Evelyn stood to her feet and held out her hand. “Hello!”
Charity shook it with confidence. “Hello!”
Evelyn motioned to the chair, and Charity took her seat. “I appreciate you coming in on such short notice,” Evelyn started. “This position has been open for about a month now, but frankly, I’ve been so busy that I haven’t had the opportunity to interview candidates.” She smiled looking up at Charity. “I’m going to give you a rundown of the position, and we’ll see if it’s a position you would still be interested in.” She talked to Charity, telling her that she would be in charge of the planning of activities. She ran through what ages they usually took care of and even detailed some field trips they looked forward to going on. “What made you want to apply for this position?” she asked.
“Well, I started out my education for early child development and unfortunately due to some uncontrollable circumstances, I had to drop out. Ultimately I would love to go back to school and finish out my degree as children are my passion. However, at the time I’m trying to save up some money to make that happen, and when I saw this position open, I decided to take a chance.”
The woman nodded, as Charity told her story when Charity was done Evelyn put down her pencil and gave Charity an inquisitive look. “May I ask you a question about your current employment?” Evelyn asked. Charity froze but slowly nodded. “Why would you possibly want to stop working for the Mayor?” she asked. Her face was stone-like until she finally smiled and it relieved Charity. “I won’t lie…this job isn’t near as glamorous as a job at the Mayor’s office would be.”
Charity chuckled lightly. “Honestly, the hours are what’s causing me to look elsewhere.”
Evelyn’s smile softened a bit. “I’m afraid we won’t be able to compete with the money he can offer you.”
Charity had to admit that thought worried her. No one would be able to compete with that, but she couldn’t work with him again, and the money would have to take a backseat to her sanity. She shrugged nonchalantly. “I realize that, but I’m willing to waver on that a little.”
Evelyn snickered, picking up a paper from her desk. “Alright, then, let’s proceed with the interview.”
They did just that, and Evelyn didn’t question her intentions of leaving the Mayor’s office anymore. She kept thinks going rather smoothly, and Charity began to relax. Every time Evelyn asked a question, Charity was able to fire back an answer. By the smile on Evelyn’s face, she believed she was giving it her best shot. Even when she asked the tough questions, Charity felt confident that she provided clear-cut responses that didn’t shy away from the valid points.
When Evelyn was finished asking questions, she put down her paper. “What are some questions you have for me?” she asked.
Charity quickly thought. Evelyn had gone over the hours, job responsibilities, benefits, and dress code, all while continuing with the interview questions. She couldn’t think of anything Evelyn didn’t cover. “When are you hoping to have the position filled?” Charity asked, if for no other reason than to ask something.
Evelyn smiled. “Well, I would like to have the position filled by next week, and I’m sure you’ll need to give two weeks notice, at least, should you get the job.”
Charity just nodded, even though she had no intention of doing something so courteous to Derek. Charity fidgeted in her seat. “I really appreciate you asking me in today.”
Evelyn nodded and continued her smile. “It was great speaking with you.” She was the first one to get up, and they shook hands. Charity followed her out of the office and down the corridor, where she once again saw the crabby lady. “Have a great day, Ms. Parker,” Evelyn replied, waving as Charity passed the desk.
Charity nodded to the woman who remained nameless, and she politely told the woman to have a nice day. Then she walked out of the daycare and went back to her car. She glanced at her watch on the way. It's been a little over an hour since stepping foot in the office, and she felt great about the interview. At least, she didn’t think she could have done any worse.
****
Derek listened as the contractor told him that all buildings have been demolished, and they would be ready to break ground as planned. He sighed with relief. It was a long time coming, but he was happy something was finally on schedule. “Great news! Thanks for calling.” He hung up the call, and before it could fully land in the cradle, it rang again. He picked it up. “This is Derek Worthington.”
“It’s Amanda,” his HR manager spoke on the other end. “There is an Evelyn Winston on the line for you.”
“I don’t know any Evelyn Winston and how did you get the call?” he asked.
There was a brief silence before she continued. “The operator gave her to me. She’s calling in regards to a reference for Charity. I thought you might like to take the call since you worked close to her.” Derek’s jaw dropped. He couldn’t believe Charity was out searching for another job. He thought it would all blow over. “Now, would you like me to put out that you’re hiring?” she asked.
“No!” he snapped. “I’ll take the call.”
“Alright. Line one.”
“Thanks,” he mumbled. Amanda hung up, and he pressed the line. “Hello, this is Mayor Derek Worthington.”
“Hello, Mayor Worthington. My name is Evelyn Winston, and I’m calling from Jamison Daycare. I’m calling in regards to your employee, Charity Parker.”
“Yes…” he took a deep breath waiting for her to continue.
“I promise I won’t take all your time, I know you’re busy, but I just have a couple questions to ask you. Do you mind?” He wanted to tell her that she had it all wrong, and Charity would never leave him, but instead he found himself telling her she could proceed. “Great! Thank you!. What type of attributes does Charity need to do her current job?”
“Well, she needs to be dependable. She has to be able to prioritize her day. She needs to be organized.”
“How do you feel she does on each of those skills?” Evelyn asked. “Is there one skill she excels in more than the other? Or, one she could work on?”
He shook his head, still not believing he was having this conversation. “No, she does each of those skills with ease. I’ll be honest, Mrs. Winston…when I first looked into hiring her, I was worried she wouldn’t fit the perfect picture I had in my mind of an employee. When she started, those fears immediately dissipated. Charity is a well-rounded worker. She is conscientious, hard-working, and a great asset to this job.”
There was an awkward pause that ensued until Evelyn asked the last question. “So, you think it would be a smart choice on my part to hire her?”
Derek laughed slightly, before responding. “Mrs. Winston, I don’t want to see her go, so no I won’t say you should hire her because that means she’s leaving her position here. However, with that being said…I wouldn’t stand in her way, and I know how much she loves children, so I think you probably couldn’t ask for a better employee.” As he spoke the last words, he felt like his heart had been ripped from his chest. He couldn’t imagine Charity not being there, but he meant the words. He couldn’t hold her back.
“Thank you for your time, Mayor Worthington.”
“Of course!” he quietly stated. “Have a good day, Mrs. Winston.”
“You, too. Goodbye!”
He hung up the phone and stared ahead at his computer screen. He needed to talk to Charity one time before she walked out of his life forever. He reached for his phone and dialed up her number. Expecting to get her voicemail, he wasn’t surprised when it came on. He hung up the phone and pulled out his cell phone. He scrolled through the contact list and finally landed on Calvin’s number.
He called him up and immediately Calvin answered. “Hey, Cal,” Derek started. “I have another job for you. I’m looking for someone, and it’s important I find her.” He told Calvin everything he knew, which wasn’t much, giving out addresses for Ana’s parents, Charity’s apartment, and even passing o
n Jesse’s information. Just in case Jesse knew more than he was letting on. After passing on that information, he hung up the phone. He pulled up Charity’s employment information and scrolled down until he landed on her profile picture. He shot an email to Calvin so he would know who he was looking for. He leaned back in his chair and stared at her picture. He couldn’t fathom her getting another job, but after his call with Evelyn, he was convinced she would get the job. It was his job to stop her.
****
Charity and Ana walking into the fifth apartment of that day. There seemed to be something either one, or both of them didn’t like. Charity was losing hope that they would finally agree on one. So, when they walked into the apartment complex just after six o’clock that afternoon, she found herself anything but hopeful. The landlord showed them around, walking them through every room. From the look on Ana’s face, she could tell that she wasn’t immediately discounting it. That was a good sign.
It had two bedrooms, a kitchen, a rather large living room, and a balcony that overlooked one of the lighthouses on the harbor. It seemed more than nice, and Charity could see them living there, but the price concerned it. There was no way it would be comparative to what she was paying at Richard’s apartment. She was the first one to question the price as the tour came to an end.
“I don’t mean to bring up a negative aspect, but how much are we looking at for rent?”
The woman didn’t even hesitate in bringing out the cost. “Well we have a two-year lease plan, and we would ask for the first month and last month to be paid before signing the papers. The monthly rent is seven fifty.”
Charity sighed. That was about what she expected. After cutting the rent in half, she was about fifty dollars more a month. “So, we pay fifteen hundred for the first month, then seven fifty starting next month?” Ana asked.
“That’s correct!” The woman replied. She smiled. “I’ll let you both talk with one another. You can find me in the office when you’re ready for your decision.”
“Thank you!” Charity and Ana replied as the woman left.
“You have to admit that this is the nicest place we’ve seen thus far. Can you even believe that view?” Ana excitedly replied. Charity remained quiet as Ana continued to express her interest in the place. When Charity didn’t say anything, Ana spoke again. “I could ask my parents to put out your portion of the first and last month. You’re good for it, and they’d do it for you.”
Charity smiled. “That’s not necessary. I could put the seven fifty on my credit card.” She wasn’t planning on doing that, but she would rather that than the alternative. Charity glanced around the apartment. It was nice, and she would give her right arm to live there. She put on a smile. “Let’s do it. I doubt we could find one this nice anywhere else.”
Ana squealed with glee. “Awesome!”
Charity giggled. They left the apartment and went down to the office. Once inside, they told the woman the good news. She eagerly started gathering papers for them to sign and Charity reached into her wallet and pulled out her credit card. It was maxing the card out, but she had no other option. They paid, signed the papers, and were informed they could immediately start moving in. It didn’t come a moment too soon as Charity had to be out of her place in just a few days.
They left the apartment complex and headed back to Charity’s car. On the way, Charity spotted the black van. It wasn’t the first time she’d seen the van that afternoon. In fact, it showed up a couple times since they left Ana’s parents’ place to apartment hunt. The windows were tinted so she couldn’t see if anyone was inside and she tried to push the notion out of her mind as she got in on the driver’s side.
Ana seemed to notice her jittery attitude because she quickly questioned it. “What’s wrong, Charity?”
Charity shook her head, quickly diverting the obvious. “Nothing!” She put on a smile. “I can’t believe we lucked out in this place.” She pulled out of the parking lot and headed towards the parent’s house. “We’ll start moving tomorrow if that works for you?” Charity replied calmly, despite seeing the van in her rearview mirror. It kept a distance from her, but it was clearly there.
“Works for me,” Ana replied, yawning. “I’m beat,” Ana mumbled in the seat next to her.
Charity nodded in agreement, but still saw the van behind her. She sped up a little, hoping not to alarm Ana. She kept her eyes on her rearview mirror while continuing to maneuver through the streets until Ana’s voice broke into her thoughts.
“You’re going a little fast, aren’t you?”
Charity glanced at Ana, then slowed down a tad. “Sorry,” she mumbled.
Ana laughed. “No need to apologize, but I don’t think either one of us wants to add a speeding ticket to our total bill.”
Charity smirked. “Right!” She looked in the rearview mirror and noticed the van was gone. She sighed with relief, glad she got him off her tail. She continued to their destination, turning down several roads until they reached the house. She pulled into the driveway, and Ana invited her in. She quickly denied the request and said she wanted to get back to her place and start packing some boxes. Ana waved goodbye and headed to the front door. Charity watched her enter the house, before starting to back out of the driveway. Her cell phone dinged with a text, and she looked at it before getting on the road.
Damian: Hey, Babe…I’m home, horny, and dying to have my way with you. Free?
Instead of turning right out of the driveway, she turned left. Even thought she wanted to start packing, she wanted a much-needed stress reliever. While at a stoplight, she typed in her reply.
Charity: I’m on my way.
She headed towards Damian’s house and didn’t worry anymore about the black van and who was once following her. She needed to be back in Damian’s arm and forget about the other worries in her life. When she got to Damian’s place, he first asked her if she wanted him to fix her something for supper. She laughed it off and told him that wasn’t what she was hungry for. She threw herself into his arms, and he carried her to his bed.
As she laid there naked and he pulled away from her to get a condom, she cringed. She didn’t want him to stop and yet he had to so he could put on a condom. It was all because of her stupidity and not wanting to get on birth control. The minute she quit her job, she would no longer have that insurance that just went into effect, so she knew what she had to do. She had to make an appointment at the emergency clinic the next day and get on birth control, or else she would change her mind. Damian started kissing her, breaking off her thoughts and thrusting his cock into her. She growled against his lips and started rocking her hips hard against his. That was exactly what she wanted to do.
Chapter 5
Damian didn’t want Charity to leave that night, as he begged her to stay, but Charity chose to go back to her place and spend the night. She didn’t have much time to get out of the apartment, and she needed to start packing up. Then when she woke up on Saturday morning and called the after-hours clinic. She asked them if they would be able to see her to prescribe birth control pills and they agreed.
That’s why she was in the office to get the prescription. When she left the parking lot, with the prescription in hand, she felt relief. However, she was also scared of the notion. She went to the nearest pharmacy and got the prescription filled. She dropped it down in her purse and left, feeling a sense of excitement well up inside of her. Then immediately the excitement would be replaced with an overwhelming sense of dread. She couldn’t figure it out. She looked in her rearview mirror to make sure she could back out when she spotted the van.
“Is it the same one?” she mumbled to herself. She slowly backed up and pulled out of the parking lot. To her dismay, the van followed. “Well the hell?” she hollered into the vehicle. Being by herself, she picked up speed and weaved her way through the town, cutting corners so fast that it would make a person’s head spin.
When she turned down Damian’s driveway, she was set to no
t pull into his driveway until she was certain the van was gone. She looked in her mirror and saw that only a white Camaro followed her. She slowed down and breathed a sigh of relief. She pulled into his driveway, put her car in park, and shut it off. She grabbed her purse and got out of the car. She hurried up to the door and found it was unlocked. She opened it up, then peeked out the window when she had shut the door.
The van wasn’t there. “Hey, Babe…everything alright?”
She jumped when she heard Damian’s voice. She turned to look at him and was surely showing a face of someone that was caught. “Um…everything’s perfect.” She walked over to him and gave him a kiss.
He smiled, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her to him. His tongue slid across hers, and she moaned softly. “What do you want to do today on my day off?” he asked, gently caressing her lips with his thumb while staring into her eyes.
She smiled back. She wanted to jump back in bed, but the reality was she needed to spend every waking moment packing. “Actually, I thought we should spend some time packing today.”
She laughed, pulling back from his embrace. He frowned. “Packing? For what?”
She hadn’t gotten around to telling him that she was moving, but she didn’t think it was really any life-shattering news. “I’m moving in with Ana. We got a place together. Didn’t I tell you?”
He shook his head. “No.” He opened his mouth like he wanted to argue with her and tell her she shouldn’t keep things from him, then realized that she had no reason to tell him. They weren’t in a committed relationship, so he closed his mouth. “That’s good news.” He then furrowed his eyebrows. “Isn’t Ana the one that just recently moved in with her boyfriend?”
She nodded, again realizing there was so much he didn’t know about her life. “Things didn’t work out like she hoped,” she quietly stated, shrugging nonchalantly. “So…does that mean you’ll help pack?”
The Proposal (Forever Bound Book 2) Page 5