by Sandi Lynn
“Good morning, Kinsley.” Mr. Calloway smiled. “How are you feeling today?”
“I feel a lot better,” I lied.
“You look a little pale.”
“Still recovering, but I do feel better,” I spoke.
“Glad to hear it. Would you mind stepping into my office for a minute? There’s something I would like to discuss with you.”
“Sure, Mr. Calloway.”
I followed him into his office and took a seat while he shut the door. My sick stomach felt even sicker with worry that I did something wrong. Shit. What if he found out that Chase and I were sleeping together?
“As you know, Audrey is supposed to be back in a couple of weeks,” he spoke.
“Yes. I know.” I nodded.
“I spoke to her yesterday and it seems her fiancé got a once-in-a-lifetime job in New York, so they’re moving there, and she will not be coming back to Calloway Tech.”
“Oh.” My brows furrowed. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“I would like to offer you the full-time position here at Calloway Tech as my personal secretary. You’d get a pay increase, full health benefits, a 401k plan, profit sharing, and a yearly bonus.”
“Mr. Calloway, I don’t know what to say,” I spoke in utter shock.
“Say yes. I’d love to keep you, Kinsley. You’re a bright woman and you do a very good job. Plus, you can handle my son and I wouldn’t have to worry about his actions affecting you. You seem to be the only woman I’ve ever known who’s immune to him.” He smirked.
Shit. If he only knew.
“I would love to stay here at Calloway Tech.” I smiled. “Thank you for this opportunity, Mr. Calloway.”
“Excellent. I’ll send your paperwork down to Human Resources and give the temp agency a call.”
I thanked him again, and when I walked out of his office, Chase was walking down the hallway.
“I was looking for you. How are you feeling this morning?” he asked.
“Much better,” I lied again. “Did your dad mention anything to you at dinner last night about Audrey not coming back?”
“No. Why?”
“Apparently, her and her fiancé are moving to New York, so she’s not coming back.”
“Oh. Then I guess Daddy is going to have to find a new permanent secretary.”
“He did already,” I spoke.
“Wow. That was fast. Did he tell you who he hired?”
“Me.” I smiled. “He just offered me the full-time position.”
“I see. Congratulations.”
“Thanks. I feel a lot better now, knowing I have a permanent full-time job.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chase
Fuck. I wasn’t sure how I felt about my father making Kinsley a permanent fixture here. I did like seeing her every day, but when things between us start to go bad, it was going to be awkward. The feelings I’d developed for her over the past month were getting to me. I found myself always wanting to be with her. My mind wouldn’t stop thinking about her, even when she was right down the hall. I was actually looking forward to her time here being up, because the less I saw of her, the sooner I could let us drift apart. I figured my father had forgotten what he told me a few weeks ago about creating a position at Calloway Tech for her. He never mentioned it after that day. Shit.
“Lexi, in my office, please,” I spoke as I walked past her desk.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Have a seat. Kinsley just told me that my dad hired her permanently to be his secretary.”
“What? What about Audrey?”
“Apparently, she’s moving to New York with Dustin.”
“Oh. Good for Kinsley.” She smiled.
“It’s not a good idea and now I don’t know what to do.”
“About what?” She cocked her head.
“About her.”
“I’m lost here, Chase.” She shook her head.
I let out a long sigh. “I was going to slowly let things fade between us when she left.”
“Why?” Her eye narrowed at me.
“Because we’ve been sleeping together for too long now. We work together and see each other every day. It’s kind of hard to forget about her when she’s sitting right down the hall.”
“So what you’re saying is out of sight, out of mind?”
“Exactly!” I pointed at her. “How can I end things now that she’s going to be working here full-time?”
“Why would you want to end things?” she asked.
“Because I feel like we’re getting too close. I brought her chicken soup last night to her house. The other night when she stayed over, she left a few things in the bathroom. When I told her she left them, she said just to leave them there for when she stayed over again.”
****
Kinsley
I walked over to Lexi’s desk to tell her the great news, but she was in with Chase. I started to walk away until I heard my name. The door was slightly ajar, so I carefully listened. Tears started to fill my eyes when I heard the things Chase said. The sick feeling that was already in my belly intensified and my heart started racing. I couldn’t listen anymore, so I went to my desk and composed myself the best I could. The feeling was too deep, and it sent me to the bathroom, where I vomited in the toilet a couple of times. When I returned to my desk, Lexi walked over.
“Hey.” She smiled. “These are for Mr. Calloway to sign.”
“Thanks. I’ll give them to him.” I gave her a small smile.
“Are you okay?” she asked with concern.
“Yeah. In fact, I’m great. I was going to walk over and see you. Audrey isn’t coming back and Mr. Calloway offered me her job.”
“Oh my God, Kinsley. I’m so happy!” She hugged me. “You accepted it, right?”
“Yeah. I did.”
“Let’s celebrate tonight. Dinner and drinks on me.”
“Maybe another night. I’m still not feeling well.”
“Oh. Okay. Another night it is, then.”
The work day was finally over, and I couldn’t wait to get home. The words Chase spoke went round and round in my mind like a carousel. All I wanted to do was take a relaxing hot bath, get in my pajamas, curl up on the couch, and binge watch something.
I got home after being stuck in traffic due to an accident for over an hour, threw my keys down on the table, and started the bath water. I stepped into the bubbly tub and sank down until the water reached my neck. Closing my eyes, I started to relax, until Chase crept into my head. Tears started to stream down my face as I recalled the conversation I heard earlier. The way he was slowly going to let things fade once I left Calloway Tech, how we were getting too close, and the big deal he made about me leaving a few things at his house. Once again, my heart broke in two. I hated myself for getting involved with him. I knew better. I told myself that he would hurt me at some point, but I would be able to handle it. Was this handling it? Sitting in a bathtub crying my eyes out?
Once I started to turn into a prune, I got out of the tub, dried off, and slipped into my pajamas. Walking into the kitchen, I grabbed a gallon of chocolate ice cream from the freezer, a spoon from the drawer, and took it over to the couch, where I started binge watching Sex and The City, Season One. I’d seen it a million times, but it was always my go-to when I had a heartache series.
As I made my way to the halfway point in the carton of ice cream, my phone dinged with a text message from Chase.
“Hey, I was thinking I could come over tonight. What do you say?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“I’m not feeling well.”
“Oh. I’m sorry to hear that. Do you need anything? I can bring you over something.”
“No. I have everything I need.”
“Okay. Get some rest and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I didn’t reply back, and he was never coming over again. I was putting an end to our whatever the fuck you wanted to call it, l
etting it fade, just like he wanted it to.
The next morning, I woke up sick again. I was attributing it to the gallon of ice cream I ate before bed. Like the past two mornings, I vomited, got dressed, tried not to think about how crappy I felt, and headed to work.
“Good morning, beautiful.” Chase smiled as he stopped by my desk. “How are you feeling?”
“Like crap. Thanks for asking,” I spoke with a hint of attitude in my tone.
“Still? Maybe you should go see a doctor.”
“So he can tell me I have a virus and to let it run its course? No thanks.”
“Somebody is moody today,” he spoke.
“Is there something you needed, Chase? I have a lot of work to do.”
“No. I just stopped by to see how you were.”
“You could have just texted me,” I spoke.
“Perhaps I should have.” He shot me a look. “Have a good day, Miss Davis.”
“You too, Mr. Calloway.”
****
Chase
What the hell was her problem? I went into my office and threw my phone across my desk.
“Good morning, boss.” Lexi smiled as she walked into my office and set my coffee on the desk.
“What’s so good about it?” I growled.
“Whoa. What’s your problem this morning?”
“Why don’t you ask, Kinsley, what her problem is?”
“I’m sensing the two of you had a fight,” she spoke.
“I texted her last night and told her I was thinking about coming over. She said no and that she wasn’t feeling well. I just stopped by her desk to see how she was feeling and she had an attitude. She told me I could have just texted her instead of walking over.”
Lexi snickered.
“Really?” I cocked my head.
“Sorry. She hasn’t been feeling good. Cut her some slack.”
“Then she needs to go to the doctor,” I spoke.
“That’s not for you to decide. It’s her decision.”
“She doesn’t have to take it out on me because she doesn’t feel good.”
“Just let her be, Chase.”
“Trust me, I am.” I picked up my coffee cup and took a sip.
Kinsley had had an attitude with me before, but this time, it was different.
Chapter Thirty
Kinsley
I escaped the rest of the day without seeing Chase. I was sure he was pissed off about my attitude towards him this morning, but I didn’t care. Let the fading begin. I went home and fell asleep on the couch, waking up at ten thirty in disbelief I’d slept that long. This wasn’t normal for me, and if I wasn’t feeling well again tomorrow, I’d have to go see a doctor. Something wasn’t right.
The next morning as I sat at my desk, I googled medical centers near me, found one, and called the office to see if I could get in the same day. Fortunately, there was an available appointment at four o’clock, so I took it.
“Excuse me, Mr. Calloway.” I peeked my head inside his office.
“Come on in, Kinsley. What can I do for you?”
“Is it okay if I leave early today? I have a doctor’s appointment at four o’clock.”
“Still not feeling well?” he asked.
“No. I thought I was getting better, but I guess not.”
“That’s fine.”
“I can come back to the office after if you want.”
“That’s okay, sweetheart. Go get yourself checked out and then go home and rest.” He smiled.
“Thank you.”
I walked out of his office and shut the door, only to find Chase standing by my desk.
“There you are. How about dinner tonight at my place?” he asked.
“Sorry, I can’t.”
“You have other plans?”
“Yes. Actually, I do.”
“I see.”
“How about tomorrow night, then?” he asked.
“I have yoga tomorrow night.”
“After?” his eye narrowed at me.
“I’ll be too sweaty and tired,” I replied.
“Okay.” He sighed.
“You have all of L.A. to entertain you, Chase.”
“You’re right. I do, Kinsley. I’ll talk to you later.” He walked away with an attitude.
When it was time for me to leave for my appointment, I grabbed my purse, said goodbye to Mr. Calloway, and headed to the medical center.
“Hello, Kinsley, I’m Dr. Harrison. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you as well.” I smiled.
“So, tell me what’s been going on with you.”
“I’ve been sick to my stomach the past few days and I’ve been exhausted.”
“How many times are you vomiting in a day?” he asked.
“Two to three times. Usually in the mornings. When I get home from work, I’m so exhausted that I feel like I need to take a nap. Yesterday, I slept for four and a half hours, got up, changed into my pajamas, and went to bed for the night.”
“Are you sexually active?” he asked.
“Yes.” I bit down on my bottom lip in embarrassment.
“Is there a chance you could be pregnant?”
I swallowed hard as a sickness fell into the pit of my stomach.
“No. We’ve been using protection. There was this one time over a month ago where the condom broke, but I went the next morning and took the morning after pill. So no, I can’t be pregnant. I was on the pill three months ago, but since I moved here, I hadn’t gotten them refilled because I needed to see a doctor first.”
“Okay. We’ll draw some blood first and then I’ll examine you,” he spoke before calling his nurse into the room.
I sat there on the table while my blood was being drawn, scared to death at the possibility that I could be pregnant. But the morning after pill is so effective, so there was no way I could be. After Dr. Harrison checked my throat, ears, and glands, he left the room and said he’d be back as soon as my test results were ready. I pulled my phone from my purse as I waited and noticed a text message from Chase.
“I was just in a meeting with my dad and he told me you had to leave for a doctor’s appointment. How did it go? What did the doctor say?”
I didn’t reply to his text message because I had nothing to tell him. Besides, what business was it of his? He felt we were getting too close, so why did he even bother to pretend he cared?
The door opened and Dr. Harrison walked in.
“I got your test results back, Kinsley.” He stared at me.
“And?”
“You’re pregnant.”
“I’m sorry, Dr. Harrison, but I can’t be. I took the morning after pill. That’s what it’s for, to prevent pregnancy.”
“Only if you haven’t already ovulated. It takes a while for your body to get back on track after stopping the pill.”
“Great.” Tears started to fill my eyes.
“You have options,” he spoke.
“I know I do, but an abortion isn’t an option for me.”
“I’m happy to hear that. I’m going to give you the name and number of an obstetrician. She’s very good and used to be a colleague of mine. Her office is up on the third floor. Give her a call in the morning and set up an appointment. You’ll need to start your prenatal care as soon as possible.”
“Thanks, Dr. Harrison.”
Before leaving the building, I had to stop into the bathroom and throw up. This wasn’t morning sickness, it was straight nerves. What the fuck was I going to do now? I was pregnant, and Chase Calloway was the father. Shit. The timing and the father couldn’t be worse.
When I got home, I crawled up on the couch like a child. My head was spinning with all sorts of thoughts. How was I going to tell him? How would he react? I already knew how he’d react and it wasn’t going to be pretty. He couldn’t even commit to a relationship, let alone a child. Maybe I shouldn’t tell him that the baby was his. I could lie and say I had a one-night stand with someone.
He wouldn’t believe me. Oh my God, what about Mr. Calloway? How the hell was I going to tell him. He just hired me for the full-time position. Now I was pregnant and going to have to go on maternity leave. My life was falling apart in front of my very eyes and I didn’t know what to do.
I heard my phone ding, so I got up from the couch and pulled it out of my purse.
“I asked you a question and I don’t appreciate being ignored,” Chase wrote.
“Sorry. I just got home. I have a virus, just like I thought I did.”
“At least you found out what’s wrong. If you need anything, text me.”
“Thanks.”
I couldn’t tell him I was pregnant, especially over text. Face to face was going to be hard as it was, and I needed to prepare myself to be as strong as I could be. I placed my hands on my belly and looked down. I needed to accept the fact that I was going to have a baby and that I’d be raising him or her alone.
Chapter Thirty-One
One Week Later
Chase
Kinsley had been in a mood all week and I was sick of it. Besides her damn attitude towards me, we hadn’t had sex. Every time I suggested it, she turned me down. What the hell was going on with her?
“Lexi, in my office,” I shouted from behind my desk.
“You don’t have to shout.”
“Shut the door and have a seat.”
She stood there with her hands on her hips and her head cocked.
“Please,” I spoke. “Do you know what the hell is going on with Kinsley?”
“What do you mean?”
“She hasn’t had sex with me in over a week. She’s been telling me no and her attitude sucks.”
“Maybe she doesn’t want to have sex with you anymore,” she spoke.
“Impossible.” I threw my pen across the desk. “Is she seeing someone and you’re not telling me?” I narrowed my eye at her.
“Not that I know of. If she was, I’m pretty sure she’d tell me. We went to yoga class last night and she was fine.”
“None of this makes sense. I didn’t do anything.”