When Love's at Work (4 page)

“
I don’t know,” Pure
answered, “but what I’m doing doesn’t appear to be working. I’m
going to e-mail Brad Thompson tomorrow. Maybe he’ll have a
suggestion. At the very least I need to report the
violation.”

“
It just doesn’t seem
fair. You’re the victim in all of this and he’s the one who got a
little slap on the wrist and then let out of jail to do what he did
to you to someone else,” Meg said, her anger getting the best of
her.

Purity put her hand on Meggie’s arm. She
knew her friend was upset for her, but what could she do? She
needed to work within the confines of the law. Hopefully Brad would
have some advice for her.

“
Awesome drawings, Court,
as usual,” Purity told her friend. “Any chance I can have these as
a token of what should have happened to Derek?”

“
They’re yours, my friend,
as a symbol of Derek’s emasculation.”

“
Here, here!” Meg added as
she grabbed her drink. The three women drank a toast to Derek
Worthington’s castration.

Chapter Three

At 7:30am Monday morning, Purity had already
left invoices to be paid in Margaret Choi’s in-box, written
personal thank you notes to all the vendors who had participated in
the fundraiser, and begun plugging numbers into her spreadsheet

Her job interview wasn’t over yet and she
wanted to impress on her future employers that she was willing to
go the extra mile on any task she undertook.

Alex McCallister passed Purity’s temporary
office. He stopped and leaned back, poking his head through the
doorway. “Nice job on the fundraiser last weekend.”

Turning from her computer screen to make eye
contact with Alex, Pure replied, “Thanks. I think everyone had a
good time and my preliminary figures show that we made a nice
little profit, too. A win-win.”

Judd Broadstreet appeared next to Alex and
added, “Great job on the event on Saturday, Purity. My wife said it
was the best fundraiser we’ve had in years.”

Pure smiled and nodded her head in
acknowledgement of the compliment.

Both men headed back toward their offices
and Purity went back to deciphering her notes and entering
information into her spreadsheet.

Margaret Choi, The Kids’ Place accountant,
e-mailed Purity with a couple of clarifying questions regarding the
invoices and then confirmed that the checks would be written and
sent today.

All the loose ends were being tied up
nicely. She shouldn’t have any trouble having a report ready for
the board members by Wednesday morning. Her rough estimates showed
that the event had made a profit of just under $2,500. The food
cost had been the most expensive, but it had definitely been worth
it. Purity’s mouth watered at the thought of Marsha Persimmony’s
culinary delights.

By lunch time, Pure had done as much as she
could until a couple vendors returned her calls and e-mails, so she
decided to head for home. She’d work on her final report tomorrow,
when she had all the information she needed.

Purity logged off her computer, tidied up
her desk and then headed for her car, noting the temperature had
climbed quickly. One minute it was raining, the next it was in the
high 80’s. A swim in her apartment complex pool sounded lovely but,
with school being out, she figured it would be loaded with kids
trying to stay cool and enjoy some summer fun.

She needed to run some errands and the note
she had stuck to her steering wheel proclaiming “get gas” could no
longer be ignored. That would be her first order of business.

Purity pulled into the gas station she
frequented regularly. It was the same location she had accidentally
locked her keys in her car while getting gas one day. The staff had
been extremely helpful in jimmying the lock. Her keys were sitting
on the passenger’s seat, right next to her purse and cell phone. It
was only after the event that she remembered she had AAA and could
have called them to assist her.

Three more stops, and a run through the
McDonalds drive-through for a large Diet Coke, and Purity was
parking her car in her designated parking spot in front of her
apartment building.

Two young children, who couldn’t be more
than four or five, were sitting on a small patch of grass with a
calico kitten joyfully crawling all over them. Cherry popsicles
were dripping their sticky liquid down their arms. The kitten was
taking great pleasure in licking all the sweetness off their
skin.

Purity walked over to the row of apartment
complex mailboxes and retrieved her mail, then headed down the
stairs and into her apartment. She could hear Ben and Jerry
seducing her toward the freezer for the last of the Cherry Garcia
ice cream. She grabbed the ice cream and a spoon and made her way
toward her favorite recliner, kicking off her shoes as she
went.

Purity opened her laptop. She needed to call
Brad Thompson, but she just didn’t feel like rehashing the whole
thing about Derek oh the phone, so she wrote a detailed e-mail and
asked Brad if he had any advice about how to stop Derek from
violating the restraining order.

The Nora Roberts book caught Purity’s eye
just after she hit send. She logged off the internet, closed her
laptop, and grabbed the book. Just a couple of hours, she promised
herself, knowing full well that once she opened the romance novel
she wouldn’t be able to put it down.

The next six hours flew by as Pure was
transported to another world where Derek Worthington and job
interviews didn’t exist. As she finished the parting words and
closed the book, a satisfied sigh escaped her lips. Movies and
books held such magic. It was easy for her imagination to take
flight. Coming back to reality was oftentimes a bumpy ride.

Pure’s exercise bike was calling to her, and
since she’d spent the latter half of the day in the recliner
reading, she decided to answer its call. An hour later she felt
energized, even though her butt was sore. She needed to get some
kind of padding for that seat, she thought, which is what she
thought every time she got off the exercise bike. One of these days
she’d actually do something about it.

Purity logged back on to the internet and
found a message from Brad Thompson. He said he would report the
violation and there wasn’t anything else to be done unless Derek
actually tried to harm her.

Great, just great. Not that she hadn’t
expected that response. It was just that if he tried to do her
harm, he would most likely succeed. There wouldn’t be a need to
report that violation because she would be dead.

Courtney wanted Purity to get a gun, but
Pure was adamantly against getting one. Even Meg had agreed that it
might be a good idea. Purity figured she’d end up accidentally
shooting herself, or worse yet, what if Derek found the gun and
used it against her? No, a gun was not for her. She did carry
pepper spray with her, but she had back then, too. She never
thought to use it.

She decided to head for bed. It was only
9:00pm, but her early mornings and late nights were catching up
with her.

Pure followed her nightly routine and then
snuggled into her bed, pulled her down comforter around her body,
and closed her eyes. Alex McCallister’s lips invaded her thoughts.
She imagined his strong arms wrapped around her and his lips
leaving a hot trail of fire on the nape of her neck. She would have
sweet dreams tonight.

Sheila Martin was rooting for Purity, but
the competition was stiff. Andrea Stiles arranged a wonderful
carnival with clowns, balloons, games and concessions, bringing in
a profit of around $2,200. Candice Atkins’ auction had also been a
success, giving The Kids’ Place a tidy little sum of $2,000.
Purity’s rain themed dinner brought in $2,400. It was going to be
close.

Final decisions would be made based on how
well each candidate worked with the staff and vendors, as well as
the amount raised. Sheila had been called in to the board meeting
and asked her opinion on who should be hired. Sheila recommended
Purity Zyetta.

Purity, Andrea, and Candice sat facing all
eight board members and the president sequestered behind a massive
oak table. Each of the women wanted the position, but only one
would walk away as the new events coordinator.

The board members asked each interviewee to
give a report on their fundraiser, which they all did. All of the
events had successfully raised money for the non-profit
organization and it was clear that personality, experience, and
style of leadership were going to be key factors in the final
decision.

The women were thanked and then asked to
leave the room while the board made their decision.

Fifteen minutes later, Alex McCallister
entered the small waiting room where the candidates were waiting
anxiously. “Purity, will you follow me?”

Great, Purity thought as she followed Alex
back to the meeting room. I’m going to be the first one to get the
“Sorry, but…” speech.

She noticed that while her disappointment at
not getting the job was evident, her disappointment at not seeing
Alex McCallister again had a stronger hold on her.

Alex motioned for her to take a seat in one
of the recently vacated chairs. Purity sat down, thankful for the
support as her knees were feeling a bit weak.

“
Ms. Zyetta,” Mark
Watterson began, “your fundraiser was a great success. The vendors
and staff spoke highly of your work ethic, thoroughness and
follow-through. Our decision was unanimous. Welcome to the
team.”

“
I’m hired?” Purity asked
in disbelief. She had been certain she wasn’t going to get the
job.

“
You’re hired,” Mr.
Watterson confirmed.

Purity beamed and said, “Thank you. Thank
you so much,” as she stood and shook hands with each of the board
members.

When she got to Alex McCallister, she could
feel her palm starting to sweat. Not now, Pure thought. He’s going
to be a co-worker. You’re not supposed to get involved with
colleagues.

When their flesh touched, Purity knew it was
too late. Fireworks were shooting through her veins and while she
was delighted to have beaten out her competition, she was even more
excited to have additional opportunities to spend time with
Alex.

She held his hand about two seconds too
long. Why did she feel so awkward? Purity decided to ease her
nervousness by talking. “I’m looking forward to working with all of
you,” she said, including all the board members in her gaze.

Mark Watterson said, “You can head over to
HR. I’m sure Jocelyn has more paperwork for you to fill out than
you can shake a stick at.”

“
Thanks. I
will.”

In a bit of a daze, Pure left the meeting
room and headed to the Human Relations Department. She was now an
employee of The Kids’ Place. She wanted to shout it from the
rooftop, but needed to maintain at least a small amount of
decorum.

Purity already had a list of fundraisers for
the future in her mind: a silent auction with big ticket items, a
movie night, a talent show, another dinner with an Italian theme, a
car show, and maybe even hot air balloon rides. Her mind spun and
whirred with ideas.

Alex caught up with Pure halfway to
Jocelyn’s office. “Purity,” he said, when he was within earshot.
Purity stopped and turned around to face him, no words coming to
her lips. “Congratulations,” Alex said with a warm smile. “I’m
looking forward to working with you.”

“
Me, too,” Purity said.
“Looking forward to working with you. I mean, I’m looking forward
to working with you, too.” Oh sweet God in Heaven, why was she so
tongue-tied? Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.

Sheila Martin approached the duo. She simply
couldn’t suppress her excitement and gave Purity a hug and
exclaimed, “Congratulations!”

“
Thanks so much, Sheila.
I’m so excited that we’re going to be working together.” Sheila was
a great asset and Purity knew she had been underutilized in the
past. That would change now that she was in charge.

See, she could talk with Sheila just fine,
making complete sentences and everything. She had to get a hold of
herself around Alex McCallister.

“
Ladies,” Alex said as he
nodded his head and made his departure.

“
Are you headed to HR?”
Sheila asked.

“
Yes, that’s exactly where
I’m headed.”

As she walked past the small waiting area
where she had been riddled with uncertainty just moments before,
she saw Alex leading Andrea toward the meeting room.

Once Purity found HR and was filling out the
stack of forms Jocelyn placed in front of her, Purity reflected on
what had drawn her to the job opportunity at The Kids’ Place. She
first heard about the organization when Courtney held a workshop
there for blended families. Court brought a brochure with her when
the three women gathered at Pure’s house for movie night and it had
inadvertently ended up in between the couch cushions.

The pamphlet was chock full of information
about The Kids’ Place. Purity thought their tagline, Where Kids Can
Be Kids, was intriguing. The main building had a day care, an after
school activity center, and an education wing with access to books,
DVDs, CDs, computers and the internet. A building toward the back
housed a swimming pool, exercise facilities, a track, and even
included indoor tennis courts. The third building held the
counseling center, financial assistance and the administration
offices.

If you had a child one minute old or one day
shy of 18 years old, The Kids’ Place had something to offer them at
little or no charge. Of course, that meant they had to find ways to
pay for services. That’s where the events coordinator came in.
Sure, the agency applied for grants and state assistance to help
fund their programs, but the more money they could raise
themselves, the more self-sustainable the organization would
be.