“You know what they say about dimples, don’t you? They’re a kiss from God.”
She hands me the thick envelope and I slowly open it, straightening out the folds. I take a deep breath and start looking through the charges. I get to the back page and there are signatures all over the page. I look at the area for the amount due. It reads: PAID IN FULL.
I look up at her, not grasping what I’m reading. I then see my room fill with nurses and doctors, some with flowers in their hands, others with balloons and stuffed animals.
A little candy striper walks up to me with a card and a little blue giraffe and hands them to me.
I open the card. It reads:
Every difficulty, crisis, and challenge in your life is always a blessing in disguise! The blessings in disguise are what made you who you are today! Just remember that after every storm a rainbow always follows.
My doctor looks at me, her eyes brim with tears. “It kind of got around the hospital about Braydon and what happened to him, how he protected you and was killed in the process. A little fundraiser was held in your honor to bring that rainbow back into your life. Your father talked to our accounting department and gave us your insurance information. The fundraiser paid the rest, and you will have enough extra to live off, so you can stay home with Jaxon for three months with a little left over to help you.”
Tears are streaming down my face; I don’t even know what to say. “Then, since you have started this, I want to pay it forward. Whatever is what you call ‘the leftover’ can be the starting of a new fund for someone else that has fallen on hard times. If that works for all of you that have helped me. And please before you leave, I want to meet all of you and introduce you to Jaxon, I want him to know what everyone here has done for him and me. Thank you all very much for your generosity, I will never forget this.” I wipe the tears from my eyes as everyone comes and greets me. I am thoroughly blessed.
When I say my thanks to everyone and my room is empty, I call my mom and dad. I tell them what the staff at the hospital had done and thanked my parents for keeping me on their insurance all this time.
Chapter Twenty
Charlie
IT’S HARD TO BELIEVE he’s four months old now. I can see his gentle personality coming through. His eyes are slowly turning now; they are more green than blue. I can’t wait to see what color they will turn out to be.
I’ve been back to work for a month now. Benny has been great, he lets me bring Jaxon to work with me and there is always someone who will watch him while I am on stage. The place is non-smoking, so I can keep him in Benny’s office while he’s in there working and it’s been working out great. I know this will only work for a little while longer because he is getting more mobile and this isn’t the best of places to raise a baby.
Tonight is Raven’s graduation from college. Katie is coming to babysit for me. Katie was in my nursing class before I dropped out after Braydon died. She plans to specialize in pediatric nursing. She has such a kind heart, and she has been a real good friend to me, especially after Braydon died.
I am so proud of Raven. She has worked so hard to get where she is today. I know she still wants to find out about her mother, but the private investigator she hired didn’t do anything for her except take her money.
As much as we love Benny, I know Raven really wants to start a new life and a new job that she can be proud of. Working at a gentleman’s club isn’t something I’m proud of either, but it pays the bills. It will eventually get me through college once I decide to go back, but right now it works for me.
Raven has saved enough money to buy a used car. Braydon had a car that we were using, but it wasn’t ours. One night after Raven bought hers, I drove his car to his parents’ home. I parked it in the driveway and left the keys under the seat and a note on the steering wheel for his parent to take care of.
Raven has applied for several jobs. She received a call on one of the jobs she applied for and is going in for an interview. “I can’t believe how nervous I am. What happens if they go to the club and have seen me? God, I would be so embarrassed.”
“Raven,” I take her by the shoulders, looking down into her eyes, “what would you be telling me if the roles were reversed? You would say, ‘take a deep breath and hold it for a few seconds and let it out. Do it a couple more times, roll your shoulders, and say everything will be all right. Things happen for a reason. If this is where I am supposed to be, everything will work out.’”
“I know; I don’t know why I’m this way today.”
“It’s a good sign.”
She looks up at me. “You think?”
“You’re going to nail it. With your personality, it’s in the bag.”
Raven stands on her tippy toes and gives me a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you for being such a great friend.”
“Break a leg. Now get out of here before you’re late.”
She opens the door and walks out.
I play with Jaxon part of the afternoon and walk out of the bedroom after putting him down. Raven walks through the door. She looks discouraged.
“Hi, how did it go?”
“I did well on the interview and I think I made a good connection with both of the owners. I think they liked me, but when I was walking out, a tall bleach blonde babe with big flashy boobs walked in. Shit she had to be six feet with her heels, and legs that could wrap around a guy twice. She looked like she had just stepped out of a magazine.”
“Yeah, but why would you think you wouldn’t get the job because of her?”
“The way she touched one of the owners it was … I don’t know, as she shook his hand she did this …” She takes my hand as if she’s shaking it, then places her other hand on my forearm.
“Are you serious? Well, if they hire her, then that job isn’t for you. They would have to be pretty shallow to hire someone that acts as if she would do personal favors to get a job.”
“The thing is I didn’t picture them that way. They were very nice, and I liked them a lot.”
“Did they say when they would let you know by?”
“It was just between the two of us, they thought within the next couple days. It seems like a great opportunity. It’s a start-up company working on computer applications. They’re doing a lot of business, and they’re expanding fast.”
“That does sound like a great opportunity. I know you’ll get it. As you said, they didn’t seem like the type to hire someone because of her sexual advances. You just wait.”
I was just getting Jaxon up from his morning nap when I heard screaming from Raven’s room. I lay Jaxon back down and run to Raven. She’s jumping up and down and dancing all around. I clear my throat. She stops, turns and looks at me. “Oh shit, did I wake Jaxon up?”
I chuckle at her; it’s been a long time since I have seen her so excited. “No, I was just getting him up from his nap.”
“Phew! Good … I GOT THE JOB!” she screams.
I jump over to her and grab her as we both are now jumping up and down. “I told you, you would. I am so proud of you. When do you start?”
“Monday morning. Oh my gosh, what am I going to wear? I don’t think they would appreciate my current job’s uniform.”
“You think?” I chuckle.
The weekend was filled with shopping. Although this isn’t her first job, she wants to look professional. I am so happy for her.
When Monday rolls around, I think I need to open the windows to let all the butterflies out that are filling the room. We’re both nervous; you would have thought it was my first day on the job. “I knew that blouse would bring out your eye color, and with your hair down, you look gorgeous. Okay, you have to leave before I cry. You go and knock their socks off, show them why you deserve this job. I am so proud of you and what you have accomplished.” I pull her into a tight hug as tear brim my eyes. “You finally made it out,” I whisper.
“Thank you, Charlie, I don’t know where I would be right now if I hadn’t met you
.” She kisses me on the cheek and turns for the door.
I’m sitting on the couch reading to Jaxon when Raven comes bounding through the door with a huge smile on her face. “Okay, what’s going on? I know you like your job, but I don’t think it’s the job that put that smile on your face.”
“Oh, Charlie …” Raven has a dreamy look on her face. “I met someone.”
I have to chuckle, Raven hasn’t ever been in a relationship, well, as long as I have known her anyway.
“God, I thought I would take him, there in the office.”
“So … What’s his name?”
“Toby. God, you should see him. He’s tall, real tall, maybe a foot taller than I am, he has dark curly hair and green eyes, broad shoulders, and he smells … so good. He said he would call me.” She squeals.
“So what does he do?”
“What does he do?”
“For a living?”
“Oh, I think he’s in security. I’m not really sure, but I think I’m going to marry him.”
If I had been drinking something I would have spit it out. I start to laugh. “You just met the man and you’re having his babies already? Talk about moving a little fast.”
“I don’t know, there is just something about him. A connection that I haven’t ever had before. It’s weird, I can’t explain it.”
“How did he react to you?”
“The same way, from the way Beckett, one of my bosses, acted, I think he thought it was weird too. I bit his ear.”
“You what?” I say, astonished.
“Well, when he first walked through the door I stood to greet him. He acted as if he wasn’t used to women. He could barely get his name out. God his smile, that smile of his would have girls all over town dropping their panties for him.”
“So what happened?”
“Beckett came around the corner and saw Toby. It was funny, Toby acted like a little boy getting caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Anyway, he went into Beckett’s office and talked for a little while. When he came back out he leaned over my desk as if to ask me out, but it was as if he had never asked a girl out before.”
“So what did you do?”
“The only thing I knew to do. I said it’s just like riding a bike; at first it’s a little shaky, but once you start you get your balance.”
“Are you shitting me? You really said that to him. Then what did he do?”
“He tilts his head, looking at me, and said in a whisper, ‘Raven, if you’re not involved with anyone, I would love to take you out sometime.’”
“Maybe he’s just shy?”
“Well, that’s when I stand up, lean over, and whisper in his ear, ‘Breathe, Toby, breathe.’ He inhaled deeply, as if he was breathing in my scent.”
“Then what happened?”
“I said, ‘I would love to go out with you, Toby.’ Then I nipped his earlobe and licked it.”
“Oh my gosh, you are a little slut!” I laugh. “I haven’t ever heard you act this way before, and it isn’t as if you weren’t asked out at the club a lot.”
“I told you, this was different.”
“Then what happened?”
“I pulled away, looking up at him through my lashes, and smiled as I ran my tongue over my bottom lip. Then I asked for his phone and I put my number in his it. I call myself, then I label me in his phone.”
“So did you set a date?”
“Nope, he said, ‘Thank you; I’ll give you a call.’ Then he turned and walked out.”
“Are you shitting me, after all that, and he didn’t set a date.”
“Nope, but he will.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Zain
THE LAST YEAR I’ve still been trying to run from the ghosts of my past. I was primarily staying on the west coast. I was doing a lot of surfing and hiking. Not really trying to do anything, but learn who I was and what I wanted in life. I knew it was time to settle down and get responsible, so I moved to the area that I loved the best, the Pacific Northwest. I started applying for jobs. I didn’t think it would be so hard getting a job working with computers, but most of the jobs wanted you to have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree. I was self-taught and I was good and I was a quick learner, but repeatedly I was turned down.
I was feeling pretty low when I received a call from a newer startup company that was looking to expand. I told them that I didn’t have a degree. The last thing I wanted to do was waste anyone’s time, including my own, but they didn’t care about the degree as long as I could prove myself. They set up a day for an interview and asked me to bring in an example of software I had developed. I made a list of my different apps, they could pick one out, and I would show it to them.
The day of my interview, I’m still a little apprehensive. I know that if it is between me and someone who is educated, the job would go to the person who had spent their time in school. All I can do is try to win them over by being self-taught and what I could bring to the company.
I walk into the office and meet the receptionist. She is very nice and friendly, Raven is her name, and it fits her well. She looks like she would be fun to party with. She lets the owners know I am there and escorts me back to the conference room, making a copy of my resume on the way. She introduces me to Beckett and Richard.
Richard started the company and mentored Beckett; they are both owners of the company. The interview goes well; I show them an app that would sort eBooks. It will sort eBooks that have been purchased and put them in sequential order. If you were to purchase a book that was in a same series, it would show you the series and how many books you have in the series and how many are needed to complete the series. Also, if it’s a stand-alone book. I explain why I think this is important to readers who don’t like to start a book in a series if they don’t have all of the books in the series.
As they walk me to the reception area, there is another guy waiting to be interviewed. I feel very underdressed. I’m in a pair of jeans and a polo type shirt. This guy is in a fucking suit. Well, I guess I can kiss this job goodbye too. Fuck.
They walk Mr. Suit back to the conference room and I walk over to Raven to say my goodbyes. It would have been nice to get to know her. Not that I’m interested in a relationship other than a friend. I haven’t had many friends the last several years, and the idea of it sounds nice.
“Yes, it would be,” Raven says.
I look up at her to see if she was talking to me, because it sounded like she was answering a question that I didn’t hear asked. “Excuse me?”
“I said it would be nice to have new friends.”
“Why would you say that?” I ask.
“Well, you said you hadn’t had many friends the last several years and that it would be nice to make a new ones.”
“But I didn’t say that out loud.”
She looks at me as if I am crazy. “Well, how would you explain that I just heard you say that? You did just say that, correct?”
“I didn’t think I’d said it out loud.” Maybe I did, maybe the stress is just getting to me.
“There isn’t anything to stress about. You got the job.”
“Okay, now you’re just freaking me out. How do you know I got the job?”
“I thought they told you. Maybe they have to run your background check. No worries, you’ll get the job.”
“I wish I could be that sure.”
“Like I said, you got the job. Look, if you don’t get the job, I’ll buy you a drink. If you do get the job, you can buy me a drink. Fair enough?”
“And how are we going to know?”
“In one week, Friday night, we’ll go out. Job or no job … but you have the job, trust me.”
“Okay, I will be back here in a week for drinks.”
We shake hands and he turns and walks out.
A couple days later, I receive a call from Beckett. “Is this Carson?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Hi Carson, this is Beckett Dalton from Sto
nework’s.”
“Hi, Mr. Dalton.”
“Beckett, please. I wanted to make you an offer for our tech position. Is that something that you are still interested in?”
“Yes, of course. When did you want me to start?”
“I would love for you to start right away, if that’s okay with you.”
“That would be great. Is there anything I need to know, dress code, start time?”
“We don’t have a dress code and as far as start time, eight or nine to start, as long as you put your time in, were pretty easy.”
“That sounds great, I will see you tomorrow at eight. Thank you, Beckett.”
“Thank you, Carson. I will see you then.”
I get off the phone, relieved and excited to start this new stage in my life. I smile to myself that Raven was right. I look forward to buying her a drink on Friday.
I walk into the office the next day greeted by Raven. She has a big smile on her face, an “I told you so” smile.
She clears her throat. “Well hello Mr. Smith. I would say that congratulations are in order, and I look forward to my drink tomorrow night.”
“Well Raven, when I received the call yesterday, I have to say that I was very excited about buying you a drink tomorrow night.”
Beckett walks up to the reception area and greets me. He shows me my office and hands me the key. “We have one other tech that we hired. He should be here before nine, and then we can go over everything together and what we are looking to achieve. So if you want to get your office set up the way you want it, feel free, look around, make yourself at home. If you have any questions or need to know where anything is, feel free to ask. Raven can show you where all the supplies are.”
“Thank you, Mr. Dalton.”
“It’s Beckett, please.”
“Thank you, Beckett, and thank you for this opportunity, most places wouldn’t hire someone without a college degree.”
“Well, Carson, that might be the way it is with other businesses, but we do things a little differently here. You have shown us that education isn’t always necessary.” He puts his hand on my shoulder, turns, and walks into his office.
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