by Hattie Black
"So when are you coming back? It's been two days already. You're not permitted one more." Amanda commands.
"I'm not sure Amanda. You will be sure to be the first to know when I decide." Renee teases her friend.
"I better be! Well, get better soon...and by soon, I mean tomorrow!" Amanda quips. Renee chuckles.
"Got it!" Renee ends her call with Amanda. It is Tuesday, and she has been at her parents' since Sunday. On Sunday night, she sat at her father's computer in his study, and composed an email to Melaine.
***
"Dear Melaine,
I am unable to come into the office tomorrow. I am not well at this time. Honestly, I am not certain when I will be able to return. I will be sure to forward all incomplete projects to you before the week's end."
Thank you for your kind understanding.
Sincerely,
Renee Wainwright"
Renee shoke the entire time she wrote the email. Still, she didn't see any other option. "I can't face Colin, and I can't face Melaine either. She believed in me, and I failed her." She reasoned three days earlier. Renee does not feel any less miserable about what she has done.
"If only I could go back in time." She told her mother on Monday while assisting her with cooking dinner.
"Don't worry so much Renee. What is done is done. What have your Dad, and I always taught you? Turn each experience into a lesson. Please stop beating yourself up. You are not a horrible person." Pilar kissed Renee on the cheek, and continued to make her famous meatloaf.
Renee has been doing lots of thinking over the last few days. Among other things, she's thought long and hard about her relationship with Melaine. She imagines that Melaine is sorely disappointed with her. Yet, Melaine hasn't stopped reaching out to her. Colin and Nick have also called numerous times but on this day, following her call from Amanda, Renee thinks more, and more that she should reach out to Melaine, and allow her to hear her voice. "The email is not enough." Renee concludes.
She reaches for her phone again. Renee dials. "Hello?" Melaine picks up. "Renee is that you? Are you okay?"
"Yes, it's me. How are you Melaine?"
"How am I? No, how are you? I know...I know Renee! Are you okay?" Melaine asks with deep and sincere concern. Renee works very hard not to be emotional.
"I am okay Melaine. Thank you for checking on me. How are things at the office. Are the clients piling in?" Renee asks trying to avoid the real issue.
"Everything here is okay...somewhat, but I don't want to talk about work Renee. Are you alright? Do you plan on returning to work?" Melaine inquires. There is brief silence on the phone.
"Melaine, I am sorry that I was so unprofessional on Saturday. I would totally understand if you want to fire me. Either way, I will forward my outstanding work to you this week." Melaine smiles. She is glad that Renee is addressing the real matter at hand. "Renee, thank you for your apology, but you are not fired!" Melaine begins to tell her. "Where are you Renee? Are you really at your apartment?..." Melaine is not certain whether she has crossed a line. She stops talking. Renee does not respond right away either. Her heart rate increases. She thinks as quickly as is possible.
"Melaine, thank you for everything. I can't thank you enough, or repay you enough for your kindness. I'm sorry, but I am not ready to come back there. I'm not sure that I ever will be." She tells her mentor, and supervisor.
"Renee, what are you saying?" Melaine asks bluntly..
"I honestly don't know. I know you want a straight answer. I don't know..." Renee rambles on.
"Okay...okay, it's okay Renee. I didn't mean to upset you. Please just stay in touch. I appreciate your willingness to forward your work. Let me know if you need anything...I mean anything." Renee feels some small relief from Melaine's words.
"I am sorry to disappoint you Melaine. Thanks so much for being so understanding."
"I am just glad you're safe. Take good care of yourself." Melaine concludes, and hangs up.
Renee breathes a sigh of relief. Although it was a bumpy ride, she did accomplish reaching out to Melaine, to begin to convey how sorry she is about her bad judgement. Renee breathes in, and out, one more time.
***
Several miles away, Melaine replays her conversation with Renee in her head.
"She sounds crushed. Poor Girl!" Melaine whispers in the privacy of her office. "I knew it...I knew it!" Melaine says, and slams her fist down on to her desk. Melaine shakes her head, and stands up. She begins to pace her office. She eventually sits down into her chair, and calls the Human Resources department herself. Melaine is curious about where Renee is. She knows that she is not at her own apartment. Colin has been at her apartment on numerous occasions, and besides disturbing the neighbors, he hasn't had any success with finding her. Even her neighbors confirmed that they have not seen her in a few days.
"Hi, this is Melaine Nordstrom. I am calling about one of my graphic artists, Renee Wainwright. Do you have an address for her other than the one in Summersville?" Melaine asks one of the HR personnel. Nothing! "Well do you have an emergency contact for her?"
"Is there an emergency Ms. Nordstrom?" The HR staff member asks Melaine.
"Excuse me?" Melaine is surprised by the question.
"Does Ms. Wainwright have an emergency?" The young woman asks dutifully.
"I am her boss, and I have an emergency concerning her. Is there a contact!" Melaine asks again in an aggressive tone.
"Yes Ma'am." Melaine finally obtains Renee's mother's cell number. She feels a little guilty. Renee wants time to recover, but Colin wants to find her. Melaine leans back into her chair "What should be my next move?" She contemplates long, and hard.
***
"Have you heard anything?" Not more than twenty minutes after her call with the Human Resources Department, Colin bursts into Melaine's office. "Well?...Melaine?...anything?" Colin forehead is wrinkled with worry.
"Colin, what is with busting into my office like that? We are still a business, or have you forgotten that?" Melaine barks at him.
"Melaine...please. I am not in the mood." Melaine smiles at Colin. He may actually be telling the truth about how he feels about Renee. Nonetheless, she is determined protect Renee, even at this juncture.
"She called the office today." Melaine tells Colin.
"She called? You spoke with her?" Colin reiterates.
"I did."
"How is she Melaine? How did she sound? Is she okay? When will she be back? Where is she?" Colin fires off all at once. Melaine's head is spinning. She would like to answer each question in the order that they were asked but she provides a summary instead.
"She is okay. Wherever she is, she is in one piece. She does...um, she does sound...well sad. I think she just needs time to think." Melaine offers. Colin plops down into one of Melaine's guest chairs.
"She's sad?" Colin reiterates.
"She sounds like it." Melaine also repeats.
"She thinks I took advantage of her?" Colin asks. Melaine looks at Colin curiously. He has no idea.
"Colin, she blames herself. She didn't mention you once. She thinks she failed me. She believes she's the one who has made the mistake." Melaine informs Colin. Colin is surprised.
"She blames herself?" He hangs his head down. "She shouldn't, you know. She was...is the better person...I kept pressing. I had to have her, and I was selfish. Maybe wanting to see her now is selfish too, but...um, I know I've said this before...Renee is different in a good way, and I need some of her goodness in my life."
Melaine smiles proudly at her cousin. "She is good...for all of us...but she can start with fixing you. If she wants to." Melaine chuckles.
Colin can't help himself he begins to laugh as well. They laugh in tandem. When the laughter dies down, Colin poses a question. "Do you think, you can get Renee to come back to fix me?"
"I don't know Colin. I don't think I should interfere. I mean, she needs time." Melaine argues.
"She thinks she needs time because
she thinks she was a one night stand, but she wasn't...she isn't" Colin counter-argues.
"Colin, right now I think it's best to leave her alone...at least for now. Let her deal with this in her own way." Melaine advises. Colin shakes his head. He still does not agree. He stands up and looks down at her.
"Ok Melaine...Okay!" Colin doesn't want to argue anymore. He temporarily gives in, and walks out.
***
Colin sits in his office chair. He spins around, and around, and around. As his chair spins, so does his mind. Melaine's words continue to resound. "Renee's sad"..."Renee needs time". Colin truly does contemplate Melaine's point of view on the subject. He thinks long, and hard for the next hour.
Later that afternoon, Colin receives a call from his mother, Mrs. Margaret Winston. She is involved with several charity projects. However, she was authentically impressed with Renee's recent contribution to her animal rescue organization. She requests that Colin ask Renee to work with the Cherished Friends team once again.
"Um, Mom I...I don't know...um, I will see if she's available. You know Melaine keeps her very busy." Colin bluffs.
"Well do whatever you can son. You can add a bonus to her compensation, can't you? She was wonderful! She was focused, and gave 1000% - My Executive Director, Beverly told me that she gave above, and beyond what was expected of her...So do what you can." Mrs. Winston concludes, and hangs up.
Colin sits dumbfounded, and severely conflicted. "Just great! My mother wants Renee, at all costs. I don't know where she is, and Melaine says I should give her time... I have a decision to make." Colin leans back into his chair, and considers his options.
Thirty minutes tick on. Colin picks up his desk phone. He contacts the private investigator he contracted previously. The last time he contacted Maurice, he wanted to learn Renee's hobbies, her likes, and dislikes in order to impress her, and simply seduce her. This time he wants to learn where she is so that he can tell her, she wasn't a one night stand. She is so much more.
"Thanks Maurice. Whatever you find out...um...just let me know, okay?" Colin ends his conversation with the private investigator, hopeful that he's made the right decision. With his elbow on his desk, Colin props up his head with his left hand and sways it, back and forth. He sits up straight again, and pictures Renee's face. He sees her brown face framed by a shiny dark curly mane. Her hazel brown eyes stands out, and lights up when she smiles. She's curvy, yet well toned, and fit. Colin licks his lips. He closes his eyes. He imagines, and can feel Renee's lips on his own. "She is perfect." He concludes.
"Where are you Renee?...Where are you?" Colin says out loud. He leans back, and reclines completely into his chair again.
CHAPTER 4
"Seriously Melaine, who is this girl? Colin is NOT himself in the least." Travis tells Melaine in the emptied conference room following a meeting. Melaine clears her throat.
"Travis, um...I...please don't keep asking me. It is such a sensitive issue." Melaine forewarns him. "Just ride it out, okay...I mean, he's Colin!" Melaine feels hopeless. She doesn't want to betray Renee, but she, Travis and Colin have known each other for such a long time, and know everything about one another. Melaine was married once, for two years. She married her college sweetheart, during their senior year. Travis is married, but has cheated on his wife twice. They are trying to work things out. Now Colin is seemingly going through a life change, and Melaine can't tell Travis everything. She wants to protect Renee...she needs to protect Renee.
Colin isn't being forthcoming either. Whenever Travis asks him what has stolen his thunder, he just says things like, "My eyes have been opened", or "I didn't realize what had truly become of me."
"Melaine, what is with all the secrecy? It's like you two don't trust me anymore. I thought we three were as thick as thieves!" Travis is determined to get to the bottom of the situation.
"Travis, I would love to fill you in but it is not my story to tell. Plus there is an innocent party involved Travis. Please...please don't press the issue any longer. Colin will snap out of it. I promise!" Travis shakes his head.
"I don't believe this...Ok, whatever Mel. I wouldn't press the issue any further." Travis pushes his chair back, and stands. "I hope you all know what you're doing." Travis marches out of the conference room.
"I hope that we know what we're doing too Travis. I hope that we do too." Melaine says aloud, into the empty conference room.
***
Colin is very nervous. He sits in a rented black sedan across the street from Renee's parents home. Maurice had done a phenomenal job, and located the address at her possible location in two days. Colin sat on the information for about 12 hours. However, he grew very anxious, and wanted to see for himself whether Renee was with her parents. It is the end of the week. Colin recognizes the silver sedan in the drive way. It is the car that Renee got into when she tried to get away from him that night he kissed her in the elevator. Colin remembers it, like it was yesterday. He shakes his head, hoping to shake the memory out of it. "I am sorry Renee." Colin murmurs. He looks at the house again. "How will she react to me being here?" Colin questions himself.
"This is a bad idea Colin." Colin starts the car, and drives off. "At least I know she's safe...That's enough...right?" Colin verbalizes, trying to convince himself. Colin drives through Renee's hometown. He takes in all the sights. He observes the quaint ice cream shop, the general store, and boutique dress shops, among other local stores. This visual helps Colin to get to know Renee better. He smiles. So this it the unique environment that shaped her. Colin imagines.
He drives by an Inn, and the thought pops into his head to get a room. Hmmm...I'm not sure how wise that would be. Colin rationalizes.
He drives around some more, and back through the main street of Oaktown. Colin finds himself back on Renee's street, and drives up to her parents home again. He notices an older woman with short curly salt, and pepper hair climbing out of another vehicle with stacks of paper in her hands. She walks up to the front door, and tries to open the door while balancing the papers in her hand. Colin watches from his car for two more seconds then leaps out.
"Ma'am, can I help you with that?" Pilar looks around quickly to see a tall, broad shouldered young white man approaching her.
"That would be so wonderful if you could young man." Pilar responds. Colin relieves Pilar of the stacks of papers in her hands. "Thank you. Now, I can open this door." She says chuckling.
Pilar opens the door, steps inside then stretches out her hand to take the papers from Colin.
"Thanks again young man. What is your name, so that I can thank you properly." Pilar says with a broad smile. Colin becomes nervous again. He rubs his hands down his pants.
"My name is Colin." He tells Pilar.
"Well, thank you for being so gallant Colin."
"Um...Ma'am, my name is Colin Winston." Pilar almost drops her papers again.
"You're...you're Renee's...You're Colin Winston?!" Pilar is beyond astonished. "What are you doing here, Colin?" Pilar begins to ask.
"Mom? Who are you talking to?" Renee is walking toward the door, from her father's study, located across from the staircase that leads to the second floor of the house. "I thought I heard you talking to some..." Renee nears the open door way, and sees the sandy brown hair, and green eyes she recognizes, and sees in her dreams almost every night.
"Hi Renee." Colin says, trying to conceal his excitement of seeing Renee again.
"What are you doing here?" Renee looks into Colin's face, and the emotions she felt when she first arrived home comes rushing back.
Pilar slips out of the way so that Renee and Colin can talk.
Colin steps in closer to Renee. "How are you Renee?" Colin asks softly. Renee looks down at her feet. She is trying her best to contain her emotions.
"Why are you at my parents' home Colin?"
"You left Renee...without a word. I had to know. Are you okay?" Renee looks around the foyer, trying to avoid eye contact with Colin.
"It should have never happened...but it did. Now you can move on to your next conquest." Renee says with a little bit of venom in her voice. Colin feels the sting. He regrets that his reputation, and past behavior has affected Renee this way.
"Renee, I'm sorry but there isn't another...another conquest waiting in the wings." Colin works to persuade her.
"You can tell me whatever you want Colin, but you're you - the billionaire playboy with a reputation. If you're worried, I'd tell someone...I wouldn't. It was the biggest mistake of my life." Renee says pointedly. "So please, don't do this again and stay away from me - for real this time!" Renee firmly establishes.
For the first time in a very long time, a woman makes Colin feel like he's been kicked in the stomach. "Renee, please let me explain...It did start off as a conquest, but it's more than that now."
Renee stares at Colin...she squints as though trying to read his thoughts. "I simply don't believe you!"
"Renee...please..." Colin begins.
"No...No! Your reputation precedes you. I know who you are...Please leave, and don't return to my family's home, or mine again!" Renee says with a brave face. She is intentional about the words that she utters, but she is taking a great gamble to tell them to this very powerful man.
Colin can not help but want to explain himself to her, and to make Renee understand that she's affected him in such a way that he no longer wants to be who his reputation dictates. He wants to let her know that she has opened his eyes once again, and that he no longer believes that all women are the same. They are not all selfish, and just perpetuating an image that is only skin deep.
Colin is also starting to remember what it is like to have feelings for someone again. Renee on the other hand, constantly recalls pain. She consistently recalls being charmed by her ex-boyfriend, then being taken for granted by him, followed by betrayal. Renee does fully accept responsibility for giving in to Colin. She knows she was a willing participant but she believes she now has an opportunity to save herself from betrayal again.
