by Natalie Ann
“You didn’t tell me they had a child,” Isabel said.
“Does that make a difference?” he asked, frowning at her.
“Not really. But I would have gotten something for him. I love kids.”
“It’s the thought that counts,” William said, tweaking her nose playfully. “Now grab your cake and let’s get in the house. It’s freezing out here.”
They got out of his car and grabbed the cake she’d stored in a box in the back so it didn’t tip over. It’d taken her a few hours to make the triple chocolate fudge, but she’d found William had a wicked sweet tooth.
“William,” Thomas said, opening the door and shaking his hand. “Come on in. Michele is in the kitchen cooking. I told her not to go overboard, but she loves to feed me.” Thomas rubbed his flat belly. “I’m not going to say no if she insists.”
“See,” William said to her. “You’ve got something in common already. Isabel loves to feed me, too.”
Thomas was huge, towering over her, and a few inches taller than William. “I made dessert. I hope you like chocolate.”
“I love chocolate. And Michele is craving it something fierce lately, so you might just be her new best friend.”
“Craving?” Isabel asked, confused.
“Let me take your jackets and I’ll let you and her chat,” Thomas said.
Isabel walked into their kitchen to see Michele with an apron on stirring sauce in a pan. The kitchen was nice and immaculate, just like she always wanted it to be when she was cooking. Michele was about her height and build, her hair pulled back, with a huge smile on her face as she rushed forward.
“Isabel, I’m so happy to meet you. Thomas has been talking about William for weeks. I’m glad to see he’s finding someone to spend some time with other than coworkers and us. It gets him out of my hair now and again.”
Isabel laughed. She could tell it was gentle teasing. “I made dessert. Thomas just said you like chocolate. It’s triple chocolate fudge cake.”
Michele’s eyes lit right up. “Like? Thomas is being mild. I love chocolate. I adore chocolate. I’d bathe in it if I could. I can’t get enough of it right now.” She rubbed her hand across her belly. “This one is eating me out of house and home. I can’t consume enough food even though I’m trying. And it seems like its more chocolate than anything!”
“Oh. You’re having another child?”
“I am,” Michele said. “It was a little sooner than we’d thought, with Lucas only being fourteen months old, but I’m thrilled. I just hope this one is as mild mannered as he is. I’m afraid I might not get that wish though, as this pregnancy is much different than the last.”
Isabel was looking around the kitchen. “Where is your son?”
“He’s taking a quick nap right now. He went down late, but he’s allowing me to get dinner on the table. I hope you don’t mind having him around, but I find it so hard to leave him with others, especially when he’s with his grandmothers during the day while I work.”
“I don’t mind,” Isabel said. “I love children.”
Isabel hadn’t minded the night at all. Matter of fact, it was probably one of the best nights of her life.
She’d found out so much about Michele over dinner. She’d come from a middle-class family, met Thomas in college, and they married before Thomas went to law school. They’d been making it on their own, no help from his family, with Michele’s teaching income pretty much supporting them while Thomas finished law school.
They were both hard workers. Both great people. And even though Thomas’s family had the means to make their life much easier, it seemed it wasn’t handed over freely. She got the feeling they helped, but made sure both Michele and Thomas could make it on their own.
Isabel knew that most of William’s new clients had come from referrals, all starting with Thomas and Daniel. And because of that, William was thriving lately. She’d seen it and she’d heard about it nightly. She was so proud and excited for him. She was prepared to like Thomas on principle alone, but found he was a genuinely likable person.
William was no longer working at the bar, and they were able to spend even more time together than ever before.
She looked around the room at Thomas and Michele’s life and saw herself there at some point in the future. Saw that maybe two people from different worlds could come together and make it work.
If only she could get it out of her head that her father was being quieter than normal lately.
The Future
“What’s wrong?” Alan asked William when he hung up the phone, frowning.
“That was odd.”
“What was?”
“Someone I met with last week. A client. I thought I had it all wrapped up. I was just drawing up the papers now and he called to say they’ve changed their mind.”
In the last six weeks, he’d been securing client after client. He’d gotten his first commission check and had been shocked by the amount. He’d done the math in his head, but it was higher than he’d anticipated, so he decided to invest half of it, pay bills, and put the rest away. He was going to practice what he preached and invest everything he could. There was nothing wrong with the present but he was eying the future.
“Did they tell you why?”
“He said something about not liking what he’d heard about Weber’s. Do you know something I should know?”
“Nothing. I barely leave the office. You know that. All I do is make calls. Most people come to me. But nothing has changed that I’ve heard of. Maybe you need to go talk to Old Man Weber.”
William always thought it was funny when Alan called Jeff that. Yeah, he was old, but he was still their boss. “Is he coming in today?”
“He should be here later.”
“Then I’ll see if I can find anything out. I’ve got a few meetings today, so I’ll be back later.”
“Don’t wear the pavement out,” Alan said, smirking. “I bet you go through a pair of shoes a month.”
“I wouldn’t if you came out with me,” William said.
“No need. You keep working and it’s bleeding over to me. I’ll be here to answer the phone when they call and say they heard about us.”
It was said as a joke, but it still annoyed William. He was busting his butt out there and Alan was getting some business from all his work. He was trying to be in the office more so he could take some of those calls. Thankfully Sheryl recognized which calls should be for him and slid over as many as she could. But Alan tended to grab the phone when Sheryl was busy.
Unfortunately, that lost client wasn’t his only one. Three days later, it happened again. Almost the same thing. But since he’d signed someone else in that time, he didn’t think much of it. He was still lining up meetings, still signing clients, but Jeff Weber called him into his office anyway.
“Do you know what’s going on?” Jeff asked. Days back when they’d talked, Jeff brushed the lost client off as cold feet and told William not to let it bother him.
“About what?” William asked.
“Michael Teage just called me. Said he’s been hearing whispering about shady dealings going on here and wanted to know what it was.”
Michael Teage was one of the biggest clients at Weber’s. “I haven’t heard a thing. But I just lost another one myself today. All they said was they changed their mind, but didn’t say why when I asked. Is Alan doing something he shouldn’t be?”
“He’s as clueless as you. As clueless as me. I’ve looked at all your transactions, all your contracts. Everything is in line. Same with Alan. Tell me again what you’re saying on all your visits.”
William spent the next hour going over the last few client proposals he’d given. “Sounds like everything is on the up-and-up. You won’t care if I make a call to a few of them and verify they’re hearing what you’re saying?” Jeff asked.
“Of course not.”
What was William supposed to say? That he was pissed he was being questioned? That he�
�d brought more new business in in the last month than Alan and Jeff combined in the last year? But he couldn’t say any of that. It was best to let this play out and prove he wasn’t doing anything other than what he’d said.
Later that night, he was quieter than normal at dinner and Isabel sensed that. “What’s wrong? You aren’t being yourself today. Did you have a bad day?”
He didn’t want to tell her. Didn’t want to lay his problems on her. Didn’t want her to think that maybe he could lose what he was working so hard for. Nor did he want to see sympathy, or worse yet, disappointment in her eyes.
The last two months had been the best of his life. The thought of having any of that change or disappear was more than he could bear to think right now.
“Nothing major. You win some, you lose some,” he said with a casual shrug.
“Did you lose a client?” she asked frowning. “Why?”
He didn’t want to lie and wished he hadn’t said what he did, because now she would ask more questions.
“I don’t really know the reason. A few days ago, someone changed their mind last minute. Said they heard some bad things about Weber’s but wouldn’t tell me what. Jeff and Alan had no clue, so we brushed it off as cold feet on that person’s part.”
“Sounds logical. People often make excuses rather than tell the truth. It’s human nature at times.”
“True. But today Jeff called me in and said a long-standing client called in a panic, that he’d heard we were doing some shady practices lately. Jeff assured him nothing was going on. But I spent over an hour explaining what I do on each client visit. He’s going to call some of them to make sure they’re hearing what I’m saying. Almost like he wondered if I was fabricating details to get the deal.”
“That’s ridiculous,” she said, looking outraged. She very rarely got mad. Maybe never. He was finding he liked the fire in her eyes. “Did you tell him to check out Alan first?”
“I didn’t. Jeff’s only doing his job. He’ll find nothing wrong. He even said all my contracts, and Alan’s, were up to par. Nothing going on there. The sooner he clears me, the better. It’s just more annoying than anything.”
“Come here,” she said, walking toward him. “You need a hug. Maybe you need to relax.” She started to kiss his neck, then rub his back. “You’re all tense. I could give you a back rub before I start dinner.”
“That would be nice,” he said.
He loved when she touched him. How she made him feel. He only wished he knew how she felt. Other than the physical, he was at a loss. He thought they were getting closer, but she’d never said a word about anything. Normally she said exactly what was on her mind and because she wasn’t, he figured he was alone in his thoughts.
“Well then, we want you to feel nice, don’t we?” she said, unbuttoning his shirt, then pushing it off his shoulders.
She had a way of wiping all the negative out of his life.
***
“Do you feel better now?” she asked an hour later.
“I always feel good when I’m around you,” he said, kissing her cheek.
Her heart started to leap and soar, taking flight. “The same here.”
His hand ran up and down her bare back, sending shivers through her. A simple touch from him always felt deeper. Always felt like what she’d been missing in her life and never knew. She was wondering if it was time to tell him more. Tell him all. Tell him what she felt and what she wanted. Maybe talk about the future some.
“What are you thinking?” he asked, reading her better than she always felt comfortable with.
“Just thinking about us,” she said, lying her head on his chest and twirling a finger around.
“What about us?” he asked. She could hear his heart beating faster under her ear, giving her a little encouragement.
“Where do you see us going?” she asked.
“Our relationship?”
“Yes,” she said. “Do you see us being together longer? Or more? I guess I’m not sure what I’m asking.”
“Do I see a future with you?” he asked. “The answer is yes. I do. I see us together a year from now. Five years from now. Twenty years from now.” He leaned up and pushed her back a little to look in her eyes. “Does that scare you?”
She laughed lightly. Her heart was lifting and floating up, maybe even little red cartoon hearts sailing around her head if she really thought of it. “I’m only scared if it means we’re still on this lumpy sofa bed a year from now, let alone longer.”
He hugged her tight. “No. I don’t even want to be in this place six months from now. I’m riding out my lease and then I’m going to look to move.”
“Really?” she asked. “Why?”
“For a lot of reasons. One, because we need more space. Two, because I love you and I want to give you more. You deserve it.”
Those little hearts floating in the air started to multiply. He’d said it first. She’d hoped he would, but was prepared to do it since she’d been making the first move with everything, it seemed. “I love you too, William. I don’t need you to do things for me. I don’t need you to buy stuff because you think I deserve it. I’d like to think that all I need is you. Now I know I’ve got you.”
“I know you’re used to more. Used to better. I want you to have what you’re so accustomed to.”
“You’re going to burst my bubble of contentment saying things like that. All I want is you. All I want is us. If it’s in this tiny apartment for now, then it is. It won’t change how I feel or how I think.”
“But—”
“No buts. No thinking about my life before us. No thinking about my parents—that I know you want to meet and I think we need to hold off. I told you they know about us. I told you my mother is fine, but my father isn’t. It has no bearing on anything. Especially what I want or need other than you.”
“If you’re sure.”
He didn’t look convinced. “I’m more sure about us than anything else ever in my life. Maybe I need to prove it to you, though.” She slid her hand under the covers and cupped him, then kissed him.
He rolled her quickly and kissed all the dreadful energy of the conversation away.
Some Advice
A week later, Jeff called William into his office. “Do you know an Edward Carmichael?”
“Why?” William asked. He knew it was Isabel’s father’s name, but wasn’t sure if he should admit that. Not until he knew where Jeff was going with his question.
“Seems he’s the one badmouthing my firm. I’m trying to figure out why, where, or what his connection is. There are no records of him as a client, or even a potential one.”
“No. He wouldn’t be a client.” He couldn’t hide the truth now. “But he is my girlfriend’s father. What’s he saying?”
“What did you do to piss the guy off?” Jeff asked. William expected him to start yelling, maybe even fire him for putting a smear on the firm’s name. Instead Jeff was just leaning back in his chair…almost smirking.
“I exist,” William said before he could stop himself.
Jeff laughed. “Been there and done that. It’s not ideal to have anyone speaking badly of our business, but it happens. Thankfully you’ve signed several others in the last week, so whatever he’s saying is pretty much falling on deaf ears. I don’t suppose you could get him to cease his ramblings?”
“Considering I’ve never come face-to-face with him, that would be a no.”
Jeff pushed forward in his chair. “Well then, I might have to take matters into my own hands if it happens again. Please let me know. I’ll pass the information on to Alan and Sheryl alike. Until then, keep up the good work.”
William walked out, shaking his head. He’d worked so hard to finally see the light, to see some results, to prove that he could do this…and to think that someone he’d never met was trying to take it from him. To steal it away because he didn’t measure up on a piece of paper. That his “pedigree” wasn’t good enough for Edward
’s only child. It was infuriating.
“I’ll be back,” William said to Alan, then grabbed his jacket and walked out into the bitter cold.
He needed to talk to someone about this, but he knew it couldn’t be Isabel. He couldn’t hurt or burden her that way. He had to find a way to protect her from it. It seemed to him she’d been on the receiving end of treatment like this from her father before and he wouldn’t allow him to do it again.
Now that he knew it wasn’t going to affect his job, his advancement, his goal to give Isabel a better life—one where she could have what she was used to and be loved at the same time—he could relax a little bit.
So he went where he knew he could be open and honest, and that person would be the same way in return.
“Thomas will see you now,” Wendy said as she led him back.
William popped his head around the corner of the doorframe. “Sorry to just show up this way. Thanks for seeing me.”
“No apologies needed. Come on in. Got some information for me so I can triple my money? I’ve got my eye on a piece of land on the lake. Got to get ready to give my girl the house of her dreams.”
He laughed. Thomas was forever asking him for advice and entrusting him with money that could probably be better suited for his growing family. “No. I need some advice, though.”
“Finally something I can offer you. Name it.”
He explained what had been going on the last few weeks. The few deals that had fallen through and why, then his conversation with Jeff just now. “I don’t know how to handle this. Her parents want no part of meeting or even getting to know me.”
“You know that for sure?” Thomas asked.
“Considering her father is trying to get me fired, or ruin the reputation of Weber’s, I’d say it’s a safe bet.”
Thomas laughed. “What about her mother? I thought you said Isabel was close to her mother. Does she feel the same way?”
“I don’t think so, but she’d never go against her husband from what I understand. Isabel seemed to think her mother would be open to meeting me, if they could do it when her father was out of town. It just doesn’t feel right, though. I wouldn’t want her mother sneaking around and I don’t like this wedge I’m causing in her family.”