by Brent, Tara
“As if I’d miss it,” she said with a laugh.
My dad, Tim, reached for my hand and shook it enthusiastically. “Looks good,” he said, looking around the room. “Much better than last year.”
Last year had been a big fat flop and left the employees feeling under-appreciated, but since we’d made so much profit this year, I wanted to show my thanks to everyone so I’d put in a lot more effort. I was hoping it would pay off and everyone would be happier. I thought it was important to keep staff morale high and to keep everyone invested in their work.
My mom and dad were some of the first to arrive and as I guessed, they immediately set themselves up close to the bar to take advantage of the open bar, saving spaces for Valerie and Roger. I wondered if Samantha would show up. I know that I’d invited her and she had said yes, but what Samantha said and what she did were two very different things. She could be very stubborn if she wanted to be, and considering my track record, I would not be surprised if she had only agreed to shut me up and get rid of me.
Though, I was hoping that was not the case. But I didn’t have time to dwell on it, not when people started to appear. It didn’t take long for the place to fill up. Mostly as everyone started to arrive in groups and I kept my eyes on the entrance, hoping that Sam would show up.
I was shocked when I finally caught sight of her in the crowd and for a moment, I forgot all about who I was talking to and I had to excuse myself. I made a beeline through the crowd to her.
She smiled a little shyly when she saw me, looking a little awkward in the crowd. She looked stunning. I had forgotten how beautiful she was. She looked amazing with her hair swept up and out of her face and her make-up only extenuating her existing beauty. She wore a figure-hugging black dress that showed off all of the best things about her figure: her lovely creamy thighs, the soft curve of her hips and her bust.
“You made it!” I greeted her, feeling genuinely excited to see her. I really hoped that she would enjoy the evening and I found myself hoping to impress her. I was surprised that I was also immediately thinking about what I was wearing and wondering if she thought I looked good too.
“Yep! I came in with my parents and Josh, they’re around here... somewhere,” she replied, looking a little nervous as she looked around as if they had suddenly vanished.
“They’ll be at the bar,” I explained, pointing over to the table they had stolen and sure enough, my parents and her own were sitting down and all talking together animatedly. “See?” I said.
She looked a little more relieved to see that they hadn’t abandoned her. She was never great in large crowds and she was at a disadvantage here considering she only knew her family. It was one of the reasons that I expected her not to turn up.
“You’ve done a great job here, thanks for inviting me. Things must be going really well for you.” She looked around us, admiring the pretty room and she genuinely looked impressed which made me feel satisfied.
Her words made me smile. Things were going amazing for me, but as I stood talking to her, I knew that the thing I was missing the most was her. I had been so stupid to let her go all those years ago.
“Of course I had to invite you, I didn’t want you to feel left out, and it’s been so long since we saw each other,” I replied with a smile, before taking her arm and walking with her over to the bar. “Drink?” I asked her, grabbing one of the many glasses of pre-poured champagne and handing it to her.
“Thanks,” she said, taking it and having a sip. She looked at me with a surprised look which made me smile. “This... actually tastes nice,” she elaborated, “I’m used to it tasting a bit more...” She paused, trying to think of the word.
“Cheap?” I finished for her with a grin.
“Well, yeah,” she said with a small giggle.
I was pleased because it seemed to break the ice a little more between us. “Look, Sam, I really appreciate you coming here tonight and giving me a chance. If I’m being honest, I didn’t really expect you to come, but I’m glad you did.”
She looked up at me but then glanced away. “We have so much to talk about, it’s so hard to know where to start,” she replied, looking at me unsurely. I didn’t blame her, I didn’t know either. “But I figured that we had to start somewhere and why not tonight? You made the first step and extended the olive branch, if you will, so I knew I had to meet you half-way. I’m not a silly kid anymore so...” she trailed off, her cheeks pink. I appreciated her being so honest with me.
“I know,” I said, laying a comforting hand on her arm, “Let’s just enjoy ourselves for now, then we can talk later, ok?” I promised her, and I meant it. There would be plenty of opportunities for us to find a quiet place to have a chat later. “I have to make some rounds and I have a few things to do, but once I’m finished, I’ll be yours all night.”
“Okay,” she agreed with a smile. “It isn’t really very often I go out, so... thanks for this.”
It was at that moment that my parents appeared at my side again.
“Samantha!” my mom cooed holding out her arms in amazement and then immediately pulling her into a hug like she was a long lost friend. “Look at you! I bet you’re so pleased to be home. We’ve all missed you so much! I heard you graduated top of your class at Yale!” she exclaimed, sounding very impressed.
I turned and looked at her shocked. She had? I hadn’t known that! That was pretty impressive to be fair. Wow, she must have really buckled down since I knew her years ago. But that was Sam all over. I knew she could do anything that she put her mind to. She had always been very intelligent and wasn’t afraid of some hard work. Samantha never backed away from a challenge.
“Oh, well thank you!” she replied with a stunning smile. “I would be lying if I said it was easy, I worked really hard!”
“Oh, well done, darling, I know your mom is so proud. Now you don’t be shy now, don’t let this idiot keep you away,” she said, gesturing at me.
I scoffed. “Mom! I’m not that bad!” I said, though I knew deep down that was a complete lie - if my own mom knew what I’d put Samantha through she would likely disown me.
“Oh, you know I’m only kidding, honey,” she said, but she looked at Samantha like she meant otherwise and let out a laugh.
I knew she meant no harm, she had just drunk a little too much already. “Thanks, mom,” I replied but I was smiling.
“You come visit any time! My home is always open to you, Sam!” my mom continued. “I still do a reading group on a Monday evening, you pop around if you fancy it.”
“Thank you!” Samantha replied. “I might just do that. I’m still a huge reader.”
“You always were, I remember you always had a book in your hand as a child.” She smiled fondly at her. “Anyway, it’s so lovely to see you, dear, you have fun tonight and you make sure he looks after you.”
“Of course, Anne, I will!” she agreed.
And in my mind, I agreed too. I would.
It was then that everyone started moving as the staff led everyone out of the main ballroom and into the dining room. Unsurely, I held my arm out to Samantha and to my surprise, she took it.
I guided her to the table at the front where we would be sitting. I pulled the chair out for her and she sat comfortably. At the table were our families. After all, we were a family company and we all worked together.
When everyone settled, drinks were poured in wine glasses and before things got too rowdy, I stood to address the room with Josh.
We walked to the front of the room where there was a microphone set up and already prepared for our speeches. There were so many people here tonight that I knew it would be a struggle for them to all hear me.
“Hey, everyone, before we all get a little too merry, Josh and I just want to thank everyone for all their hard work this year,” I said with a smile. There was a huge round of applause and I realized people must have already started drinking. It brought a smile to my face. “We’ve got a few special surprises for you all, so I
hope you guys like it. Then we’ll get out of your way and you can get back to your evening.”
“So, firstly we want to thank our lovely parents, Roger and Valerie,” Josh continued from where he stood next to me, gesturing to his own mom and dad, “and Tim and Anne, of who this company would not be possible without.”
To everyone’s surprise, from behind a curtain, two girls appeared holding two massive bouquets of flowers that were handed over to both Valerie and Anne. The two women’s mouths dropped open and they looked genuinely surprised. Tim and Roger were handed two large shiny envelopes before the girls disappeared. Unknown to our parents, inside was a weekend getaway for the four of them.
There was a round of applause from everyone and I took pleasure in watching my mom admire the flowers. I loved that she had not expected it. She looked completely stunned, and the flowers were almost as big as she was, she looked so, so happy.
Once everyone calmed down a little again, I addressed the room again. “You all know that Josh and I are useless without you all. So it’s not only the bank of mom and dad who are getting the office benefits,” I joked. “I want to thank you, our staff.”
“I want to thank Paul and Jeff from Sander’s Construction for always helping us with the most bizarre of requests...” There was a large cheer from a table across the room.
“I see you guys have found the bar,” I joked and everyone laughed.
“But guys, seriously, thanks, we have some treats here for you, so we hope you enjoy!” At Josh’s words, large silver envelopes were handed over to the men. Curiously, they opened them, cheered again, expressing their surprise and thanks.
“We’d also like to thank all the girls from Debra’s Maids for keeping our properties spick and span, and for cleaning up the mess that Josh makes of the office—”
“Hey! Cheeky...” Josh trailed off, realizing that he didn’t want to swear while he was in reach of his mom smacking him.
I laughed. “So, thank you, girls, we’d be lost without you!”
There was more flowers and envelopes handed all around and Josh and I continued our thanks until everyone in the room had been addressed. We had thought long and hard on how to show everyone our appreciation, but really, what the staff always wanted was time off to spend with their kids and more money. So in the end, that’s what we decided to give them as well as providing days out for their kids.
“So, what we’re trying to say here, is that in one way, we are all one giant family and we hope you know how much we appreciate you all. We’d also like to announce that everyone is getting an extra two paid holidays to take in the New Year, and you’ll all be receiving a Christmas bonus.”
I grinned as there were cheers from around the room.
“So now the sensible bits are out of the way... Right, now... let’s get drunk!” Josh yelled and everyone laughed and clapped and we finally sat down as the first courses of their meal started to arrive.
Chapter Fifteen
Samantha
I couldn’t believe what I’d just witnessed. I couldn’t stop smiling. This was not the Rick that I had known three years ago. He was most definitely not the same selfish man who I had left behind. When I’d left, he had been so focused on money, and now he was sharing it out so willingly with his employees.
He seemed like he had grown into a good boss. He seemed like a good person.
“Wow, you must have had a good business year,” I commented as Rick settled back down next to me.
Some type of quiche was served to me with a salad and honestly, it looked delicious and it smelled amazing. Apparently, it was a caramelized onion and goat cheese tart - well, whatever it was, I immediately tucked in and let out a hum of satisfaction. I was right, it was delightful and my stomach growled loudly as I started to eat. I realized that I had forgotten to eat that evening, something that I did far too often.
“It’s been a great year,” my dad said. “Josh, tell Sam about your idea!”
Josh looked towards me and then back to my dad. “Oh, yeah, I didn’t tell you. We’ve actually just bought some new land so we’re actually going to be designing some family homes,” Josh supplied and my eyebrows raised.
“Wow, that’s pretty impressive. Is it in town still?” I asked, thinking about where there was enough land to build more homes.
“It’s actually just along the outskirts. We thought it would be a good location for families, we are hoping to build a park there as well and it should have transport links to the local schools – we spoke to City Hall about it and they’ve given us the okay!”
I could hardly believe that they had come so far in the last three years. Ever since our family all joined together and Rick invested in Josh’s business idea and opened their business, things seemed to have really set off for them. I mean, my mom and dad had always been very comfortable buying and redoing houses, but they’d just taken it to the next level. With more staff meant more income and I guessed things had just moved from there. I hadn’t really known what happened exactly, I’d had more important things to focus on – namely cracking on at college and hiding
my giant beach ball stomach from my new classmates for a long as possible. I didn’t want anyone thinking that I was a whore.
“Well, it’s certainly exciting. Rick is more interested in buying that old block of apartments over the other side of town, though.”
My brows furrowed together as I looked at him. “Spicer Place? Really? Why?” I asked as I knew which apartments he meant, they were an eye- sore and looked like they needed knocking down. Spicer Place was dirty and creepy and a lot of people avoided going there.
“Well, most of the families that live there have children or are vulnerable people,” he explained. “The apartments are all in disrepair and the landlords just don’t have the funds to do the type of repairs needed. I went to view a few of them but they’re all covered in damp and there are mice everywhere. Flooring needs replacing, walls need knocking down... not to mention the surface repair on the outside.”
“It sounds like they’re falling apart,” I commented. “That would be a huge job.”
“Yeah, you have no idea. Just even securing the place properly will cost a fortune. Elevators are broken, the car park’s a mess and there’s nowhere safe for the kids to play. The way it is at the moment is just not liveable.”
It sounded awful. “Makes you feel bad for the people stuck there,” I admitted. It made me think about what situation I would be in if I didn’t have my parents, if Josh wasn’t so well off. Without my family, I’d probably be one of those women – a single mom living pay check to pay check and just trying to do my best for my child. It really made my heart ache. It was so close to home for me.
“Yes, exactly. No-one deserves to live like that. And it’s not like the people who live there can just up and leave. So, I’ve been thinking about it for a few months but I want to start a project to repair them all and get them all up to scratch again. The rent on them is so high and it’s hardly affordable to the kind of people who live there. I think I’m gonna buy them all out and then provide them for the people who need them the most at a discounted cost.”
My eyes widened. It was not what I had expected to hear. I had guessed he would buy them, but I hadn’t thought that he’d discount them because he would probably get a decent sum of money every month from them. There were over a hundred there and some were as expensive as nine hundred dollars a month for the three bedrooms.
“Oh, wow, that’s amazing!” I exclaimed. I was shocked that Rick would even care about something like that. Immediately, it made my heart feel warm and there were the first tell-tale signs of attraction from his words. Either that or the champagne was already going to my head, though I doubted it – I’d only had half a glass so far.
He cares about needy families. Has he really changed that much? Should I give him a chance?
I was hopeful. From what he was saying, he sounded so different. He was like the same Rick but w
ith life experience. Someone who understood the difficulties in life, despite never facing them, and using his own good luck and fortune to help others. It was a wonderful thing to do.
“That’s a really nice thing to do, Rick,” I told him because there was no way I could keep quiet about such a lovely gesture. I was sure that there was profit in there somewhere, but I knew he was doing a wonderful thing. “Those poor kids will appreciate it so much. It will make such a difference in their lives.”
“I’m hoping so,” he agreed, looking a little bashful and giving me a stunning smile.
“Yeah, with how well we’ve done on our other projects, it means we can relocate the funds a little to where they’re needed. It’s good to give back to the community. It’s not like I need the money, what am I gonna do with it? Buy another Jag? Boring,” he said with a grin.
Rick sighed as he tucked into his food. Enjoying the meal as much as I was. The two of us ate for a few moments, distracted by good food.
My heart was hammering in my chest. I hadn’t expected this. I’d expected to come here tonight, realize that he was the same old asshole, and then head home to cry on Andrew’s shoulder, but so far, Rick had been so lovely. It made my palms sweat and I hoped it wasn’t obvious to him how much he was affecting me. Everything he had done was perfect, more than perfect. How was I supposed to be mad at him when he was acting like this? It would make me the asshole, not him!
“That’s quite honorable,” I said in the end, staring at my plate and trying to focus my attention on that. My cheeks were growing warm betraying me. There was something sexy about him caring so much, about him wanting to help. It made him seem very honorable indeed.
“Not really,” he replied, “someone’s got to do it. It’s a crime to let them all get ripped off, you know?”
I thought about my own dingy little apartment that me and Benny had lived in - freezing cold and tiny, falling apart, and I’d had no choice but to live there - we had nowhere else to go. I understood how hard it was, and the fact that Rick was attempting to make life easy for people like me was amazing.