Earning Yancy (NSFW #2)

by C. C. Wood

  I didn’t leave Carolena with him again. If I needed to go out, I took her with me or hired a babysitter. I hoped that he would come around as the she got older. A little voice in my head told me I was wasting my time, but Coop and I were married. For better or worse, we needed to try to work through our problems.

  It wasn’t until she was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis and the doctors told us what we could expect in the coming months and years, that Coop completely revealed the fact that he was an utterly useless shitheel. Within a week of her diagnosis, he was spending less and less time at home. A month later, he told me he couldn’t deal with a sick kid, his exact words, and he wanted a divorce. Though it broke my heart, I was glad he didn’t fight me for full custody because I knew that he wouldn’t take good care of our baby when he had her. Hell, the diaper incidents proved that.

  For the first two months, he paid child support right on time. Then he moved and gave me an excuse, claiming the moving expenses were enormous and he needed an extra couple of weeks before he sent me another payment. I didn’t mind. His salary was a little less than mine and I knew that moving could be extremely expensive. While the money did help with her medical bills, I made more than enough to cover her day-to-day care.

  Then the next three months, his checks started to arrive later and later until eventually he missed one completely. When I called him, he apologized and sent me a check within a week. I never got another child support payment after that. I called, but his number had been disconnected. When I went by his apartment, I discovered he moved again, without telling me. That was when I knew that the father of my baby was not only a shitheel, but a deadbeat as well. Six months after our divorce, my ex-husband dropped off the face of the planet.

  I called his parents, who wouldn’t tell me anything. They saw Carolena at holidays and her birthday and that was it. Unlike my parents, they didn’t call to talk to her every week or ask to take the baby for a day. Though they bought expensive presents for her, their displays of affection felt obligatory. Apparently, the apple that was Coop didn’t fall far from the parental tree.

  I approached the Office of the Attorney General, but I honestly didn’t expect anything to come of it. I hadn’t spent the support money Coop sent, but put it back in a college fund for Lena. If he wasn’t going to be a decent father, the least he could do was pay for her education. He needed to take responsibility for his daughter, even if only financially.

  At first, I hurt for my baby girl and myself. I felt guilty for choosing such a dick to be her father. She deserved better. Then I realized that without Coop, I wouldn’t have Carolena, so I stopped feeling sorry for myself. Still, I did worry about her. When she got older, she would benefit from a male influence. Right now, she didn’t know any better, but, in a few years, she would have questions. I dreaded that day because I wasn’t sure what I would tell her.

  My cell phone rang, breaking through the heavy cloud of my thoughts and bringing me back to the present. It was useless to mourn for what I lost, since it hadn’t been all that much now that I looked back. Right now, I needed to focus on my job and taking care of my daughter. I glanced at the screen but didn’t recognize the number.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi, uh, Yancy. This is Charles Faulkner.”

  Apparently my tirade yesterday finally penetrated since he managed to call me by my actual name. While I despised the fact that I lost my temper, it seemed to have fixed at least one of my issues with Mr. Faulkner. I realized I needed to tell him I was sorry for calling him an asshole, but a small, petty part of me wanted to wait and see if he would apologize first. Maybe it was immature, but the man called me by the wrong damn name for a freaking month, even after I corrected him multiple times.

  “Hello, Charles. What can I do for you?”

  He paused and cleared his throat. “I was wondering if you finished your analysis yet?”

  I rolled my eyes. He was definitely impatient. “Yes. I just finished lunch and I’m about to type my notes and send them to you.”

  “Great. That’s just great.”

  He didn’t sound completely sincere, but I ignored it. “I’m glad you caught the error. It could have been disastrous if it had gone unnoticed.”

  “Thanks.” He paused again. “Look, I’d like to schedule some time for us to go over this information tomorrow.”

  I pulled up my calendar and saw that I had very few appointments the next day. “When would you like to meet?”

  “How about after lunch?”

  “Not a problem. I’ll meet you in your office at 1:30.”

  “I’ll reserve the conference room. My office is a little cramped right now,” he replied.

  Considering his office was the size of mine and I thought mine was spacious, this seemed odd, but it was his choice. “Fine. See you then.”

  “Bye.”

  After he disconnected, I put my cell phone on my desk and decided that I would apologize to him tomorrow in person, Maybe by then I wouldn’t be so irritated with him. I don’t know why his inability to call me by my name annoyed me so much. I mean, people called me Nancy constantly. Yancy was a unique name. Usually, I would smile and correct them, even if it was the fourth or fifth time.

  For some reason, when Charles did it, I couldn’t continue to feign indifference time after time. Maybe because he seemed to remember everyone else’s name, just not mine.

  Or maybe you want him to notice you.

  I growled as the thought crossed my mind. So what if he was attractive, intelligent, and hard-working? He was a colleague and rude. While the company didn’t have an official policy against dating, it wasn’t considered professional behavior. I’d heard rumors of office romances and the aftermath and I did not want to be grist for that mill.

  When I realized the direction my thoughts were taking, I groaned. Office romance? The man just learned my name. Why would I even want to date him if he asked? Then again, he probably hadn’t noticed I was a woman, much less had an interest in me. I was presuming too much. With a sigh, I turned toward my computer and began to type up my notes for Charles. Maybe I needed to take Tanya’s advice and start dating again. If the man who annoyed me at the office was starting to look good, then I’d been alone too long.

  An image of Coop flashed in my mind. Nope, I wasn’t ready to date just yet.

  Chapter Three

  I STIRRED MY soup as I absentmindedly listened to Lucy talk about her newfound relationship with her former boss, Chris Barden. She made me laugh. Apparently, Chris pampered her every chance he got, which seemed completely out of character for such a formidable person. The man seriously intimidated me. His beautiful blue eyes were cold as ice most of the time, except when he looked at my friend. Then, they burned brightly. He often gazed at her as though she were the center of his universe, and it was a sight to behold.

  I never understood how Lucy could be so blind to his true feelings for her until she and I talked a few weeks ago. Though she didn’t realize it, my friend had been stuck. Somehow, over the years, she fell into a comfortable yet guarded routine that made her feel safe. It also isolated her. I always thought she was naturally a loner. Instead, she was hiding behind her solitude out of fear and sheer habit.

  I thought it was wonderful that Chris smashed through her shield. She needed the wake-up call. Now, she had it all, her dream job and a hot guy who adored her. I couldn’t help feeling a tiny bit jealous.

  “Yancy, are you okay?”

  I looked up from my soup and realized that all the girls were staring at me. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just thinking.”

  Grier narrowed her eyes as she looked at me. “Is this about the new guy at work? The one who can’t remember your name?”

  I couldn’t stop my grimace. “No, he’s a bit of a jerk.” I left out the fact that he was a handsome one.

  “Is he still calling you Nancy?” Tanya chimed in.

  I put my spoon down, this conversational turn was causing my appetite to disappear. “He
was. Then, I kind of lost my temper with him on Wednesday.”

  “What?”

  I grinned at the expression on Tanya’s face. Unlike her, I despised confrontation and avoided it as much as possible. As a result, people tended to walk all over me. I knew it and my friends knew it. I let Cooper go without a fight and was sitting back and allowing the Office of the Attorney General to handle the back child support issue, something that annoyed Tanya to no end.

  “What happened?” Chelsea asked.

  I sipped my latte, hoping the caffeine would help perk me up before my afternoon meeting with the very topic of our conversation.

  “Well, he came into my office Wednesday a little after five, just as I was getting ready to leave. You know how I love that.” The girls all nodded and Lucy smirked. “Then he proceeded to call me Nancy, not once, but three times. He’s been with the company a month, he should know my name by now. We’ve spoken several times and exchanged work-related emails and, to send me an email, he has to spell my name. I’ve corrected him countless times and, when he did it yet again, it annoyed me. Then he started giving me crap about my unwillingness to stay late and asked why my husband couldn’t watch the baby. I sort of exploded.”

  “Oh my God. He has some nerve. What did you say?” Lucy asked, a shocked look on her face.

  “I pretty much called him an asshole.”

  All four of my friends stared at me, mouths agape.

  I sighed. “While it did feel fantastic at the time, I’m pretty sure Judith frowns on that sort of behavior, so I’m going to have to apologize today.”

  While Grier nodded, Chelsea and Tanya both looked disappointed in me. Lucy made a face. She may have had no problem calling Chris an asshole to his face while they worked together, but I never would have had the gall unless provoked.

  “Don’t look at me like that!” I exclaimed. “It wasn’t very professional of me. Considering we have to work together constantly, it’s necessary.”

  “Has he apologized for calling you Nancy for the last four weeks?” Lucy asked.

  I drained the rest of my latte. I felt as though we were talking in circles and it was beginning to wear on me. The only one of my friends who understood my perspective was Grier, which was crazy, because she was the youngest of us at twenty-five. “No, but that’s beside the point. Just because he can’t be bothered to remember my name doesn’t mean I can stand there and call him an asshole.”

  “Oh, yes, it does,” Tanya muttered under her breath.

  I ignored the comment. Tanya was ballsy and opinionated, however, she was also a partner in her law firm and I knew damn well she would never, ever call someone an asshole in the office. Well, at least not to their face.

  I glanced at my watch and saw that it was almost one. “Okay, ladies. Lovely chatting about this with you, but I have to go upstairs and prepare for my meeting with Charles and my apology.”

  Lucy smirked at me. “How about, I’m sorry you’re an asshole?”

  I had to laugh. While that might be what I would like to say, I was fairly certain that wouldn’t be considered an apology.

  “Thanks for the suggestion, but I’m sure you understand why I won’t take your advice,” I answered, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

  Lucy sighed. “Well, it’s obvious there’s no hope for you, so I’m going to get out of here. I have a meeting with Marcus this afternoon about the New York exhibit.”

  Without asking, I knew it was probably driving Chris nuts that she still spent so much time around Marcus Flynn. Just as she had with Chris, Lucy somehow remained oblivious to the fact that her photographer friend carried a torch for her. However, I was sure that someone as sharp as Chris would notice something like that and, considering how possessive he was, it had to bug the shit out of him.

  Shaking my head, I said good-bye to the girls and took my empty latte cup and soup bowl to the trash, dumping them before heading to the elevator. Since I worked on the fourth floor, I typically tried to take the stairs. It was the only exercise I usually got, but I knew I wouldn’t have time before I had to meet Charles.

  By the time I got to my office, I decided to keep it simple and move on. I doubted he was still stewing over my tantrum. Men didn’t brood over things like that, did they? Then again, considering the way Cooper would pout for days after an argument, I probably wasn’t the best at understanding how men thought.

  I grabbed my laptop and a few other things off my desk and headed for the conference room. Even though I was almost ten minutes early, Charles was already there, working on his laptop. He looked up at me when I entered the room and smiled slightly.

  “Wow, you’re early.” He sounded surprised.

  I returned his smile and carried all my things to the chair beside him. I felt that little flip in my tummy as the scent of his cologne hit my nose. He didn’t seem to be upset with me. In fact, he seemed a lot friendlier now. It threw me off balance. Where was the guy who couldn’t remember my name and acted as though he would rather be anywhere but in the room with me?

  “Go ahead and have a seat,” he invited, looking up at me from his chair.

  “Actually, I need to say something first,” I replied. I took a deep breath. “Look, I’m sorry I lost my temper Wednesday. It was rude and it won’t happen again.”

  To my surprise, he laughed, and, sweet baby Jesus, he had a dimple in his left cheek that I hadn’t noticed before. I could only stare as he continued to chuckle at what I thought was a very polite apology.

  Finally, he spoke. “Thank you for the apology, but it was unnecessary. I was acting like an asshole. If someone called me Chuck for a month straight, even after I asked them not to, I would lose my temper too. Actually, that has happened and I did a lot worse to the guy.” He paused and cleared his throat. “I’ve spoken to Judith about this account since then and, while she was upset about the errors, she seemed to think you and I could handle it.”

  I nodded and sat next to him.

  “Also, I’d like to apologize to you. I really do know your name,” he joked. “It’s just very unique and, even as I’m saying it incorrectly, I can’t seem to stop myself. It wasn’t intentional and I promise to let you call me asshole every time I slip and call you Nancy.”

  I couldn’t stop the smile that spread across my face. It seemed as though Charles Faulkner had a sense of humor after all. “How about I call you Chuck instead?”

  “Deal.”

  He stared at me for a few moments, his blue-green eyes twinkling with humor. I couldn’t help but wonder what caused his sudden change in attitude. I felt a sliver of anxiety and wondered if perhaps he had an ulterior motive. I immediately dismissed it as ridiculous. I reminded myself that not every man I met would be as manipulative as Coop.

  “Well, we have a lot of work to do,” I said. “We should probably get started.”

  The discomfort I felt about our meeting had faded with his apology and I discovered that I truly enjoyed working with Charles. Now, I was beginning to like him, which meant the small hum of attraction in my belly was in danger of becoming something more intense. Somehow, I knew that liking him was much worse than thinking that he was arrogant and annoying.

  Chapter Four

  THREE DAYS LATER, it was Monday and I had begun to think I greatly misjudged Charles Faulkner. Our meeting on Friday went extremely well. His arrogant attitude was gone and he seemed genuinely interested in my thoughts and suggestions. Our working styles and strengths complemented each other and he hadn’t slipped up and called me Nancy once. He also had a dimple in his left cheek if he smiled widely enough and he smelled amazing. I shouldn’t have noticed things like that, but I couldn’t help myself.

  Over the weekend, we exchanged several emails. I discovered with each passing day that he was intelligent and thought outside the box. Since I tended to be extremely methodical, he was an excellent partner.

  I walked into the building bright and early Monday morning, triple shot caramel macchiato in hand. M
y friends poked fun at my coffee addiction, but, most days, it was the only thing keeping me going. Especially after a night like the last. Carolena seemed cranky and not herself, waking up at 2:00 a.m. and refusing to go back to sleep until nearly 4:30. I chalked it up to teething pain as I struggled to go back to sleep for a couple more hours.

  Taking another sip of my latte, I headed toward the stairs. Maybe the climb to the fourth floor would get my blood pumping. Just as I approached the door to the stairwell, an arm reached around me and pulled the door open. I jumped, spilling a few drops of coffee on my hand. I hissed as the hot liquid left behind a stinging burn.

  “Damn. I’m sorry, Yancy. Are you all right?”

  I pulled a tissue out of my purse with my free hand, wiping away the coffee on my skin. “I’m okay. You just startled me, that’s all.”

  He looked sheepish. “I planned to take the stairs this morning and saw you headed this way. I just thought I would grab the door, not give you second degree burns.”

  “I’ll be fine,” I repeated, smiling so he would understand I was sincere. “We better get going or we’ll be late.”

  Charles held the door open for me, something I secretly enjoyed, and we walked up the stairs together.

  “How was your weekend?” I asked, trying to find something to talk about. Now that I no longer thought he was a complete jerk, I wasn’t sure what to say to him.

  He grunted. “It was okay. You?”