CHAPTER 14: Isabelle

I pulled my hair back into a ponytail as I called to Kendra to hurry. I was going to be late to work, and I wasn’t even there three weeks yet. I missed Mom so much in this moment as panic filled me, knowing that she handled a lot for me when I lived there.

I checked my gray shift dress and flats before I walked through the house to see Kendra pulling on her boots. “I’m sorry, Mommy. I couldn’t sleep last night.” She gave me a sad look as I walked over and gave her a hug.

“Is everything okay?” I knelt down and pushed away the worry about arriving even later. “We all have trouble sleeping sometimes, Kendra. It’s okay.”

“I was just having bad dreams. I kept waking up, and it was hard to go to sleep again.” Kendra told me as I smiled.

“If you need to talk at any time, come get me. I don’t want you sitting in your room like that. I went to talk to Grandma all the time when I was little. I loved it.” I knew that Kendra had a special relationship with my mom and missed her. “I think that we should go see her again. Maybe next weekend?” I knew that I could pay for plane tickets with my job, assuming I didn’t get fired today. My probation was six months long, and I wanted to do my best.

“Can we?” Kendra asked as I nodded. I would look for deals over lunch and hopefully get there for under three hundred dollars. I knew that we were going for Thanksgiving and Christmas as well and looked forward to relaxing in my childhood home again. We finished getting ready and went to the car as I wondered what Mason did for the holidays. He had family here, so he probably spent it with them. I thought for a fleeting second of a time where we would be there with him, sitting close on the couch as I felt like a part of his family.

I turned on the radio and pushed that image out of my head. This was not going to turn into that. We’d probably end badly since we worked together and I just hoped that he would help me with a job like he promised he would. I dropped off Kendra with a hug and a kiss and got on the freeway, groaning at the brake lights in front of me. I called my mom on blue tooth and told her about the morning to distract myself from my growing anxiety. “Oh, sweetie. Is she okay?” Mom asked as I narrowed my eyes at the inch that I moved.

“I guess. She stayed in her room so I had no idea that anything was wrong at all,” I told her. “I told her to come talk to me anytime the way that I used to do with you. I thought that she knew she could.”

“I think that Kendra is probably still adjusting a bit. This is all new to her, but she’s handling everything well otherwise.”

“I told her that I’d look for plane tickets for next weekend. Is that okay for you?” I asked as Mom told me that I could come for a visit anytime. She was home a lot and her and Dad only traveled at certain times of the year. “I am going to get a new car as soon as I can so we can drive but I didn’t think that Gert was going to make it here the first time.”

“How is work?” Mom asked me as I struggled with my answer.

“It’s going well. I love reading for a living and I’ve had the chance to sit in on client lunches as well. I feel like I’m learning a lot, assuming I don’t get fired today. I am still on probation.” I sighed and pulled forward as traffic started moving.

“They know about Kendra, right?” I assured her that most did. “Life happens. I’m sure they’ll understand that you are going to have bad days. You’ll be fine. Stop worrying, Belle. You’re going to give yourself a heart attack,” Mom told me, knowing me all too well. “How do you like your boss?”

“He’s great. We seem to work well together,” I stammered as Mom laughed.

“I looked up the company online. He’s quite handsome, isn’t he?”

“I guess. I am there to work and you know how I feel about dating,” I reminded her softly as Mom went quiet on the other end.

“Isabelle, Kendra is six now. She’s in school and you’re working and you deserve to have a life for yourself. You’re still young. I know you won’t be out every night partying or anything but it would be okay to date. Kendra could handle that.” Mom told me as I thought about Mason.

“I don’t want her to meet anyone until I am serious about them. Her own father walked away from her and I can’t risk that again,” I told her as Mom told me that Kendra didn’t know Jackson. She accepted what we’d told her fine and Mom told me that she would be fine with me dating someone. I didn’t tell her that Kendra had hinted around to having a Daddy.

“Let me see if I still have a job, Mom. I’ll find a man tomorrow,” I joked as she laughed and I exited the freeway. “I am just a few minutes away. I’ll call you later.” I drove through the streets and parked in the garage, noting that I was an hour late. “Damn it,” I muttered as I got out of my car and hurried towards the building. I waved at Stan as he called out to me, getting on the elevator without even making eye contact. I practically ran down the hallway to my desk, feeling sick when I saw the coffee waiting for me. I paused and took a deep breath for a moment before tapping on his cracked door. He told me to come on and I pushed it open and gave him a small smile. “I am so sorry. She had trouble sleeping last night and was a bear this morning. I had to have a pep talk with her. I still have a job, right?”

“Of course. Things happen. Is she sick again?” Mason asked as he leaned forward to look at me.

“No, I think she’s just adjusting. I promised her a quick trip to visit my folks this weekend.” I glanced towards my desk. “Thanks for the coffee, even if it’s probably cold by now. I’ll get to work and skip my lunch to make up the time? Maybe come in early tomorrow?”

“Either option works for me, Isabelle. Mason stood up and walked over to me, glancing at the closed door before kissing me softly. “The company has a jet. I could fly you two to San Diego that way once I check the schedule.”

“A jet? Are you serious?” I asked as he smiled and nodded.

“We travel a lot. It made sense.” Mason assured me as I backed up towards the door. I was already late, and I felt worse staying in his office this long. “I’ll check and let you know.”

“Thank you,” I told him as I walked to my desk and dropped into my seat. I sipped the coffee, finding it spicy and still warm before turning on my computer and getting right to work. Mason was a good man, and I smiled as I pulled up the email for a new read. I saw that he was working on something new so I selected a different story and pulled it up as I settled in my seat.

I worked through my lunch, nibbling on the sandwich that I’d packed as I kept reading. I preferred to cover my time right away, and the book was so good that I enjoyed staying at my desk. Mason left for lunch, shaking his head at me as he walked by. I went to make coffee and came back to a small pink bag at my desk. I sat down and opened it to find some chocolate truffles inside and looked at his door for a moment.

I picked up my phone and considered what I should send him.

Me: Do you do this for women all the time?

I hit send and winced as I imagined him reading my thoughts.

Mason: No. I just feel like spoiling you a little. You work hard and deserve that. If your daughter likes chocolate, bring one for her dessert tonight.

Me: She does. Thank you.

This might not be serious but Mason was treating me better than anyone ever had before. I wonder if it was the fact that he seemed to have the money. His family had a jet. I shook my head and went back to the story.

I felt better at the end of the day when I left to get Kendra. Mason never made me feel like a bad person for being late and I walked out with him to our cars. “I swear this won’t happen again.” I looked at him, licking my tingling lips from the kiss inside of his office.

“Don’t worry about it.” Mason walked towards his car and I took the elevator to mine since I was late. He told me that the plane was free and the times the pilot could fly us. I was overwhelmed with this and wondered what to tell my parents.

I picked up Kendra, and we went to get some pizza after the long day. I ate at the restaurant with her and we sat at a small booth as she told me about school, eating cheesy slices of the pizza in between stories. She seemed better, but I reminded her to come and talk to me anytime that she needed to. We headed home to get homework done and a bath before bed.

I fell asleep on the couch in front of Grey’s Anatomy. I was so tired after stressing earlier and couldn’t help it, but I woke up at two and checked on Kendra before continuing to my own bed. I crawled under the covers and passed out again, waking up on time with relief when Kendra popped out of bed. We left the house on time and I pulled into the garage early, running over for coffee for both of us. I went into the building and set mine down, walking his into his office as I watched Mason standing by the window. He was knotting his tie, and I stared quietly for a moment, mesmerized by his flawlessness. He glanced over to see me and I walked over to join him, handing him the coffee as I looked over the city. “I love this city,” I said softly, taking it all in as he stood behind me, his hand around my waist.

“Me too. There’s something about it that makes me feel alive, rain and all.” Mason pulled me against him. “Thanks for the coffee.”

“You deserve to be spoiled as well,” I assured him as I smiled.

“You are a different kind of woman,” Mason told me as I turned to look at him.

“I am?”

“You are,” he assured me as we stood together and looked over the beautiful view. I made my way to my desk and pulled up the current book, sipping my coffee as I started to read it. This was a dream for me and I smiled to myself as I took notes on a plot gap, suggesting something to bring it all together.

Mason sent me a message telling me about another client lunch on Friday, this time at a sushi place. That made me smile as I thought about the lunch in his office where we just talked and got to know one another better. I told him that sounded great and worked until lunch, deciding to get a sandwich from a deli down the street. My paycheck was great and I could afford to splurge a bit.