Love Therapy (Stanton Falls #2) (11 page)

Donna was as excited as
a child when they pulled up to the lavish resort.  She’d never had the
chance to spoil herself like that in life.  Being from a basic middle
class family, she didn’t have the money for far away vacations and such.
 When she got to her villa style room, she thought that the timing for the
trip could not have possibly been better even though from all accounts the trip
was not planned.  It was a spur of the moment request by Nick.

After the day she had
gone through yesterday, he had made a decision that she needed to get away so
he made her pack her stuff up and take a last minute trip with him.
 Before she knew what had happened, they were on the plane and he had her
in Florida for the first time in her life.

She settled into her
room and quickly heard a knock on her door.  Nick was already waiting for
her it seemed.  

“I’m coming.”

She laughed when she
thought about the scene at the front desk.

           
Nick gave the clerk his name.

“One moment please sir.  I have your
reservations here.  Let me just grab the keys for you and your friend.”

“Thank you sir.”

Donna took that chance to grab Nick’s ear,
whispering to him under her breath.  

“Nick, I appreciate you
bringing me out here but you know this isn’t acceptable right?

           
“I know this was all sudden, but trust me, you are going
to love it.”

“Really?  After all of your posturing and
saying you are going to protect me and take care of me. I can’t believe that
you would think I’m going to sleep in the same room with you.  What
happened to your Christian principles?”

Before Nick could respond, the front desk clerk
turned around two keys in hand.

“Rooms 123 and 124 will be down the hall and on
the right.  Your bags will be delivered to your respective rooms for you
if you’d like.”

“No thanks you.  We don’t have much
luggage.”

“Enjoy your stay then.”

“We will.  I think.”

He looked at Donna who had a slightly
embarrassed look on her face.  

“Sorry about that.  I thought that you had
only gotten one room for us.  I know we had been growing closer and I
figured you had misjudged our relationship and the kind of woman that I am.”

“Never that Donna.  I told you that I
respect you.”

She opened the door,
locked it, and grabbed Nick’s hand as they headed off towards the beach.  

Minutes later Donna
looked over at Nick who was relaxing in a hammock strung out between two trees.
 She preferred to lay on an oversized beach towel and let the rays of the
sun embrace her in their warmth.  Out in nature like that, she was relaxed
and calm, and she loved it.  The smell of the fresh ocean filled her
nostrils while the soft sounds of the miniature waves played nature’s melody in
her ears.  Nick called out to her, stealing her attention from the most
wonderful scene.  

“You see Donna.  I
told you that a nice, soothing day on the beach was exactly what you needed.”

Donna didn’t even look
at him.  Instead she stared through her shades at the blue sky, free of
clouds.   

“Yes Nick, you were
right, as usual Mr. Smarty-pants.”

She stuck her tongue out
at him, laughing.

“What are you, ten years
old now?”

“Whatever buddy boy.
 So tell me the name of this place again since you are gonna be bringing
me here at least once or twice a year.”

“
Caladesi
Island.  You know what, since I was a kid my parents came out here once a
year. That was until a few years ago.  They still come, but I got a little
old to be going on what I started to feel was a romantic getaway with my
parents.  I always liked it here though and hoped to come back for my own
getaways.”

“I can understand why.
 It’s literally perfect here.”

“It is now that you are
here with me.”

“Smooth talker.
 Don’t get yourself into too much trouble with your flattery of me because
a girl could get used to a place like this.  I’m glad you like it here
because I am making plans for you to bring me here at least once or twice a
year so get ready.”

“Once or twice a year
you say?  So that means you plan on putting up with me for a while, huh?”

Donna didn’t realize the
implied statement that she had made until he said it.  She had gotten to
the point in their relationship where she just expected them to be together for
a while.  

“That was a bit
presumptuous of me wasn’t it?  And it must have cost you a fortune to buy
our tickets last minute.”

“Nope.  It didn’t
cost me a penny.  I put all the company purchases on our small business
card and we get a ton of points for what we buy.  When I booked this, I
had over six million points.”

“Well that’s a lot.”

“Yeah.  What I
normally do with them is use them to give holiday bonuses to the employees.
 Normally gift cards is the easiest.  Hmm.  Now that I think
about it, I might have to stop doing that.”

“Why would you?
  That’s got to be something employees appreciate yearly.”

“Yeah but I have been seeing
this therapist and she would most likely tell me that what I am doing is a plea
for love and I don’t want that.”

Donna heard Nick chuckle
as he referenced their previous conversation.

“Never gonna let me live
that one down are you?”

“Maybe one day, but this
isn’t the one.”

“It’s funny when I look
back on it.  I acted like I knew everything important about you in the
span of a few minutes.  I’m just glad that I didn’t turn you off with
that.”

“Not possible.  You
know for a fact I was hooked already.”

“Good.”

“Now back to me bringing
you out here regularly.  I’m glad you are thinking that way.  I’ve
been doing some thinking myself recently and there is something that I wanted
to talk to you about.”

Donna looked to Nick as
a more serious look began to creep onto his face.    

“Donna I don’t mean to
be rude to you or too forward but I hope you know just how beautiful I think
you are.  I mean that in every way, not just on the outside but who you
are as a person as well.  It’s well documented that I have been crazy
about you since the very first time I met you.”

As he spoke, his gaze
was unwavering and all she could do was listen to what he was saying.

“I know that this may
sound silly because we haven’t been dating for years but you have to know that
I’m the kind of guy that goes after something if he knows
it’s
right.  Donna, I know for a fact that you are right for me.  I feel
things for you that I have never felt for anyone else in my life and I know
what that means for me.  I’m not the type to date haphazardly but I don’t
think I have ever really taken the time to make my intentions known to you.”

Nick looked away from
her for a minute.  She knew where he was going and it had to be a big leap
for anyone to talk about having a future with someone for the first time.

“Nick, you don’t have to
be all serious about that.  I’m having a great time with you and we can
just leave it at that.  Everything will work out like it’s supposed to.”

“Nah...  I mean it
will work out but I won’t just leave it.  It’s important to be said to you
before we go further in our relationship.  You need to know my heart so
you can decide if this is where you want to be.”

“Ok.”

“So I need you to know
that what I am looking for in my life right now is a wife.  Someone I can
expect to spend my life with.  And I don’t need to date for three or four
years.  You don’t have to answer this minute because I know it’s a lot but
unless you tell me otherwise, I am going to assume that you are looking for the
same thing from our relationship that I am.  If you decide the answer is
yes, then I don’t know how long I can wait to ask you to marry me.  If no,
I would understand and respect that too.  I would just have to re-evaluate
a few discussions I have had with the big guy.”

Donna stood up, not saying anything but smiling at
him.  She walked over to him and kissed him on the forehead.  There
was another hammock right beside his and she lay in it, holding his hand.
 Six months ago she would have never even considered the prospect of her
being married.  Now, knowing that he
wanted
to marry her, she
couldn’t imagine her future otherwise.  She knew that if he had asked her
then and there, the answer would have been an overwhelming yes.

Donna pulled her car up
to her mother’s house.  She was curious as to why her mother was so
insistent on her dropping by for Sunday dinner.  She had talked to her
once while she was away and had forgiven her for giving out her number.
 Her mother was the type that just couldn’t stop herself from trying to
mend faces and making everyone happy.  She couldn’t fault her for doing
what was in her nature.  Truth be told, she always expected her mother to
try to fix her relationship with her father.  Donna just hoped she didn’t
mention him again that day.  Her mother could be downright annoying when
it came to something she believed--but Donna wasn’t going to have it right
then.  She’d made up her mind that if her mother mentioned him, she’d be
leaving in a jiffy.  

Donna got out of the car
and began towards the front door.  She knew her mother was used to her
coming by on Saturdays so with her going away with Nick, she could see her
mother wanting her to still come by.   She smiled inside at thoughts
of both Nick and her mother.  The two people she cared about more than
anything else in the world both made her feel important within the past three
days. She had hoped that Nick could stop by too but he said that he wasn’t able
to make it.  That was fine.  He’d already met her mother and fell in
love with her roast too.  

Since Donna had gotten
home from her beach getaway, she was still walking on cloud nine.  They
had a wonderful time and she was certain that their relationship was going to
go to another level.  That made her happy.  Happy enough that she
didn’t notice the other car that sat in her mother’s driveway.  Had she
been more observant, she probably wouldn’t have been as surprised at the scene
she saw through the front window.

Is...
that
...him?

She didn’t know he was
out of prison.  It must have just happened recently.  She was fuming
inside at her mother.  For her to have him over and then invite her over
and blindside her with him there.  She didn’t talk to her mom about her
dad on purpose.  The present situation was so far beyond a conversation.
 She felt her blood begin to reach a boiling point as she watched them
laughing and smiling through the window.  Apparently her mother really
didn’t care about the stuff that he had done to them in the past but Donna
hadn’t forgotten at all.  When he looked at the window and their eyes
locked, she couldn’t take anymore.  She saw the recognition in his face
and as he began to stand up, she knew she needed to leave.  A conversation
was
not
going to be pleasant.  She was leaving.  

She quickly turned
around, trying to make her way towards her car but she wasn’t fast enough.

“Hi princess.”

She stopped in her
tracks, her heart jumping out of her chest. She felt a knot form in her stomach
at just the familiar sound of his voice.   

“Don’t call me that,
Jeff.”

Her mother came outside
next.

“Sweetie, it’s your
father.”

She looked at her mother
in total bewilderment.  

“Yeah, I can see that.
 Mom what is he doing here?”

She demanded an answer
from her mother but her father was the one to respond.  

“Donna, princess, just
listen to me for a minute.”

She turned to glare at
her father.
 
With a look of fire in her
eyes.  She hadn’t seen him in years and it wasn’t long enough.  With
him in that same house again, she felt like that same little girl, only now she
wasn’t going to be quiet.  She was going to say what she wanted, when she
wanted, how she wanted to.  He was going to find out really quickly who
she was--and she wasn’t hiding under the table anymore.  Ever.

“You!  No!  I
am not talking to you and you don’t get to say anything to me!  Mom I
can’t believe you would do this to me.  You knew that I don’t want to talk
to him and you lured me over here.  Made me think you wanted to spend time
with me.  Why do you do this kind of stuff?”

“Honey
..”

“Rhetorical question
mom!  If you want to spend your time with him laughing and playing house,
that’s your choice.  You’re an adult.  But I don’t have to.  I’m
an adult too.”

They stood in the yard
arguing.

“Please Donna, just hear
me out.”

Her mother pled with
her.

“No, let me Tina.
 Just give me a minute Donna and I promise, if you aren’t satisfied...I’ll
never bother you again.”

Donna thought about it
quickly.

“One minute of my time
in order to never be bothered by you again?  That’s worth it.  Sixty
seconds, Go.”

She looked down at her
watch to signify that the clock was ticking and then back at her father who had
a look of regret on his face.  She didn’t know if he regretted the past or
was just there trying to talk to her and she didn’t care. She just needed to
make it through the next minute.  

“Donna, this is my
fault.  The way you feel.  How angry and hurt you are.  I was
wrong when you were a child.  I didn’t want to be that person.  I got
caught up in the wrong things and I hurt the people I love the most.  I
hurt you honey but I still loved you.  I still do now.  I’ve changed
and I just want…”

Donna couldn’t keep
quiet.
 
Her voice was cold as ice.

“What do you want dad?
 To be a family again?  To give me my childhood back.  To stop
all the bad dreams I grew up having?  You want to say that you love me but
I don’t think you know what love is at all.  You may be able to change,
but I won’t.   I refuse to.”

She saw sadness cloud
the faces of her parents.  She didn’t care.  The tears had already
started to flow down her face and she had already decided to keep going.

“You know the most
messed up part about it?  I’m still the only one that is suffering.
 I had a guy tell me he wants to marry me and as much as I want to say yes
I don’t think I can.  That’s what
you
did to me Jeff.”

Her mother rushed to her
side but Donna shook her head.

.  

“Oh honey, please don’t
let that be true.  You deserve to be happy.”

“Well you can say please
all you want to, but it won’t change the facts.  Now I’m sorry Jeff.
 I interrupted you when you were talking.”  

Donna looked back at her
watch.  

“You’ve got about ten
seconds left.”

“Donna, I can only ask
you to forgive me and give me a chance to be a better father.”

“Time’s up.  I’m
leaving.”  

Donna got into her car
and drove home.  She was sobbing and it was mostly because of her father
but she also was in pain because she knew what she had said about marrying Nick
was true.  She would never be able to tell him yes.  She could never
be his wife.  

***

Nick had just arrived at
his office Monday morning and was going through his emails.  Needless to
say, he was really happy.  The weekend with Donna had gone extremely well
and he had already been looking at rings since then.  He wasn’t going to
waste any more time.  It wasn’t necessary.  Now all he had to do was
figure out how to do it.  He had already planned maybe a horseback
ride…maybe a picnic or something she would say was super cheesy but inside she
would feel over the moon.  He thought about her smile and was ready to go
into her office to say hello.  He wondered if she had an appointment.
 

An email from the head
of the human resources department changed that.  The title was enough to
snatch his full attention.

Call me to discuss options for new therapist.

I need to go over the options with you for a new therapist for the
office.  The program has been going well and I don’t really want to let
this go more than a few days if I can.  Call me when you have time to go
over a few things.  Thanks.  

Since they had been
dating, they were very up front with their relationship in the office. They
both had felt that it was important that there be no appearances of anything
wrong so transparency was best.  Human resources did send him an email
when it got out that they were dating just to let him know that they thought it
might not be the best idea for him to date an employee of the business.
 He had acknowledged their concern and told them not to worry.  Now
he was concerned that they had replaced her without his consent.

New therapist?  The
email had been sent just a few minutes ago.  

What is she talking
about?

He picked up the phone
and dialed her extension.

“What’s this about a new
therapist?”

“Well I got the call
this morning from Dr. Faulkner’s office that Donna wasn’t going to be able to
work for us anymore.  You didn’t know?”

“No I didn’t.”

“Oh.  I’m sorry
about that.  I assumed that as close as you two have been, you would have
been aware of something like this.”

“You and me both.”

“I’ve already taken the
liberty of asking Dr. Faulkner’s office for a replacement but he says he
doesn’t know how long it will be.  Since she doesn’t work there anymore, their
workload is increasing on the staff they already have.  So should we try
to contract someone else?”

Nick needed to find out
what was going on immediately.

“Ok.  I trust you
to do what you think is going to make the most sense.  I know that she had
been getting a lot of people recently that were taking advantage of the benefit
so I would like to get someone as soon as possible, but I’d like them to be
local.”

“I understand.  I
was thinking…”

Nick didn’t hear
anything else she said for the rest of the conversation.  He was stuck on
something she said earlier.  

What in the world?!
 She doesn’t work there anymore either?

He could understand her
not working at the office with him anymore.  If he had pushed her away
that weekend, that was only logical but for her to leave her regular job too;
something more must have been going on and he needed to get to the bottom of
it.  

When he finished with
human resources, he called Donna several times.  The first one rang
several times and then went to voice mail.  The next five went straight to
voice mail.  That meant she was screening his calls and didn’t’ want to
talk to him at all.  He was floored.  He must have misread her before
but he understood what she was saying and doing loud and clear right at that
moment.  She had broken away from the company and was breaking away from
him.

She doesn’t want to
marry me.

He was having a hard
time believing that after the look of love she had given him all weekend.
 He was so sure.  No matter what, he had given her a promise.
 He’d told her that if she decided she didn’t want what he wanted, he
would understand.  He would be true to his word.  That is the kind of
man he was.  He would give her the space she needed.  At least that
was what logic told him to do, but his heart was another thing.  

She didn’t have to marry
him, but she at least needed to tell him why.  He wouldn’t accept her just
cutting him off.  He left the office early and drove towards her house,
still calling her all the way and going straight to voicemail.  He left
the same message repeatedly.

“Donna, please answer.
 I just want to talk to you.  Please.”

When he reached her
apartment he saw her car in the parking lot and knew that she was home.
 He ran to her door, knocking once he reached.  Donna opened the door
but left the latch on.  She looked at him with sorrow painted on her
face.
 
Her eyes were puffy and red.
 He could only guess that he had done something on their trip that had
changed her mind.  

“No Nick.  My
answer is no.”

His heart dropped.
 He didn’t want to just give up though.