by M. Sembera
My cellphone rang just as I pulled a folder out of my dresser with the papers to join Jackson and I's bank accounts in it. Setting the folder on the top of my dresser, I dashed to the living room.
Grabbing my phone off of the coffee table, I answered, "Hey."
Jackson's voice was on the other end asking, "What are you doing?"
Smiling, I answered, "Nothing."
"I'm in your driveway," he shared before instructing, "Sit on your couch and close your eyes."
I glanced at the clock and saw that it was already five o'clock before asking, "Are you taking the rest of the day off?"
"No, I'm headed back to the office. I got something for you but I am in kind of a hurry," he replied.
"So why do I need to close my eyes?"
With a laugh he replied, "Just do it, I'll be in in a second."
Tossing my phone down on the couch, I did as Jackson asked.
With no idea what he was up to, I couldn't help being a little nervous along with my excitement. When my front door opened I almost turned and looked.
"Don't look," he said as I heard my front door shut.
Feeling him sit next to me on the couch, I asked, "How about now?"
"Okay."
I opened my eyes and couldn't believe what I was seeing.
As I looked at my surprise, I made sure, "It's for me?"
With a wide smile, he shared, "She sure is. Her name is Honey."
"I can't believe you got me a puppy."
Petting the golden retriever puppy on his lap, Jackson explained, "She's ours. I thought you could hang onto her here until she has a nice big yard to play in."
Thinking to myself, 'my back yard is nice', I was distracted when the puppy looked at me and started wagging her tail.
"Can I pet her?" I asked, slowly reaching my hand out.
Jackson smiled and nodded as I gently ran my hand over her head.
It was the sweetest most thoughtful surprise of my life. Jackson would never know it but him giving me a puppy meant so much more than it was intended.
Sliding her over to me, Jackson said, "I have her stuff in the car. I'm going to bring it in then I have to get going."
I nodded before folding my legs in front of myself and holding her on my lap. Honey snuggled into my arms as I fell in love with her.
~
Hesitant about leaving Honey at home by herself, I finally tore myself away from her and headed to pick up my box. Pulling into JPT Financial's parking lot, I was sure at six thirty Jackson would be the only one there. Hopping out of my car, I glanced at the extra vehicle and wondered who it belonged to.
Making my way to Jackson's office, I quickly realized who the car belonged to. A brown haired guy that couldn't have been more than twenty sat at my old desk, sorting through files. I couldn't help cracking a smile at the idea of Jackson having a male secretary. Thinking to myself 'thank you temp agency' I was happy they hadn't sent a girl.
Jackson's new secretary didn't seem to notice me until I was standing right in front the desk.
"Can I help you?" he greeted.
Giving a friendly smile, I replied, "Is Jackson in his office?"
"Yes ma'am but he is on a call right now. Can you wait a minute or would you like to come back tomorrow?"
Pulling a chair over, I sat down and said, "I'll wait."
"It's after business hours, was he expecting you?" he asked.
It occurred to me this guy had no idea I was Jackson's wife or the previous secretary.
Crossing my legs, I leaned toward the desk saying, "I promise, he'll be happy to see me."
With a confused yet curious expression, he lowered his voice and asked, "Are you...seeing him?"
"Something like that," I replied with a secretive smile.
His face turned a little red as his phone buzzed.
I held my finger over my mouth and smiled as he nodded and hit the speaker button.
Jackson sounded stressed, which was unlike him, as we heard him say, "Pull up 432, 478 and 592 and send them to print in my office."
"Yes sir."
With an appreciative tone, Jackson added, "And Seth, thank you for staying late."
"Yes sir," Seth replied before pressing the speaker on the phone off and turning to his computer.
I waited a moment before asking, "So how do you like working here?"
Focusing his eyes on the task Jackson gave him, he replied, "Jackson's the coolest boss I've ever had. I hope he keeps me on. From what I hear the old secretary's not coming back."
Making a face at his attachment of the word old where I was concerned, I asked, "Is that right?"
Without a second thought he replied, "Supposedly, as soon as he married her, she started not showing up and then just quit."
Clearing my throat, I replied, "Well, that doesn't sound very professional."
"That's not the half of it," he said before pausing and asking, "Oh...did you know he was married?" with a worried expression on his face.
With a slight smirk, I shared, "Yes. I have known his wife for a long time."
"I...I'm sorry..." he stuttered.
I assured, "Personally, I haven't always been her biggest fan," before asking, "So what else have you heard?"
Appearing hesitant at first all it took was an interested smile for him to share, "One of the accountants here said his wife is...like...crazy. It went to her head that she was married to the boss or something like that. She started throwing fits when she couldn't get her way and stuff."
Resting my elbow on the end of the desk, I set my chin on my palm and said, "I see you are getting along well with Marabeth."
His face dropped as he asked, "How do you know it was her that said it."
With a slight laugh, I replied, "I know her too."
Suddenly Seth was interested as he questioned, "Is it true?"
Shrugging, I said, "You know, the thing about gossip is, it's usually a partial truth. First of all, Marabeth has had a thing for Jackson since she started here and he never would give her the time of day. I think there are some hurt feeling there. Second, his wife is a tad on the crazy side and she did act out a bit here but it had nothing to do with being married to the boss."
Seth leaned over his desk, asking, "What did it have to do with?"
Before I could reply, Seth jumped a little as Jackson's office door opened.
Smiling wide at Jackson, I watched him look at Seth's startled expression before giving me a curious look.
"Hey," I chirped, standing up and walking towards him.
Placing his arm around my waist he looked at Seth and said, "I see Ren's been keeping you entertained."
"Actually, it was the other way around," I shared with a smile.
"Oh, yea?" Jackson laughed.
Nodding, I replied, "Yep, apparently you're the best boss he's ever had."
Jackson laughed at Seth, saying, "Sorry I can't return the complement. Ren would never let me hear the end of it."
I could see the wheels turning in Seth's head as the only sound that came out of his mouth was, "Uuuuhhhh..."
Taking a deep breath, I looked up at Jacks and urged, "I think Seth has better things to do on a Friday night, than sit here and go through files."
Jackson smiled wide at me before agreeing, "You can call it a day, see you Monday."
"Yes sir," he replied with a worried expression on his face.
Unwrapping his arm from around me Jacks turned and stepped back into his office.
"It was nice to meet you Seth," I said before giving him a comforting smile.
Seth nodded giving me an apprehensive smile in return.
Stepping into Jackson's office, I walked to the edge of his desk.
Picking the key up off of the corner, I said, "I'm going to lock the door, I'll be right back."
Turning, I stepped out of his office and headed towards the front door. Seth was walking so slow, I was able to catch up with him without even trying.
"I'm s
orry I didn't let you know who I was," I apologized.
Stopping at the door, he replied, "It's my fault."
Nodding, I shared, "You seem nice and I hope Jackson does keep you on. Just don't believe everything you hear and for goodness sake don't repeat gossip. Especially to strangers."
"Yes ma'am," he agreed before asking, "How come you're not mad?"
With a light sigh, I replied, "There are only a hand full of people, that I truly care about what they think of me and the only one here is the man in the office back there."
I had no idea why, but Seth smiled wide, saying, "It was nice to meet you too."
Returning his smile, I let him out and locked the door behind him.
After collecting my box from Jackson's office, I waited for him to finish up before walking out with him. I got a hug, a soft kiss and an exclusive invitation to the soft opening of the bar Friday. Smiling the entire way home, I felt good.
31
Misplaced Blame
Standing in my back yard with Honey, I watched as she hopped around in the grass. The thought of bringing her with me to see Charlotte made me more excited than it probably should have. She was adorable and I knew the Roberts' kids would love her.
It was almost like packing for a baby. I placed her green and black plaid travel carrier in the back seat after sticking her bowls, a water bottle and a few chew sticks and toys in a compartment on the back.
Parking on the back driveway at Emerson and Amila's, I noticed all the kids were outside. The second they caught sight of me and Honey, it was all I could do not to get knocked over. Every one of them wanted to pet or hold Honey.
Smiling at their enthusiasm toward her, I asked Trent to keep a good eye on Honey while the younger kids played with her.
As I headed into the house, Silvia cautioned, "Are you sure you want to go in there?"
"Pretty sure," I laughed before she shared, "Charlotte's in trouble, again."
With a heavy sigh, I thought 'great' as I continued into the house through the back door.
When I walked in, Amila was crying, Charlotte was screaming and Emerson appeared livid.
"Why won't you listen to me!" Charlotte shouted before Emerson sternly replied, "That is not how this family behaves."
"News flash Mr. Roberts, I'm not a part of your family," Charlotte spouted.
Seeing the hurt in Amila's eyes, I offered, "Maybe Charlotte and I can talk for a minute before things get out of hand."
"It doesn't matter what I say or do, I'm always wrong!" she snapped at me.
Glancing at Emerson, I asked, "What happened?"
Charlotte glared at me, yelling, "Just forget it. I'm not talking anymore about anything. No one cares anyway," before leaving the room.
I started to follow her when she whipped around and griped, "No."
I waited a few minutes before taking a seat at the kitchen table. Reaching out to Amila, I rubbed her arm as tears rolled down her cheeks.
"What happened?" I quietly asked.
Before Amila could open her mouth, Emerson stated, "Apparently it is too much to ask for her to behave."
"So you're not gonna tell me?" I questioned.
Amila turned to me and shared, "She's suspended for the remainder of the school year."
"Why?"
Emerson interrupted, saying, "Another fight. The teacher saw Charlotte attack another girl in the hallway. She claims she was defending herself but she wouldn't say what happened. We never should have taken her on."
Before I could ask another question, Amila jumped up from her chair and slapped him right across his face.
"Don't you ever say that again!"
From his expression, this was a first and I may have been just as stunned as Emerson at Amila's outburst.
Emerson stood in front of her for a moment before walking out of the kitchen with a hurt yet confused expression on his face.
Sitting back down, Amila placed her hands on the sides of her head and shared, "Ren," pausing as her eyes welled with tears, "Charlotte made me swear not to tell Emerson. They were saying because of the scar on her mouth she likes it rough then they pulled her shirt up over her head and pushed her into the boy's locker room."
Sitting back in the kitchen chair, I couldn't hold back my own tears, knowing every boy in there saw what she looked like under her shirt.
~
Tuesday morning, I was awaked by whining and barking as Honey let me know she was up and ready to play. Hesitantly getting up, I stayed awake far too late the previous night worrying on Charlotte's behalf. I knew what life was like in a small town especially when rumors start but this was ridiculous and on top of that Auggie's name was mentioned in the mix. Somehow, because she was at Auggie's house, the story got turned around to the two of them and William was now left out of it. With the thought of 'just wait until I see him again' I hoped he had nothing to do with anything that happened to Charlotte at school.
Stepping outside into my back yard with Honey, I wondered if there was a way to give Charlotte some hope for a future here. Sophia had asked that I come to watch Braden and Ailin's band rehearse for the soft opening and planning an exciting way to choose Jackson was lingering at the back of my mind. Shaking my head at myself as Honey and I made our way back inside, I decided to call Mrs. Thomas and invite her over for lunch.
~
Sharing the outdoor sofa with Mrs. Thomas on my back porch, I was happy to have someone to discuss things with. She was smiling as she watched Honey play with a dog toy in the grass.
"Are y'all coming to the soft opening Friday?"
Turning her attention to me, Mrs. Thomas answered, "We are going to wait and go for the official opening."
"Can I talk to you about Charlotte for a minute?" I asked.
With a slight scowl she replied, "What about her?"
"I guess I thought that if she... Why is it that the more progress she makes, the harder life gets for her?"
Giving me an odd expression, Mrs. Thomas replied, "I can't believe you're asking me that."
It occurred to me she probably wasn't Charlotte's biggest fan.
"I'm sorry, I'm sure you don't want to talk about her," I said before she laughed, "You're taking it the wrong way."
Softening her smile, she shared, "You already know the answer to that question."
Stopping to think for a moment, I said, "Yea, I guess I do."
It always seems that when you're trying to do the right thing, the whole world comes down on you. Hard.
The thought occurred to me, life for Charlotte here, might never get better.
"Do you think it would be a mistake for her to leave?" I asked.
"That depends," she replied before sharing, "I think it wasn't the best idea for Sarah to send Penny away but..."
Quickly interrupting her, I blurted, "She did what?"
With a heavy sigh, Mrs. Thomas explained, "Penny's pretty wild. She had a little pregnancy scare and Sarah sent her to stay with her grandmother."
"But she's nineteen..."
Smiling, she replied, "And Sarah is still her mother. Penny has no job and was living there. She didn't have much of a choice, none of her brothers would let her stay with them."
Thinking it was strange Sophia didn't offer, I got back on track, saying, "Charlotte wants to leave."
"Then the best thing you can do is help her choose where to go. Because if that is what she wants, she's going to do it anyway."
I sat there thinking as Honey darted up to me. Picking her up and setting her in my lap, I knew there had to be a solution.
Interrupting my train of thought, Mrs. Thomas asked, "How are you and Jacks?"
With a happy sigh, I smiled, answering, "Better."
Raising her eyebrows, she questioned, "Better?"
"We had a...talk the other night and we are going to be okay. He doesn't want to live here though, so I guess after Friday, we will be living at his apartment until we find a house."
Turning her head
to the side, she asked, "Why would y'all stay at his apartment?"
Shrugging, I replied, "He said he doesn't want mine or his, he wants ours. He already lived here so I guess it's my turn."
Mrs. Thomas looked confused as she nodded.
"I really don't mind," I assured before saying, "I just want us to be together."
A wide smile replaced her confused expression as she leaned forward and hugged me.
~
Wishing I brought Honey with me, I wasn't sure if it would be some sort of a health code violation to have a puppy in the bar, even if it wasn't open for business yet. Standing next to Sophia in front of the stage, it was an audience of two as Braden, Ailin and the other member of their band practiced songs for the soft opening.
The fact that Sophia didn't offer her and Ailin's home to Penny was really starting to bother me. They had been friends since before they could even walk.
Turning to her, I questioned, "Why didn't you tell me Penny left?"
Shrugging her shoulders at me, she replied, "I guess I thought you knew."
Shaking my head at her, I asked, "She didn't want to stay with you and Ailin?"
Giving me a 'that's crazy' look, she answered, "She shouldn't have been messin' around and she could have stayed at home."
Thinking that was awfully judgmental for a nineteen year old best friend, I said, "Oh-kay," and dropped the subject.
It wasn't that Sophia was wrong in her assessment, I was shocked that she felt that way about Penny.
It struck a nerve with me, how much Sophia reminded me of her dad at that moment. It also made sense that she hated Charlotte, if she felt the way she did about Penny for being a little wild.
I started to ask, "So how's..." when Auggie walked in.
Glaring at him, I watched him ignore me. I didn't mind the ignoring but I did mind if he was the one talking about Charlotte.
Walking towards the bar, I stopped as soon as Auggie did.