Taking the Plunge

by E. L. Todd

  “I guess.”

  “Think about it for a little bit and let me know what you decide. I prefer to keep the business in the family, not sell it.”

  The waiter brought the check and her dad slipped the cash inside.

  “I’ll discuss it with Thatcher.”

  “You tell him everything?”

  She nodded.

  “I’m glad he has your confidence. He’s a smart business man.”

  “He gives away half of his income to charity.”

  His eyes widened. “I didn’t know that.”

  “It was one of the reasons why I fell in love with him. He doesn’t care about money. I can’t be with someone who does.”

  Her father looked at her. “Well, I’m glad I didn’t raise a spoiled brat. You’re the exact opposite of that.”

  “Money destroys people.”

  “Is that why none of your friends know?”

  She nodded.

  “I understand your hesitance.”

  The waiter took the tab then returned with the change. Nancy opened it to see how much her father tipped. He was always really cheap about anything he could get away with. When she saw the hundred dollar bill for the waiter she smiled.

  “Nancy, I want to be selfless like you. You inspire me to be better. I was wrong before. Now I know what’s really important.”

  She closed the tab and pushed it aside.

  “Can I take you home?” he asked.

  “Can you take me to Thatcher’s? I’m staying there tonight.”

  He nodded his head but didn’t say anything.

  When they approached his Lamborghini, she wanted to barf.

  “Sorry, it’s the only car I have,” he said, opening the door for her.

  The ride back was awkward. Neither one spoke, just staring at the road ahead. Her father didn’t turn on the radio. The silence was loud on her ears. When they came back to the house, her father walked her to the door.

  “Thank you for having dinner with me,” he said politely.

  “Yeah,” she whispered.

  “And thank you for another chance. I won’t let you down, kiddo.”

  “I hope so.”

  He stepped toward her, his hands outstretched. “I would love to hug you.”

  She smiled then returned his embrace. She hadn’t felt her father hold her in so long she couldn’t remember the last time it happened. Nancy felt her heart hurt as she smelled the familiar cologne. It was the same one he’d been using since she was a little girl. Flashbacks of their afternoons painting flooded her mind. Her fingers would be stained with different colors and she would get it all over her hair and her clothes. Her father had splotches on his face, but he didn’t seem to mind. His eyes were lit up with joy when he saw the happiness on her face. When she painted a picture of an iguana, it looked more like giraffe but he hung it up on the refrigerator anyway.

  “I love you,” he whispered.

  “I love you too, Dad.”

  He pulled away then looked down, hiding his face.

  Thatcher opened the front door and looked at both of them. “Have a good time?”

  Nancy nodded.

  “Would you like to come in for a cup of coffee?” Thatcher asked.

  Her father’s eyes widened. “I would love to. Thank you.”

  Thatcher stepped out of the way and let them enter the house. His hand moved to Nancy’s waist and kissed her on the forehead before he moved to the stairway on the opposite side of the house.

  When they came to the landing, her father sat at the kitchen table.

  “We got espresso, cappuccino, and plain coffee,” Thatcher said.

  “I don’t want to be up too late,” her father said. “I’ll take a regular coffee.”

  “I’ll make it decaf, sir,” Thatcher said.

  “Call me Bill.”

  “Will do.”

  Nancy sat down and watched Thatcher sit next to her, his hand on her thigh. For the first time, she felt like she really had a father, someone to introduce her boyfriend to. None of this would be happening without Thatcher. She had been burned too many times to give anyone a chance. It was too painful for her.

  She looked at Thatcher, seeing the calmness in his eyes. “Thank you so much.”

  He understood what she meant. “I’ll always do what’s best for you.”

  “I know.”

  28

  Nancy went to the hotel and worked in her father’s office. She called all the employees and offered to give their jobs back, with increased pay and health benefits. A few of the people cried on the phone, so happy to have a job.

  “I looked for weeks,” a woman said through her tears. “I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with my kids and everything.”

  Nancy kept the emotion out of her voice. “We’re exciting to have you back.”

  “Thank you so much.” She hung up the phone.

  Nancy made her father pay all of his employees twice their rate. He didn’t seem too happy about it, but he didn’t complain. She knew how much dough was sitting in his account. If it was up to her, she would pay them even more.

  When she and her father walked through the lobby, a few of the workers approached him, their hands outstretched.

  “Thank you so much for the raise, sir. Thank you. Thank you,” Tommy said, a smile on his face.

  Her father nodded. “You earned it.”

  “Thank you,” he repeated.

  Nancy smiled at him. “You’re welcome.”

  He returned to the front desk and answered the phone.

  Nancy stopped and looked at her dad. “Did you notice something?”

  “What?”

  “All of your workers are happy.”

  “Yeah.”

  “And what do happy workers do?”

  He shrugged.

  “They work harder. Now they are loyal to you, respect you. Doesn’t that feel a lot better than being loathed?”

  “They loathed me?”

  “I know I did.”

  He nodded. “It does feel better.”

  She smiled at him. “You’ll thank me later.”

  “I’ll thank you now,” he said. “We’re still on for Saturday?”

  “Yep.”

  “Want to get lunch afterwards?”

  “Sure.”

  “And how about you and Thatcher come over on Sunday for lunch?”

  “Dad, we don’t have to spend every weekend together.”

  “Well, I would like to.”

  She smiled at him then left the hotel, returning to her car. She drove back to Thatcher’s house and walked into her office. She worked quickly as she sorted through the tasks. His emails never ended, and she had to answer them all without seeming careless. Thatcher didn’t come down to see her and she was disappointed. He usually peeked in, even if it was just to give her a quick kiss.

  When her shift was over, she walked upstairs to his floor, excited to snuggle with him on the couch. It was her favorite part of the day, smelling his scent and kissing his skin. Her happiness wasn’t describable. Never in her life had she felt so loved.

  When she saw him kneeling in front of the couch, talking to a woman she didn’t recognize, she froze.

  “It’ll be okay,” Thatcher whispered to her.

  She was crying. “Thank you so much.”

  He nodded. “Gratitude is unnecessary.”

  Nancy stared at the scene, unsure what to do.

  Thatcher spotted her. “I’ll be right back,” he said to the woman. He came to her then lowered his voice. “Hey. Sorry I didn’t come down. I was busy.”

  “Who is she?” Nancy asked.

  “Grace.”

  “Your ex-fiancé?”

  “Yeah,” he said sadly.

  Nancy felt her heart burst in her chest. “Why is she here?”

  He glanced at Grace, seeing that she wasn’t listening, and then turned back to Nancy. “Her husband left her for someone else. She came here because she didn’t kno
w what else to do.”

  “She doesn’t have family in Paris?”

  “No,” he said.

  “So she came all the way to Hawaii? I thought you hardly spoke.”

  “We’ve always been friendly.” He stared at her, searching her gaze. “Nancy, what’s the problem?”

  She wanted to scream. What kind of question was that? Why would his fiancé come all the way here as soon as her marriage broke apart? Nancy took a deep breath, realizing she was overreacting. She trusted Thatcher. There was no reason to be upset. “Nothing.”

  He caught the lie. “Tell me.”

  “It just caught me off guard.”

  Thatcher seemed assuaged. “I’m going to spend the evening with her. I don’t think I should leave her alone.”

  Nancy didn’t like the sound of that. “Do you want me to go?”

  “No, not at all. I just probably won’t be paying much attention to you. I don’t want you to feel like I’m ignoring you.”

  “I’m okay with that,” she said quickly.

  “She’s only going to be staying here a couple of days.”

  Nancy felt her heart shatter again. “She’s going to be staying here? Sleeping in the same house?”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Do you not trust me? That’s the first thing on your mind?” She saw the anger brewing in his eyes.

  “No, no,” she said quickly. “Once again, I’m just surprised.”

  He breathed a sigh of relief. “I just need to be there for her right now.”

  “Can I sleep here?” she blurted. When suspicion clouded his mind, she spoke again. “I just hate sleeping without you.”

  “You’re always welcome wherever I am.”

  She breathed a sigh of relief.

  “Can I introduce you later? She’s too upset right now.”

  “Yeah. I’ll be back before you go to bed.”

  “Okay.”

  She grabbed his face and kissed him, slipping her tongue into his mouth. When she pulled away, she looked into his eyes. “I love you.” Nancy didn’t say the words very often, but she needed to say them now.

  “And I you.”

  She turned around and left, getting in her car and driving back to her apartment. She couldn’t stop thinking about his fiancé. She couldn’t get a good look at her, but she assumed she was beautiful. Thatcher used to be engaged to her. The information kept flooding her mind. Unable to stop thinking about it, she called Sydney.

  “Hey,” she said on the first ring.

  “Can you come over?”

  Sydney paused for a moment. “What’s wrong?”

  “It’s nothing serious.”

  “Okay. I’ll pick up Henry on the way.”

  “Okay.” She hung up and hugged her knees to her chest, waiting for her two best friends to come over. When there was a knock on the door, she was surprised to see Coen and Derek as well. “I didn’t know all of you were coming.”

  Derek looked at her. “Sydney said something was wrong. Are you okay?” he asked urgently.

  “I’m fine,” she said as she moved to the couch.

  Sydney and Henry sat on either side of her. Derek and Coen took the other couch.

  “It’s a long story,” Nancy said with a sigh. “Thatcher used to be engaged to this girl in Paris. Their relationship ended when she left him for someone else.”

  Sydney waited for her to continue, her eyes full of concern.

  “When I went upstairs today, she was sitting on his couch, crying, while Thatcher comforted her. Apparently her husband left her for someone else.”

  Henry stared at the wall, not looking at anything in particular. “Her marriage falls apart and the first thing she does is fly to Thatcher? Are they close?”

  “No,” Nancy said. “They only talk on his birthday and the holidays.”

  Sydney shook her head. “I don’t like the sound of this.”

  “That isn’t the worst part,” Nancy said. “She’s staying with him for a few nights.”

  “Are you kidding?” Sydney said. “Sleeping in the same house? Like, down the hallway?” She shook her head. “That’s unacceptable. If Aaron needed somewhere to stay, I would never let him stay with me. Coen would be livid.”

  “Fuck yeah I would,” Coen said.

  “Are you going to say anything?” Sydney said.

  “Well, I’m still sleeping with him every night,” Nancy said.

  “Oh. Well, that makes it a little better,” Sydney said.

  “It’s still weird,” Henry said. “I would never be okay with that if we were talking about Ren.”

  Nancy sighed. “I don’t know what to do.”

  Derek looked at her. “I thought you trusted him?”

  “Of course I do,” she said.

  “Then I don’t understand why you’re so upset. I haven’t known Thatcher very long, but he definitely doesn’t strike me as a cheating type. He’s too noble and refined for that behavior. And why would he leave you for a woman who left him for someone else?” He shook his head. “You’re making this into a bigger deal than it needs to be.”

  Sydney looked at him. “I think this girl realizes she made a mistake for leaving Thatcher and now she wants him back. That’s what it’s really about.”

  “So?” Derek said. “Just because she wants him doesn’t mean she gets him. Thatcher loves Nancy. He wouldn’t throw that away for a cheating whore. That would be like Nancy cheating on Thatcher with me. It’s not possible.”

  Nancy looked away, realizing he was right. “Thank you.”

  “For what?” he asked.

  “For pulling my head out of my ass,” she said. “I trust him. There’s no reason to be jealous or paranoid.”

  Coen shook his head. “I think your feelings are valid. Sydney’s right. I would never let that happen with her.”

  Sydney looked at her. “Can she stay in a hotel and spend time with him during the day? I know Thatcher has the money.”

  “But that’s rude,” Henry said.

  “Who cares?” Sydney said. “He should respect Nancy.”

  “I agree with my wife,” Coen said.

  “And that’s saying something,” Sydney said.

  “I don’t,” Derek said. “Thatcher isn’t a girl. She can’t hold him down or make him do anything. If you really trust him, you shouldn’t be worried about it.”

  Henry nodded. “Thatcher is a good guy. I can’t see him ever hurting you.”

  “So, it’s a tie?” Nancy asked with a smile.

  Derek looked at her. “You already know what you should do.”

  Nancy sighed. “I trust him.”

  Sydney nodded. “I’m sure everything will be fine. She won’t be here forever.”

  “Yeah,” Nancy said.

  Henry changed the subject and started talking about an article he was writing for the paper. Nancy wasn’t listening until she realized what he said.

  “You’re going to propose?” she asked happily.

  He smiled. “Yep. When she opens the school newspaper to read my article, it’ll say, “Will you marry me, Renee?” right on the front. And I’ll step out and get on one knee.

  Sydney clapped her hands together. “That’s so cute!”

  “She’ll love it,” Coen said.

  “Thanks,” Henry said. “I’m excited.”

  Derek nodded. “Congratulations, man.”

  Henry looked at Coen and Derek. “You’ll be my groomsmen?”

  “I get to be in the wedding?” Derek asked.

  Nancy rolled her eyes.

  Henry turned to Sydney. “And will you be my best man?”

  Sydney smiled, her eyes coating with tears. “Of course, Henry.” She stood up and hugged him tightly. “I’m so happy for you.”

  “I am too,” Henry said. “We’ll have our kids at the same time so they’ll be the same age.”

  Coen’s eyed widened. “We’re nowhere near there, man.”

  “Neither am I,” Henry said quickly. “I just
meant in general. They are cousins and will want to play together.”

  The night passed as they talked about Henry’s upcoming engagement. Henry was so excited and it made Nancy happy to see him light up. There was a period of time when he was dark and depressed. She was glad he found his happily ever after. She hoped she would find hers in Thatcher.

  When everyone left, she grabbed her bag then drove back to Thatcher’s. She used the door by the garage and walked up the stairs. Thatcher and Grace were watching TV, talking quietly. She came into the room silently, trying not to scare them.

  Thatcher turned and saw her. “Hey,” he said as he stood up. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her on the forehead. “There’s someone I want you to meet.” He pulled her to Grace, who stood up and smiled at her.

  Nancy felt sick to her stomach when she looked at Grace. Her long brown hair reached her shoulders in waves. It was tapered and framed her face. Her high cheekbones gave her a curved face. Her lips were thin but wide, easily kissable. Her blue eyes were bright like Thatcher’s. She wasn’t just beautiful. She was gorgeous, far more beautiful than Nancy could ever be.

  “Grace, this is my girlfriend, Nancy.”

  Grace shook her hand, a smile on her face. “It’s lovely to meet you.” She had a French accent and it was heavy in her words. It was obvious English was her second language. Her voice was beautiful and sexy. Nancy wanted to throw up.

  “It’s nice to meet you too,” she said politely.

  Grace dropped her hand. “I apologize for dropping in on you like this. I really had nowhere else to go. Thatcher has been talking about you all night.”

  That made Nancy feel a little better. “I hope good things were said.”

  “A declaration of undying love is always a good thing.”

  Nancy blushed, surprised that Thatcher said that.

  Thatcher looked at Nancy. “Are you ready for bed?”

  She nodded.

  “I’ll join you in a moment.”

  Nancy turned and walked into his bedroom, closing the door behind her. Now that Thatcher made it clear that he loved Nancy, not Grace, she felt better. But she also felt guilty for every doubting Thatcher to begin with. He hadn’t done anything to ever make her question his loyalty. Derek was right. Cheating and lying weren’t in Thatcher’s nature. She took off her clothes then lied in his bed, smelling his pillow and his sheets. He came to bed a half an hour later, undressing in the dark. Thatcher slid into bed beside her.