Where She Belongs

by Asrai Devin

  "Right after work, I'll take you. And dress nice, we'll go fancy."

  "You came to my office to talk with me?"

  "I came to ask you to supper, actually. I wanted to spend one night before you go. As best friends who have been apart for a long time. I will be a perfect gentleman.”

  Her heart jumped at the thought of supper alone with him. Fancy dinner. She hadn't been out to dinner with Gabe since her first year of university, when he came to Toronto that fateful night. She understood his actions now. but it did not help her feel less hurt. Where would have they be if he hadn't said no?

  He kissed the top of her head now. Something had changed in him since she arrived. She hated that he regretted his actions five years ago. She wanted nothing more than for him to be happy. She couldn’t be the one to do it. She was going to marry Trenton and live her life. He would have to figure out another plan for his.

  "I should get back to work," she said.

  He pulled her closer and nuzzled her shoulder.

  "Gabe…" her words drifted off to a sigh.

  "You belong here, Shanna. You belong with me."

  She shook her head and tried to step out of his hold. "I have a life―”

  "I know you think you have a life back there. And I know you only have a little while before you go back. I need you here."

  "Trenton needs me, too. And I need him."

  "What does he have that I can't give you here?"

  "The city. Lights, excitement, a job where I'm my own person, where I'm not Bryce's daughter."

  He kissed her cheek. "If you were mine, you'd never want for anything. I'd give you everything, Shanna. Even if we had to close down the factory tomorrow, I would have enough to last several years if I didn't want to work."

  Shanna felt a riot of emotions churn inside her. She stumbled through feelings she didn't know how to express. She chewed a fingernail off her pinky. "Gabe, you don't feel that way about me, do you?"

  "That way? Romantic? Attracted to you? When you were twelve it was easier. Around fifteen, you started changing, becoming a woman. Some guy, I don’t recall who, commented on your body and I nearly took him out. You were Bryce’s daughter, you were off-limits for touching. You should have been off limits for me thinking about, fantasizing. So I married the first available woman." Not exactly, he’d had opportunities before Lisa.

  His words hit her in the stomach. She wanted him for as long as she could remember. "I wanted you once, Gabe, and you turned me down. I don't want you."

  "You sure don't act like it."

  She pushed away from him. He let her go this time. "That's merely unresolved issues." Shanna headed for the door. "Maybe I'll ask Dad about the land and skip dinner."

  "You won't. He hasn't let go of that dream and stomping on it might put him back in the hospital. I'll behave like a complete gentleman tomorrow."

  A better woman could resist the depths of his brown eyes and boyish smile. "You're right. I can't risk Dad's health. If you are anything less than a gentleman, I will call my mother to come pick me up."

  He pinned her with his gaze and she felt that flutter in her stomach.

  Damn him to hell. She left him to roll up the blueprints back into their cardboard tube.

  Later Rachel brought them in to her office. "What did you do to put him in a mood?"

  "He's treating me like a child."

  "Oh, you two. He's only treating you like a child because you are acting like one. I half expect to see you pull each other's hair or put a snake in his desk. Hopefully you'll realize that you love each other before it’s too late. You don't want to divorce someone, it's not good." Rachel put the tube containing her father's prized blueprints on the table.

  "Why do you think we love each other?"

  "I used to see you around here, mooning after him as a teen, and even when you'd come home from college. For a while, I didn't know if he returned your feelings. The last few months, he hasn't been seen with anyone. Besides, no one but you, Gabe and Bryce could love this company. You should see the worker's out there on the floor."

  "Well, I haven't done that much."

  "It was the change in pace. They felt listened to, and they know they are getting what they need to continue putting out a superior product and to be safe. You could make the company grow even further. I know you think Toronto has tons of great things. But so does this place."

  Rachel left the room. Shanna sat at her desk with a sigh.

  The universe wasn’t going to make this one easy for her.

  * * *

  Shanna stretched her body on the basement sofa. Her iPod played soft music from the coffee table. She wondered when the television had disappeared. She pulled her phone from her pocket.

  Her parents had gone to bed, blissfully early. She was too restless to do anything productive.

  She stared at her phone for a while, thinking about Trenton. She should call him, but chances were that he would demand something from her. Everyone had demands for her these days. Trenton wanted work help. Her dad wanted her to be trapped at the cabinet factory. Gabe wanted her to change all her plans for him.

  Granted, he also wanted to ‘give her everything’.

  The warm memory of being held in his arms, his lips against hers, the sound of his voice in her ear, filled her head. His hands held the promise of fulfilling all her fantasies and how desperately she wanted him.

  She’d never felt shivers when she thought about Trenton’s kisses.

  “Fine, I love Gabriel,” she said, to the universe itself. So what? She had made promises to Trenton about their future. And she’d been stung by Gabe once before. Who was to say he wouldn’t change his mind once he got what he wanted from her.

  Trenton was steady, her constant, her rock. She dialed Trenton’s number on her cell.

  “Hello?” his voice rumbled in her ear.

  She held in her sigh. His voice didn’t rumble, it sounded panicked and worried. “Hello, lover.”

  “Hi, Shanna. How are you?”

  She sighed out loud this time. “I’m tired. I miss you.” She missed when her life made sense.

  “Me, too, sweetie. It was good that I stayed home for the weekend instead of flying out. I thought about surprising you.”

  “That would have been nice. What did you do instead?” Shanna wanted to grumble. Why couldn't he have done something romantic like that?

  “I worked the entire weekend.”

  “I know I got your e-mails. I didn’t have time to reply. I worked here as well... the office here and Dad is home, so I was busy.”

  "Kendall was asking if we'd been ring shopping yet. I told her we’d only really talked marriage a few times before your dad got ill. But when you get back, I want to go ring shopping. I want to propose.”

  Shanna couldn’t help her sadness. Of course, they’d talked about marrying, and Trenton was more practical than romantic. But this was not romantic, this was not how she expected this moment to happen. She sighed. “Alright, I guess. You could pick something out you’d think I’d like.”

  “I don’t want something I think you’d like. I want to know you’d like it before I buy it. I’m going to spend several thousand on this purchase.”

  Shanna coughed, suddenly choking on the air. “Several thousand? I don’t think, I mean, that’s…” She sighed.

  “I talked with some guys at work, and the bar. Jeremy got engaged to his girlfriend and he spent twelve thousand on the ring.”

  Shanna looked at the window across the room. She had no idea what to say, how to react. People bought cars for less in Claresholm. In Trenton’s world ,twelve thousand dollars was a really good weekend celebrating life. Or an engagement ring.

  “You are the love of my life, my dear. I can afford to spoil you a little. You rarely let me spend money on you.”

  She decided not to argue with him about it. He could well afford it. “Look, we’ll discuss this when I get back, but yes, I want to go ring shopping if it will make
you happy.”

  “I want to make you mine. I want to tell everyone we are promising forever. I know that it used to be your dream to run your dad’s company and that you are giving that up for me.”

  “It used to be my dream. Now we are going to build new dreams together.”

  “Exactly, and the sooner we start that, the better. I don’t want you to regret anything.”

  “Speaking of regrets, I decided when I get back I’m going to apply to other parts of the company.”

  “You decided this?”

  “I was thinking it anyway.”

  “What department were you thinking?”

  “My major was in marketing.”

  “What about HR, like we talked about?”

  “All those regulations. I like the creative side of life better. Maybe I should get out of your office altogether. Go elsewhere.”

  “It’s so difficult in marketing. Really competitive. Backstabbing and calculating group. Most people in marketing burnout quickly. I can put you in touch with people.”

  She sighed. “Is it really that bad?”

  “Sorry, babe. You know you’re better at the more diplomatic side of things. HR isn’t only about rules. It’s about people. That’s why it’s called human resources.”

  “I’ll have to think about it.”

  “I’m behind you whatever you decide. Even if you want to try marketing and see what it’s like.”

  He knew better than she did what these big corporation departments were like. He grew up here. She grew up in a small business setting. Everyone loved everyone at Whittikar Cabinets.

  “No regrets for any of my choices, especially you. Tell me about your day.” She stretched her arms over her head, feeling that she had settled the debate in her mind. Gabe was her past. Trenton was her future.

  * * *

  Gabe left the office at eleven. Early lunch, he told most people on his way out. He'd left Shanna with her to-do list and she said she had some things she wanted to work on as well that she would share with him if they came to any use.

  It was an early lunch date he had to attend. With Bryce. He'd scared Shanna away from questioning Bryce on his motives for the house, but he did want answers to the questions they had.

  Rita answered the door. She was surprised. "Gabe, this is unusual. It's the middle of the day. Everything all right?"

  "Oh, yeah. Something came up and I was going to ask Bryce about it, but maybe you should be there, too." He frowned a little. She started to frown as well. "It's nothing bad, I think. Nothing tragic anyway."

  "Come on, Bryce is watching Dr. Phil. If he watches too much more of these talk shows, I may send him back and let him be your problem instead of mine."

  Gabe laughed. "I thought you liked Dr. Phil."

  "I do, but Bryce watches. Now he’s diagnosing people and telling me ways he's going to fix everyone."

  "Who's here?" Bryce called as they entered the living room.

  "Gabe, dear," Rita said.

  "Hello Gabe. Everything okay?"

  "Well, I dunno. I may have spilled the beans to Shanna yesterday. I sort of conned her into not saying anything to you so I could ask you first. You never told her about your money. Or the land. Or the house."

  Bryce and Rita looked at each other. "There never seemed to be a good time with the money. How, exactly, do you approach that subject? Oh, by the way, we are worth a couple million. Shanna never cared, so we never discussed it," Rita said. "As for the house, that was Bryce's idea to keep quiet."

  "It was a dream for so long. I was restless last year. The plant practically runs itself. Then Shanna moved in with Trenton, and I started to get worried. I'd hoped she'd either see the light and leave him, or I could convince her somehow. Or he would leave her.”

  "How long have you had me mentally married off to her?"

  "Oh, your name on the land. I thought if she didn't see reason, I'd hand the business to you. You've been like a son to us." He reached over and took Rita's hand. Rita, for her part, nodded along with Bryce's words.

  "Okay, so this whole I should be with Shanna thing is pretty recent?"

  "Well, no, we always hoped you two would get together," Rita said.

  "So much so you had people from the office spying on us and reporting to you?"

  "Rachel thought you two getting together was a fine idea as well. She's watched you two as long as the rest of the town."

  "Well, I think everything is as clear as mud. If you find a way to work Shanna into some of these things as if it was suddenly your idea to tell her. She does want me to take her to see the land, the house you're building. I told her I would tonight before we have supper."

  "Take her out there, if she's intent on seeing it. The basement is dug and cement poured. And there is water and sewer. Electricity and gas take a lot longer than you'd think," Bryce said.

  "I thought she knew everything, so I am sorry for telling her."

  "Not your fault. How did she find out about the money?" Rita asked.

  "She found your personal accounts file on Bryce's computer. And when you return, we'll go over secure passwords again."

  "I do use secure passwords for Internet stuff. This is company stuff."

  "And if the Internet takes an interest in your personal files, we'll have a real problem on our hands. You need secure passwords for everything."

  "Okay, I'll start switching passwords when I get back."

  "That would be a good idea.”

  "Anything else?"

  "No, but you can start crossing fingers I manage to convince her tonight, otherwise she'll return to Toronto and waste her life away. He's not going to keep her on a string for long. He knows he'll have to secure her soon."

  "We'll pray for you Gabe," Rita said.

  He stood and zipped his jacket. "I can let myself out. See you soon."

  Chapter 9

  Shanna barely glanced at the phone when it rang. With only days left in the office, she had to make every minute count. She never stayed late, but she was putting in a full day's work now.

  "Hello," she said into the phone, while scribbling numbers.

  "Hello, Shanna," Trenton said.

  She put down her pen to give him her full attention. "Hello, honey. How are you?"

  "Pretty good. Wondering if you received my e-mail. I sent it around noon, but I was in meetings after that, so I couldn't call to let you know. Even after work, Dad insisted on going out for dinner with me."

  "Was it a racy e-mail?"

  His tone turned disapproving. "I would never do anything of the sort from work."

  "Oh, well, sorry." So much for that fantasy.

  "A new project fell on my desk. I'm to be team leader over several people. I need some help putting together our initial meeting."

  "Why isn't Kendall working on this?"

  "Because this will be worked on for several months. So you’ll be heavily involved, of course."

  "A long-term project. Okay.”

  “I sent you the details in an e-mail."

  "I will have a look at it tonight. I'm going out for dinner this evening." She closed her eyes, not ready to share the revelations of the last twenty-four hours with him. "There's a long story. I'll explain it to you when I know all the details and I’m back with you."

  "Is everything okay?"

  "Yeah, just, weirdness all around. It's hard to explain, as I'm still coming to terms with it. Okay, here it is. My parents have not been forthcoming with the nature of their net worth."

  "Are they really in debt?"

  "No, they have scads of money, more than I would have guessed. I mean, the company does well. It's crazy, and they never told me. Anyway, Gabe's going to tell me what he knows."

  "Every time I call you, it's Gabe this and Gabe that. Or about your father or his damned company. I thought I was important to you."

  "You are important to me. And I will be back in four days, when I believe you had something to ask me so we can plan the rest o
f our lives together."

  "Four days is a long time, Shanna. You've been gone eleven days already, and I miss you. I'm lonely at night."

  "You don't think I miss you as well? And my job? I owe my dad and Gabe this two weeks. It's only two weeks out of the years and years you and I will spend together."

  "Come home tomorrow," his voice lost the whine and took on a demanding edge. "As your future husband I command you to return home."

  "Excuse me?"

  "I mean it, Shanna. If our future means that much to you, you'll come home."

  "Trenton, you are my partner, but you do not own me. You cannot command me to do anything. And if you think about that for more than a second, you'll realize how ridiculous it sounds to even try."

  "Shanna, I just really miss you. I need you to come back and help me with my project."

  His whiny tone was back and she wanted to shake it out of him.

  "Where is this all coming from? You said you understood, you were doing what you could to take the stress off me."

  "I'm worried. Father might change his mind about your job if he thought your loyalties were divided."

  "That sounds like a threat, Trenton. Look, I don't know what is going on with you, but I don't listen to threats. I've been up front with you about the last two weeks, what I needed to do so my family had peace of mind. I told you, not that long ago, that this would be the end of my obligations to this company, and when I get back we were going to discuss our future. Has something changed for you about all that?"

  "No." He sounded like a petulant child who had been reprimanded.

  "I will be back in four days. I will read over your e-mail tonight and send you my thoughts in less than twenty-four hours. Will that satisfy you?"

  "I guess."

  "All right. I love you. Go to bed early, or figure out what is bothering you so much. Because that attitude is not one I'm going to put up with."

  "I love you, too. Have a good evening."

  If she hurried, she could look over his e-mail while she dressed for her fancy dinner out with Gabe.

  * * *

  Gabe knocked on Shanna's office door. He went in without waiting for a response. It was a habit he’d gotten into with Bryce and had continued it with Shanna here. She usually left the door open.