Page 67 of Annabelle Enchants the Rejected Earl
Chapter 32
“How are you?”Mr. Smith asked Annabelle for what felt like the hundredth time. “You do not seem like yourselftoday.”
He could not quite put his finger on it, but his very best employee just did not have her usual spark today. She had not said much, she did not have her usual bright smile on her face, and she was working as if on autopilot. This was not the Annabelle Hathaway that he had grown to know and like alot.
“Hmm?” she answered, totally distracted. As she saw the confused look on her boss’s face, Annabelle felt a heat consume her. “Oh, I am terribly sorry.” She shook her head rapidly. “Was there something that you wanted fromme?”
She did not want this to affect her work. She could not let an issue from her personal life interfere with her job. That was just notdone.
Mr. Smith's eyes travelled down Annabelle's body and when they landed on her finger a burst of realisation overcame him. "Ah, I see," he gasped in shock. “I see, I understand now. Why did you not tell me that you wereengaged?”
“Oh...” Annabelle lifted her ring up to look at it once more. It did not matter how much time she spent staring at the gem, she could not seem to find the answer that she was searching for. “Yes. Jamesproposed.”
“That is incredible,” Mr. Smith replied smilingly. He could not seem to see any reason why Annabelle would not be over the moon with this news, which was fair enough. If Floyd had not returned unexpectedly to her life, then she would have been happy too. “You must be so pleased. It is abouttime.”
“Yes,” she murmured. “I suppose itis.”
Mr. Smith furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. He could tell that this was not a pleased and happy reaction but he could not work out why. Annabelle was usually so open with her emotions, this wasunusual.
“You do not seem pleased,” he commented before he really thought of it. “Are you not happy with your engagement? I always thought that James was a very niceman.”
“He is.” Annabelle gave Mr. Smith an imploring look. While she had never felt the need to share her feelings with her boss before, she had not been given the impression that she could not. Mr. Smith was far more open and feeling than a lot of gentlemen. But this was something best kept to herself... at least while she figured out what she intended to do. "A very good man. I am just surprised by theproposal."
“You are?” Mr. Smith was stunned by this. “I cannot believe it took him so long. I would have thought that he would have asked you to marry him a long time ago. Have you decided when you will get marriedyet?”
At the thought of an actual wedding, Annabelle’s stomach churned. It was not James that was an issue, it was just all ofit.
This is just a reaction to what happened five years ago with Watson, nothing more, she tried to convince herself to no avail. Stop beingsilly.
“We erm, we do not know yet,” she stammered back at Mr. Smith. “There are a lot of details that need to be sorted first. I must inform my father forone.”
“Ah yes, I see.” Mr. Smith did not understand why, but he felt like something in Annabelle’s answer was not quite the whole truth. Still, he did not want to push her. Not while she was clearly in such an emotional state. “Right, well I think we are finished up here. You may go home early if youlike.”
“Oh.” Annabelle was stunned, she felt certain that there was a lot more to do. If her head were more in it she would have undoubtedly argued this point. But she needed the time, the space. She needed some time to think. She had half arranged to see Floyd today and she needed a little respite to get herself ready. “I see, thank you very much, Mr.Smith.”
Annabelle stood up, scraping her chair as she went and she grabbed hold of her things. As her hand reached for her bag she noticed there was an intense trembling to her fingers. How on earth had she managed to get any work done when she was in such a state? It was an utter miracle that she had lasted so far in theday.
With one final forced smile, Annabelle turned and she left Mr. Smith’s home, still in a state of distraction. Her brain was working enough to get her legs moving but aside from that it was on another planetentirely.
James has proposed... Floyd has declared his love for me... James wishes to marry me, and it seems that Floyd doestoo.
Those two statements continued to circle around and around until she felt like she might be sick. It did not matter how many times she thought those things, they did not become clearer to process. Floyd’s comments about the bad timing were there too, but she did not want to acceptthose.
The struggle was between her head and her heart... although it was not as black and white as that. Her head told her that James was the smart choice, of course, he was. She knew him well, he had a successful life, if she chose him she could still keep the life she had... plus they were already engaged. He had proposed to her and she had saidyes.
Floyd, she knew him five years ago but that did not necessarily mean that she knew him now. Just because they had a nice afternoon yesterday, did not mean anything really. Plus, he did not live in her town, she did not know anything about his lifeanymore.
Her heart, of course, was torn. She loved Floyd fiercely, he was the first man that she had ever given her heart to, but she had love for Jamestoo.
Maybe this is not a choice, maybe it is just about accepting the path I have alreadyselected.
“Annabelle?”
She barely even realized that she had made it all the way home until she heard a familiar voice calling out to her. As her eyes dragged upwards and she saw the all too familiar sandy-haired man smiling back at her, her heart jolted and danced in herchest.
“Floyd?” she gushed. “I was not expecting you... well, I was. But I guess I did not think you would arrive so soon.” She shook her head to try and prevent herself from saying anymore when she realized that she was babbling. “I mean, it is very good to see youagain.”
Her whole body was on fire. It was as if someone had lit a flame beneath her and the flickering of the heat was racing right over her skin, licking her insides as it travelled through her. Floyd had always made her body react, but this was even more intense than everbefore.
