Chapter Two
The harsh noise of the tape splitting from the roll across a box of her ex-boyfriend’s stuff caused Gemma Rink to pause. This was the last of it; an assorted collection of a year’s worth of memories and trinkets. Tickets to a jazz festival. A few CDs. The t-shirt he’d left at her place last week after falling asleep on her couch. His Red Sox sweatshirt. And three books she’d borrowed, but never read.
Placed on top of the pile was the bright blue box she’d dropped in, sealed shut. She’d refused to even look at it last night at the restaurant. The moment he’d dropped to his knee in front of her, with the little blue box in hand, she’d known it wasn’t right. She’d been feeling that way for the past four months. This wasn’t the man she was meant to spend the rest of her life with - that much was clear. Everything else was still fuzzy.
“You’re making a huge mistake.” Scott appeared behind the breakfast bar, his long-sleeved t-shirt rolled up to his elbows. He stood just over six-foot tall with short cropped blond hair. A walking Ken doll, her mother had called him. He’d agreed to show up early to pick up his stuff, but hadn’t been taking it well. A steaming hot mug of coffee in his hands told her he wasn’t ready to leave. “We’ve got a great thing going here, babe. You don’t want to do this.”
Gemma wearily pushed her blonde waves out of her face and dropped the final box on the counter in front of him. “I don’t want just a good thing. I want a great thing. You and I are settling. We both deserve better.”
He sneered and for the first time she noticed how crooked his bottom teeth were. “You can’t do better than this. We fit, babe. The minute I walk out that door, you’re going to regret this. It’s Christmas. Who breaks up before the holidays?”
She sighed and tried to ignore the insults, but the truth was, she did hate the thought of being alone on Christmas. But, she’d been over Scott a long time. It just took her until now to notice.
“Goodbye, Scott.” She led him to the door, took the mug from his hand and replaced it with the box. “Good luck to you.”
“Call me when you come to your senses,” he said over his shoulder.
“Not likely,” she mumbled as she closed the door.
All it took was two deep breaths with her back against the wall and Gemma was moving again, determined to get on with her day. There was less than two weeks until Christmas and a million things to accomplish at the New Hope Foundation. This was their busiest season. And as its Director, she didn’t have a minute to waste.
By the time she rolled into the office, her two employees were already there, standing watch at the front desk. Laurie Fink, her statuesque and stylish red-headed office manager, and Chloe Walker, her curvy and confident accountant with ebony skin. Together, the three of them made up the whole of New Hope’s foundation and had been inseparable since Gemma had hired them both almost three years ago.
“Spill,” Chloe demanded as Gemma handed each of them a piping hot styrofoam cup of coffee from Blue Stem Bistro, just down the block. “What happened last night?”
“Give her some time,” Laurie shushed Chloe, her red hair framing her face. “Maybe she doesn’t want to talk about it.” She turned to Gemma with a concerned frown on her perfectly coral lips. “You really don’t have to talk about it. It’s none of our business.”
“Oh, yes she does,” Chloe replied with a shake of her chunky purple earrings. “And it’s totally our business if our amazing boss is leaving us to move halfway across the country to join the big leagues. I’m thinking about firing up a union strike.”
Gemma smiled and tossed her empty cup in the trash. “You don’t belong to a union. Besides, no need to worry. I turned them down.”
A headhunter had been spending the better part of six weeks trying to get Gemma to apply for a position at a giant non-profit operating on the west coast. It’d be a huge step in terms of pay and experience, but it also meant working under somebody else and leaving her home town of New Hope. From the get-go, Gemma had been very hesitant. Saying no to the headhunter had been a sort of relief.
“Why?” Chloe demanded, jumping up from Laurie’s chair. “You were perfect for the job.”
Gemma laughed, amused by her friend’s sudden change in attitude. “Just a second ago you were going to strike if I took the job and now you’re angry I turned it down?”
“So?” Chloe frowned and shrugged her shoulders. “I’m a complicated woman. But, that wasn’t a complicated offer. They would’ve paid you double what you’re earning here. I thought you wanted that trip to Europe with your mom.”
It was true, they would’ve paid her a lot more. But in Gemma’s mind, if something sounded too good to be true, it was better to avoid it. Besides, changing jobs and moving cross country meant time and money, something that she didn’t want to risk.
Her mother had just come off of her second battle with breast cancer and second round of chemo. So far, scans were clear, but that didn’t mean they were safe. Her mother deserved a happy distraction. Flying to Europe would be the trip of a lifetime for Gemma and her mom - something they’d always dreamed of. And Gemma was going to surprise her mother with the tickets come Christmas day.
“I’m so close to having enough,” Gemma said with a flurry of her hands. “With our Christmas bonuses coming up, I’ll finally have what I need to take us on that trip. I have to at least see this holiday season through.”
Chloe barked out a laugh and tugged on her thick black braids. “That’s what you said before your car broke down.”
“And your AC busted in your apartment,” Laurie offered.
“Or Scott needed to borrow money to pay his rent,” Chloe continued. “How is the old man, anyway?”
Gemma’s eyes grew wide and she shot them both a guilty look before retreating hastily to her office. They followed on her heels, not quick to give up a line of questioning. Her office was covered in framed black and white nature photography. Her favorite - a snapshot of a gnarled old tree bent from years in the cold and harsh Minnesota winters - hung above her desk. She dropped herself into her chair, avoiding her employees’ glares.
“Did something happen between you two?” Laurie asked, always the first to come to her aid. “A fight? Is this a Ben & Jerry’s kind of day? I can make a quick run downtown and pick up a pint.”
“No, no.” Gemma waved them off. Scott wasn’t important enough to warrant a pint of Chunky Monkey. That stuff only came out in true emergencies. “I’m fine.”
“Did he cheat on you?” Chloe stood in the doorway with her arms crossed, looking ready to hunt him down and give him a beating. “He always had that look about him. I told you, Laurie, didn’t I? He’s going to be sorry.”
“He didn’t cheat on me.” Gemma shook her head at the absurd thought. “In fact, he asked me to marry him last night…”
She had no chance to finish her story. Laurie launched herself into her lap, pulling her into a lung crushing hug that threatened to crack a rib.
“Congratulations!” she cooed. “You’re going to make the most beautiful bride. When’s the big day?”
“We don’t have a day…” Gemma began.
It didn’t stop Laurie from grabbing at her hands and yanking her forward. “The ring, the ring! Where is it? I have to see it.”
“I don’t have it.”
When it was clear that Gemma had no ring in sight, Laurie finally let her go. The three of them stood quietly for a moment while Gemma gathered the courage to speak, afraid of disappointing her closest friends. They’d tossed wedding ideas back and forth across the office, occasionally dreaming of what theirs would look like, but Gemma had been the closest to the actual act. Laurie and Chloe, as beautiful as they both were, seemed to have about as much luck finding a good man as Gemma. It didn’t make sense to her that three women in their late twenties could have so much trouble, but then again, men seemed to confuse her just as much.
“You turned him down,” Chloe finally spoke up from the doorway. Gone was her usual sass, replaced by a soft sympathetic tone. “Cut him loose?”
Gemma nodded, grateful not to have to tell the story.
“And he’s gone?”
Again, she nodded. “Packed up all his stuff this morning. We’re officially over.”
A long moment of silence followed. During her long break-up with Scott last night, she hadn’t shed a tear. Hadn’t felt the need to. But now, she could feel them welling up at the corners of her eyes, ready to spill at the hint of any reproach from her friends. Scott’s anger she could take. But her friends' disappointment was another.
“Well, it’s about time,” Laurie said, breaking the silence. She beamed at Gemma, her green eyes sparkling. “You were always too good for him.”
“Thank God,” Chloe added with a dramatic sigh. “That loser needed to go.”
Gemma’s mouth fell open. Despite the sudden relief flooding her stomach, she felt a little betrayed. “Are you saying you didn’t like him? All this time?”
“Hated him,” Chloe said with a smack of her lips while Laurie nodded in agreement. “Total tool. We just thought he made you happy, so we went along with it. I’m glad that’s out in the air, now.”
Gemma laughed, her heart lighter. She shouldn’t have worried so much about her friends. They hadn’t let her down in the three years they’d known each other, and they’d still be there for her after today. Suddenly, the week seemed a little brighter.
“Don’t get all cozy,” Chloe said with a flick of her wrist, as she turned to head to her office. “Laurie’s got some unsettling news to share with you. You’re not going to like it.”
Gemma turned to her office manager with a worried look. “What is it?”
“I got a call from my friend up at Barkley & Barkley,” Laurie said softly. She moved to sit in a seat across from Gemma. “Apparently, we’re supposed to be getting a surprise visit from them later this week. They’re sending down Mr. Barkley’s nephew, Lance Barkley.”
“To do what?”
Gemma hated corporate visits. They made her feel as if she’d done something wrong. But Barkley & Barkley was their only source of donations, so she had to play nice.
“Well, apparently, he’s been extra naughty around the office,” Laurie whispered, as if afraid someone might overhear her. “A real Playboy type. They’re sending him up here to keep him out of trouble.”
Gemma leaned forward on her elbows, running her tongue along the inside of her teeth. A sour taste had formed in her mouth. “So what, we’re supposed to babysit him?”
“I guess so.”
“Any chance he’ll bring some more funds with him?”
Their funding had been slowing down these past few years. Budgets were spread tight around the non-profits in New Hope. Any increase in donation dollars would be a welcome gift for the holidays.
“My friend doesn’t think so,” Laurie said with a sigh. “It’s purely a babysitting job with zero payout.”
Gemma sucked on her teeth and shrugged her shoulders. The Christmas season was too busy of a time to get caught up in worrying. If this spoiled nephew wanted to come here and put up his feet, that was his business. She was fine with it, as long as he stayed out of her way.
“Set up a temporary office in the lobby with you,” Gemma told Laurie. “Mr. Barkley can make himself at home. I have the feeling he won’t be staying long.”