The Perfect Cast

by T. K. Chapin

  Her date, West, came across the street after he parked the car. “What’s going on?”

  “He doesn’t know where his parents are,” Rebecca replied glancing further down the street trying to see if she could spot them.

  “I see.” West glanced back across the street at the restaurant, looking eager to get in. “I’m going to go grab our table so we don’t lose our reservation… I’ll see you in there.”

  Put off by his concern for food more than the boy, she responded shortly with him. “Okay.”

  Meeting the eye level of the boy again, she asked, “Where were you guys at last?” The boy pointed up the way towards a corner.

  “We were at the park feeding the geese and… Dad!” The boy sprinted across the street and into the arms of his father.

  “Where on earth were you?” the father asked grasping onto him tightly. The mother patted the boy’s back and smiled at Rebecca.

  “I don’t know how we lost him. Thank you for talking to him, though.”

  “No problem. I’m glad you guys found him. Have a good night.” Rebecca scurried across the street and into the restaurant to find her date. Feeling glad she helped the little boy with finding his parents, she couldn’t help but smile as she searched the restaurant for West.

  Taking a seat, she said, “I found his parents.”

  “Well that’s good.”

  Rebecca nodded. “It is.”

  “I ordered you the Shrimp Moscato. Hope that’s okay.”

  “I don’t eat shrimp…”

  Sighing heavily West looked for the waitress, “I’m sorry. I just took a stab and hoped it would work out. I don’t have a whole lot of time.”

  Suddenly Rebecca felt like this guy was turning into Kent, the guy who had a date lined up right after their date. Who sets up plans after a date? I thought he didn’t get out much? “Did you have something you gotta do?”

  “Yes.”

  “Please excuse me; I need to use the restroom. When the waitress comes back just order me a chicken Cesar salad.” Standing up from the table, she set her napkin down and headed for the ladies restroom. As she wove between the tables in the restaurant, she saw couples laughing, smiling and enjoying their time together. She longed for a relationship like that and a life where trying to find a guy wasn’t her sole purpose for existence. That part of her life should have been over already, she often wondered if she screwed up along the way and bypassed mister right. She often found herself daydreaming that maybe in another life she would have already had a couple kids, a white picket fence and a dog named Kip.

  Pushing open the women’s bathroom door, she immediately noticed there was no escape window. In all the dates she had been on, she’d never been able to find a window to escape through, but tried anyways. “I swear it’s only in movies,” she said smacking the bathroom sink as she realized if she needed an escape, a bathroom window wouldn’t be an option.

  Coming out of a stall, a girl asked, “What?”

  Rebecca laughed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know anyone was in here… But I was talking about a window in a bathroom. You see people climb out of windows all the time to escape horrible dates in movies…” Stopping as she realized she was explaining her problems to not only a stranger, but to a child. “I shouldn’t be telling you that.”

  “Why cause I’m a kid? I’m thirteen! I’m pretty grown up,” the girl said holding her chin up.

  Rebecca laughed. “I’m thirty and still don’t have being a grown up figured out.”

  “What’s your name?”

  “Rebecca. You?”

  “I’m Jessica, but everybody calls me Jess.”

  “Nice to meet you Jess.” Rebecca shook her hand.

  “You’re a beautiful woman and I’m sure any guy would be lucky to have you.” Jess turned and looked at the bathroom door. “I really got to get going, my parents are probably wondering where I am.”

  “Okay,” Rebecca replied, smiling.

  Rebecca remembered being thirteen like it was yesterday. She thought boy crushes and pop rocks were the meaning of life at that age. Throughout the years that changed and morphed into this strange thing who felt like her life was waiting to begin until she met the one.

  Rebecca returned into the restaurant and ventured back to her table where West was sitting on the phone. Slowly approaching from behind, she figured she’d see what he was talking about.

  “I know… I’m having a business meeting right now. I’ll be over shortly afterwards, I miss you too.”

  Rebecca wanted to know who he was talking to. Another girl? A booty call? Maybe not, I can’t assume…

  “What are you wearing?” West spoke quietly into the phone.

  That was the nail in the coffin for the date. Rebecca’s blood began to heat in her veins. How could a man have so little respect and dignity? How could there be so much garbage out there when it came to men? She was upset and outraged at her newly short-lived date.

  Walking around the table into his view, she grabbed her purse that hung on her chair and her coat. “I’m leaving.”

  Covering the mouth piece on his phone, he asked, “Why?”

  “I heard you talking.” Rebecca put her coat and scarf on and slung her purse over her shoulder as her hands were shaking. She was so upset that he let her down, just like the rest. While she wondered if she would ever find love, she always held onto a glimmer of hope she would find it one day. Each disappointment destroyed her emotionally, but never enough to force her into giving up hope. After all, if she gave up hope, she’d have nothing left. “Goodbye!” She said forcefully turning away from the table and darting for the exit.

  Exiting the restaurant, she stopped along the sidewalk and phoned for a cab to pick her up. As she waited, she rubbed her arms to keep her warmth and noticed a cute young couple across the street. He was holding her hand as they were looking for traffic before speedily walking across the street. She was smiling and he was laughing. I want that… I want something real.

  Breaking her concentration, her phone rang. It was Jonathan, her boss. He and Rebecca had an ongoing thing between them at work for almost two years. It was harmless flirting, but it was always on the line of being something more. He hadn’t made a move yet and Rebecca didn’t feel right doing anything about it either.

  “What’s up?”

  “I need you to come down to the office. I can’t find the article you wrote on the interview with Macabre.”

  Those sweet words I need you repeated in her mind making a smile cross her face. Sure it was work related, but she felt great just hearing that someone in the world needed her in that moment. Maybe one day someone else would say that to her and it’d mean something more.

  “I’ll be there,” she replied.

  CHAPTER 2 ~ Rebecca

  Arriving at the office, Rebecca found Jonathan to be the only one there in the office. It was already after seven o’clock and a Friday night, so it wasn’t a surprise. Nobody in the office had a work ethic like Jonathan did.

  “And where’s Vivian?” Rebecca said as she dropped her purse on his office desk. She stole a glance of his muscular arms as he stood up from behind his desk. He had a wife beater on and black slacks. His blue dress shirt was off and on the couch that sat up against the wall. The lack of clothing could have been to torture her, but it was most likely due to the cleaning crew working on the bottom floor of the office building. They liked to jack up the heater while they worked and it all rose up, heating the rest of the building.

  “I had her take off early; she was distracted. She and Lance got in a fight… Anyway… where’s that folder with your article? I didn’t see it in the notes.”

  Rebecca smiled at his generosity. That was just the type of guy he was though, he’d help anyone he could, and understood how life sometimes interrupts work.

  “Let me take a look,” Rebecca said, coming around the desk to sit down.

  “How did the date go?”

  While they flirted fr
equently at work, they also talked. Jonathan and Rebecca shared everything going on in their lives. He had even admitted once before to Rebecca that he felt like he could share everything with her, unlike with his girlfriend Stacy of two years, who worked as a paralegal on a few floors down in the same building.

  “It was another dud.” She sighed as she clicked through the folders on the computer.

  “What was it this time?” Jonathan asked as he crossed his arms leaning against his office wall.

  “He was talking to another girl on our date…”

  Jonathan shook his head. “What is wrong with these men you find?”

  “I don’t know…” Rebecca shrugged. “Someday I’ll find my prince charming.”

  “Maybe… or end up with a million cats and nobody.”

  “Ouch! I sure hope I don’t end up that way…” Rebecca laughed. Locating the file, she began uploading it to the site for publication. “We’re good to go.”

  When she stood up from the desk, Jonathan was right there, only a foot away from her. She could feel the energy between them surge through her body, and she wanted to kiss him right there on the spot, but she couldn’t do that to him or his relationship with Stacy. It wasn’t right. Walking by him, she could smell his cologne; it was that same cologne he wore every day since she started two years ago.

  Grabbing her coat and purse, she began to leave.

  “Rebecca…” Jonathan said with his deep masculine tone.

  Was this it? Did he break things off with Stacy and realize I’m the one he wants to be with? She wondered. Fantasizing for a moment, she saw him as he rushed across the room and embraced her with a firm hold.

  “I love you my sweet, sweet Rebecca. I broke things off with Stacy, because I know you are the only one for me.”

  Then he kissed her passionately. Her fantasy only lasted a moment before Jonathan broke her concentration.

  “Your scarf?” he said. Rebecca’s eyes fell on his hand to see her scarf dangling. Disappointment loomed over her head and in her heart as she made her way back over to him. As she approached, she got another whiff of his cologne and couldn’t help herself from leaning in to kiss him.

  “Rebecca…” he said, turning his cheek. Her lips fell onto the scruffy side of his face as he rejected her coldly. “I’m with Stacy.”

  “I know… I’m sorry; I don’t know what came over me.” Rebecca’s face was beet red and she turned quickly to exit, but Jonathan grabbed her arm to stop her. Turning back around to him, she looked him in the eyes. “What?”

  “I… I don’t know.”

  Rebecca jerked her arm away. “Then let me leave.” Rebecca began to leave the office.

  “I like you,” he said quickly.

  Stopped in her tracks, she turned around with a smile. Suddenly the night wasn’t so dismal after all. “You like me?” she asked as she came back into his office.

  “I do…” Jonathan rubbed his forehead. “I just don’t know what to do. I’m with Stacy.”

  Rebecca shook her head in confusion. “Umm… you break it off with Stacy?”

  “It’s not that simple Rebecca… I love her, and I don’t want to break up with her just because I like you.”

  His words made sense, but her heart told her otherwise. She wanted to be with him more than any other man she knew, but she didn’t love him. He and Stacy had a relationship, even had a puppy together, how could he leave it all behind to be with Rebecca? They shared a lot with each other in the office, but they didn’t know that much about each other. It had always been superficial.

  “Can I show you something?” he asked.

  Rebecca nodded as she set her purse down on the couch in his office and began to take off her coat.

  “Keep the coat on,” Jonathan smiled. Leading her through the office, they ventured over to the elevators and stepped in. The roof? She wondered as they rode the elevator up.

  “This is my favorite spot in the entire city.”

  Following Jonathan out of the elevator, they stepped out onto the rooftop. She hadn’t ever been to the roof at any time in the two years she had worked there. It wasn’t really somewhere she ever thought about going. Coming to the edge of the roof, she looked across the Spokane cityscape and admired the neighboring buildings. While much of the city was still awake and alive down below, the rooftop was quiet and tranquil. “What do you do up here?”

  “I think about life,” Jonathan said as he sat down on the ledge. He seemed to be conflicted by the heavy look on his face.

  “What about it?”

  Glancing over his shoulder back at the cityscape, he continued. “I’m thirty-eight years old… I just wonder what else is out there.” Turning back to Rebecca he smiled. “I’ve spent decades in board meetings and behind plastic walls… I just want something different.”

  “Like a different job?”

  “I don’t know.” Adjusting in his seat, he continued. “Tell me, what do you want? Where do you see yourself in the next couple years?”

  “Well if I ever get a series… that’d help me progress, but I’ve been here two years and have yet to land one.” Rebecca walked up to Jonathan and looked into his emerald green eyes, admiring the youth that was tucked behind his aging, but attractive body. “Life is what you make it. If you are miserable at this job, it’s because you choose to be.”

  Jonathan nodded as he stood up and turned around to take in the city. “The world goes so far beyond the eight by eight offices I come to everyday…” Standing up on the ledge, he turned around and looked at her. “I want to experience more.”

  “Well you are going to experience death in a second if you don’t step down from there!” Rebecca said, dashing over to him and pulling him down. Jonathan laughed as he came off the ledge.

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  Other Books

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  Acknowledgements

  First and foremost, I want to thank God. God’s salvation through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ gives us all the ability to have a personal relationship with the creator of the Universe.

  I also want to thank my wife. She’s my muse and my inspiration. A wonderful wife, an amazing mother and the best person I have ever met. She’s great and has always stood by me with every decision I have made along life’s way.

  I’d like to thank my editors and early readers for helping me along the way. I also want to thank all of my friends and extended family for the support. It’s a true blessing to have every person I know in my life.

  About the Author

  T.K. CHAPIN writes Christian Romance books designed to inspire and tug on your heart strings. He believes that telling stories of faith, love and family help build the faith of Christians and help non-believers see how God can work in the life of believers. He gives all credit for his writing and storytelling ability to God. The majority of the novels take place in and around Spokane Washington, his hometown. Chapin makes his home in the Pacific Northwest and has the pleasure of raising his daughter with his beautiful wife Crystal. To find out more about T.K. Chapin or his books, visit his website at www.tkchapin.com.

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