by Nancy Adams
“How does your mother feel about all this, Nate?” asked Mom, and he had to swallow again.
“She's been a great supporter while I took over, and to be completely frank, I think she's been wanting this for a few years. They never really got much time for themselves as I was growing up, the business took too much of it. That was especially true in the first ten years, while they were building it up out of almost nothing, so she's looking forward to their retirement, doing some traveling and finding out what it's like to have her husband all to herself for a change.”
The rest of our dinner conversation went along the same lines, and it was hard for me to get a word in edgewise, but I didn't mind. I had the feeling this was only the first of many dinners we'd all have together, and even thought about when there might be grandchildren at my parents' table. I could imagine both of them going crazy, enjoying having the little faces around.
By the time we were done eating, it was time to head toward the church, and we all went together again. Nate surprised me by knowing exactly where our church was, but after all, he'd been spending some time here over the past few months. It's not that big a city that you can't spot its major landmarks and remember where they are. Ours was the biggest Baptist Church in town, so it was hard not to know where it was, I guess.
We all filed in and were late enough that the only place where the four of us could sit together was down toward the front, so Nate led the way, holding my hand. I could see all the ladies who'd known me all my life, looking at us walking together and then whispering to their husbands or to each other. I'm sure I was going to be a hot topic on the gossip hotline for the next few days, and I reveled in it! The best part was knowing that some of them had been in to the store and knew exactly who that tall, handsome man holding my hand was, so the gossip was sure to be juicy, indeed! Local Girl Nabs Billionaire, they'd say if it was a newspaper headline, and I wouldn't be too surprised if our local paper did do something like that!
We got settled, and still had a few minutes before the program began, so a few people actually came over and introduced themselves to Nate. He was welcomed, and the Pastor, Brother Jimmy even made a point of asking if he would be attending services the next day. Nate said that he would, and was looking forward to what he'd been told was some outstanding preaching, and Brother Jimmy smiled.
“You hang onto this guy, Girl,” he said to me with a wink. “We need good men like him in this church!”
“I'm working on it, Brother Jimmy, I'm working on it!” I was laughing as I said it, and everyone around us laughed right along, but I think they could see the looks that passed between me and Nate.
Suddenly there was a hush, and I looked up to see a number of teenagers walk onto the platform. A lady sat down at the piano and began to play, and then we heard a soft soprano lead off with a solo of “How Great Thou Art.”
The group was from a church in Illinois, and they'd come to North Platte to perform in several of our churches. Their program was a collection of songs, some new, some old, that talked about how wonderful God is, and about what a gift He had given us through His Son, Jesus. I love that sort of music, and sat there in rapt attention through the whole thing. The only times I looked away was to look at a Nate, and I saw that he was as enthralled with them as I was.
The program lasted about two hours, and when it was over, Brother Jimmy gave an invitation. I wasn’t a bit surprised to see several people go down front to pray, and suddenly I felt the need to join them. I'd been saved when I was only seven, but I still wanted to kneel at the altar and pray, just to give thanks to God for the blessing of Nate that had come into my life.
“Thank You, Dear Lord,” I prayed, “for letting me find such a wonderful man. Thank You for bringing him into my life...”
I felt a touch, and realized that Nate was kneeling beside me. He prayed in silence, but somehow I knew he was also giving thanks, for his father's recovery, for his mother's strength, and maybe even for me.
“Thank You,” I said once more.
Chapter Seven
The Attack
* * * * *
Nate did go to church with us the following morning, and even more people made it a point to meet him. One lady even asked him point blank if he and I were going to be married, and he winked at her conspiratorially. “Shh,” he whispered, “I'm planning to surprise her later today! Don't give me away!”
She smiled broadly and touched his hand as she promised not to tell me, and I fought the urge to laugh, since I was standing right beside him through the whole exchange.
When we were alone, I leaned over and whispered, “A surprise, huh?”
“Shh,” he told me. “It's supposed to be a secret!”
I smiled up at him.
I felt extremely proud to be sitting beside him that morning. One of the things I had always promised myself was that I'd never marry a man who wouldn't go to church with me; I'd seen families in our church like that, where mom and the kids go every Sunday, but the husband and father only shows up on Christmas and Easter, if even then. I didn't want to have a marriage like that. Nate was showing me that he understood and would not be like that, and I was so very proud of him.
The service that morning was good, and Brother Jimmy did a great job. His message, ironically, was on the commitment of marriage, and Nate and I both listened closely, nodding to each other at every point. I was so happy.
Afterward, we spent the day at my house. Dad and Nate played chess while Mom and I made a big family-style dinner, and we sat around and watched movies through the afternoon and evening. It was a wonderful day, and when it finally got close to ten o'clock, I was sad for it to end. Nate and I both had to be at the store bright and early, though, so I walked him to his car and we kissed goodnight.
I was in seventh heaven, so happy I couldn't believe it was all true. I probably floated up the stairs to shower and go to bed, because my heart was so light that I don't think I was heavy enough to keep me on the floor.
Morning came, and we went back to our routine: meeting at the store, going through the motions of training me, having lunch at the office desk together, then slipping out for dinner. The only difference was that we didn't have to go back to work after dinnertime, so we lingered at the restaurant for a couple of hours, then went on home to text each other until it was time to get some sleep. I think that was as normal as our relationship had been, up to that point, and it was cute.
On Tuesday morning, I got in a few minutes before Nate and had set up the coffee and gotten started on the previous night's dailies before he walked in. I noticed that he looked tired, and asked him about it.
“I ended up having to deal with a business issue last night. Nothing to worry yourself over, but it's all part of my job, now.” He kissed me and we got our day started.
I had just gotten into the cash reports from the night before, and was relieved to find that there were no oddities in them. I showed Nate, and he smiled.
“See?” he said. “I told you it would all work out.”
“Yeah, but did we find out where the problem was? Some people might think it suspicious that it started while you were gone, then stopped as soon as you got back. I don't want anyone thinking that of me.”
“Babe, no one will, I guarantee it. The problem is resolved, so just let it go.”
I stared at him. “You found it, didn't you? You know what it was, but you’re not telling me.” I think the hurt I was feeling must have been audible in my voice, because he looked up at me in surprise.
“Katelynn, it's nothing, I promise. Yeah, security figured it out, and it's been handled, but part of the deal was that no one found out what was going on. It's no big deal, seriously.” He smiled, as if that would make everything all right again.
“Nathanael, it is a big deal, to me, it is! I've been worried sick that I was doing something wrong, but what you’re not saying is that someone was stealing money and it was looking like it was me! Now you know who it is,
but you're not telling me? I've got a thief working in my store, but I don't get to know who it is? How is that not a big deal?”
He put down the report he had been looking over and turned his whole attention onto me. “Honey, if it was anything that could affect you in any way, I'd tell you. Yes, someone was playing with the numbers, and we found out who it was. They've been informed that they were found out, and that if it ever happens again, they'll be fired, but part of the agreement was that no one here at your store can be told who it was. We do that sometimes when we think an employee is worth a second chance. The whole thing is sealed, and no one gets to know for sure who it was.”
“But you have an idea, right? You're implying that you don't know for sure, but that only means you think you know. So tell me, so I won't be wondering who I can trust and who I can't.”
“Honey,” he said, shaking his head, “I can't do that. It's the way security handled it, and since I'm the boss, I have to follow the same rules I demand everyone else follow. Now, please, let it go, Babe.”
I stopped. If he wasn't going to tell me, then I'd just have to live with that, but down deep inside, it really bothered me. I couldn't help wondering if I was being left out of the loop because I was involved with him, if that somehow caused me to become a liability in situations like this one.
It hurt to even think that way, but once the thought hit me, there was no way to stop it cycling through my mind. I went back to doing my dailies, and pretended like I was just accepting his admonishment to let it go, but inside, I was boiling with hurt, and guilt and even some anger.
I managed to stop thinking about it after a while, by making sure I stayed busy with other things. We had a couple of loads in, so I spent a good part of the morning making sure every item was added into the computer properly, and then ran my incoming inventory report. It didn't take long, so then I had to find something else to occupy my mind and my time, and I turned to cleaning up some minor messes around the store. I found some dust on several shelves, something that our maintenance guys should have taken care of, but I just went ahead and cleaned it up, rather than complaining to them about it. That carried me through to lunch time, and by then I was pretty much over my little snit, anyway. I'd come to think that maybe there would be other times when there would be things he couldn't tell me, and I didn't want to let little things like that fester and cause us problems, so I forgave him in my heart, and let go of it.
Just in time, too, because he decided it should be a day for lunch out, and we went to Penny's Diner. Penny's is a retro place, like the old diners you see in movies from the forties and fifties, and I love it there. We sat down in one of the old timey booths, and I was back to just basking in the presence of the man I loved!
The rest of the day was good, and I only thought about the earlier situation a few times. I told myself each time that it was nothing, at least not anything that was worth staying upset over. That worked, and when Donna came in at two, I was my usual, happy self. We talked over some things that had happened the night before, while Nate sat by and said nothing, and I noticed that Donna seemed a little subdued when he was around.
I thought about that after she left the office, and couldn't help but wonder if it had been she that they had caught messing with the figures. When I thought it through, I realized that she certainly would have had opportunities, but I hated to think it might be true.
On the other hand, she was a very good worker, and had just been promoted to Assistant Manager; I could see why they might give her a second chance. I came to the conclusion that I was right, and that the company had handled it the right way. If it salvaged a good employee, then I was glad they gave her another chance, and I was sure she wouldn't blow it. With her kids and all, she really needed the job, so she had plenty of motivation not to mess up again.
I put it back out of my mind, and went on through my chores for the rest of the afternoon. When the day ended, Nate and I went to yet another place for dinner, and then he came over to the house to join me and my parents in a game of Monopoly. I couldn't help but wonder how many people had billionaires come over to play games, and was just glad that I was experiencing such a distinction.
Like a good businessman, he soon owned both Park Place and Boardwalk, while I was happy to get a couple of railroads and the Water Company. Dad got a couple of monopolies, red and green, but by that time, Nate had put hotels on both of his and was cleaning us all out. When he got the last of my money just before ten, I playfully threw my remaining deeds at him, which made us all laugh.
Dad wanted to talk to Nate alone for a minute, so Mom and I disappeared into the kitchen. I looked at her.
“Should I be worried about this little talk?” I asked her, and she smiled at me.
“I don't think so,” she said. “Your father just wants to let Nate know how much he thinks of him. It isn't every father whose little girl meets such a good man, you know.”
Her words made me smile back at her, and we puttered around in the kitchen together for a few minutes. She opened a package of cookies while I made us each a cup of hot tea, and when the men called us back in to the living room, we surprised them with the treats. We sat and talked together while we enjoyed them, the four of us, with all of us dunking the cookies into our cups.
And then it was time for Nate to leave again. I walked him out for our nightly kiss, and stood and watched as he drove away. It hit me that I was looking forward to the time when he wouldn't be leaving at all, when he'd be going with me into our bedroom…
I shut down that line of thought; I'm only human, after all, and still capable of getting excited, even if I am unwilling to do anything about it. I went back inside and got ready for bed.
I had just laid down when my phone beeped. I looked at it and saw a message from Nate.
I love you, Katelynn, it said. I answered back, I love you, too.
I went to sleep easily that night.
Wednesday came, and Nate beat me to the office. He was sitting at the desk when I got in, a cup of coffee already waiting for me, fixed just the way I like it. The little touches are what make loving someone more than just good; they make it special and happy, and I smiled as I took the cup.
“We've got some new merchandise coming in today,” he said. “I got a call this morning from the distribution center, they're sending down a load of electronics that we haven't carried before, some video game consoles and even some small computer tablets. You'll need to get them all entered; they faxed down the SKU codes this morning, bright and early. That’s the list on the desk.”
“Cool! Maybe I'll buy a tablet. Do I get the discount yet?”
He smiled at me, and I melted about an inch. “I think we can say you’re past your probation period, so yes. I'll see to it today.”
We got to work, and the morning rushed by. We ate lunch at the desk, again, because there was a lot to get done, and then went right back to it. I wanted all the new items in the computer and on the shelves before Donna came in, and we just made it.
When she arrived, I showed her all the new stuff, but once again she seemed subdued, like something was bothering her. I wanted to tell her I knew, and that I understood, but common sense said that would be a mistake, so I let it slide by. Still, the urge to ask her what was wrong was eating at me all the way up to quitting time.
Nate wanted to go out for the evening, so we ate dinner at a quick Mexican place, then decided to catch a mid-week movie at the Cineplex. We saw something about kids with super powers; the movie wasn't as good as the previews and critics seemed to indicate it was, so we both lost interest early on. Luckily, we were about the only people in the theater, so no one complained at our whispered conversation.
Nate told me about some of his adventures in the Marines, and I found out for the first time that he'd been wounded in Iraq; a sniper had shot him while he and his men were escorting a busload of school kids through a high risk area. He'd made it to shelter, and was able to kill the sniper,
which got him a medal for courage. I was glad he'd gotten his military service over before I'd met him; I didn't think I could stand to have him go back into such situations once we were married.
“Once we were married...” It amazed me how easily those words floated through my mind, lately, and I wondered if he ever thought them. We talked about if we were to get married pretty often, and now and then it seemed that we both considered it to be more of a “when” than an “if,” but I didn't want to jinx anything by asking him out right. I let it go, and just enjoyed being alone with him.
When the movie ended, we drove to my house and sat in the car for a while, still talking. I was trying to think of a way to find out more about what he was feeling, when he suddenly said he needed to go and get some rest, so I kissed him goodnight in the car.
That was almost a mistake, because it turned into the most passionate kiss we'd ever had. I caught myself running a hand inside the neck of his shirt and trying to make the buttons open, and pulled back suddenly. We were both flushed, and I knew I wasn't the only one who had nearly lost control. Holy cow, what that man could do to me!
I leaned over and kissed him again, more chastely this time, and said goodnight. He got out and came around to open my door for me, then walked me to the porch; it was a perfect opportunity for one more goodnight kiss that wouldn't get either of us into trouble, so we grabbed it, and then he walked back to his car and was gone.
The next morning, I got in to find him already there again, and with coffee waiting once more. I told myself I could get used to it, but another part of my mind was already planning for the day I would no longer be working at anything other than being Mrs. Simmons. Then, I'd be the one making his coffee in the mornings, and fixing his breakfast, and doing all the other things a wife does for the man she adores.
We got to work, and things were going along smoothly, but about nine o'clock, Nate's cell phone rang. He glanced at it and scowled, then answered. “Yes?”