Page 32 of Hiding Rose
Chapter Nine
Kate tried to insist I take the rest of the day off, but I wasn’t having anything to do with it. I had the new assistant coming in, and I had to be there to introduce her to everyone in the center. It was my job to make sure my staff was trained properly and ready to care for the children. I wasn’t going to let Jarrett be the reason I didn’t fulfill my duties. Besides, it was nice to have something to think about besides some crazy man trying to end my life.
Natasha was a sweet girl who was quick on the draw. She met the kids and they gravitated toward her, which made it easy to see she was meant for the job. Bim especially seemed to take to her, his little body crawling up on her lap before anyone else had a chance. She didn’t need to be told what children had special needs, she picked up on it and loved on them carefully. After an hour in the center, and her agreement Kupid’s Play Castle was where she wanted to spend her required hands-on time, I took her to my office for orientation. Once back in my office all I could think about was the damn flower, so I grabbed everything we needed and my laptop, and we sat in the breakfast nook instead.
I was thrilled with her skills and how knowledgeable she was about all aspects of early childhood care. She agreed to start tomorrow, which meant I could start work on the new center. I had at least a week of directing the workmen on unloading and stripping the rooms. Once that was finished they would come in and build the walls and doors. It wouldn’t be until those things are done that we could furnish it. After the walls were built it would be paint and flooring, cabinetry, and kitchen supplies. I groaned when I thought of kitchen supplies. I hadn’t seen Sawyer since I was rude to him, and even though it was after six, chances were good his dinner invitation didn’t stand. I would have to apologize, but I wasn’t sure I had it in me to do it today, mostly because I was afraid he would demand answers. He deserved them, but I didn’t want to open a can of worms I couldn’t close again. Once he knew about Jarrett, and my bad decisions, he would likely friendzone me and I’d never see him again. A few weeks ago, being in the friendzone with him was okay, but then the night on the beach happened, and now I want so much more.
I leaned against the counter and sucked in air. I wasn’t happy with myself for even thinking those words, much less believing them. Getting involved with Sawyer meant putting someone else in danger, not to mention, he’s a man. I growled and banged my head gently on the cupboard holding my cups. They rattled against each other and I stopped when I thought I heard the elevator ding. It was probably someone coming home from work.Don’t freak out every time you hear an elevator, I scolded myself.
I decided to keep dinner light and have a sandwich and chips. It wasn’t exactly the healthiest thing ever, but I also wasn’t hungry and didn’t care about eating. I opened the fridge and there was a knock on the door. I froze for a heartbeat and then closed the door on the fridge, holding my breath. Maybe whoever it was would go away. I stayed quiet, but the knock came again followed by muffled words. “I know you’re home, Rose. I just want to talk.”
Rose. There was only one person who called me Rose.
I crutched to the door and peeked through the small hole to see Sawyer, freshly showered and holding a huge bouquet of flowers. I banged my head on the door twice, because even when I was a total jerk to him, he was gracious and forgiving to me.
I unlocked the door and lowered the handle, letting it swing open on its own. “Hi,” I said quietly when we were face-to-face.
“Hi,” he held the flowers out to me, “these are for you.”
I touched one of the petals and the scent was overpowering from the sheer number of flowers. “They’re gorgeous. Would you bring them in? I can’t carry them.”
He smiled as if thanking me for throwing him a bone, then stepped over the threshold, carrying the vase full of roses to the table. I didn’t have a chance to count them, but there had to be close to two dozen roses of different colors. He plucked a yellow rose from the bouquet. “A rose of friendship. I wanted my roses to be what you remember about today.”
I accepted the flower and brought it to my nose. “This was too kind of you, considering how I treated you this morning.”
He took the rose from my hands and tucked it back in the vase. “You were upset and so was I. I won’t hold it against you, if you don’t hold it against me. I also won’t ask you to explain anything you aren’t ready to talk about with me. We can eat and talk about the weather for all I care, as long as we can have dinner.”
I gazed at him curiously. “You still want to have dinner with me?”
He rubbed my shoulder since my hands held the crutches. “More than anything.”
His eyes were honest and eager as he stood before me. Before I made a conscious decision, I spoke. “Dinner sounds good, I haven’t eaten yet. Do you still want to cook? It’s after six.”
He strode to the wall where my shoes rested, the brace still in the left one, and brought them to me. “Nope, I have other plans. We’ll pick up dinner on the way,” he promised as I slipped on my shoes. Thankfully I hadn’t changed out of my clothes and into my pajamas yet.
I stood up and tested the brace. When it felt okay I glanced at him. “Do I need anything else?” I asked.
He smiled and winked. “Not where we’re going.”
The night was dark and stifling as we sat on a blanket on the sand. He had packed a picnic dinner of cold chicken, macaroni salad, Hawaiian dinner rolls, and fresh veggies, which we picked up on the way to the beach. He explained the beach felt like a safe place where I could hide in the darkness and not have to talk if I didn’t want to. Now, sitting here with no moon shining and the poem running through my mind, it was oppressive. His arm went around me and he rubbed my shoulder.
“I’m scared,” I whispered more to myself than to him.
He kissed my temple tenderly. “I know you are. I wish I could make it all go away, but I can’t. I thought getting lost in the night might help, but I did consider it might scare you to be out here in the dark.”
He unwrapped his arm from my shoulders and opened the picnic basket. He snapped something between his hands and a yellow glow lit up the area in front of my feet. He did it three more times until glow sticks lay on each edge of the blanket. The soft glow around us made me feel less isolated.
I laid my head on his shoulder. “Thanks, you think of everything.”
He rested his hand on my chest. “I put myself in your shoes, and maybe I don’t know all the details, but today’s events were enough to tell me you have every right to be afraid of your own shadow.”
“I try not to be, but some days are easier than others. I wasn’t expecting what happened today. I guess I let my guard down and shouldn’t have.”
“You shouldn’t have to feel like you need to guard yourself at all,” he whispered. “You’re beautiful, did I mention that yet tonight?” he asked, fingering the angel at my neck. “This is beautiful, too. Where did you get it?”
My breath caught and I slapped my hand over the pendant, holding it to my chest. Thankfully, it was too dark for him to read the words engraved on the back of it. “This is one of those things I don’t want to talk about,” I said, trying not to cry. It was a stupid thing to cry about, but the tears had more to do with the events of the day than the necklace itself.
His lips found my temple again and his hand rested over mine still on the necklace. “Don’t cry, please. It kills me when you cry. I didn’t know or I wouldn’t have asked.”
