nothing else mattered. No sign of their relationship ever bubbled up, though; it just remained there. He wasn't sure how she felt, but she was being as professional as he was. There was no reminiscing, no discussion of their past connection, even outside of work.

It was as if they never knew each other. If anything, he felt like everything had been erased; every memory of them together wiped clean. Even their marriage barely resurfaced, except when their paths crossed briefly on occasion.

At least that's what it seemed to David, anyway.

Then came the fateful day when an extensive report was due, and it involved breaking down the pros and cons of different advertising strategies. Normally, David would take care of such tasks without issue; he'd just crunch the numbers and present them however he saw fit.

But this was a massive report that could not only define their jobs but the entire company.

Tensions were high, and it seemed that was all that was needed to finally dredge up their past.

"... You were always like this," Sarah begrudgingly exclaimed.

It was nine-thirty at night. They'd been working beside one another since six in the morning and for weeks before that.

"Like what?" David snarled, loosening his tie. He was feeling stuffy.

"Closed off. Hesitant. I'm just asking your opinion on this paragraph, and you can't even give me that. In case you haven't noticed, this was meant to be on Mark's desk three hours ago."

"I know!" He bellowed. "'m fully aware of that, Sarah."

"Then why aren't you helping?!"

"Why are you being so emotional?!"

"Emotional?!" She repeated, furious. "David, l've been in this job for three weeks. I reshaped my whole life to be here, gave up everything! Family, friends, my job. If this falls through, it's all for nothing! And you, stonewalling me because you struggle to articulate non-statistical data when our report is overdue, is, naturally, going to piss me off!"

"I am not stonewalling you!"

"Then answer the damn question! I have not come this far to be destroyed by your lack of emotional maturity again!"

", ugh." David sighed, tired, fed up, and over it.

He felt himself shutting off. Something he used to do often when he and Sarah were together.

He sat down opposite her and rested his chin in his hands. "I need a break."

"We don't have time, David."

"We do. Mark isn't in till seven tomorrow. He won't know." David puffed out his lips in frustration.

"Sarah, there's a lounge bar across the road. Would you like to come with me, grab a glass of wine, and we can mull it over in a more comfortable environment...?"

Sarah seemed curiously shocked, as if such an offer was almost alien coming from David.

"We were married for a decade, and the first time you ask me out to a bar is five months after divorce?" She half laughed, half moaned.

"Yes," he admitted. "Apparently yes."

Taken aback by his bout of honesty, there was a change on Sarah's face. She almost looked... Pleased.

"Okay, David." She nodded. "But we must have this done by midnight. I have no interest in working till morning."

"Deal." David scooped up his laptop,

unplugged it from the second monitor on his desk, and bundled a few wads of important paper into his bag.

Sarah did the same, and the two headed toward the elevator.