Entering the main gate, she was surprised to see a chauffeured car sitting off to the side. She wondered what was up with that. Misha came out the front door, smiling, and waved to her.
“Ah, there you are, sweetie. Come inside, we have something important for you.”
Jessica’s brow wrinkled.
For me?
Am I being considered for a scholarship or maybe even an internship? Oh, wouldn’t that just be the silliest thing ever? Come to think of it, it would be the perfect way to get back to America, and re-claim my old life. So, what the heck, I’ll see what it’s all about. Besides, if I don’t, well, I know what I’ll get!
She followed Misha inside, and then went into the classroom. It was empty now, and Misha moved to Viktor’s desk, picked up a small bag, and handed it to Jessica. Opening it, she found clothes, some very nice ones.
“These are for you, sweetie. I’ll step outside now, and when you’re dressed, you open the door, okay?”
“Ahhh, okay, ma’am,” she replied, totally confused.
Misha left, and Jessica peeled off her clothes and got dressed. As she finished, she was truly amazed at how she looked. She was practically her old self! Now she had another mystery to ponder: why in the world would Misha give her a truly adult set of clothing? Crossing to the door, she threw it open.
“Ma’am, what in the world is…?” Her jaw dropped as she saw who was waiting outside. Misha and Viktor were there, and so was Kelly. “Wha-wha-wha…?”
They entered, and Kelly embraced her.
“It’s good to see you, Jessica. I hope things haven’t too traumatic for you here.”
“Kelly, how… you… why… how…?”
Viktor grinned. “Searching for a handle on the moment again, Jessica?”
“Huh?”
Kelly couldn’t help herself, she giggled, and then launched into an explanation of what had happened to Jessica over the last several months. When Jessica saw her old iPad, she cringed.
“Oy, my journal. You read it, didn’t you?”
“We all did,” Misha volunteered. “It might just as well have been sub-titled: ‘Jessica’s Naughty List,’ wouldn’t you say?”
Jessica hung her head in shame for a moment. “Yes, I suppose my acts against others have been considerable. Wait, so, you both knew right from the start who I was?”
Viktor and Misha nodded, and then it was their turn to hang their heads.
“We are so very sorry, Jessica,” Viktor said. “We felt terrible lying to you, and forcing you to live a lie, but… well, we felt it was…”
“Justified?” she said, and they both nodded. “Yes, I suppose it was, and I forgive you. I was a truly terrible person back then, and a taste of old-fashioned discipline was definitely called for. So, Kelly, are you here to take me home?”
Kelly moved to the door and put her hand on the handle. “Well, sort of. There’s someone I want you to, ahhh, how should I put this—get reacquainted with?”
She opened the door, and Jessica gasped.
“D-D-Drew, what are you doing here?” she stammered.
Kelly gestured to Misha and Viktor, and then stepped out while Drew came in.
“We’ll leave you two alone to talk,” Kelly said, smiling as she left, closing the door behind her.
“It’s great to see you again, Jessica, I’ve missed you so much.”
She couldn’t help herself; she threw herself into his arms. He felt so very,
very
good. He was as tall as she remembered; her head just barely came up to the center of his chest, and his long strong arms felt comforting around her. For a few minutes, they just stayed like that, lost in each other’s embrace, lost in time. Then, Jessica’s memory and conscience kicked in, and she broke free of his hug.
“Drew, as much as I lov—I’m glad to see you, I have to ask again: what are you doing here?”
He smiled, and she felt herself drawn to his warm blue-grey eyes. He always did have the sweetest smile, the most beautiful eyes, and the firmest build of any man she’d ever known.
“Surprised to see me? After all, I did leave the department rather abruptly, didn’t I?”
Jessica cringed. That was putting it mildly. She’d played so many pranks and jokes on him, made him a laughingstock among the staff to the point where no one respected him. Why had she done it? She didn’t need to ask that question; she knew the answer. It was because she’d loved,
she loved
, him, and she saw love as a weakness.
“Love is for the weak, power is for the strong.” That’s what she always said. That was her guiding creed. It was what her father had taught her. He had always been a cold and distant man. Growing up, she couldn’t recall a single instant of him holding her, kissing her, tucking her in at night, or even hugging her.
“Drew, there’s no possible way you can ever forgive me for what I’ve done to you. So, why are you here?”
“Don’t be telling me who I can and can’t forgive, young lady,” he said, rubbing her cheek with the back of his fingers. “I’m here for one simple reason: I love you, Jessica. I always have, and I always will. Kelly called me and explained everything, and asked me to come with her to see you. We have a proposal to put before you.”
“Proposal, what are you talking about?”
“Here’s the deal, little sweetie, Misha and Viktor feel that you’ve truly changed, and—”
“I have, I have!”
Drew frowned, just a bit. “Jessica Nicole Alban, don’t you interrupt,” he scolded.
“Sorry,” she squeaked.
“Better. Kelly agrees with them, and wants to offer you a chance at getting your old life back.”
“Really? I… ahhh, well, but what if I don’t want it back?”
He grinned. “Finding the simple life here to be quite fulfilling, eh? Well, here’s what she’s offering, Jessica: you’ll be in charge of the new resort, complete control, with one tiny addendum—you’ll be under
my
control.”
“Wha…? But you transferred to the Chicago office. Are you back?”
Drew nodded. “Yes, and Kelly has appointed me your boss. I’ll have final say on all you do, but—beyond that—the place is yours. If you do well with it, and I agree that you’re qualified, when Kelly retires, you’ll get her position. How’s that sound?”
Jessica couldn’t believe what she was hearing; it was better than she could have ever hoped for. This was it, her dream coming true, and yet, now she didn’t want it. She loved her life here, and she wanted to stay. And she wanted something else.
Drew.
It took a moment for her to catch her breath and think, and then she spoke. “It’s a wonderful offer, Drew, and I guess I’d be crazy to ignore it, but might I offer a counter-proposal?”
“Of course.”
“I’m more than willing to take care of the resort, and I’ll do the best job you can imagine, but I don’t ever want Kelly’s job. This place, this town, it’s now my home, and I want to stay here and take care of it. The girls’ home needs a lot of things, and I want to see to it that they get them. And then there’s my friend Iva, she deserves special attention. If Kelly will give me the authority to do what I can for the home and Iva, I’ll agree to everything else.”
Drew was clearly taken aback. “Wow, sweetie, I never thought I’d hear you pass up a major promotion.”
“Well, that’s not all you’re going to hear from me, there’s one thing more,” she replied, getting down on one knee before him. “I know this isn’t strictly ‘regulation,’ but Drew, will you marry me?”
“Hey, I’m the one who’s supposed to ask that,” he replied with a grin, and lifted her to her feet.
“I know, I just couldn’t help myself. And, now that I think of it, I shouldn’t have asked.”
“Oh, changing your mind already, eh?”
Jessica smiled. “No, it’s not that. I… I’m not worthy of you, Drew.”
“Why do you say that?” he said, concern clear in his voice.
She shook her head. “The wrongs I’ve committed against you are beyond mere forgiveness. I-I must do something to truly atone for what I’ve done to you.”
“I see. Well, what do you propose?”
“It’s clear I still need control and direction, and not just at work. Let’s live together here in town, while we work on the resort. At work and out about town, we’ll be boss and… what, ‘assistant’?”
He nodded. “Yeah, that’ll work. You can be my executive assistant.”
“Great! But, at home, it’ll be a different matter.”
“Oh, in what way?”
Jessica chewed her lip and paced before him. “Well… you remember back when we were dating, and you asked me about my fantasies?”
Drew’s eyes darted back and forth. “Ahhh, yeah. But what’s that got to do with what we’re talking about?”
“I’m getting to that. I told you I didn’t have any, which was a lie. Drew, the one thing I wanted more than anything else in life was to have an old-fashioned father/daughter relationship. I never had that. Then, when I was brought here, I got just the sort of love and care—and discipline—I’ve always needed. The stresses of work are sometimes… well, overwhelming. Not being plagued by them here was a true delight. I’ve never felt better!”
“I can believe it, and you look fantastic, baby. You positively glow,” he said with a smile.
“Thank you,” she squeaked, grinning from ear to ear. “So, when we’re at home, how about you be my father in all things and I’ll be your daughter? You okay with that?”
“Oh, some sort of age-play scenario, eh? Yeah, I like that. No, I love it! The idea of being able to take care of you sounds great. Ahhh, wait a minute, just how… fatherly am I to be? I mean, is this to be a purely platonic relationship?”
Jessica laughed. “I said I wanted love and care, I didn’t say I wanted to live in a convent!”
“Okay, just checking.”
Hugging him, she reached over and picked up her iPad. “There’s just one more thing, darling, this. It pretty much lists all the horrible things I did to you—and others—since I joined the company. Loath as I am to admit it, I do think punishment is called for.”
“I see. Okay, tell you what, once we get settled into our new place, we’ll work out a ‘payment plan’ for dealing with each and every act.”
Jessica swallowed hard. “Yes, Drew.”
“Kelly, come on in,” he called out.
Jessica jumped in surprise, and a moment later Kelly, Misha, and Viktor came back in to talk over logistics. Drew and Jessica would get a small place in town. As far as anyone in the village was concerned, they were coming to town to work on the new resort. Misha and Viktor would announce that Anya had been awarded a scholarship and was moving to America to attend college.
“Wait a minute,” Jessica said, thinking for a moment. “Ahhh, I know this is going to sound strange, but I can’t leave with you two now. How would it look if Anya just up and disappeared? Iva and the girls would be very upset! I have to say good-bye to them.”
Kelly slowly nodded. “Good point. What do you suggest?”
“You two go back to the inn. Viktor and Misha will announce at dinner about me leaving. In a couple of days, they can bring me to the inn, and I’ll change into my ‘big girl’ clothes.”
Drew smiled and kissed Jessica’s cheek. “That’s very sweet of you, baby. The old you never would have been so considerate of her friends.”
“The old me never had such good friends!” she replied, and hugged him.
They all agreed, and then Jessica changed back into her little girl clothes.
That night, sitting down to dinner, the announcement was made. While sad to see her leave, the girls were all happy to hear about Anya. So, they held an impromptu party after dinner—the cooks even baked a cake. Jessica couldn’t help herself—she not only had fun, she felt real sadness at saying good-bye.
* * *
It took a couple of days, but everything was finally ready. When Jessica packed up and headed out to the car, she couldn’t hold back the tears. All the girls hugged her over and over, and Iva squeezed her and lifted her in the air as if she were a ragdoll.
“Don’t you worry, Iva, I’ll be fine, and I’m sure you will too.”
“I know,” she squeaked, wiping away the tears—again.
After that, Viktor drove her away, and Misha led the girls back inside the house. After making the turn for the station, he made a sharp right, and soon they were pulling up to the back door of the inn. Once inside, it was up to Kelly’s room, and she once again melted into Drew’s arms.
“All right, all right, you two,” Kelly said, pulling them apart. “You’ll have plenty of time for that mushy stuff later. Jessica, you have your first meeting with your team tomorrow at nine. Once you’re dressed, you and Drew can head over to your new place.”
She smiled. “I can’t wait.”
Chapter Thirteen
A couple of hours later, they were ready to go. Kelly had brought Jessica’s bag from Prague, so she had her complete wardrobe and toiletries. She was a little nervous when they came down the stairs. She wondered if Sergio recognized her. As it turned out, no, he didn’t. He looked right at her, as she and Drew walked out arm in arm, and wished her a pleasant day. She was amazed. But, as Drew pointed out, she was in a smart-looking adult outfit, full makeup, and her padded bra.
She didn’t look anything like little Anya.
Viktor drove Kelly to the train station, and Drew used the company car to drive them to their new home. Jessica couldn’t help herself; she bounced in her seat like a little girl excited to see Disney World.
The drive wasn’t long, but it was outside of town. Drew had found a cute little stone cottage out near an open field. The house sat nestled under a huge oak tree, ringed by a simple wood fence, and lovely flowerbeds sat on either side of the stone walkway that led up to the front door. Drew parked next to the house; they grabbed their bags, and headed inside.
“Oh, Drew, it’s adorable,” she squeaked, stopping in the small atrium.
“I thought you’d like it, baby,” he said, closing the door behind him. “But you need to start getting in the habit of calling me ‘Daddy.’ Remember, inside this house, that’s what I am. So, it’s ‘Daddy’ or ‘sir.’ Is that clear?”
She nodded. “Yes, sir. So, where are the bedrooms?”
He gestured at the narrow stairs in front of them. “Right up those. Bathroom is at the top of the stairs. My room is to the right, yours is to the left. There’s a third bedroom next to yours, and that’ll be your home office. Given how much work we’re going to be doing, I realized that you’d have to have one spot in here where you could be a big girl. Agreed?”