The Proposal (Forever Bound Book 2) (15 page)

There was another long and agonizing pause before she said her response.  “I wasn’t really that comfortable, but wanted to put on a good front around you.”

He snickered.  “You certainly did.”  He then decided that was the opportune time to bring up the reason he was calling before their conversation was taken to a different area.  “Actually, that’s the real reason I’m calling today.”

“Oh?” she asked. 

“Yes.  I was hoping that maybe you would reconsider coming back to work with me.”  When she didn’t instantly respond with a resounding,
yes,
he proceeded.  “Working at the office hasn’t been the same since you left and now that you and I are getting…um…closer, I thought that this would be the perfect time to get you back into the chair that should always be yours.”

“Derek…I…I don’t know,” she stammered.

“I completely understand that you would be dragging your feet.  You don’t want to rush into anything, and I get that, but unfortunately I don’t think Amanda will hold out much longer.”

“What do you mean?” she asked quietly.

He explained how he got the email from her and she in no uncertain terms mentioned that he only had a week to get Charity to come back.  If he failed, then she was exercising her right to put out an ad for the job.  “I’m afraid she’ll get me someone that is fresh out of high school and more interested in talking about boy bands than working.”

Charity laughed on the other end of the phone.  He enjoyed her laugh and allowed her to ride it out.  When her laugh slowly came to a halt, she gave him an answer, but it wasn’t what he wanted.  “I’m sorry, Derek.  I don’t want to put you in this position, but I owe it to the daycare to see if it will work out.  I hope you understand.”

Derek did understand, and he couldn’t blame her for choosing the daycare over him, but he was disappointed.  “Will you consider it?” he asked.

“That I will do,” she conceded.  “I enjoyed my time working with you, and you don’t know what lies ahead, but I do know that tomorrow I start this new job, and I’m excited, but also extremely nervous.”

“I’d be lying if I said that I hope it’s everything you could possibly want.”  He chuckled lightly.  “I know that’s really not very nice, but I do want you to come back and work with me.  I know that’s selfish, and I’m sorry, but I have, to be honest about that.”

“I wouldn’t expect it any other way,” she replied.  He could sense the smile on her lips.  “I’ll call you later, Derek.”

“Alright.”  He hesitated before finishing the call with the three words he felt in his heart.  “I love you!”

He didn’t think she would respond back with the same because she wasn’t there, but he liked her response.  “I know you do, Derek and I care about you.  Maybe one day I will get to that point…I hope one day I’ll get to that point.”

He smiled.  It was a step in the right direction.  “Goodbye, Charity.”

“Goodbye!”

He disconnected the call and turned back to his computer screen, where he put in his response to Amanda.

Amanda

I know you’re thinking about what’s right for the office, and I appreciate that.  I’ve reached out to Charity again, and I expect a reply soon.  Don’t do anything until you hear from me.  It will all work out.

Sincerely,

Derek Worthington

He sent the email through and nodded his approval.  It would all work out.  He was certain of it.

****

Charity slipped her phone into her pocket and stared ahead.  Derek made things all that more difficult.  She couldn’t stop thinking about Damian and the way things ended or didn’t end, the night before.  Now, she was thrust back into a life where Derek was the one for her.  Yet, she didn’t understand why things were suddenly so complicated. 

She closed her eyes but was immediately interrupted from her silent meditation when she heard a key enter her front door.  Her eyes snapped open, and she stared at the door.  It opened, and Ana walked in.  She was caring a gorgeous bouquet of roses in her one hand.  Charity’s eyes widened.  “Beautiful roses…Jesse did well.”

Ana’s eyes went to her.  “They aren’t from Jesse.  Your name is on the card.”  Charity jumped up from the couch and went to Ana to help her with the flowers.  A florist was just about to knock when I came up the steps.  I signed for them, but the card clearly states your name.”

Charity looked at the card.  She didn’t recognize the writing, but she instantly thought about Derek.  They had to be from him.  She walked over to the kitchen table and placed them down.  Ana followed her and leaned over her shoulder as she started to open the card.  She stared at her.  “Do you mind?”

Ana backed off, giving her a strange look.  “I’m interested…shoot me.  I’ll go to my bedroom so you can have some space.”

Charity waited for Ana to leave the room before she opened up the envelope.  Inside was a card, and a poem was written on it, with the same handwriting. 

Since the first day I saw you, I knew that you’d take me to a place,

You’d be that word that filled up my blank space,

You’d be the speed that moved me forward at a quick pace,

and of course, the person that would make my heart race.

I love you, Charity.  Don’t lose sight of that.

Love, Damian

She felt herself flush as she reread his poem.  “Dammit!” she mumbled.  She grabbed the roses and card and carried them into her room.  She couldn’t think when Damian did something like that.  She pulled the roses from their vase and started to drop them into the wastebasket, then the voice in her head told her she needed to rethink her decision.  She put them back into the vase and flung herself onto her bed.  She closed her eyes and pictured a life with both Derek and Damian.  She had no doubt that both men could love her unconditionally, but she couldn’t find where her heart truly headed.

There was a knock on her bedroom door, and she opened her eyes to find Ana.  Ana slowly moved in.  Her eyes shot to the roses and the card that laid next to them.  “Do you mind…” she started.

Charity pointed to the flowers and uttered, “Be my guest!”

Ana excitedly opened up the card and read it over.  Her eyes brightened, and she let out a heavy sigh.  “Wow!”  She put the card down and joined Charity on her bed.  “He really loves you,” Ana slowly exclaimed.  Charity nodded slightly.  “Then why do you have the weight of the world on your shoulders.  You have a guy that would express his love in words…” she smiled, “heartfelt words, at that.”

Charity bit her lower lip.  She couldn’t tell Ana, not when she told Derek to keep it a secret from Jesse, but she needed someone to talk to.  “I guess I’m conflicted,” Charity commented.  She then pulled herself up on her bed and gawked at Ana.  “I thought you would tell me to dump him and give Derek another chance.  Isn’t that what you and Jesse have been pushing for?”

Ana smiled.  “We want you happy and if Damian makes you happy, then maybe we were wrong.  Maybe Derek isn’t the guy for you.”  Charity wanted to laugh and tell Ana how she wishes for once they were all on the same page, but she bit her tongue.  “Do you love him, too?” Ana asked.

Charity shook her head, then stopped herself.  “I don’t know.  I guess this might change things, but how can I be sure?”

Ana reached out and touched Charity’s hand.  “You just know!  If he’s the only person you think about, then it’s clear that he’s the one.  If you find yourself with doubts, then you do have some thinking to do.”  She paused and a smile brightened her face.  “In the end, Jesse has always been the only one for me.  I felt it here…” she touched her heart and still kept the bright smile on her face.  “You’ll get there someday.” 

“I hope so,” Charity whispered.

Ana’s phone started ringing, and Ana held it up.  “Speaking of…” She stood up from the bed.  “Think about it, Charity.  Don’t make any hasty decisions.”

“I won’t,” Charity replied.  She watched Ana leave her bedroom as she answered Jesse’s phone call.  Charity grabbed her phone out of her pocket and pulled up Damian’s number.  She considered not texting him, but she wanted him to know that she received the flowers.  She quickly typed in a message.

Charity:  Thanks for the flowers and poem!

That was all she wrote, then put her phone down on her nightstand.  Even when a text came back in, she didn’t look at her phone.  She wanted to thank him, but that didn’t change how she felt.  She had to give this ample thought.  Ana was right, and she couldn’t make any hasty decisions.

Charity was up for hours before she had to be to her new job.  She couldn’t sleep, and she kept thinking about Derek’s plea for her to come back to work with him.  She wanted to give the job her divided attention, and she worried she wouldn’t be able to.  She dressed in business casual attired and got ready for her job.

When she got to the building, there were already several cars in the parking lot.  She parked far enough out that she hoped it would be suitable for employees.  She made her way to the front door, where a boy of about eight or nine held the door open for her.  “Thank you, Sir,” she replied with a smile.

“You’re welcome, Ma’am.”

She smiled at his mischevious grin, but kind-spirited nature.  She approached the front desk to where she found the same woman she saw when she first went for an interview.  This time, the woman didn’t seem as upset for the interruption, probably because it was just before eight o’clock and she was just starting her day.  “Hello, let me guess…you’re the new girl starting today?”  She smiled, and Charity nodded.

“Do you remember where Evelyn’s office is?” The woman asked.

“I think so?” Charity replied, hoping to keep her nerves in check.

“Great!  She’ll be waiting for you.  Good luck!” 

“Thank you!”  Charity bypassed the desk and went to the hallway that she recalled leading to Evelyn Winston’s office.  The door was closed when she got there.  She hesitated before knocking.  She hoped she wasn’t interrupting anything.  “Come in!” Evelyn hollered.

Charity opened up the door and proceeded to the office.  Evelyn looked up and smiled.  “I was told I could come see you.”

“Of course.”  Evelyn stood up and shook Charity’s hand.  “It’s a pleasure to see you again.”  Evelyn put down some papers she was holding and moved around her desk.  “I’ll show you your office and where you may put your things.”

Charity didn’t expect to get an office.  She was excited about getting to know everyone and learning more about the job.  She followed Evelyn down the hallway and Evelyn entered a room, to which Charity followed.  There were two desks in a room that barely housed two desks, but Charity didn’t want to seem anything less than grateful. 

“You can place your things at this desk.”  She pointed to the desk on the left.  “That desk…” she started, pointing to the one on the right, “belongs to Miriam Street.  She should be in at any moment.  She tends to run late most of the time.”  Charity was shocked to find Evelyn talking negatively about her employees in front of another employee, but she then again pushed the thought out of her mind.  Miriam got there before they even left the office.

Evelyn made the introductions and Miriam was older than Charity by at least twenty years, but Charity presented her hand and smiled.  “Nice to meet you.”

Miriam just gave her an inquisitive look, before she finally accepted Charity’s hand.  “Same here,” was her dry response, but she didn’t seem pleased to see Charity, at all.  Charity soon found out the reason for that.

As they left the office, Evelyn was quick to point out the reason.  “Don’t mind Miriam.  She means well, but she tried to get her daughter in here, and since the position will be working so closely with Miriam I didn’t think it would be a good idea.  She’ll warm up to you.”

Charity felt a weight in the pit of her stomach.  She was already starting off with marks against her, and she didn’t feel Miriam seemed like the person to just forget something like that.  “She didn’t bother me,” Charity lied. 

They proceeded through the rest of the introductions, then made their way through several different rooms, where a variety of ages were kept.  “You’re going to be mainly dealing with the one to four-year-olds.  If someone calls in sick, then you might have to add an age or two to your day, but for the most part, this will be the age group you handle. “  Charity liked toddlers, so she was pleased to find that that was the ones she would be taking care of.  “There are thirty children in your group.”

Charity’s mind raced.  “Thirty?” she asked, feeling sick by the thought of that.

Evelyn nodded and smiled.  “Don’t worry…Miriam is also in this same group, hence what I meant by working close with one another.”  She continued on, but that didn’t make Charity feel any better.  Even with Miriam, that meant that fifteen kids would be with each adult.  She couldn’t believe that was even possible.  It didn’t feel safe.  She tried to calm her nerves, knowing that she hadn’t even gotten into the job duties, and she shouldn’t panic…not yet, anyway.

They continued their tour until they finally made their way into the auditorium-like room that housed the one to four-year-olds.  Charity’s eyes widened as she spotted all the little ones running around the room.  Most of the parents were just dropping them off, so it wasn’t even as chaotic as it could be.  Evelyn turned to her, and she chuckled.  “What?” Charity asked.

“You look like you’ve just entered a universe that you can’t get out of.  Really, you’ll be fine.  We have volunteers that are here to help, too.”  That made Charity feel a little better.  “Most of the time we have activities that involve all the ages to get together, so you won’t be alone.”

“I’m not worried,” Charity quietly stated.  Then she realized there were questions she should’ve asked at the interview, and she didn’t.  One question being,
why did the previous employee leave? 
It was too late to go back and ask that question.  She just needed to deal with it, and that’s how she felt the enter day.

She didn’t get very good training, as the only one that fully knew the position and could help her out was Miriam.  She just really watched what Miriam did and copied whatever she did.  Their lunchtime consisted of hurriedly eating while the children were napping, which also brought up the fact that the majority of the kids didn’t want to nap; especially the older ones.  By the time the day was over, Charity was left exhausted.  She slumped down in her chair, barely able to move.

Miriam laughed as she watched her from her her own desk.  Charity looked up and put on a weak smile.  “Is this how all the days are?” Charity asked.

Miriam shrugged.  “Actually, today was pretty light.”  She waved as she left the office.

“Goodbye!” Charity softly replied, watching her leave the office.  She wanted to believe Miriam was only saying that because she was still upset that her daughter didn’t get the job, but she couldn’t be sure about that.  She stood up from her desk and grabbed her belongings, then turned off the light and left the office.  She had to talk to Evelyn before she left.  It was a conversation she didn’t want to have, but she knew that Evelyn couldn’t be made for something that suddenly came up.

She approached her office.  Evelyn was busy working at writing something down.  Charity knocked on her door.  She looked up and smiled.  “Come in!” Evelyn pushed her work aside.  “How’d you first day go?” she asked.

Charity smiled and nodded.  “Pretty good.”

Evelyn smiled.  “Your flushed face proves it might have been tough.  Hang in there!  It will get better.”

Charity brushed her hair from her eyes and shrugged.  “It was fine!” 

Evelyn smiled.  “If you say so.  How can I help you?” she asked.

Charity fumbled from one foot to the next, before gaining the courage to ask.  “My sister is coming into town on Wednesday, and she needs a ride from the airport.  She gets in at four o’clock, and I know I just started this job, but I was hoping I could be there to meet her.  I would need to leave by three o’clock to get there on time.”

Evelyn puckered up her lips and seemed to be in heavy thought.  “Wednesday, you say?”  Charity nodded.  “I’m sorry that’s out of the question.”  She looked back down at her paperwork, completely ignoring Charity after she responded to her.

Charity’s jaw dropped.  “Evelyn, I understand that it might be a burden, but I have to go get my sister.”

She hoped that Evelyn was merely joking, but when Evelyn looked back up, she saw that there was no teasing in her eyes.  “I’m sorry, but I can’t have you leaving early on Wednesday.  We have an outdoors activity that will take all employees and all volunteers.  You’re going to have to have someone else pick her up, or she’ll have to take a cab.  Now…is there anything else you need?”

Charity shook her head, leaving Evelyn’s office.  She couldn’t believe she was finding herself in this spot.  Family was and would always be first to her, and she wasn’t about to change that just because Evelyn said she couldn’t have an hour off.  She left the daycare, determined to find another way.

****

Derek turned off his computer and stood up from his desk.  He was so ready to get out of there.  He had just grabbed his jacket from the chair and put it on when he saw the elevator open.  His jaw dropped when he saw Charity get off the elevator.  Her eyes instantly went to his.  He smiled and moved out of his office.  “Hey, beautiful.  I wasn’t expecting to see you.”  He approached her and planted a soft kiss on her lips.  She didn’t back down, which made him appreciate it that more.  “It’s good to see you!” he softly responded, backing from the kiss.

She smiled.  “It’s good to see you, too.”  She paused, glancing around the empty office.  “I do need to talk to you.”

He smiled.  “Of course.  You want to come to the office or just talk right here?” he asked.  Charity leaned against her old desk and patted the spot next to her.  He grinned.  “Then here it is.”  He moved to the desk and leaned up against it, keeping his eye contact with her.  “What’s going on?”

He’d be lying if he said he didn’t want her to tell him her visit was because she made her decision and did want to come back to the Mayor’s office.  “I had my first day at work today.”

He snickered.  “Don’t remind me.  How’d it go?” he asked.

She shrugged.  “It wasn’t so bad.”  Her eyes told him something different.  She looked up, and a small smile appeared on her lips.  “It was busy, chaotic, loud…” she looked around the office, and he saw that she almost looked homesick.  “The kids were great, but it was—.”

“Busy…chaotic…loud…” He laughed.  “Got the picture.”  She smirked, and he continued.  “Is your boss as dashing and charismatic as I am?”  He winked at her.  She laughed and shoved him in the arm.  “I know, it’s hard to find anyone like that.  They broke the mold when they made me.”

She laughed.  “Thankfully!”

He pretended to look hurt, and she chuckled.  “Fine, just be that way.  “Besides being busy, chaotic, and loud, did you absolutely love it?”

She shrugged and hope welled inside of him.  “I could learn to love it.”

“Is that why you’re looking so upset?” he asked.  “It wasn’t everything you wanted it to be?”

“If it were just the kids I had to take into consideration, then I would say that I loved it.  However, there’s more to take into consideration.”

“Like what?” he asked.

“Like the people I have to work with.”  She flailed her arms around and covered the office they sat in.  “Here it’s just us, and unless you have a meeting to go to, then that’s all you have.  There…you have some strong personalities.”

She proceeded to talk about Miriam, the woman that she said was mad that her daughter didn’t get hired for the job.  She mentioned how she didn’t have any training and was just thrown into it like she should automatically know what she should do.  He listened as she mentioned things that were keeping her from the loving the job. 

When she looked up, and he thought she was done talking, she mentioned something else.  “My sister is coming home on Wednesday.”

He smiled.  “That’s good news.”

She nodded.  “It should be.”  He could tell something was bothering her, and he reached out and touched her hand.  His eyes met hers. 

“Then what’s wrong?”

“She needs someone to pick her up at the Portland airport.  I told Evelyn, my boss, that I would need to leave by three o’clock, and she told me that that wasn’t possible.”

He raised his eyebrows.  It was clear what was plaguing Charity’s mind.  She was concerned she was going to have to let her sister down, and it was obvious it was bothering her more than anything ever could.  “Wow…that’s rough,” he coolly replied.

She nodded.  “I have to get her.  I mean, I suppose I could ask Ana to pick her up, but I haven’t seen her in over a year, and I don’t want to have to miss out on welcoming her home.”

“You shouldn’t have to,” he softly replied.

She smiled, still holding onto his hand.  “That’s why I’m here.”

He grinned.  “I’ll do anything for you, Charity.  Just ask!”

She stood up and turned around so she faced him square on.  “Is my job still open?”

He looked up at the ceiling and tapped his finger against his lip.  “Hmmm…I don’t know.  You’ve waited this long and…” He broke off his words and wrapped his arms around her.  He pulled her to him, and they kissed.  His tongue slowly slid across his and her moan was filled with a low grumble.  “You’re hired,” he whispered between kisses.

She laughed, going back in for another kiss.  It was everything Derek wanted to hear her say, and now he could go back to Amanda and tell her Charity was back where she belonged.  When they finished the kiss, he grabbed onto her hand, and they walked towards the elevator.  Their eyes never lost sight of one another.  They got onto the elevator, and as the doors closed, he pushed her back against the wall of the elevator, and they kissed again.  Her fingers ran through his hair, and his hands pressed firmly against her back.