by Elsie Davis
Ryan flipped through his phone and pulled up his photo gallery, thumbing through the pictures of Holly and Grace he hadn’t wanted to delete. He came to the one of Grace and him on the chairlift at the resort the day after they’d met. Her fresh smile could warm his heart with just a glance. The truth was, he missed everything about her.
He made his way to her office to collect her personal belongings. He’d promised to drop them off at her house, not to mention, he wanted to see her again. Ryan grabbed a box from the corner and started loading it, not that Grace had accumulated much in the short time she’d worked here. He picked up the photo of her and Holly she had on her desk and placed it in the box.
After collecting her other things, he spotted her sweater hanging in the corner. He lifted the garment to his nose and took a deep breath. Her scent still lingered, reminding him vividly of Grace. He placed it in the box, his gaze landing on the photo.
In a spur of the moment decision, Ryan pulled the photograph back out of the box. Maybe Grace wouldn’t miss it. He taped the carton closed, returned to his office, and placed the picture on his desk. He might not be able to have either one of them in his life, but he didn’t want to forget them.
It still bothered him to have let her go. The investors had been livid, and it was only his fast action of firing her that had calmed them down and kept them from walking away from World Sport. Inexplicably, the company’s sales numbers had been doing good over the last few days. The only thing they could figure for the increase was word-of-mouth referrals from the first-week sales. Ryan had queued up the ads Grace created for next week, hoping to capitalize on the forward momentum.
He missed Grace and wanted her back in his life, but he wasn’t sure what to do about it. A light tap on his door caught his attention. “Come in.”
The woman’s badge identified her as one of the warehouse employees, but it was her nervous expression that caught his attention. She stayed close to the door, one hand on the doorknob.
“I’m sorry to bother you, Mr. Walker. My name is Melanie Landon, and my sitter isn’t feeling well and needs to leave. Do you mind if I clock out early?” She picked at a piece of lint on her slacks, but Ryan assumed it was to avoid making eye contact with him.
Which didn’t say much for my employee relations.
The orders were coming in fast and furious, and every person on the team counted. But Ryan’s new appreciation for what Melanie might be going through had him answering in a different way than he might have previously done. “That’s fine. I’m sure the others can pick up the slack.” He’d learned a lot in dealing with Grace and would give anything to have her back and to give her the chance to see how much he’d changed.
“Thank you for being so understanding.” Melanie looked directly at him, bolder now that he’d agreed. “If you don’t mind me saying so, sir, if your company grows the way you hope it will, one of the best things you can do to attract excellent workers is to offer a childcare center. There are tons of women who would be dedicated to working for you if the company offered childcare. There’d be fewer absences and happier workers who could see their kids on their breaks and at lunch.”
He’d heard it all before, but this was the first time he’d heard it after gaining insight into the difficulties single parents faced. It still didn’t make it right for World Sport. “I appreciate your input, and I like that you feel free to present ideas. But unfortunately, that’s not a common benefit that companies offer. I hear what you’re saying, but I’m not sure that it’s viable in our situation. There’s not really room for a daycare facility in the building. And I’m not sure the added expense while we’re just starting out would be something I could ever sell to the investors.”
Melanie stood her ground, his words clearly empowering her to speak her mind. “All you would have to do is bring in one of those mobile units like the schools do when they’re overcrowded. It’s just a thought. I’m sure there are others like me who can’t afford to lose hours on the job, but like now, I’m forced to leave.”
Ryan nodded. “It’s a good idea. I can’t promise anything other than to think about it.”
“That’s a start.” Melanie smiled, lifted her hand in farewell, and left.
What if Melanie was right? In the past, Ryan would never have considered it. But he’d already lost Grace because he didn’t have a childcare facility, and now Melanie was leaving early. How many others that he employed would be affected by the lack of daycare onsite? Melanie didn’t know it, but she’d struck a nerve in her fast pitch. The employee’s ability to provide for their families was of utmost importance to Ryan. It was one of the reasons he paid higher than normal wages. His father’s inability to provide and the consequences were still deeply etched on his soul, driving many of Ryan’s decisions in life.
A mobile unit. Something he hadn’t thought of. Although to be truthful, he’d never given any thought to a daycare facility. Period. Ryan shook his head, unable to believe what he was about to do.
Picking up the phone, he made a few calls, trying to get some sense of what it would cost to put the facility on the property. He researched the licensing required and the added expense. After searching the employee files, he was surprised to discover sixty percent of his employees were women, and of that sixty percent, forty percent had children. And of that number, at least twenty percent had one or more children that weren’t of school-age yet, and many of them single.
He ran calculations and discovered Melanie was right. And if these numbers held up against the company’s growth and future employee base, they could lose a lot of excellent potential employees, women who wanted to work and needed to provide for their families. The reward far outweighed the expense.
It was the perfect solution, and one he’d present to the investors. He was almost positive he could convince them now that he had all the facts.
And then there was Grace and Holly. If she no longer had to worry about daycare, couldn’t he hire her back? World Sport needed her. Ryan needed her. He had a lot of phone calls to make, but come Monday, he hoped to announce a new company benefit.
Ryan felt great about the decision. With a light step, he headed for his car and drove back to his place in Hallbrook, where he would work out more of the details. And tomorrow, he’d pay Grace a visit. He was determined to change her mind about him and the company.
Chapter Sixteen
Grace woke with a sense of dread, knowing Friday had arrived. She glanced at Holly, who was sound asleep next to her. Lucky lay curled up at the end of the bed. Last night, Holly had fallen asleep in her arms, and Grace had left her there until it was time to turn in, shortly after Olivia left. Knowing it was her last night with Holly, she’d placed the baby on the bed with her, wanting to keep her close and treasure the moments.
She knew the right thing was for Karen to come home, and she was happy for Holly’s sake. The baby deserved a loving mother, and Karen’s excitement toward coming home to her daughter was a much-needed change.
But it didn’t lessen the ache Grace felt. Within days, she’d fallen hopelessly in love with Holly, and after only three weeks, there was no turning back her heart. Grace would make sure going forward that she played a role in Holly’s life, and she’d be there to help Karen whenever she reached out. A forever-free babysitter if that’s what it took.
She watched Holly sleep, resisting the urge to touch her soft skin. It wouldn’t be right to wake her up for Grace’s own personal need to hold the baby close. She turned over and eased out of bed, glancing at the clock. It was already after eight, which was remarkable, considering Grace couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept in this late. Sheer exhaustion, combined with emotional turmoil, had finally taken its toll. Although, Olivia not leaving until after midnight had probably played a big part in the equation. It had been great to spend the evening with her best friend and Holly, the three of them having loads of fun. Or, more likely, the two grownups having fun with the baby.
&nb
sp; Lucky didn’t budge. Grace shook her head and chuckled. “Traitor,” she mumbled, picking up the monitor and heading for the kitchen. Grace pressed the button to make coffee after she loaded the plastic cup, picking a bold blend for a little extra wake-up. While it brewed, she glanced around the room. Holly’s things were everywhere. At some point, she would need to pick them up and start packing. Karen hadn’t mentioned when she would be arriving, and no one had answered the phone when Grace called back.
Not knowing made it worse. At any second, Karen could show up to take Holly home.
Grace sat at the kitchen table, staring into her coffee cup, her finger tracing the handle. Praying for the strength not to give in to another round of tears, she clenched the mug. There’d be plenty of time for tears in the quiet after they were gone.
She got up and went to check on the baby, making sure she was still sound asleep. No noise had come through the monitor, but sometimes, Grace liked to check anyway. It brought her a sense of peace and calmness.
A knock at the front door startled Grace. Karen had never been an early bird, and the last thing she’d expected was for her cousin to arrive at this hour of the morning. She cinched her robe tight while clutching the monitor in one hand, stopping first to close the bedroom door. Lucky must have heard the knock, the dog squeezing through the opening before Grace pulled it shut.
“Glad to see your still my protector, Lucky. It’s Karen, but it’s nice to know you care.” Grace patted the dog on the head and pulled the front door open. To her surprise, it wasn’t Karen who stood there.
Ryan.
Her heart went into racing mode almost as if on automatic. The box in his hand with her sweater on the top reminded her of why he was here. That should stall her rush of excitement, but the bouquet of flowers he held kept her heart beating double time.
Woof. Woof.
“Shhh, girl. Don’t wake the baby,” Grace admonished.
“Good morning. I’m sorry if this is a little early, but I’ve missed you.” Ryan held out the flowers for her to take while he juggled the box in one hand. He stood there looking as handsome as ever with a smile on his face. Based on the way they’d left things last time, the flowers and smile didn’t make any sense, just the box of her belongings he’d promised to deliver.
“Thanks. But I don’t understand.” She laid the flowers on the foyer table and turned back to reach for the box. “Thanks for doing this,” she said, her voice stiff and unyielding.
“I’ll carry it in, you can take care of the flowers.” He stepped inside, not bothering to wait for an invitation.
“Why are you giving me flowers? I thought we had an agreement.” She picked up the colorful arrangement and led the way to the kitchen. It wasn’t like she had a choice with him already in the door and taking charge.
“We did. But now that I’ve had time to think it over, I don’t agree. We need to talk.”
He set the box on the table as she moved to the sink, took a vase out of the cupboard, and added water.
“The flowers are for me because you want to be friends?” she asked, trying to understand. It wouldn’t do to misread his intentions.
“No, those are for Mother’s Day. To the best mom I know, who puts her baby first for everything.” His words were a sucker punch to the gut. At the same time, they were mind-boggling sweet, considering who was saying them.
Grace fought back the tears threatening to overflow. Unfortunately, she lost the battle as she placed the bouquet in the vase and spread them out. They were beautiful. Tears flowed freely, her emotions in overdrive at the kind gesture.
Her very first Mother’s Day flowers. Except they didn’t really belong to her.
“I wasn’t trying to make you cry.” Ryan moved to stand next to her, taking her by the hand and pulling her close.
“I’m sorry. A lot is going on, and there’s no way you’d understand. It’s sweet of you to bring these. Thank you.” Now would be a good time to tell him the truth. The flowers rightfully belonged to Karen, as Grace was only the babysitter.
She stepped back; her jaw clenched in tension as she let out a deep breath.
“What’s wrong, Grace? Don’t you like the flowers?” Ryan gazed at her; his forehead drawn tight in confusion.
“No. I mean, yes.” She nodded, moving to stand behind the table, picking at an imaginary piece of food from the high chair tray. Space was good.
Tell him. But how did you tell someone the baby he thought was yours, wasn’t yours, and that it was all a big misunderstanding. It was a lie she’d allowed to continue to save the job she’d lost anyway.
“Where’s Holly? I take it she’s sleeping,” Ryan asked, glancing into the living room.
“Yes. I have a monitor to listen for when she wakes up.” She pulled the white monitor from her robe pocket and waved it in the air. It was then Grace realized she was standing there in her robe in front of her ex-boss. The guy who’d kissed her. Everything that could go wrong seemed to have a natural way of finding her lately. Grace cinched her robe tighter.
“Good. I need to talk to you about something. I know how things were left between us, but I’ve had the last few days to think them over, and like I said, I’ve had a chance to reconsider. Not having you around has helped me put things in perspective.”
“Gee, thanks. Not a very flattering thing to say.” She brushed away her tears with the sleeve of her robe. She knew he didn’t mean it in a bad way, but she couldn’t resist the urge to tease. Apparently, her sense of humor was still intact. It was a good sign that things would be okay. Eventually. She just had to trust in God.
“Not what I meant, and you know it,” he admonished. “I miss you, Grace.” Ryan moved closer, until only the table separated them.
“I miss working with you, too. But it changes nothing. I screwed up royally, and you had every right to fired me. Your investors are important, and my mistake cost them money and confidence in my abilities. You don’t have to feel bad. I’ll find another job. Soon.”
“I wasn’t referring to the office and our working relationship.” He grinned.
“Oh. Then your mean…”
“Exactly. But while we’re on the subject, have you had any luck finding a job?” Ryan asked, changing the subject, which made no sense at all considering he was the one who started it in the first place.
“No. But I haven’t been looking. I was allowing myself the rest of the week to stay at home with Holly.” She could barely breathe. One minute he was talking work, then personal, then work again.
“Your desire to spend time with your daughter has certainly played into the outcome I’m hoping for.” Ryan was talking in circles, but his continued use of the word daughter is what kept reverberating in her head.
“And what exactly are you hoping for?” Grace was trying to keep up but failing miserably.
“Lots of things. But let’s start with your job. You’re the best there is, and the company needs you back.”
“But—”
Ryan held up his hand to stop her. “Let me finish. I understand you made a mistake. A couple of them. But under the circumstances, they’re understandable. And as an employer, I’ve come to the realization that it’s a disservice to my employees not to offer childcare at the warehouse.”
“What?” Grace couldn’t believe what she was hearing, but Ryan’s easy smile told her it was true.
“An employee pointed out to me the benefits of an on-site childcare facility, and when I stopped long enough to think about it, I realized she was right. Productivity goes up, absences go down, and based on the employee pool that becomes available, it’s a win-win situation. Everything is being put into place as we speak, and I’m hoping that within a week, I’ll have a full childcare facility unit on site.”
“You’re kidding?” Grace shook her head. It would’ve been the perfect solution weeks ago, but unfortunately, his daycare facility would come too late for her. “What does this have to do with me? It’s a fantastic i
dea, and I’m excited about what this could mean to World Sport. With cutting-edge benefits, it will attract better employees.”
“Exactly what I’m thinking. Including you,” Ryan said, moving closer and into her personal space.
“I beg your pardon?” Grace wasn’t sure where he was going with this, but she was interested. More than interested.
“I want you to come back to World Sport. As an employer, if we’d done our job to make it easier for you to do yours, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. The mistakes wouldn’t have happened. I consider myself as part of the problem, or at least the company.”
“Are you sure? What about the investors?” This was too good to be true. She wanted to work with him, despite the obvious issues of working with a boss she had feelings for.
“Leave them to me. I’m pretty sure I can get them to see why hiring you back is the best thing we can do for the company. They’ve already agreed to my preliminary plan for the daycare facility.”
Grace still hated that she’d let Ryan down. What if it happened again? She wouldn’t have the baby as an excuse. And what would happen when she told him the truth about Holly? He might not be so interested in her coming back to work for him. “I don’t know, Ryan. What happened with the promo? I feel awful for dropping the ball on the ads, but I was hoping the promo would offset it. Then maybe the investors wouldn’t hate me so much, and it wouldn’t be awkward to return.”
“Promo? I don’t know anything about a promo.” Ryan’s forehead drew tight as he tried to figure out what she meant.
