Earning Yancy (6 page)

Later that night,
after Carolena was asleep, I stretched out on my bed to watch some television but couldn’t find anything that held my attention. Instead, my mind was back in Charles’ office and the moments just before Kathy called me. Remembering the look in his eyes made my legs tremble despite the fact that I was lying down.

It seemed as though my attraction wasn’t completely one-sided after all, which was even more disconcerting than when I thought my crush was unrequited. My uncertainty had doubled. Like any woman who had been burned before, I was torn between protecting my heart and going after what I wanted. What would I say if he asked me out? Was I getting ahead of myself? Considering what I thought of him for the first month I knew him, how could I even be considering this?

Realizing I was obsessing, I rolled my eyes. I allowed my mind to go off on a ridiculous tangent.

My cell phone rang, jerking me out of my circular thoughts. I grabbed it from the night stand and almost dropped it when I saw who was calling. It was as if he knew I was thinking about him.

I took a deep breath and answered. “Hello?”

“Hi, Yancy. This is Charles. Are you busy?”

I plucked at some of the decorative stitching on my comforter. “No, just watching some TV.”

“How’s your daughter?”

My heart melted a little at his question. He sounded genuinely interested.

“She’s doing okay, sleeping now. If the fever doesn’t break tomorrow, I’ll have to take her to the doctor.”

He paused. “I hope she’s better by then.”

“Thanks.”

There was another pause, this one longer. I started to say something, anything, to fill the silence, but bit my tongue just in time.

“Look, Yancy, I realize this may be forward, but would you like to have lunch with me next week?”

I hesitated. I wasn’t sure what to say. I’d just been obsessing over this very situation when he called and I still didn’t have an answer. The rational part of my brain that typically did my thinking for me took a huge step back, leaving my wayward hormones in charge.

“Sure, that sounds nice.” What in the hell was I saying? What happened to my vow that I would never get involved in an office romance?

Before I could stammer out an excuse to rescind my acceptance, he said, “Great. How about Monday?”

Against my better judgment, I told him I would see him in the atrium at noon and disconnected. Immediately, I texted Tanya, freaking out. I had to figure out a way to cancel the date without seeming like a complete flake.

Me:
I have a lunch date on Monday.

Tanya:
WHAT?!?!

I laughed at her response and filled her in on my short conversation with Charles and my plan to get out of it.

Tanya:
U work fast. And don’t u dare cancel. I will track him down and invite him to lunch with the girls so u can have a first date with all of us as witnesses.

I shook my head and typed,
You wouldn’t.

Tanya:
Try me.

I sent her two letters:
F U

Our conversation deteriorated to adolescent banter before she told me she had work to do and we said good night. I turned off the TV and stared at the ceiling. For the first time in over a year, I wasn’t sure what I was doing. I preferred to have a list, a plan, and then take steps to implement it. I liked structure and order in all aspects of my life, most especially when it came to dating. I wasn’t as gregarious and outgoing as Lucy nor as polished and sophisticated as Tanya. I needed to analyze the situation before I took a risk.

I sighed. The one time I hadn’t followed my nature was when I threw myself headlong into a relationship with Cooper, and it hadn’t panned out so well. I was happy that I had my daughter, but I also had an enormous amount of doubt and bruised self-confidence after Coop left.

I decided that taking things slowly with Charles was my only option. Maybe one lunch wouldn’t hurt.

T
he next day,
Carolena woke up at 5:30 a.m., crying, and her fever was even higher than last night. I left a message on Judith’s voicemail that I would be unavailable for the day and called Carolena’s doctor as soon as the office opened.

After her doctor’s appointment, I had Carolena back home and cuddled in bed with me as soon as we finished lunch. She was napping fitfully and I could hear how congested she was every time she sucked in a breath. While this wasn’t her first cold, it still frightened me to hear her breathing so labored.

Around three, my phone buzzed on the nightstand and I glanced at the screen. Charles was calling. I slipped from the bed as quietly as possible and answered the call.

“Hi, Yancy. I hate to bother you, but Judith asked me review all of Darla’s reports from the last year. Several are in hard copy only and I can’t find them. Would you mind if I looked in your office?”

I appreciated that Charles had the courtesy to ask before he went through my office, but he wouldn’t have any luck finding the reports since they were here. I had brought them home from work a few weeks before to familiarize myself with the information. Though Darla and I usually worked together, there were a few smaller projects that she handled alone. When Judith hired Charles, she told me I should review the reports in case the new supervisor needed assistance. I’d forgotten to return them.

I sighed. “They’re not there. I have them here at home. Judith asked me to go over the reports before you were hired in case you needed help.” I’d called Kathy and asked her not to come today since Carolena was ill and I wasn’t working. “I’m so sorry, but I can’t bring them by the office today, I don’t have a sitter for Carolena. What about tomorrow?”

“I understand. Judith said you live in Plano. Is that right?”

I hesitated. “Yes.”

“Where in Plano? I might be able to pick them up.”

I gave him my address and the general vicinity.

“You live about ten minutes from my condo. Do you mind if I stop by after work tonight to pick up the files?”

“S-sure,” I stuttered.

“Great. Is it okay if I drop by around 7:30? I have a lot to do today and I don’t think I can get there any earlier.”

“Okay.”

“See you then,” he said before he hung up.

Dazed over what just happened, I stared at my phone until Carolena started to fuss in her sleep. I went back to the bed and laid down next to my daughter, placing a hand on her back to calm her. I stared at the wall, thinking about my short conversation with Charles. He seemed completely different.

After our heated disagreement a couple of weeks ago, his attitude towards me had changed drastically and I couldn’t understand why. He’d gone from distant and unable to remember my name to warm and friendly. No wonder I was so conflicted and confused about my attraction to him.

Before I realized it, I drifted off to sleep.

Four hours later,
I poured myself a large glass of wine and blew out a huge breath. Carolena was upstairs, finally calm and asleep in her crib. The last few hours had been rough.

When she woke from her nap about an hour after my phone call with Charles, she was not in the best of moods. Cranky and congested, my sweet little girl became something else entirely and I think that
something else
shared DNA with Lucifer. She cried and screamed as I cleared out the mucus in her nose, and then she proceeded to spit her dose of ibuprofen all over me. I managed to get her to eat a little soup for dinner before she tossed her bowl on me. I decided to give us both a shower, hoping the steam would help her congestion.

It seemed to calm her. Finally, at seven, I gave her a sippy cup of milk, brushed her teeth, and rocked with her in the glider that still sat in the corner of her room. I knew it wouldn’t be long until I wouldn’t need it any longer and it made moments like these bittersweet.

Carolena finally fell asleep around 7:20, which was early for her, but I knew she needed the rest. After I put her in the crib, I didn’t bother to take the extra five minutes I had to primp in the bathroom, even though Charles was stopping by. I didn’t have the energy. All I wanted was a glass of wine and a few hours of mindless entertainment in front of the television before I went to bed.

I was in my kitchen, pouring white wine into the biggest glass I could find, when my phone vibrated. It was Charles, texting to let me know he was in front of my house. I walked to the front door and opened it to find him standing on my porch, hands in his pockets. He’d ditched his suit coat and tie, his sleeves were rolled up, and the top button on his shirt was undone. He looked good. Too good.

I was suddenly aware that I was wearing a pair of yoga pants, a t-shirt, and my hair was pulled back in a stubby ponytail. Needless to say, I was not looking my best. I intended to get him out of here as soon as possible.

“Hey,” I said. “Thanks for texting me instead of ringing the doorbell. I really appreciate it since Carolena just went to sleep.” I stepped back from the door to grab the files and, when I turned back, Charles was inside the house, shutting the door behind him.

He looked around, taking in the pictures hanging on the walls and the rug I had paid a small fortune for on the floor. “Your house is very nice.”

“Thanks.” I tried to hold the reports out to him, hoping he would get the hint, but he kept his hands in his pockets.

He turned those blue-green eyes to me. “How’s your daughter?”

With a sigh, I dropped the reports back on the table. “She’s doing better. We had a rough evening, but she’s sleeping now.”

He nodded. “That’s good.” He still made no move to take the files.

I crossed my arms over my chest, wondering what in the hell was going on in his head. And men say women are confusing? Obviously, he was stalling, but I wasn’t sure why.

“What’s going on here?” I asked bluntly.

Charles blinked at me. “I’m sorry?”

“Two weeks ago, you could barely remember my name, and now you’re in my house, acting as though you want to stay a while.”

Instead of taking offense, which I expected, he laughed. Eyes twinkling, he stepped a little closer. “You have a feisty streak.”

When he didn’t say anything else, I made a
get on with it
gesture. “And?”

Smiling, he shook his head. “And nothing. I kinda like it.”

Since he didn’t seem interested in responding to my statement, I decided to continue with my borderline rude behavior. I never behaved this way, so it was more than a little refreshing to say whatever was on my mind. “Okay, what will it take to get you out of here, because all I want is the glass of wine sitting on my kitchen counter and to watch
The Vampire Diaries
.”

“A beer sounds great and I’d love to see the rest of your house, thanks for the invitation. And nothing is happening here, I’m just curious.”

“Curious about what?”

“You.”

I rolled my eyes. “You’re twisted.” I turned and headed toward the kitchen, calling over my shoulder, “Follow me.”

I led him through the dining room. “This is the fabulous formal dining room. No one eats in here.” He chuckled as we continued to the kitchen. “And this is the kitchen-slash-breakfast nook.”

As I got him an IPA out of the fridge, he looked around my kitchen. I knew it was awesome because it was the main reason I’d bought this house. White quartz countertops, maple stained cabinets, and light green walls made the space seem warm and inviting. It also didn’t hurt that the kitchen was enormous. I loved it. I just hated that I didn’t get to cook as often as I wanted.

“This is great,” he said.

I popped the top on his beer before handing it to him and grabbed my wine, taking a large sip. “Tour’s not over yet.”

I guided him through the other entrance to the kitchen, which led into the spacious family room. The home once had a separate den and front parlor, but the previous owners knocked out the wall that separated the two, making a huge family room. I created a small reading nook at the front of the room, with cozy chairs, bookshelves and a couple of reading lamps.