Lost and Found: (A Ripple Effect Romance Novella)

by Karey White

  “I don’t think you’re making a mistake. We’ll go through all the numbers together, and I think you’ll see this is a good deal for you. If you don’t, we’ll walk away and you can take another route. We want you to be happy with the deal.”

  Mary visibly relaxed. “I hope I didn’t get you in trouble. Your boss was pretty upset when I talked to him.”

  “Nah, everything here’s fine.”

  Blake picked up the files and took the seat beside Mary. For the next two hours they went over the numbers. He explained how much she’d get up front and what her expected return would be at thirty-three percent and at thirty-five percent. “So you can see, this is still a good number,” Blake said. “I’m not sure risking a sure thing for only a little more would be worth it. If we back out, it might take a long time to find another deal, and you’ll have to pay overhead and expenses that whole time. It could end up being more expensive to wait than to take this.”

  Mary sighed. “I don’t want to try to run things anymore. I don’t know enough to feel confident I’m doing things right, and every night I go to bed worrying I’m going to ruin Hank’s company.”

  “It’s your company now. But if you take the deal, you’ll still get almost a third of the profits in addition to the cash up front, and you can stop worrying about the day-to-day operations.” He pointed at the number on the paper. “If you don’t buy a small island in the Caribbean, you can live pretty comfortably on the up-front money, and the thirty-three percent will just be extra every quarter.”

  “Thank you, Blake,” Mary Challis said as she was leaving. “You’ve been very patient and helpful.”

  After she was gone, Blake got busy on the stack of work that had piled up while he was gone. It was daunting. Had they purposely added extra to the workload so he’d never leave them hanging again, or did this really represent what he’d have done if he’d been there? He wasn’t sure.

  Blake’s mind kept wandering to Lydia. Was she sitting in her meeting right now? Where would she eat lunch? If she had a sandwich, would she ask them to go light on the mayo? What would she tell her class about skydiving? If he’d kissed her, would she have kissed him back? Had she thought about him at all?

  Just before five, Brynn stuck her head in the door. “I’m getting the guys Mexican tonight. Any requests?”

  This was the way they always did things. “The guys” were actually three men and two women, including Blake. Almost every evening, the staff and the partners headed home at a reasonable time. Brynn’s last duty of the day was to pick up dinner and bring it back for the underlings who would work until bedtime. They’d get together for twenty minutes and eat in the break room, then they’d get back to work. This was the price that had to be paid to impress the partners. If you were one of the lucky ones who eventually made partner, you could look forward to eating dinner with your family or heading to the gym while the inferiors worked themselves to death to impress you.

  It was madness. Blake thought of Grandpa’s letter, and suddenly he wanted to see Lydia. He wanted to read it with her. He should have shared it with her in North Carolina, but it had felt like he’d be exposing too much. He’d have been too vulnerable.

  Lydia’s face flashed into his mind. Not her face when she was skydiving or walking out of Janet’s office with a look of triumph. It wasn’t her face as she enjoyed the potstickers at Charlie’s. It was the face in the window of her friend’s car as she was leaving. Suddenly, Blake understood her expression. He knew why she’d stuck her hand out awkwardly. She was feeling vulnerable, too. She’d been protecting herself.

  It was time for him to do something brave. He’d share the letter and tell her how he felt. If he were a betting man, he’d wager she felt the same way, but if she didn’t, that was okay. At least he wouldn’t spend his life wondering if this was a girl he could have had a future with.

  “Uh, Blake.” Brynn made his name into two syllables. “I asked if you had any requests?”

  “No. I’m going to head out in just a few minutes.” Blake knew what he was doing was going to cost him, and he felt a little sick inside.

  Brynn folded her arms, and her face turned hard. “You’re kidding.”

  “No, I’ve got some things I need to do tonight. Thanks anyway.”

  Brynn stood in the doorway, watching him for what felt like a very long time. Blake could see her out of the corner of his eye, but he didn’t make eye contact. He just kept working until finally, finally she left.

  At a little after five-thirty, Blake closed his office door and walked past the break room. He could hear the guys in there joking and having dinner. The bell on the elevator rang as Alice Strider, one of the partners, walked up beside him. Her face held a question, but they rode the elevator to the parking garage in silence.

  Lydia stapled a large piece of blue butcher paper to the first bulletin board. At the bottom of the board she planned to put the top half of a cartoon child’s face, the large eyes looking up. Above his head in the sky would be thought bubbles with inspirational quotes. She’d printed off the child’s face and the quotes last spring when she’d searched for classroom ideas on Pinterest. She pulled a large manila folder that held the printed pieces from a filing cabinet in the corner behind her desk.

  The filing cabinet reminded her of Janet’s office, and she thought about Blake. What would he be doing right now? He probably had so much work to catch up that he’d be at the office late into the evening. Maybe he was eating a sandwich at his desk. He might not have time to take a phone call even if she did get up the courage.

  She took the half face and stapled it on top of the blue butcher paper. It was a cute cartoon face with electric blue eyes. Hmm. Who else had eyes that color? Lydia shook her head. What was she? Fourteen?

  Lydia unfolded the first thought bubble and stapled it above the face. It read, “All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them. Walt Disney.”

  The second bubble said, “Creativity takes courage. Henri Matisse.“

  The third made Lydia smile. She must have been thinking of her summer in Charlotte when she was preparing this bulletin board. “Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage. Anais Nin.”

  That was certainly true. The entire summer seemed small and anemic, while the last three days of her trip had been robust and bursting with feelings and energy and emotions. Her life had expanded when she’d decided to take a chance and do something adventurous.

  She thought about Blake—his smile, his dimple, but mostly, his thoughtfulness. She’d stayed in Charlotte those two extra days to help him find the box, and even though that was their goal, he’d arranged the skydiving and the Segway tour. He hadn’t selfishly made the days all about him. He’d thought of her. When he’d seen Francie suffering because of the loss of her grandmother’s belongings, he’d arranged to return them to her.

  There were qualities more important than absurdly good looks or the ability to stir the hummingbirds in her stomach into a reckless fit. She’d witnessed his love for his grandfather, his patience with clients and coworkers, as well as his kindness and generosity.

  She had to do something. She was a senseless coward if she didn’t let Blake know how she felt.

  Lydia stepped off the stool and retrieved her cell phone from her purse. She sat down at her desk and looked at the Walt Disney thought bubble again. “All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.” Maybe Walt knew what he was talking about. Lydia pulled up Blake’s number, pressed the talk button, and held the phone to her ear.

  Her stomach was folding in on itself, and she felt oddly winded.

  After a moment, the call connected and Lydia heard the first ring in her ear. Three seconds later it rang again. Strange. It sounded louder. Another three seconds, and she heard it ring in her ear… and outside her door. It didn’t ring a fourth time.

  “Hello,” Blake said. He was standing in the doorway, holding his phone to his ear.

&n
bsp; Lydia stood up from her desk so quickly, her chair slid into the wall behind her. She pushed the end button on her phone and slowly lowered it from her ear.

  “Hi Lydia. Did I just miss a call from you?” Blake said.

  If breathing had been difficult before the phone call, it was nearly impossible now. Breathe. You don’t want to pass out and miss this moment. “What are you doing here?” Lydia asked.

  “I came to see if you need any help getting your room ready for school.” Blake stuck his phone in his pocket.

  “You did?”

  “Yes. But that wasn’t the only reason I came. I really wanted to see you.”

  “Really?” What an idiotic thing to say. You’d think someone who had read dozens of romances would be able to come up with something clever or flirty to say.

  Blake smiled. “Really.”

  “What about work?”

  “Work will be there tomorrow.”

  Lydia put her hand to her heart to try to calm its frenzied hammering.

  “You were calling me. Did you need something?”

  Lydia took a deep breath. It was still scary to tell him how she felt, but he’d just made it easier. He’d just left work, driven to Fort Collins, found her school and even found her classroom. “How did you find my classroom?”

  Blake laughed. “That’s not what you were calling me about, but I passed a teacher by the front doors. He told me where you were.” Blake stepped up to Lydia’s desk. “You were calling?”

  Be brave. Don’t blow it again. Lydia stepped around the desk, and Blake turned to face her. “I just had something I wanted to tell you,” she said.

  “Okay.” Blake sat down on the edge of her desk and folded his arms in front of him. “Should I be nervous?”

  “Maybe. I know I am.” Lydia shoved her hands into her pockets and bit her bottom lip, taking a moment to give herself a little internal pep talk. “I’ve been beating myself up for the way I said goodbye yesterday. Blake, I didn’t want to shake your hand.”

  “You didn’t?” Blake’s mouth quirked up at the side.

  “No. I wanted to be brave.”

  “What would the brave Lydia have done?” His voice was teasing, and suddenly Lydia wasn’t nervous at all.

  “She’d have done this.” The atmosphere wasn’t perfect. The fluorescent lights were too bright, a vacuum cleaner or floor polisher was humming from somewhere down the hall, and her hair was up in a high, messy ponytail. But Lydia didn’t care. Blake was here and that was all that really mattered.

  When she’d pictured this moment in her mind, she’d had to stand on her tiptoes, but with Blake leaning on her desk, they were almost exactly the same height. Lydia moved closer and gently pressed her lips to Blake’s, briefly at first, but then again, a little longer. He leaned toward her as she pulled away, prolonging the kiss.

  “That’s what I wanted to do at the airport,” she said softly. “But I was too afraid.”

  Blake’s arm circled Lydia’s waist and pulled her close. “And this is what I wanted to do at the airport,” he said. His arm held her against him as his free hand came up and pulled her to his lips, his thumb on her jaw and his fingers on the nape of her neck. The kiss was long and slow and soft as his thumb moved along her jaw before he moved his hand to her waist. Lydia put her arms around his neck and touched the soft hair at his collar. His lips moved against hers until they were both breathless and in need of air. “This is much better than shaking hands,” he whispered in her ear and then nuzzled into her neck.

  Lydia didn’t want to move. If a genie had granted her one wish in that moment, it would have been that they could stay here, suspended in time, his warm arms forever around her, his cheek touching hers, his breath on her neck.

  “So now I know why you were calling me,” he said, not letting her go. “But I need to tell you why I came to see you.” Lydia pulled back and looked into his eyes. “I want to share my grandpa’s letter with you.”

  “The one he wrote you?”

  “Yes. I should have shared it with you in Charlotte, but I didn’t know what it would say, and after the letters we’d read… Well, I was afraid it might say something that would scare you away.” Lydia touched Blake’s cheek softly. “But when I thought about you today, I knew I wanted you to hear it.”

  Lydia leaned forward and kissed him again. “Do you have it with you?” She asked between kisses.

  He rested his forehead against hers. “It’s in my car. Let’s finish what you need to do in here then we’ll go somewhere and read it.”

  It was difficult to concentrate on work with Blake’s warm arms and soft lips so close, but they managed to finish the two bulletin boards and organize the bookshelf. All Lydia had left to do was assemble the beginning-of-the-year papers for the parents, but that could wait until tomorrow. Less than an hour later, Lydia turned off the light and they walked out of the school holding hands.

  The sun had slipped behind the mountains in the distance, leaving the peaks silhouetted against the dark, purple sky. They left Lydia’s car in the parking lot and drove to Cicero’s Pizza where they sat kitty-corner at a table in the back and ordered a pizza. Blake had brought the letter in, and as soon as they’d placed their order, he took it out of the envelope.

  Lydia turned toward him, her chin in her hand. Blake wanted to kiss her again. He would after he read her the letter. He unfolded the pages then reached down and held her hand in her lap and started quietly reading.

  Blake read the entire letter before he looked up. When he’d finished, he pulled his hand away long enough to fold it and put it back in the envelope. He reached for her hand again.

  “Thank you for sharing that with me,” Lydia said. Blake gave a short nod. “It isn’t scaring me away.” How did she know he needed to hear those words? Lydia pulled him close and kissed his dimple. His breath caught and he turned to brush her lips with his.

  He looked down at her hands and played with her fingers. “I left work today because I’ve made some decisions. I don’t know what’s going to happen with my job. I know that if I follow Grandpa’s advice, I’ll never become a partner at Collins, Strider and Van Wagoner, and I don’t know if they’ll even want me there if I’m not willing to put in those hours. And I know it’s too soon for us to know what will happen here.” He waved his hand back and forth between them. “But I know I want to find out.” He pulled her hand up to his lips and kissed her fingers.

  They ate pizza and talked about Blake’s meeting with Mary Challis. Lydia told Blake about her meetings and her lack of concentration.

  When the pizza was gone, Blake drove Lydia back to the empty parking lot at Juniper Heights Elementary. At the door of her car, he took her in his arms again and held her close, kissing her again. “I wish I could have met your grandpa,” Lydia said. “I’d like to tell him thanks for sending you on that little treasure hunt.”

  “He’d feel pretty smug if he knew he was responsible for me meeting you.”

  “Maybe he does know,” Lydia said.

  “I hope he does.” Blake held her door open, and Lydia got in her car. He leaned in and kissed her goodbye. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said as he closed the door.

  Six Months Later

  “Knock, knock.” Lydia pushed open the door of the small house on Lincoln Street.

  “Hey Lydia, come on in.” Blake’s new partner, Paul, was sitting on the floor, his back against the wall, looking at something on his cell phone. “Blake stopped by the management company’s office to get the paperwork. He should be here any minute.”

  Lydia looked around the room. “This looks nice. Wasn’t this an accounting firm before?”

  “Yeah, they moved to a bigger place downtown.”

  Lydia wandered around, giving herself a tour. The interior didn’t look like a house anymore. The entry was wide and open enough to make a comfortable waiting room with a reception desk. Off to one side was a large office that looked out at the street. A doorway at the ba
ck of the room led to another spacious office. A narrow hallway led to restrooms and a small kitchen.

  “What do you think?” Blake asked, peeking his head through the kitchen door.

  Lydia smiled. “It’s perfect.”

  “I thought you’d like it.” He placed a file folder on the counter and took her in his arms. Her fingers slid behind his neck, and she pulled him down and kissed him. “Mmm,” he said against her lips. “I’ve missed you.”

  “I hope so. It’s been two whole days.”

  “All right, you two. We’ve got paperwork to sign,” Paul said, coming into the kitchen. Blake stepped back but put his arm around her shoulder.

  “Did Jemma come with you?” Lydia asked.

  “She’s not feeling very well. Whoever called it morning sickness got it all wrong. She’s pretty sick all day.” Jemma was four months pregnant with their first baby.

  “Tell her I hope she feels better.”

  “Thanks. I will.”

  Lydia turned back to Blake. “This definitely gets my stamp of approval.”

  “Good,” Blake said. “Now that you and Jemma have both signed off on it, we can make it official.”

  “I’ll leave you guys to the paperwork,” said Lydia. “I’m going to run over to the school and grade some papers.”

  “I’ll come get you when we’re finished.” Blake kissed her forehead.

  The school was less than three miles from what would soon be Hansen and Knowles, Attorneys at Law. Lydia liked the proximity. She also liked Paul and Jemma.

  Blake had been disappointed, but not surprised when Pryce had named Andy as the new partner, but just three weeks later, Blake had run into Paul at an alumni reception. They’d taken a few classes together in law school, and before the evening was over, they were making plans to open a small firm in Fort Collins.