The Proposal (Forever Bound Book 2) (16 page)

The elevator came to a stop, and they pulled from one another.  She wiped the lipstick from his lips, and he grinned.  They got off the elevator, and he reached for her hand.  She took hold of his hand, but they weren’t even through the lobby when he spotted Jesse.  He quickly dropped hold of Charity’s hand.  She gave him a strange look and with his head he motioned towards Jesse.  Jesse noticed them right away.

He approached them with a smile.  “Derek…Charity…what’s going on?”

Derek pointed to Charity so she would discuss why they were together.  “My new job didn’t go well, today and Derek was gracious enough to give me my job back.”

Jesse smiled.  “Great!”  He pointed to the two of them.  “Are you guys…” his words fell off, waiting for Derek or Charity to fill in the blank.

“Strictly business,” Derek quickly pointed out.

“Oh!”  Jesse looked disappointed.  The three of them headed out of the Courthouse, and they walked to the parking lot.  Charity was parked next to Derek, and he wanted to lean in and give her another kiss, but Jesse wouldn’t leave them alone.

“I’ll see you tomorrow then,” Charity replied.  She waved to both of them and got in her car.  She started it up and pulled out of her spot.  Jesse turned to Derek as she drove away.

“Strictly business?” Jesse asked, cocking his head.

“That’s what I said,” Derek commented back.  He opened his car door and was set to get in when Jesse snickered.

“You two looked rather comfortable with one another just a minute ago.  Are you sure there isn’t more to the story?”

“Positive!” Derek said, sliding into his front seat and shutting Jesse out of talking to him.  Jesse stood there as Derek started the car and pulled out of the spot.  He waved through the front window, but Jesse smirked and walked away.  Derek smiled to himself as he drove away.  He liked having Charity to himself, and he couldn’t wait to see her again.

****

Charity opened up the door to the apartment.  Ana was on the couch and staring at some reality television show when Charity got inside.  “Hey!” Ana spoke from the couch.  She turned the volume down.  “How was your first day?

Charity snickered.  “Not great!”

Ana turned to her and gave her a look of concern.  “Want to talk about it?”

Charity didn’t want to spend any more time going over her lackluster day.  She’d spent enough time talking to Derek about it, and now she was drained, but she did give a few of the highlights of her day.  Ana seemed interested and irritated at the same time as Charity told her things that she didn’t like about the job. 

“Do you need me to go there and kick some ass?” Ana asked.

Charity laughed.  “No, but thanks for the offer.”  She hesitated before continuing with the remaining of her day, including her stop off to the Mayor’s office.  “I do have something to tell you, and you might as well hear it from me.  I’m sure Jesse will mention it to you.”

“Jesse?” Ana asked.

Charity nodded.  “I was feeling so down, and after Evelyn had told me I couldn’t leave early on Wednesday, I went to Derek.  I wanted to see if he still had my job open.  He does, and he was gracious enough to take me back.  I go back tomorrow.”

“Wow!”  Ana exclaimed.  “What are you going to do about your job at the daycare?  Are you and Derek going to be able to work together?”

Those were two questions she expected Ana to ask and Charity still couldn’t believe she did it.  She was always so reliable, and this was the least reliable thing she could’ve done.  “I called and left a voicemail on Evelyn’s answering machine.  I know that was the coward way out, but I can’t face her.  I thanked her for the opportunity and told her that I decided to go back to working with Mayor Worthington.  As for Derek and myself…we’re both adults and I think we can make it work.” She shrugged nonchalantly and moved away from the couch.

She heard Ana sigh and then she continued to walk into the kitchen.  “It’s probably for the best.  After all, you don’t owe her anything.  It sounds to me that they don’t care about family.  Besides, maybe Miriam’s daughter can get hired now.”

Charity laughed as she looked down at the mail that was on the kitchen table.  Next to the mail was a small box.  “What’s this?” Charity asked.

Ana reached the kitchen and saw Charity had the box in her hand.  “Oh yeah, I forgot.  That was delivered earlier today.  It has your name on it.”

Charity saw the same writing on the box, that was on the card with the flowers.  She almost tossed the box in the garbage, but Ana stood behind her, looking curiously at her.  “Do you want to open it?” Charity asked sarcastically.

“Don’t be silly,” Ana replied.  “But aren’t you going to?”

Charity obliged even though she was worried about what she would fine.  When she got the box opened, she found a box of chocolates and on top there was a card.  “Chocolates…” Charity quietly stated.

“That’s obvious!” Ana replied with a chuckle.  “Open the card.”  She excitedly stated, and Charity rolled her eyes.  She slowly opened the card.  She already knew who it was from, but she didn’t know what it would say.  She retrieved the card from the envelope.  She opened it up and read the poem that was written inside.

The words to another love song

struck me once again last night.

The thoughts of you smothered every breath

and lifted me into this flight.

Above the clouds where I dream you

unto this Heaven’s send.

And I smiled, love, as I drifted on

and came upon horizon’s end.

And I woke upon this morning breathless,

your name a gasp upon my lips.

A wealth of dreams I dreamt of you,

and still more of your kiss.

And a trend seems to have awoken in me

for this slumber was not my first

to recognize this lovely fantasy

into which we were immersed.

She looked back up after reading the poem and Ana’s jaw dropped.  “Wow!” Ana muttered.

Charity shrugged it off, even though she was thinking the same thing.  It was definitely a poem she should’ve read in private, but it was too late to take it back.  She slid the card into her pocket and tried to ignore Ana’s enthusiastic smile.

Charity pushed past Ana and left the kitchen.  “Aren’t you going to even comment?” Ana asked, following her down the hall and into her bedroom.

Charity spun around.  “What am I going to say?  It’s a beautiful poem, but it doesn’t mean anything.”  She didn’t even believe the words coming out of her mouth.  It meant something.  Damian wasn’t a poet, by nature, that just wasn’t who he was, or at least she didn’t think that was who he was.   Yet, the poems he sent made it look like he’d been writing for years. 

“It doesn’t mean anything.”

Ana crossed her arms and stared intently into Charity’s eyes.  “Why?  You have nothing holding you back from going for it, except your stubborn attitude.”  Charity opened her mouth to argue that, then quickly snapped her mouth shut.  In Ana’s eyes, she was right, but Charity knew otherwise.  She had reasons not to go for it, no matter how much the poems and gifts meant to her.  Instead of profusely denying Ana’s statement and confessing she had feelings for Derek and they were going to see things through, she thrust out her hand that held the chocolates.  Ana laughed. “What?”

“I thought you might like the chocolates.”  Charity put on a smile and Ana rolled her eyes but took the book anyway.  She opened it up and swiftly popped a piece into her mind.

“Man, this guy has it all.  His choice in chocolates is impeccable.”  She laughed, and Charity glared at her.

“Fine!  I’ll just eat the chocolates and ignore the reasons why you’re putting up walls with this guy.”  She started to leave, but Charity grabbed her arm to stop her.

“What do you mean ignore the reasons?  I’m not putting up walls with this guy for any other reason than we’re just friends.”

Ana nodded.  “Sure…you go ahead and believe that and I’ll just sit in my corner and feast on these delicious chocolates.”  She laughed, but before she could leave the room, Charity stuck her fingers in and snatched a piece of chocolate.  She tossed it in her mouth, and Ana snickered, leaving her room. 

Charity moved to the bed and sat down.  She looked over at the nightstand, where her phone was charging and considered texting him and thanking him again for his gift, but she stopped herself.  If he kept going this way, she would find herself succumbing to his wishes and going out with him.  She wasn’t ready to commit to that, especially when she was about to start back to working with Derek.

Derek arrived at the parking garage at the same time Charity got out of her vehicle. She stood at the backside of her car and waited for him.  He was still amazed at the way things went down the previous day.  He was fortunate enough to have her back, and he wouldn’t mess it up.  He approached her and brushed a soft kiss against her lips, before saying, “Good morning.” 

A tint of red lingered on her cheeks.  “Good morning.”  They both walked to the building, keeping in step with one another.  When he got to the courthouse, he opened the door for her.  She smiled.  “Thank you, kind sir.”

He chuckled.  “Derek will suffice.”

She laughed as they moved through the lobby and got on the elevator.  Once the door was closed, Derek grabbed her hand and pulled her to his side.  They rode the elevator up to the office in silence.  It was true that they were going to need to be careful when they were around other people, especially Jesse, but he wouldn’t be able to say the same when they were behind closed doors.  The elevator dinged, and they stepped off the elevator and into the office.  He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her to him.  They kissed.  It was passionate and filled with chemistry.  When they parted, his head fell lightly against her forehead.  “That was nice,” she whispered.  Her smile remained on her lips, and he nodded.

“I wanted to do that all night.”  He pulled back from the close proximity, and she moved to her desk.  The good news and bad news about Charity working there was that he wouldn’t be able to concentrate, especially now that he realized he had a chance with her.  “Don’t forget the morning meeting,” he replied with a wink.

She smiled.  “I won’t!”  She sat down behind her desk, and he went back to his office.  The moment he had his computer screen pulled up and he logged in to his email, he pulled up Amanda’s message about hiring someone else and typed another reply.

Amanda

No need to hire anyone else, Charity is back to working here and so you don’t need to bother.  Thanks for your concern.

Sincerely,

Derek

He hummed along as he rummaged through his desk and pulled out files and files of paperwork he had been putting off working on.  He felt more committed to his job, now that Charity was there.  The meeting came around rather quickly and with his eyes he summoned Charity to join him as they went to the conference room.  They were the only two people there, and he opened his mouth to tell her how much he wanted to kiss her when slowly the room started to fill up.

The people that filtered into the room immediately mentioned how excited they were to see that Charity was back and working in the office.  A few people questioned as to whether she took time off for personal matters or for vacation.  He wasn’t surprised to see most of the staff was noisy…not just interested.  Charity answered each question with ease, and while she looked somewhat overwhelmed, she never let on, and she never denied answering a question. 

When everyone was seated, he called the meeting to order.  He immediately wanted to start the meeting off with welcoming Charity back to where she belonged.  “As you all noticed, Charity is back and I, for one, am excited to have her back working in my office.”  There was some smattering of applause, and she seemed a tad embarrassed but thanked everyone for their kind words.  He then turned back to them and discussed a few matters they were working on.  “How’s the financial situation?” he asked, Clara, who worked in the financing department.

She smiled.  “We’re up from last year, which is a blessing since we started the mall project.  I did get word that we’re looking at holding a fundraiser in the next couple of weeks.  More businesses are interested in buying out spots, but if we do a fundraiser, it will help with development plans.”

“What kind of fundraiser?” Derek asked.

“Well, maybe a carnival…or a concert…everyone loves entertainment.  A lot of acts might be interested in helping out if they know it’s to raise money to get jobs into our community.” 

He nodded, thinking it was a good idea.  Charity spoke up.  “I could, started looking into possibilities.”  Her eyes met his.  “If you’d like?”

He beamed with pride that this woman would be interested in him.  “That’s a wonderful idea.  See what you can gather and we’ll discuss it at the next meeting.”

She smiled and wrote down notes in her notebook.  He turned back to the other members at the meeting and asked if there was any other news needing to be brought up.  Outside of a couple of robberies that happened in the next town over and security being increased, they spent a good portion of the meeting just chatting.  He didn’t even mind.  It was about time they had some good things to discuss, and he was excited for what would happen next.

****

Charity sighed as she disconnected the voicemail on her cellphone.  She leaned back in her chair and looked up at the ceiling, silently asking for strength.  “You look like you have a million thoughts racing through your mind.”

She looked down, and her eyes met up with Derek’s.  She laughed.  “Not a million…maybe a thousand.”

He snickered.  “What’s up?  Anything I can help you with?  I’m a great problem solver.”  He leaned against her desk and she realized how lucky she was to have him interested in her.  Yet, she still couldn’t get Damian out of her mind, and she didn’t know why that was.  They hadn’t communicated, verbally or via text, for a few days now.  She thought he would slowly fade out of her mind, but those gifts kept him smack dab in the middle of all her thoughts.  She put on a smile so Derek wouldn’t be able to read her mind.

“Well…for starters, I just received a voicemail from Evelyn at the daycare.”

“Oh?” he asked.  “What’d she have to say?”

“A lot actually,” Charity responded with a laugh.  “She wasn’t too impressed I left that message on her answering machine telling her that I would no longer be working there.  After she had yelled at me for about fifteen minutes on that subject, she asked me to come back.”

He frowned and a look of concern crossed his face.  “Really…that seems odd.”  His eye remained on hers, but he didn’t continue.

She shrugged.  “I suppose it is odd.  After all, why would she want an employee to come back after leaving them in the lurch?  It was irresponsible, and she’s practically offering me the moon if I come back.”

“The moon?” he asked, chuckling lightly.

“Well…maybe not the moon, but she did say that if I come back, I can leave by three o’clock on Wednesday.  She also said that they are opening up another position for the one to four-year-olds.”  She smiled.  “Maybe Miriam’s daughter will get hired after all.”

He laughed.  “That would be such a huge relief,” he teased, but then his face grew solemn.  “So, what are you thinking?”

“I don’t know.  I mean like I said I absolutely adored the kids.”

He nodded.  “I know.  That would be tough to turn them down.”

She slowly replied with a nod.  “It wouldn’t be easy.”

“Seems to me you made up your mind.”  He stepped away from the desk but remained within eye contact. 

She could tell he was bothered by the notion, and she enjoyed toying with him.  “I do have one question for you,” she replied softly.  She stood up from her desk and moved around so she was within touching distance. 

“What’s that?” he asked.  His eyes held a light inside them.  It was as if they flickered.

“You are allowing me off on Thursday, right?”

He laughed.  “Well, I took it in careful consideration, but I think I can spare you for that time.”

She smiled and threw her arms around his neck.  “Then I think you’re stuck with me, Mayor Worthington.”  She moved in closer and their lips touched.  For the moment she felt safe in his arms and didn’t think about anything else.

“I think I can handle that,” he replied softly against her lips. 

She smiled.  “Good answer!”  She playfully tapped him on the back and stepped away from the embrace.  She went back around her desk and grabbed her purse from the drawer.  “Are you leaving now?” she asked him.

“I wish I could, but I have a couple of emails to answer.  I’ll see you tomorrow, though.”  She walked up to him and kissed him a small goodbye peck.  She turned away from the desk and waved to him as she got on the elevator.  She fell back against the elevator, as a smile fell on her lips.  Things were so easy with him, and it wouldn’t be any easier if she didn’t make up her decision fast. 

She stepped off the elevator as her cell phone dinged with a text message.  She reached into her pocket and withdrew her phone.  A message from Derek popped up on her phone.  She read it with a smile.

Derek:  Miss you already
!


She smiled as she responded back to him. 

Charity:  Such sweet words you say. 

She then had an idea after she sent the message.  She stopped in the lobby and pulled up her camera, she took a selfie of herself, then sent Derek another message and attached her picture.

Charity:  Look at this when you’re missing me and know that we’ll see each other soon
.


She held onto her phone as she continued through the lobby.  It wasn’t long before she received another text.  She anxiously looked down at her phone, but her face fell when she saw Damian’s name.

Damian:  I’m trying to give you space, but I don’t want to lose you without that fighting chance.  Just one date.

“Hey, Charity…how was your first day back?”

She looked up when she heard Jesse’s voice.  She slipped her phone back into her pocket and cleared her throat so she could really think about Jesse’s question.  “Great!” she answered.  “Derek is a wonderful boss.”

Jesse smiled.  “I thought he’d be a little overbearing.”

Charity laughed as Jesse and her both headed out of the courthouse and to the parking garage.  “Nah…not when you get to know him.  He’s really great!” Charity quickly responded.

Jesse smiled.  “Good to know.”  They stopped at her car.  She heard her phone ding, and she fought the urge to look down, at least while Jesse was there.  “I won’t keep you.”

“Do you and Ana have plans?” Charity asked.

He nodded.  “We’re meeting at a Chinese restaurant tonight.”

“You two have fun!  See you later, Jesse!”

He smiled.  “See ya!”  He waved to her and headed to his car.  Once inside her car, she glanced at her latest message from Derek.

Derek:  That definitely helps.  Thanks, Sweetheart
!


Her phone then automatically switched over to Damian’s message and instead of replying, she put her phone down in the seat next to her.  She couldn’t even think about that.  She needed some more time.

****

Derek stepped off the elevator, and Charity looked up and greeted him.  “Good afternoon, Boss.  Have a nice meeting?”

He laughed.  “Boss?  Are you just trying to come up with different names to use on me?”  He leaned over the desk and gave her a kiss.

She laughed.  “You are my boss,” she matter-of-factly stated.  “Too much?”

He smiled.  “I’d prefer we’d stick to Derek.  Or else I could start saying, hey lady get this for me, or, come on ma’am you’re running out of time.”

She frowned.  “Yeah, I wouldn’t like that.”  She laughed.  “I’ll stay with Derek.”

He snickered.  “Good.” 

Before he left, she told him about a certified letter he received by a courier.  “Any idea who it’s from?” he asked.

“It had some lawyer’s seal on it, but frankly, I don’t mess with certified mail.  Now if it was just regular mail, I might’ve opened it just so I could tell you who it was from.”  She laughed.  “Definitely not certified mail.”

He laughed.  “Alright!”

He headed into his office and found it on his desk.  He frowned when he saw it was from Max Grayson, his father’s attorney.  He hadn’t heard from him since he told him about the inheritance and he figured it wouldn’t be any better news.  He shot a look towards Charity’s desk and found her preoccupied with her own things.  He sat down in his chair and opened up the envelope.  He removed the letter and opened it up.  He was a bunch of lawyer gibberish, but he read through it completely.

Derek Worthington

I hope this letter finds you well.  Since it has bypassed the year mark and we’re fastly moving towards the deadline, I find it my duty to contact you and make sure you are reminded of the stipulations of your father’s will.  You are to be married and on the way to start a family of your own no later than July 24
th
, 2017.  If at that time, you have not fulfilled the agreement set forth by your father’s wishes, you will lose the ten billion dollars in your father’s estate.