Authors: E. L. Todd
3
Nancy was about to leave for school when her phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Hey, kiddo. I left some papers on my desk in the office. Could you grab them for me and swing by the hotel?”
She looked at her watch. If she went to her father, she would miss her first class. Unable to say no, she agreed.
“Yeah. Where are they?”
“They’re
in a pile in the right hand corner. It’s in a yellow folder. You can’t miss it.”
She walked down the hall until she entered the room. After she shoved away a few papers, she found it.
“Got it.”
“Thanks. See you soon.” He hung up.
She placed the phone in her pocket then opened the folder. It was a spreadsheet of the overhead of the hotel, the expenses, the wages, the insurance, everything related to the finances. When she flipped through the pages, she saw the hourly wages of his employees. Seeing the ridiculously low number made her stomach turn. She didn’t understand how the employees even lived off the salaries. What made her feel worse was the rest of the paperwork. It was clear he would be laying off workers to save money. Her father made half a billion dollars every year. It pissed her off that he wasn’t more generous with his money. She sighed then left the house, setting the alarm before she went to the hotel.
Nancy pulled up to the front then approached the entrance.
“Hey, Nancy,” Tommy said from behind the counter.
“Hey,” she said with a smile. “How are you?”
“Good, good. You?”
“I’m great.
Just heading to school. How’s Tina and the kids?”
“Scotty just turned two.”
Nancy smiled. “He’s two? Wow. Do you have pictures?”
“Yeah.”
He pulled out his phone and showed them to her. “Here he is with his mother.”
“He’s so adorable.”
“Thank you. Thankfully, he got his looks from his mother.”
Nancy laughed.
“And the other baby?”
“Natalie? She’s a little terror. She hoards her mommy all the time. I can barely get in a kiss.”
“At least you won’t have any more kids.”
Tommy laughed. “Good point.”
“Tommy!”
Nancy and Tommy both looked up to see her father glaring at him. Nancy had never seen him snap like that before. Steam was coming out of his ears.
“If using your phone is so important, perhaps you should find another job.”
Tommy put his phone back in his pocket. “I’m sorry, Mr. Erikson. It won’t happen again.”
Her father continued to glare at him.
“Dad, it was my fault. I asked him to show me pictures of his kids.”
He didn’t look at me. “It doesn’t matter. He knows better. Perhaps you should take the day off, Tommy.”
“Dad!
It was my fault.”
Tommy started to panic. “I’m so sorry, sir. I need this job. Please.”
Her father stepped forward, raising his hand and pointing at his chest.
Nancy felt the tears bubble under her eyes. She couldn’t let Tommy get fired becau
se of her. She refused to let that happen. “Dad, please. I’m begging you.”
When he heard her sniff, he finally looked at her. “Nancy—”
“Please don’t. It was my fault. Leave him alone.”
A couple walked inside with their
suitcases in tow. Their presence seemed to still her father’s voice. He grabbed her hand and pulled her away.
“Nancy, I’m running a business here.”
“Please let it go,” she said. “Just this once. Please let it go.”
“And if the other workers hear about it—”
“No one saw. Please drop it.”
He sighed then looked at her. “Did you bring the folder?”
“Yes,” she said as she handed it over.
Two men wearing suits approached him and shook his hand.
“Thank you for meeting with us, Mr. Erikson,” the man on the left said with a smile.
“Let’s get down to business, shall we?” her father said.
They turned down the hallway and walked through a door inside the lobby. He didn’t thank Nancy or introduce her to his colleagues. Flustered, she turned around and headed back to the desk.
“Tommy, I’m so sorry.”
“Hey, there’s no need to apologize. He’s right. I shouldn’t have taken out my phone.”
“I talked to him and he said he would let it go.”
He breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay, really.”
“Well, I’ll see you later. Tell Tina I said hello.”
“I will.”
“Bye.” She left then went to the campus even though she already missed her first class. She hung around in the cafeteria, doing homework and studying until her friends arrived.
“Baby, what do you want for lunch?” Coen asked.
“Some fruit,” Sydney answered.
“I’ll be back.”
“And what do you want?” Henry asked Ren, his hand lightly touching her neck.
Ren smiled. “I want some greasy pizza and some ice cream.”
He
ny smiled. “Whatever my baby wants.”
Sydney smiled.
“Period?”
“Yep,” Ren
said sadly.
“Gross,” Derek said.
“Sorry,” Ren said.
“I’ll be right back,” Henry said after he kissed her on the head.
“I’m coming too,” Derek said as he followed him.
Nancy watched him go, feeling the sadness in her heart. She never expected a man to buy her food, but it hurt that Derek never offered. Coen and Henry were so attentive an
d loving with their partners. Why couldn’t Derek treat her that way?
Sydney caught the look. “I’ll have Coen talk to him.”
“No,” Nancy said quickly. “It’s pointless if he does things because he’s told to. It dilutes the meaning.”
Sydney opened her textbook and looked through the pages.
Nancy remembered she had a microbiology exam coming up that she hadn’t studied for. She sighed in annoyance, trying to remove the stress through her breathing.
Henry returned a moment later with two trays. Ren eyed it with a hungry expression then dug in. Henry watched her with a smile on his face, obviously smitten with her. Nancy was happy for Henry
but she was also envious. It seemed like everyone was finding their happy ending except her. She could have one if Derek pulled his head out of his ass. She felt like she was waiting for a ship that would never come to shore.
Coen returned and handed Sydney her small cup of fruit. He had a roast beef sandwich with fries.
Nancy noted the obvious difference. “That’s cool that your diet preferences don’t affect each other.”
“What do you mean?” Sydney said, eating a piece of pineapple.
“Coen eats meat but you don’t seem to care. You don’t eat meat but he doesn’t seem to care,” Nancy said.
Sydney patted Coen’s
thigh. “I can’t expect Coen to be strong without adequate protein.”
Coen smiled. “I don’t care what Sydney eats as long as she’s healthy. When her hair starts to fall out and her nails g
et thin and brittle, breaking when she scratches my back, then I’ll be concerned.”
Derek placed
his tray on the table. He had pizza and fries.
Seeing the food made Nancy hungry so he left the table and got her own food from the cafeteria. She picked up a salad and paid for it
with cash. Her father gave her a credit card and said she could buy whatever she wanted, but Nancy never used it. Even though she lived with him, rent free, she refused to use his money. She practically lived alone anyway because he was never home, and when he was off, he chose to spend it with his bimbos. He didn’t approve of her job at the aquarium but Nancy didn’t care what he thought. She needed to make her own money, find her own place in the world.
She return
ed to the table and picked at her salad, suddenly losing her appetite. Derek practically inhaled his food, hardly ever using a napkin. When he was done, he dropped one arm over her chair, touching her neck gently. Even though Derek was an ass, she felt the electricity course through her when he touched her. She wished she didn’t feel that way, feel so attracted to him.
Derek
turned to her. “Wanna come over after school?”
Nancy knew what that meant. “Why don’t we go out?”
“And do what?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.
She shrugged. “Go out to dinner.”
He rolled his eyes. “I’m not rich.”
“Then I’ll pay for it.”
“We aren’t doing that either.”
“How about ice cream?”
“I guess.” He didn’t seem interested at all.
“Fine.
What would you rather do?”
“Why don’t you come over and we’ll watch a movie?”
Derek asked.
“Will we really watch a movie?”
“Well, if other things happen, it wouldn’t be the end of the world.”
Nancy
sighed. “I think I’ll pass.”
“What’s wrong? You’ve been weird lately.”
“Nothing.”
“Come over and I’ll rub your back.”
“I’m good,” she said.
“I know all your sweet spots.”
She was so fed up with him that she grabbed her bag and stormed off, not looking back. She didn’t understand why she stayed with him. He was a total jerk. He never took her anywhere, treated her right, or even acted like he cared. She didn’t expect him to spend a lot of money on her, but just spending time with her would suffice—and not just having sex.
She went to her microbiology class, hating every second of it
, then finally went to her art class, the only course she actually enjoyed. They were studying gothic architecture in European buildings, and she was fascinated by the style of the era. Everything she learned in the class inspired her to paint and draw, even if she wasn’t very good at it. Her father obviously thought she had absolutely no talent.
When the day was finally over, she walked to her car, feeling the weight on her shoulders. Now that Sydney was married an
d Henry was totally in love, Nancy felt more alone than she ever had. She didn’t have a family, a boyfriend, or friends to confide in.
When she arrived at her car, Derek was standing there.
She glared at him. “I’m not in the mood.”
“What? Why are you mad
?”
“Because you’re an asshole—that’s why.”
“Hey, I don’t mean to be an asshole. I’m sorry.”
“I’m tired of hearing that excuse.”
“I don’t know what else to say.”
She opened her car door. “I’ll see you later.”
He grabbed the door before she could close it. “How about some ice cream?”
She shook her head. “
Derek, it’s fine.”
“No, I want to go. It’ll be fun.”
Nancy knew her friends had intervened. That was the only explanation of his behavior.
Derek leaned into her, pressing his face close to hers. “Baby, ple
ase come with me. I don’t want to lose you.”
Now she felt confused all over again.
He kissed her neck, moving to her ear where he nibbled the earlobe. “Come on. Let’s get some rocky road.” He moved his lips to hers and kissed her gently, cupping her face as he parted her lips with his own. She melted at his touch, feeling the burn between her legs. He pulled away. “Please.”
“Okay,” she whispered.
“Thank you. Let’s take my car.” He opened the door wider and helped her get out. When they came to his truck, he opened the door for her, which was a first. Against her will, she smiled at him. He kissed her again then shut the door.
They drove to the small parlor near the coast. When they got inside, Derek let her order first then paid for their des
sert. He didn’t complain about being broke, which was a nice change. They sat outside and faced each other at the table.
“You like mint chip?” Derek asked, surprised.
“I love it.” She looked at him, eyeing the brown hair that she loved to touch. His hair was thick but short, messy on top. He never styled his hair or put any effort into it, but it always looked sexy. She was jealous. His eyes were a light blue, reminding her of the sky right before sunset. When she looked at his shoulders and arms, she felt her skin prickle. He had a gorgeous body. His arms were chiseled and firm from all the hours he spent surfing, and his stomach was lean and tight because he worked his core every afternoon. Nancy had always been attracted to Derek, but she never thought of him that way until they slept together. Her feelings for him immediately came to the surface after that night.
“Well, at least you’re eating des
sert and keeping your breath fresh at the same time,” Derek said with a smile.