Sucker for the Boss

by Blue Sky Books

  “Grace!” she heard her other sister, Michelle, call out to her. Grace walked over to the door and stuck her head out.

  “I’m coming. What sup?” she yelled back.

  “There’s a man here to see you” Michelle answered and Grace immediately knew who it was. She wanted to see him, she was excited to see him and she ran down the stairs of her mother’s home till she found Ben standing out in the porch, at the front door.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked him curtly, despite how fast her heart was beating in her chest.

  “Elena had your address” he said. He hadn’t set foot inside her house and she respected him for the space he was giving her. She opened the screen door and joined him outside in the porch.

  “But why are you here Ben? I thought I made myself very clear to you” Grace crossed her arms and tilted her head up to look at him.

  “I made it very clear to you too. That if the child is mine then I will do whatever it takes to make it a part of my life” his voice was quivering and Grace looked around her nervously, hoping neither of her sisters were eavesdropping.

  “Ben” her voice softened when she spoke again. “Please leave. You should go back to your house and your wife”

  “I don’t want to go back to her. I want to be with you. And most of all, I want to be with my second child” he inched closer to her and this time she didn’t back away from him.

  “We both know that isn’t possible. You said that yourself”

  “That was before you left. Before I realized how much I needed you in my life. How much Lulu needs you. That you’re carrying my child” the words flowed out of him in a hurry. He was running his fingers through his hair repeatedly and she wanted to wrap her arms around him. She felt the same emotion she used to feel for him, to try and do something to make him feel better.

  “Don’t tease me Ben. It hurts me” her lips quivered and she was on the verge of breaking down.

  “I’m not. I want to figure out a way for us to be together. Even if that means divorcing Moira and legally battling it out over Lulu. I’m willing to do it” he reached out for her chin and she let him grab it gently, tilting her head up to face him.

  “She will never give up Lulu. Just to spite us” Grace shut her eyes as tears rolled down her cheeks. The last thing she wanted to do was separate Lulu from Ben.

  “She will have to when I prove how incompetent she is as a mother. When I prove that she has an addiction to her drugs and has buried me in gambling debts over the years” Ben said gruffly, his glittering eyes held her gaze strongly, while he lifted a finger to wipe away the tears from her cheeks.

  “You mean she’s had those problems for years?” Grace sniffed.

  “Yeah. I just didn’t want to put Lulu through the humiliation of finding out who her mother truly is. But she has you now. She has somebody who deserves her more than Moira” Ben’s voice cracked and he wrapped his arms around Grace, gently pulling her toward him. When her face touched his shoulders she closed her eyes. She could smell him again, feel his skin.

  “And we’re going to have our own child now Grace. This child deserves better. I have to think of both my kids”, she pulled away to look at him, almost disbelieving what was happening that he was actually saying the words that she was hearing.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner Ben. I just didn’t know you felt this way about me, about us” she bit down on her lip but he smiled.

  “You had every reason to keep it hidden but I’m glad you came to the park. Lulu and I have both been so miserable since you left” he hugged her again and spoke into her hair, while she clutched the back of his shirt, never wanting to let go.

  “I thought I was just a babysitter to you. That you used me when you needed a pick-me-up” she whispered the words and heard him laugh.

  “If that’s what I thought of women. I would have been able to leave Moira years ago”, he laughed again and Grace smiled. She still couldn’t believe it was all happening. He pulled away from her again and lowered himself down, feeling her stomach with both his hands. She knew he could sense the emerging bump, even though it had barely made an appearance. He touched her belly like a new father would hold his newborn child.

  “I can’t wait to meet this one” he smiled up at her and she laughed, wiping a tear of joy away from her face.

  “Grace, I’m so happy” he stood up again and they embraced.

  “I can’t believe this is happening Ben. All I’ve wanted for these two months is to be in your arms. I didn’t think it would ever happen” she sank into his chest, finally.

  “I think there’s someone at the house, waiting for you to tuck her into bed” he stroked her hair and Grace looked up at him, biting down on her lip.

  “Lulu is going to be so mad at me. I didn’t say goodbye to her when I left the park”

  “She won’t be. You don’t have to say goodbye to her ever again”

  The Football Rock Star

  Carmela rubbed her hands together furiously and hoped that it would warm her up. Even though she had thrown on layer after layer of wool, in the form of an inner thermal, a sweater, a wooly scarf, socks and gloves - they weren’t enough to beat the end of December frost. She checked her watch again and realized that she was now late by fifteen minutes which meant that Coach would give her an earful.

  She tried to quicken her pace, as her brown chunky scarf trailed behind her. She crossed her arms and tucked her covered hands into her armpits. Nothing seemed to work. She was concentrating on avoiding the snow which was strewn all over her path when she heard a car honk next to hear. Carmela turned to watch as her two teammates - Fiona and Janice wave at her, wide grins on their faces as one of them screamed out -

  “You’ll never make it”, and the car zoomed past. She would have recognized that car anywhere. A shiny red Corvette, with its hood down. At the driver’s seat she noticed the back of the blonde head of Rory Pritchett, while Janice sat beside him. He hadn’t even bothered to look, he just continued driving while Carmela stopped in her tracks.

  She was eventually nearly twenty-five minutes late for practice and quickly changed into the short, red skirt and matching white and red top. Thankfully Coach did nothing more than roll her eyes at her and point to the watch on her wrist. Carmela joined the team while she noticed from the corner of her eye how Janice and Fiona were sniggering together. She decided to let it go; what else did she expect?

  Carmela hadn’t started off college with an aim to join the Cheerleading team, it just sort of happened to her. She had been actively involved with a contemporary dance group since the beginning of her first year but that group disintegrated due to a couple of the girls dropping out of the team and out of college. It was only by chance that Coach had attended a couple of their dance performances and then spoken to Carmela after the group dissolved about trying out for the Cheerleading team. How different can it be? she had thought at the time, only to realize soon after, that dancing and cheerleading are worlds apart.

  “C’mon girls! From the top,” Coach’s voice interrupted Carmela’s thoughts and she began to take a position. Within seconds, somebody had turned the music on and as she began to move her body in tune with the rhythm of the beats, suddenly all her cares and worries melted away. Carmela immediately stopped thinking about what the rest of the team thought of her, or how she didn’t fit in. She stretched her arms with poise and lifted her legs like a delicate swan, the beats continued as she moved in circles to take the center-stage. The closing seconds of their act was entirely focused on Carmela and the few contemporary dance moves that she had choreographed into their routine.

  She angled her body and threw her leg in the air, she bent backward from the waist and relaxed her muscles. Four of her teammates in the meantime were to have taken their position behind her to grab her arms as she would fall backward in slow motion. The effect, Coach was certain, would blow the audience away.

  However, as Carmela loosened her muscles a
nd tipped her body over, she couldn’t feel the protective arms around her, the way they should have been. In a split second her back had struck the cold hard wooden floor of the gym, followed by her head. She was so afraid of losing consciousness that she kept her eyes wide open even though a shrill shriek escaped her lips. She remained sprawled on the floor as she felt the wooden boards vibrate, Coach had run over to her side and was now bent over her.

  “Carmela, are you alright? This is not funny girls!” Coach was saying and repeating. Carmela shifted her back and tried to sit up, she could feel her spine hurt and the pounding in her head just wouldn’t stop. When she managed to sit up, she realized that the rest of her team were in splits, laughing and throwing each other high fives.

  “I’m going to suspend one of you for this. She could have been seriously injured,” Coach screamed, throwing the girls a threatening look, while she continued to pat Carmela’s head with one hand. Coach’s threat didn’t seem to bother the other girls, they continued to laugh. Carmela, with shaking fingers, touched her forehead to feel for wounds, but thankfully there weren’t any.

  It was through her shaky vision, as she sat sprawled on the gym floor, with one of her hands on her forehead that she saw Rory Pritchett standing near the entrance. Rory Pritchett, with the perfect coffee colored eyes, the menacing pointed jaw, the thick blonde hair that fell over his eyes, those broad muscular shoulders, the way his jeans enveloped the sinews of his thighs. He was standing there with his hands half thrust into the pocket of his jeans, his oversized football jersey had his last name and number printed on it.

  Carmela could see him laughing. The sight of his broad smile and the way his shoulders shook while he laughed, on any other occasion would have made her heart skip, but today as he stood several feet away exchanging knowing glances with Janice and Fiona. Rory Pritchett failed to make Carmela’s soul flutter. She gulped instead and placed her palms on her sides and managed to heave herself up. Coach tried to assist her, but instead Carmela shook her off and limped across the gym floor towards the changing room.

  “Carmela go see the nurse please!” she heard Coach yell out to her as she pushed open the doors to the changing room; the sound of the others laughter was still ringing in her ears.

  *****

  Carmela had picked out a bright blue color to paint her toenails with. She sat hunched on her bed with the bottle of nail polish clutched in one hand while she concentrated on painting her toenails with the other. Her roommate Laura was sitting at the desk painting her fingernails a light shade of pink.

  “Cheer up Carm,” she said and blew softly on her nails as she held them up.

  “I’m fine Laura. I’m just upset that it’s taking the team so long to just give me a break you know?” Carmela replied from her position on the bed. Laura sighed and twisted back the cap of the nail polish bottle and stood up.

  “Well at least you’re not seriously hurt,” she said and walked over to her closet.

  “For now,” Carmela replied and finally looked at her friend.

  Laura and Carmela had first met when they became roommates, a few hours after arriving on campus three years ago. No two people could be more different. While Carmela was studying Psychology, was a dancer and a cheerleader; Laura was Majoring in Mathematics, was a self-proclaimed geek and had never danced in her life, not even at Prom. Carmela smiled as she watched Laura try and choose a plaid shirt from the stacks of plaid shirts that she had in her closet.

  “You think this is good?” Laura asked as she held out a blue and black one for Carmela to examine.

  “It’s perfect. I hope you guys have fun,” she said and sprung out of bed to give Laura a hug.

  “Thanks. You got any plans?” Laura asked as Carmela was just about to step out of their shared room.

  “Nah. I’ll probably just hang about till you come back”, Carmela said with a wink and walked out. She was happy for Laura. She was happy that the boy who she had been pining over for the last two years had finally asked Laura out on a date. She deserves the attention, she thought as she walked down the hall of their student accommodation building.

  She wasn’t prepared for the weather yet again when she stepped out through the main door and out in the cold. The college sweatshirt that she was wearing was only ever-so-slightly warm, while the black, woolen leggings she wore were a meagre attempt at keeping the cold out. She had thankfully remembered to wear her woolen scarf and the long, golden curls that fell around her neck provided some protection against the chill.

  Carmela rubbed her hands together again and started walking. I need a pick-me-up, she thought as she walked down the woody avenue that surrounded the student buildings inside the campus. It was already dark by now and the few street lights that were on were faintly illuminating the path she was walking on. A few cyclists rode by while she walked, but other than that everybody else seemed to be indoors on account of the weather. The perfect time for a walk!

  The incident at the gym from the morning was still bothering her. Her teammates just allowing her to crash on the floor, the look of mirth on Rory Pritchett’s face as he watched her humiliate herself, the increasing fear that she did not have any friends other than Laura. Things had been different for Carmela back home. She was popular, she had been the Prom Queen, and she was expected to become a rising star, a celebrated dancer. None of those things had remained true or materialized ever since she entered college. She had begun to feel that her destiny was to just become an average psychologist and live her life unnoticed. None of the glory and stardom that comes with being a cheerleader had fallen on her lap yet and she was beginning to wonder if all of this effort and embarrassment was even worth it.

  Carmela hadn’t realized that she had left the campus while walking and thinking. When the glow of the diner’s signpost struck her face, she noticed that she was standing right in front of it. The warmth and anonymity of the place was inviting, besides, nobody from college ever went to the diner. There were enough cafes and canteens peppered all around campus for her peers to enjoy.

  Without a second thought Carmela pushed open the glass door of the diner and stepped in on to the cold, linoleum floor of the brightly lit place. She looked around to find that the small space was almost completely occupied with people who looked like truckers and construction workers. She breathed in deeply and made her way to the closest table which had only one man sitting on a plastic chair, his back was turned towards her.

  Carmela walked over to his side and pointed at the red faux leather seat that remained empty opposite him.

  “Excuse me but may I have this seat?” Carmela asked, hoping against hope that he wouldn’t turn out to be some sort of weirdo. She was already beginning to regret her decision to enter this place and could see why nobody from campus ever visited it.

  The man slowly turned his blonde head towards her and a pair of coffee colored eyes focused on her face. It was Rory Pritchett and he was bent over a plate while he held a large, greasy burger in his hands. He nodded while continuing to chew and Carmela could see a hint of a smile in his eyes while she remained dumbfounded and robotically slid into the seat.

  She looked around the diner nervously, hoping to catch the eye of a waitress. She could sense that Rory was staring at her, while he ate his burger. This was the last place she would have expected him to be. The college football star, the poster-child of ‘bad boys’ who drove a Corvette - sitting by himself at a cheap diner eating a greasy burger! Carmela pulled at a thick curl which had fallen over her left cheek and tucked it behind her ear.

  “Come here often?” she heard him ask.

  *****

  Carmela laughed nervously as she took another sip of her milkshake. Rory was eating his second greasy hamburger and had just cracked a joke about his football coach and how his neck always turned red when he was shouting. They had been sitting across from each other in the diner for nearly an hour. She had been suspicious of his intentions for talking to her initially, but so
on realized that he just wanted some company over dinner. They had spoken about college, introduced their parents and siblings to each other through their stories and were now finally discussing funny incidents. He had made no mention of the accident from the morning. While Carmela felt a little angry with him for not bringing it up while he had clearly been laughing at her in the morning, she had also somewhat forgotten about it in the middle of the familiar happy conversations they were having.

  When Rory finally stopped laughing, Carmela stirred her milkshake with her thick straw.

  “So do you come here often?” she asked this time, and turned her eyes to him.

  Rory was in the middle of taking his last bite of the burger.

  “Whenever I can get away. They make a mean burger,” he said and grinned.

  “Also, I get to spend some time by myself you know what I mean?” he added. Carmela nodded in response.

  “You just don’t seem the kind of person to be sitting alone in a diner and eating a calorie-filled hamburger,” she said and gave a short laugh, wondering if she had taken it a step further by questioning his habits.

  “Well I guess I’m more than just a stereotype,” Rory said thoughtfully. He wasn’t laughing anymore.

  “You mean the kind of guy who hangs out with the likes of Janice and Fiona?” Carmela asked too quickly and immediately regretted it. Rory was silent for a few seconds and continued to chew the food in his mouth. He eventually sank back in his seat and studied Carmela’s face.

  “I know what you’re trying to say. They can be very bitchy. But they’re not entirely terrible,” he said finally and even though her attention was on her milkshake, she could tell that he was still studying her face, waiting for a reaction.

  “I haven’t seen the non-terrible side of them,” Carmela said and looked up to face him defiantly. Rory laughed at that and slapped the table top.