Chapter Eleven
Aaron
“Mr. Townsend, can you read the Daly report and sign off on it?”
I stiffened at the question that fell from this woman’s lips. Slowly, I turned from the window in my office to my new junior assistant who stood at the door. Suddenly, her face turned to a deer-in-headlights expression, and it became all too obvious that she’d realized she’d overstepped.
“Janice, you don’t ask Mr. Townsend to read over and sign anything without speaking to me first,” my executive assistant, Mark, informed. He pulled back from the conference table in my office and rolled over to her in his wheelchair, saying something in hushed tones. I merely watched as the new assistant grew paler and paler. A few moments later, she gave me a chagrined look and nodded before disappearing from my doorway.
“My apologies, Mr. Townsend. She’s still learning how the office works,” Mark stated.
“Not a problem,” I answered. Mark had been hired over a year ago, and his first week on the job, there had been a major office fire in which he sustained minor injuries. Thankfully, Carter’s squad was able to rescue him and managed to save the entire office from being engulfed in flames. After a short stint at the hospital and some time off to recuperate, Mark was ready to come back. He has been an asset ever since, having been bumped up to my executive assistant role.
“What report was Janet referencing?” I questioned.
“Janice,” he corrected.
I grunted.
“The Daly report. Daly is the top accountant at Oiltec.”
I nodded, being very familiar with the name.
“Send a copy to my email and I will read it over this evening.”
“I’ll do so as soon as I get back to my desk.”
We continued to discuss tasks that needed to be completed for the week and a series of meetings that I needed to prepare for over the next thirty minutes.
“I’ll be in tomorrow at eight,” I informed Mark before heading out.
I decided to leave the office a little early to get home. It was just after three in the afternoon and I figured the children and Patience would be home since it was their last week before school started. I was mistaken.
My driver held the door open for me to exit the car, and before opening my front door I knew the house was empty. Unaware of any activities or outings for the day, I called the driver that’d been assigned to Patience and the children.
“Where are you?” I questioned without any greeting.
“In front of the Williamsport Library, southeastern branch, Mr. Townsend,” he responded quickly.
The library, of course. Where else would Patience be? But then, the driver said something that surprised me. I hated surprises.
“Mrs. Townsend had a job interview this afternoon. I think it went well since she’s been there for close to two hours.”
I wrinkled my forehead. “And where are the children?”
“They were dropped off with their cousin, Diego, and his grandmother.”
I grunted.
“Here comes Mrs. Townsend now. Would you like to speak with her?”
“No,” I answered abruptly, “do not tell her you’ve spoken with me.” I hung up the phone and pressed my hand to the scanner that unlocked the front door. Charging through the walkway, I headed straight for my downstairs office, dialing numbers as I went. By the time my wife arrived home, an hour later with the children in tow, I had all the information I needed regarding her supposed new job.
****
Patience
I woke up early the following Monday morning. Not only was it the children’s first day at their new school but it was my first day at work.
“Morning.”
I stumbled a little, surprised by the voice behind me. I shouldn’t have been, I knew he was there, but for the last month, we’d been like ships passing in the night. Save for the occasional family dinner—which, of course, included the children—I barely saw Aaron.
I turned to see him standing in the hallway, in only a pair of workout shorts, his broad chest glistening from a thin layer of sweat. My mouth went instantly dry.
“Morning,” I responded.
“Waking the children?” He eyed me suspiciously.
I shook my head. “It’s a little too early for them. I was just checking on them before doing a little bit of yoga,” I explained my usual morning routine.
“You don’t sleep in any longer,” he commented.
I lowered my lashes before raising them to him again. “Hard to sleep in anymore with two kids.”
He continued watching me, eyes moving down my body, which was covered in a light T-shirt and a pair of spandex shorts. It was my usual morning yoga outfit.
“Still waking up at five a.m?” I questioned, awkwardly. We’d been living together for over a month and still were unfamiliar with each other’s morning habits. Mainly due to the fact that Aaron slept in his office every night. I couldn’t say whether I was disappointed or relieved.
“Four-thirty,” he finally answered.
I swallowed. It was obvious his morning workouts were well received by his body. I did my best not to gawk.
“I will accompany you and the children to their first day of school this morning.”
“Oh.”
He raised a dark eyebrow. “Is that a problem?”
I hated the tone of voice he used with me. As if I were one of his employees and was just supposed to go along with whatever he said.
I shrugged. “Whatever. They’re your children, too.”
“Yes, they are.” He nodded before brushing past me to head downstairs.
I inhaled, counting backwards from ten to calm my body down from the brief touch as he passed.
The rest of the morning felt odd, whenever I was in Aaron’s presence. I could tell he was watching me, but he remained mostly silent, save for when he was talking with the children. It was as if he was expecting me to say something.
Even as we dropped the children off at school, introducing ourselves to their respective teachers, it felt like Aaron was waiting for some type of explanation from me. Well, he wasn’t about to get one. I needed to drop the children off and then get to my own job for the day. We’d arrived in separate cars when taking the children to school. Aaron hated driving and had always insisted on having a driver, and now that extended to myself and the children. We were chauffeured around everywhere. Once Aaron’s car pulled out of the school parking lot, I told my driver I’d be fine walking since my destination was only a few blocks away. However, he insisted on driving me. I didn’t argue, knowing he probably had specific orders from my husband.
I arrived at the library a little after nine in the morning, ready to start my first day of orientation. As soon as I stepped foot into the library and saw the expression on Moira’s face as she looked up from the counter, my heart dropped. I knew instantly something wasn’t right.
“Is everything okay?” I questioned, going over to Moira. My stomach plummeted when her lips pinched and she avoided looking directly at me.
“I’m sorry, Pa-Mrs. Townsend, but the position has been filled,” she stated formally.
My back went erect. I’d never shared with Moira my married name. In fact, I’d made sure to give Moira my maiden name, in person and on the job application.
“The position has been filled,” I repeated. “But just Friday I was told, by you, that I was chosen as the new librarian. What’s changed?”
Moira’s eyes bulged slightly. “Well, it seems as though there was a bit of a mix up.”
“Really?”
“Yes, the candidate we interviewed last week just prior to your interview had been selected but I hadn’t been informed.”
“You’re the head librarian. Don’t you make the decisions as to who fills the job openings?”
“I-I do but this time the decision was over my head.”
“Over your head,” I repeated again, rolling the words around in my mouth.
“Yes. Look, Mrs. Townsend, I’m sure this will be just a minor setback for you. With your education and experience, any library branch would be happy to have you. If you’ll excuse me, I have a meeting to attend.”
I stepped back from the counter and watched as Moira scurried around the counter and darted toward the back of the library. My eyes narrowed at the obvious anxiety she displayed while talking to me. Not very many people could put that type of fear and worry in others. I knew of one man who had the ability to do that. In fact, I’m married to him.
With that last thought, I turned and charged through the front doors of the library.
“Heading home so soon?” my driver, Daniel, questioned.
“No. We’re headed to Townsend Industries.” I firmly answered, pulling the back door to the SUV shut, slamming it as I got in.