Summer Fire
Page 107
Cameron Barron was ticked off to begin with. Relocating to Detroit Michigan wasn’t something he’d ever planned on doing, but here he was. Becoming CEO of Barron National did have its perks, but it also had its pitfalls, and he suddenly found himself right smack in the middle of one. Dancing Beneath the Stars. Who the hell comes up with this crap? Someone else could stand in for him, because the annual event was going to be short the CEO this June. But fate, along with his meddling secretary Jayden, had different plans.
Chastity would flee to the ends of the earth to avoid that man. But Joey Duffy? He was another story altogether. Joey was the sweet, gorgeous, new guy in town, and he seemed to be a perfect fit. But she had to admit, there was something about him she couldn’t quite put her finger on…
Thanks to Jayden, Cameron now found himself having to find Chastity. All he needed was a few minutes to say he was sorry. But there was no way she would ever allow him to come within a mile of her. Creating a disguise, to solve his dilemma, was the easy part. He made sure she’d never find out his true identity. Cameron had a plan that was rock solid.
…Until that fateful day in June. One slip of the tongue was all it took.
Chapter One
Chastity Newberry stared at the memo in her trembling hands as bile crawled up her throat. Her supervisor, Kayla Moore, had entered every female in the mailroom in a ridiculous contest. Chastity was sure she wouldn’t win, so she never gave it much thought. There were tons of women in the large office building, yet, they’d chosen her. Sure, the topic had come up many times, and she knew the announcement would be made today, but seriously? Though Chastity’s shift didn’t end until three o’clock, she told Kayla she was feeling ill and needed to leave. She pulled her purse out of her locker and limped out of Barron National, the company she’d been working at for a whopping eleven months, before she puked on the floor.
Dancing Beneath the Stars is a huge annual event, held on the second Saturday in June. Traditionally, the winner of the contest would be escorted by the CEO, Mark Twiller, and have the first dance. However, he’d recently gotten busted for embezzlement, so Cameron Barron, the president of Barron National, is here in the interim. Chastity never met the man, and frankly, she didn’t care to. She’d probably break out in hives, something that wasn’t on her to-do list. Now that Mr. Barron was here, and not at his main office in L.A., she had to deliver twice as much mail.
As Chastity rode the bus to her small apartment in Detroit, this new predicament was making her sink into a dark hole. She had no clothes to wear to such an event, at least none that would fit her, and she had no desire to make a spectacle of herself. When you gain over a hundred pounds, you don’t do anything extra to attract attention, and this dance would put a spotlight right on her. Chastity was not only obese, but she still had a bad limp, which destroyed every ounce of self-confidence she had. She should have never agreed to go on that trip. That’s when her life first unraveled:
Her friends had invited her to go skiing in Colorado the winter before last, and she’d used much of her savings account for the December getaway. It was expensive, but back then Chastity had a great secretarial job, so she wasn’t afraid to spend money. She thought she’d just have to be careful for a couple of weeks when she got home, or she could perhaps borrow a few bucks to help her make ends meet. She’d soon learn, however, that there were bigger things to worry about.
Chastity shouldn’t have tackled such an advanced slope while at the resort, but peer pressure tends to make you do things you normally wouldn’t. The first part of the mountain went fine, but by the time she’d reached the middle, she took a nasty spill and went tumbling. Chastity’s friends rushed to where she lay screaming. They removed her snow pants, and she almost went into shock at the sight of her femur sticking out of the flesh on her right thigh. As bad as it was, she had no idea the worst was yet to come.
The surgery went well, and the pins in her leg helped the bone to heal correctly, but the incision had gotten badly infected. Back to the operating room she went. Her hospital stay was lengthened, the pain was horrible, and Chastity never thought she’d get better. Little by little her friends stopped visiting and stopped answering their phones. Their lives continued as if nothing ever happened, while hers came to an abrupt halt. The deep depression that followed caused her to turn to food for comfort.
Chastity would have loved a family to give her support, but that wasn’t to be. Her biological father had abandoned them after she was born, and her stepfather was a very mean, selfish man. Avoiding him at all cost had been her goal since the age of fifteen, when her mother married the jerk. But she loved her mom enough to stay and put up with the man. Sadly, skin cancer reared its ugly head, and by the time Chastity turned seventeen, her mom was dead. She packed her bags after the funeral and walked out the door, before her stepfather returned home that evening. She never looked back and neither did he.
Now, the tables had turned. Chastity was the one who was left behind. Still, she was sure her life would get a little better after leaving the hospital. That wasn’t to be. When she finally got discharged and was given permission to use crutches, her fear of falling became too overwhelming. She believed with every grain of her soul that she’d break her leg again if she used them. Her fear was also causing her to avoid bearing any weight on her right foot. Chastity had no other option than to rely on the wheelchair. She literally sat, slept, and ate her days away.
Months passed, and she found herself with a whole slew of other problems. She ballooned into a person she no longer recognized. Chastity’s job was gone, and bills were piling up. She never bothered opening the blinds anymore. She’d received a severance package when the company let her go, but it wasn’t much. She learned to survive the cheapest way she could, which included cutting down her grocery bill; unhealthy meals don’t cost nearly as much as healthy ones. Her weight continued to rise. Looking down at her wide thighs, hips, and ugly scar, Chastity thought she’d reached her lowest point…until the landlord arrived with an eviction notice.
She moved into a cheaper apartment, which saved her from living on the streets, but it wasn’t conducive to those dependent upon wheelchairs. Luckily for Chastity, the landlords gave her a cane they no longer used, after witnessing her struggle to get around. If she braced herself against the wall for support, and leaned heavily on the cane, the amount of weight she had to place on her leg was minimal. Still, Chastity didn’t have more than a few feet to move in any direction.
Not that she wasn’t grateful to have a roof over her head, but her new apartment was in a rough neighborhood. Worse yet, the place came furnished, which meant she had to leave her belongings behind. There was no way she could afford a storage unit or to hire movers, so Chastity, once again, left without looking back.
The elderly landlords, at her new place, were kind and sympathetic and waived the security deposit and last month’s rent. That was what saved Chastity. It gave her a little more time to seek employment, but in order to fill out applications and go to interviews, she’d have to leave the apartment, something she tried to avoid.
Her doctor didn’t buy any of her excuses for her decreased mobility, nor why she felt the cane was necessary. Screw him, she’d thought. He isn’t in my body. Despite her hostility towards him, he continued on with his lecture. He stated that her limp was all psychological, and that she was avoiding putting pressure on her leg due to her fear of discomfort. Discomfort?! Chastity would never forget the surge of pain that shot down her leg the last time she’d tried to bear weight on it. It felt like she was being burned by a hot poker. She wanted to argue with him, but it would be fruitless. After bitching about her cane, he started in on her weight. You don’t have to hint to fat people that they’re fat. They already know. She cringed with embarrassment.
“It’s healed, Chastity,” he began, as he slid her gown up her thigh. “Your leg muscles have weakened because you’re not using them, and you’ve gained more weight since your last
visit. Get rid of that cane and walk.” He was right, but it didn’t lessen the sting. She wanted to shove the cane up his ass.
She blew off her next appointment. Instead, Chastity sat sulking in her apartment. Bills were still accumulating, and she was worried about paying rent. Without a steady income, becoming homeless was a real possibility, once again. Her landlord told her about a few restaurants that were hiring, but that would require moving swiftly on your feet all day. She was totally unqualified.
The next morning, she tried not to let her nerves get the best of her. She washed up, got dressed, then stared woefully at the ratty sweatpants she was wearing. There was no way she was going to impress anyone, regardless of how smart and articulate she was. She grabbed her cane, made her way to the bus stop, and went directly to the thrift store. Once inside, she found a dress that fit her, but it hung on her body like a floral tent. It only cost three bucks, so Chastity snatched it up and wore the dress out of the store. At least she looked more presentable.
The first few offices she entered, she smiled without hesitation, didn’t fumble over her words, and fought like hell to mask her pain. Still, she couldn’t camouflage her cane or hide her struggle to walk. They didn’t bother giving her applications to fill out.
Chastity had walked for a few hours, stopping at each office she passed. When she was about to give up and grab the next bus, the tall building of Barron National caught her eye. It was intimidating, but she had to try. A building this size has to have at least one position open, she thought. Chastity checked her reflection in the glass window, smoothed the fabric of her ugly floral dress, and ran her fingers through her hair. For good measure, she left the metal cane outside, tucked into the corner beside the door, and hoped like hell she wouldn’t fall.
“Human Resources is right down this way,” the thin, beautiful receptionist said, as she pointed. Chastity thanked her and slowly made her way up the hall. She was given an application, which she filled out the best she could. She’d come up with something creative to say, if asked why she didn’t have any personal references.
The interview went well, and after assuring the woman she could perform all the required duties, Chastity made her way back outside as a new hire in the mailroom. Monday would be her first day of work at Barron National. The smile on her face was huge, but it left the second she reached for her cane. It was gone. “Who the hell steals a cane?!” she yelled, completely outraged, as passersby stared at her. She took a deep breath and hobbled the two blocks to the bus stop.
Even though the most important thing was to find a job, there was still another obstacle Chastity had to deal with; meeting new people scared the hell out of her.
On Sunday night, she tried everything she could think of to fall asleep, but her mind kept spinning. Would her co-workers talk behind her back? Would they stare at her and make jokes? What if the bus ran late? By the time she fell asleep, her alarm went off. She didn’t dare hit the snooze button. She got dressed in record time, afraid she’d miss her bus, but thankfully it was on schedule. After her ugly struggle up the steps, Chastity felt people staring. She hoped the onlookers weren’t from Barron National, and if they were, they wouldn’t remember her.
By the time she reached the doors at her new job, Chastity could feel sweat trickling down her back, underneath her polo. Her tan khakis were sticking to her legs, and she could feel her skin getting raw. But at least she was able to meet the dress code requirements; the men’s section at the thrift shop had just what she needed.
When she arrived at Barron National, she didn’t bother checking her reflection in the window before opening the door. To avoid adding embarrassment to what was already an emotional day, she only packed a peanut butter sandwich, an apple, and a bottle of water. It wouldn’t be enough to satisfy her hunger, but a growling stomach was better than being judged.
While stepping off the elevator, to go to the mailroom in the basement, her anxiety rose to a new height. Her heart was pounding and her stomach turned. Chastity timidly walked into the locker room, expecting to receive disapproving looks, or worse, to be shunned, but Kayla Moore, the nicest supervisor she’d ever had, greeted her warmly and introduced her to the rest of the crew. Surprisingly, everyone was kind and welcoming.
Kayla had her buddy-up with a girl named Micki, who’d explained each task carefully, which helped the day to go way better than Chastity expected. The responsibilities weren’t too difficult, and she picked up on them the first time they were demonstrated. The hardest part of her assignment was pushing the mail cart, but once she learned how to use the handles as support, it wasn’t bad at all. At the end of her shift, she punched out, then made her way to the bus stop. Chastity was still wearing her employee badge. Heck, as proud as she felt, she might even wear it on her days off.
Memories of how she was when she first started working at Barron National, never left her. Chastity had now been employed there three weeks short of a year, and she really enjoyed the mailroom and was good at what she did. She even managed to shed some of her extra weight because of her increased activity. Her leg was stronger and she walked correctly unless she was stressed or overly tired. She loved working, feeling productive, and was proud of all her progress, but every day was the same. At seven in the morning her spirits would brighten, and at three in the afternoon, when it was time to punch out, her mood would plummet.
Chastity was well-versed in her dull routine. Things had to change, however. That’s the way fate rolled. Like the accident, something can happen that’ll upend your life in a split second—maybe a minute. She didn’t know how long it took her to read that memo, yesterday, she didn’t time it, but the words hit her in the gut like a baseball bat.
Chapter Two
“I’m not going to this blessed dance,” Chastity uttered to herself the next morning. She was anxious to go to work, but not for the usual reasons. Her top priority, today, was to remove herself from Barron National’s stupid contest. She planned to move fast while working, so she wouldn’t have to have lengthy conversations with her co-workers. The fact that she’d won, would be the talk of the entire building.
Once she got to work, she loaded the mail cart with record speed and pushed it towards the elevator. Chastity was going to have to circulate around the building, and suffer being put underneath a microscope, but soon she’d be able to end this fiasco. Come tomorrow, there’d be a new winner, and she could put this behind her. Her pulse was beating rapidly.
She reached the top floor and found herself close to tears. Jayden Borski, the executive secretary, had become as close a friend as Chastity would allow, and seeing her face brought her a little relief. They often sat together for lunch in the cafeteria, and they always chatted when she delivered the mail. Seeing Jayden was something she looked forward to every day, but this morning their meeting would be different. There wouldn’t be any small talk or laughter, no discussions about weekend plans—nothing but business.
Her biggest fear was running into Cameron Barron. Chastity had delivered mail to the eighteenth floor on a daily basis, but his office door was always closed and his mail went directly to Jayden. She’d wondered if he was ever in the building. She always took for granted that she’d never come face to face with the man, but today, the fear was real. She could imagine him coming out of his office, shaking his head and rolling his eyes. Of course, Jayden would introduce her, so there’d be no hope of blending in with the furniture. She pushed the cart to Jayden’s desk.
“Hi, Chastity!” Jayden greeted her brightly.
“Hey,” Chastity mumbled, as she began pulling mail from the cart.
“I’m so glad you won! I bet you’re super excited to go to the dance with Cameron,” she winked.
“I’ve never met him. Besides—” She was just getting ready to tell her that she wasn’t going to the dang dance, but Jayden cut her off.
“He’s a really nice guy. You’ll like him,” she said, as she helped stack Cameron’s mail.
“Well, you’ll meet him soon enough! You’re scheduled for a meet and greet with him tomorrow morning at eleven-thirty. I am so happy for you!” She was grinning from ear to ear, which was doing nothing to help the situation.
“I’m not going to that appointment, nor am I going to the dance. You’ll have to draw another name.” Chastity would have declined yesterday, but she had to get out of the building. Her cheeks felt on fire by the time she’d left.
“Honey,” began Jayden. “I didn’t select the winner, the committee did. You’re going to have an excellent time, and all the girls are going to envy you. The man’s gorgeous. Let me see if he’s free now.” When she got up and headed towards Cameron Barron’s office, Chastity hurried to the elevator. “Don’t act so shy!” Jayden called to her. “I’ll see you in the morning!” She could hear her chuckling at her desk as the elevator doors opened.
When she got home, Chastity had a message on her answering machine from Jayden. She congratulated her again on winning and reminded her of the meet and greet at eleven-thirty tomorrow. She was tempted, for the first time since she’d been hired, to call in sick. While running excuses through her mind, she realized that Jayden would just keep rescheduling the appointment. There was no way to get out of the meeting. She’d come up with something to say to Cameron about not being able to make it to the dance. Sure, Chastity would be frowned upon for declining, but she could only hope it wouldn’t make her an outcast. She skipped dinner that evening, because she was in bed by five o’clock.