A Reason For Everything

by Nita Johnson

  I blew on the hot brew before taking a small sip to check the temperature. Jesse remained silent but his watchful eyes never moved off my face which unnerved me a little, it was as he could see right through me and into my soul.

  “So, want to tell me what had you staring into space earlier, sweetheart?” He finally broke his silence, asking me what was obviously troubling him. That was another reason to like this wonderful man, he hardly knew me yet he had taken time out of his busy day, not only to bring me my forgotten wallet but now to find out what was plaguing me.

  I had to answer him truthfully. I felt that no matter what I told him, he would help me find a way through it, seemingly to genuinely care about me.

  “I’m so lost, Jesse. My life’s always ran smoothly but now everything is up in the air. I’d hoped that Rob would have agreed to sell the house and split the sale, meaning the kids and I could look for another home to move into, but that doesn't seem to be the case now. I have a little money saved but it’s not enough for a new home. Plus with me not working I will need those savings more now than ever.”

  Picking up my cup I used the few moments reprieve to gather myself together. The situation was affecting me more than I cared to admit to anyone, including myself. Jesse was lost in his own head, not saying a word, just casually sipping on his own drink. That made me more anxious. Perhaps he couldn't say anything because there was nothing that could be done to help with my predicament.

  If I couldn't see a way through it all I’d be stupid to think that someone independent to my situation could either.

  “Betty’s quite happy with you all living there, Will. I doubt she would want you worrying about trying to find somewhere to live when she has a perfectly good house that you're all welcome to live in for a long as needs be,” he finally said to me.

  “I know that but we can't live there forever,” I said sullenly. Nan would have us stay there permanently and although I am really grateful, it isn’t ideal for the long term. Kaylee can’t continue to share a room with me, she's a growing girl. She needs her space too.

  “No one said it would be forever, Will. Just until you're ready to leave. Stay with her for now, get a job, carry on saving money and to hell with Rob. Show him that you don't need him or his help. He's doing this to gain the upper hand over you, don't give him the satisfaction of knowing he's gotten to you. Do this on your own and flip him the bird as you move forward leaving him so far behind you that he's not even on your radar anymore. You’ve got this, sweetheart. I have all the faith in the world in you. You can do this, show us all just how great I know you are,” he told me kindly, taking one of my hands in his warm grip, his thumb rubbing over my knuckles. The gesture caused a shot of electricity to zip through my body. I could feel a throbbing start up between my legs, that's how much his actions were getting to me. I don't think I've ever had this reaction to anyone in the past including Rob.

  “You've not known me long enough to say all those things.” I tried to brush off his compliments, trying to make a joke out of it all so he can't see how much his words mean to me.

  “I’ve known you long enough, Willow. Right from the first time I met you I could see that inner strength shining through and you continue to amaze me every time I’m around you. You have had something bad happen in your life yet here you are, still standing, still thinking of ways of protecting what's yours. You astound me. A lot of people in your situation would crumble under the pressure but you, Willow, you are surviving. One day, sweetheart, you’re gonna see what I see and you’re gonna be damn proud of yourself.” He continued to brush his thumb over my knuckles while still keeping eye contact with me.

  I really wanted to lean forward and kiss him but my fear stopped me. My fear of going from one man to another, of placing my trust in someone else, giving them the power to break my heart. Jesse came across as a great guy but you could never be sure. Rob came across the same way and look how that turned out.

  God, I wanted to kiss her. Her green eyes kept mine hostage. I was unable to break away from her gaze, not that I wanted to. I’d move heaven and earth just to be able to have one tiny kiss from those gorgeous plump lips of hers. I really wanted to lean in and claim those lips as mine, to claim her as mine.

  I could see that she's frightened, that she thought she was lost but I knew differently. My girl would get there, forging her own path along the way, taking no shit from anyone. She’d definitely get to where she wanted to be.

  I really hoped that she’d allow me to be at her side one day but for now I’ll stay where I am, in the background quietly rooting for her, her own private cheerleader in the darkness.

  Deciding for now to let her go, I released her hand and regretfully broke away from her intense gaze focusing instead on the now cold drink in my cup.

  I should be helping her figure a way out of her situation instead of trying to take advantage of her while she is most vulnerable. But another quick look over to her almost had me falling to my knees, begging her to let me take care of her and those brilliantly charming and loveable kids of hers.

  That would solve everything, all of her troubles would disappear but she wasn't ready for that just yet. She had to do this by herself for herself, just to prove to that worthless bastard soon to be ex-husband of hers that she didn't need him, that she never had and never would need him again.

  My girl’s a fighter and that made me so immensely proud of her.

  “Come work for me,” Jesse said suddenly. He’d been quiet for the last few minutes which worried me but then he dropped that bombshell and it had thrown me for a loop. Work with him? Surely that was insane.

  “I don't know anything about the building trade,” I told him honestly. If in fact he was somehow being serious about hiring me, I needed him to know that I knew next to nothing about his line of work. I hadn't worked since my days in high school and that had only been part time at the local restaurant, waiting tables. Once I became pregnant Rob took care of everything and I’ve not worked since.

  “We’d start you off slowly, answering phone calls and keeping the office tidy until you picked up more. Then eventually you’d be responsible for inputting the data off the time cards of the employees, sorting out their wages and vacation requests, and then booking in potential clients. It sounds like a lot now but I know it would become easy given enough time and training.” He looked at me, a smile pulling at the corner of his lips, lips that I very much wanted to kiss more and more each passing moment I spent sitting here with him.

  “I..I..I don't know what to say,” I stuttered, floored by his kindness. This time he reached over and grasped both of my hands in his own.

  “Say you’ll do it. You’d be really helping me out. Travis is shit as a receptionist. His telephone manner is utterly shocking, in fact I’m surprised we are still in business. He hasn't got a clue on how to work the wages system. Shit I don't either, half the time we wing it.” He laughed shaking his head. “Fuck, I really don't know how we’re still going.” His laughed continued. “Please say you’ll help.”

  Who was I to turn down such a great opportunity? This could very well be the answer to my prayers. I just had to make sure I kept some distance between Jesse and me. Office romances very rarely turned out well and there's no way in hell I'd ruin this chance of getting my life back on track again. Nope, I wasn’t going to be mixing business with pleasure any time soon.

  “When do I start?” I asked him as I flashed him a wide smile, one he returned wholeheartedly.

  “You're working with the hottie now?”

  “No, Nan. I’m working for Jesse, not with him.” I refused to entertain her and her teasing.

  After our coffee Jesse had taken me back to my car where he told me he would see me later to go over the details of the position he had just offered me. He said he’d speak to Travis and let me know when I could start but he was aiming for Monday of this coming week. That gave me a few days to get myself sorted and ready to start, which unfortu
nately included going back to my old house and finding all my clothes that could be worn at the office.

  “With him, for him. It’s all just words. I shall wait for the day you come home and tell me something else.” I was sitting on the grass watching her prune her beloved garden. She’d spent many an hour out here, tending to her plants and flowers. It was her favorite pastime, one that hadn't changed over the years.

  “And what exactly would that be?” I rose to her baiting, wanting to know what on earth she was twittering on about.

  “That you two are together,” she said casually as she carried on snipping at her hedgerow.

  “What!” I shouted, shocked that she would even think of that happening. Of course I wished that it could but I doubted very much that it ever would.

  “Don't what me, Willow. I've seen the way you look at him, so I know you find him attractive.”

  “Well, he is,” I told her honestly. Jesse was hotter than hot, I'd be stupid to not notice that. Every time I saw him I saw something new about him that made me like him just that little bit more.

  “And I’ve seen how he looks at you when he thinks no one is looking. Believe me when I say this, child. Jesse wants you and from the looks I see him throwing your way, he's planning on having you.”

  Struck dumb by my nan’s words I continued to sit there, mulling over what she’d said. Jesse wanted me? Surely she was seeing things? She’s getting up there in age now and her eyesight is questionable most days, so there stands a very good chance that she’d not seen what she thought she had. Yep, that's probably it.

  Standing up I brush the seat of my jean shorts down. “I’m going inside, it's getting too warm out here.” I was eager to make my escape before she spouted anything more I got up.

  “That's it, Willow. Run away from me but there is no running away from him. This is going to be so much fun to watch play out.” Her cackling followed me as I quickly made my way back into the house.

  When I followed her to the school this morning I honest to God had no idea that this was how the day was going to pan out. I saw her in pain, worrying and I felt an urge so strong to protect her that the offer of a job slipped out before I’d even had chance to really consider it. The way her eyes lit up when she’d finally accepted the position made my blood burn and my cock harden. Thank God for being sitting down with a table hiding my lap.

  I’d given her a way out of her situation but in reality I’d given myself a way to be around her day in, day out and I loved that idea no end.

  Telling her I’d speak to Travis and come over later, I watched her jump in her car and drive off, a smile in place on her beautiful face, pleased that I’m the reason it's there in the first place. Pulling up at the site I rationalized that Travis would be happy. He really did hate having to do the admin work that came with his job so it's going to be a win-win all around.

  “Hey man.” I threw my keys and cell phone into a side drawer of my desk before dropping down into the seat, putting my arms behind my head and legs propped up on my desk crossed at the ankles.

  Travis, who had no doubt been here since the crack of dawn, looked at me through tired eyes. “Wanna tell me why the fuck you look so chipper this morning?”

  “Chipper? What year you living in, man?” I goaded him knowing perfectly well what he meant but I loved pushing his buttons. I shouldn't really because sometimes he's got a really short fuse and it didn't take much for him to explode.

  “The one where I wanna know what has my best friend acting like girl,” he retaliated, biting back at my comment like I knew he would.

  “I have an idea I want to run past you.” That had his attention now so I urged forward with my plan to have Willow come work for me.

  “I’m listening but I ain’t got all day so get a move on.”

  “And there's the Travis I know and love! Settle down you douchebag and I’ll get around to it.” Travis eyed me warily, unsure what I was going to be telling him.

  “How would you feel about handing over the office duties to someone else? Both of us wouldn't be in here any longer than necessary and we’d be free to do more on site.” Travis’s eyes lit up brighter than the lights on a Christmas tree. I could see he was on board with me already.

  “What do you have in mind, my friend?”

  I spent most of the morning with him hashing out exactly what Willow’s duties would be as an administration assistant. Travis didn't rib on me once for wanting Willow here with me which lead me to having questions of my own. Travis was always the joker but lately he had been so down in the mouth. I really thought that this idea would have him ripping me for days on end but that wasn't the case. Something's eating away at my best friend and I’ll be here for him when he decides that he wants to talk about it.

  A flight of butterflies were racing around my stomach. I was acting worse than a schoolgirl with her first crush as I knocked on Betty’s door later that evening, only stopping at my house long enough to shower and grab a quick bite to eat before heading over to see Willow. She thought I was coming over to talk about her job but in reality I'm using that excuse just to see her, spend a little time with her. Yup, I really sounded like a teenage girl.

  When she opened the door I fought the urge to take her into my arms and kiss her until we both couldn't see straight. Instead I smiled and followed her to the kitchen, watching her ass a few times. What man in his right mind wouldn't? Willow is a beauty and that included that tight ass of hers.

  “Travis said he’d love for you to come to work with us. You're definitely starting Monday. He’s glad he's not going to be chained to a desk for much longer,” Jesse announced as I pulled open the front door to answer his persistent knocking. I smiled and stepped back, allowing him to come inside.

  “Glad to be passing over the admin duties, huh?” I responded as he followed me into the kitchen, where I opened the fridge grabbing a couple of sodas, passing one to Jesse.

  I leaned against one kitchen counter as he leant against the opposite one so we were facing each other.

  “Oh, he’s real pleased. I don’t think I’ve seen him this happy in years,” he told me good naturedly as he took a good sip of his soda. I was pleased to have Travis’s blessing. I'd have hated to have started there knowing he hadn't thought it was a good idea.

  “So Monday then.”

  Jesse nodded. “Yup. I'd have said to catch a ride in with me but I know that would be impossible with taking the kids to school, so just come on by after then. You can work your hours around their school time.”

  “Oh wow, are you sure?” I was shocked. Not many employers were considerate when it came to children. Finding someone who took that into account was rare indeed.

  “Of course I’m sure. I knew you had children when I offered you the job, Wills.” He winked at me. “We will sort out what days and times you can work over the holidays once you're sure you can work with Travis and me. You might not make it past the first week, working with a bunch of men can be intimidating. For the most part, they're a great team but sometimes they can act worse than a group of women.”

  I laughed at his honest description of them. “I’m sure I can handle them.”

  “I have no doubt that you can, sweetheart,” he told me, eyeing me over the rim of his soda can, causing that feeling of electricity to course throughout my body. I wondered if he could see just how much he was affecting me. I also wondered if I did the same to him in return.

  “Where are the kids?” he asked me breaking the spell he'd put me under. Surely he has to know what he does to me. If my nan had been right earlier, then he must know.

  “Nate’s in his room hooked to his video games and Kaylee is flat out.”

  I saw the look of disappointment on his face. “Ahh right, I’ll catch them again another time.”

  “Do you want me to go tell Nate you're here?”

  He shook his head. “Nah, sweetheart. Leave him be. I know what boys are like when it comes to video games.”


  “Ok, if you're sure.”

  “I’m sure, Willow.”

  The look he gave was so hot I would swear I saw fire in those eyes. Something’s going to happen, I could feel the change in the air. I waited with baited breath to see what it was.

  “Where are the kids?” I asked her. I heard her answer me and I replied but in that moment I decided I had to tell her how I felt. It was burning inside of me and I couldn't settle until she knew it all. Until she knew she had power over me like no one ever before.

  Here goes everything.

  Moving away from the counter, he took the few steps that separated us so he was standing in front of me. “I really, really want to kiss you, sweetheart. I've had to stop myself from kissing you since you opened the door to me.”

  I gulped loudly. How in the hell was I meant to reply to that statement? My mind went into overdrive. I'd only left my husband a week ago. What would people think of me if they knew that I really wanted to kiss Jesse as much as he wanted to kiss me?

  “I used the excuse of talking to you about the job just so I could come over here and see you, and as much as I really wanted to see Nate and Kaylee, part of me is glad that they're not around. Means I get you to myself with no distractions or interruptions.”

  All I could do was nod, he had rendered me speechless. Suddenly what my nan had said came to the forefront of my mind and I started to laugh lightly. Jesse’s confused expression only served to make me laugh harder.

  “What’s funny, Willow?” His expression remained as confused as ever. “I tell you I want to kiss you and you laugh. A lesser man's pride would severely be dented by that.”

  I put a hand to my stomach in an attempt to calm down. “My Nan told me earlier that you liked me. I brushed her off saying it was all nonsense. I'm gonna have to tell her she was right. I really hate doing things like that. Only makes her worse.”