Chapter 12
***RYAN***
Not sure what had come over him, but very aware that he’d just made a huge mistake, Ryan backed away from Paula a few more steps just in case he lost control again. “I didn’t mean…I shouldn’t have…” he stammered. “I don’t know what…Well, I do, but I shouldn’t have…”
Paula’s cheeks were bright pink, making her eyes look even bluer, and the dragon inside him started fluttering around, sending waves of desire shooting through his body.
Shocked by his reaction, afraid that he was going to act on it again, he took a few more steps away from her, but couldn’t take his eyes off her face.
He wasn’t sure how long they would have stood there staring at each other, but the sound of footsteps coming down the hallway broke the spell, and Paula rushed over to the desk in the corner.
“There you are, we’ve been looking everywhere for you,” Jackson said walking in the room, Abby right behind him. “Who was that in the fancy car? I couldn’t see through the tinted windows.”
“That was my mother,” he said, hoping his voice didn’t sound strange. “She made an unexpected visit, then stayed only long enough to issue some royal orders and insult Paula.”
“I probably shouldn’t have said that about her age, but I couldn’t help myself,” Paula said from the other side of the room, her cheeks still pink. “I hope I didn’t make things worse.”
“Oh, hey Paula,” Jackson said, looking between the two of them. “I didn’t see you hiding over there.”
“I came in to print some recipes for today,” Paula said. “I thought I was here alone…”
“Then my mother pounced on her, but she held her own,” he said, smiling at her. “It was rather impressive, if you want to know the truth. It drove my mother right out of here.”
“Well, all that stuff she was saying, it was pretty bad,” Paula said, a frown on her face. “I’m sure glad you don’t act like that, you’re a big jerk, but you’re not…Well, I don’t know…a big snob…”
“Oh, she’s more than a snob, but we’ll let everyone use their imagination what that word is,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “I don’t know how my dad puts up with her. I would have…never mind, let’s just forget about the whole thing. Did you say that you were looking for me?”
“Oh, I almost forgot,” Jackson said, then looked over at Abby. “We have a huge favor to ask.”
“We wouldn’t bother you, but I just found out that I have to work the night of the fundraiser,” Abby said. “This is my chance to work with Dr. Bradwell. He specifically asked for me, and I can’t say no.”
He must have looked confused, “He’s that forensic pathologist teaching those seminars we’ve been taking,” Jackson explained. “This is a big break for Abby. She’s been working her butt off to get this invitation, and Dr. Bradwell said I could tag along too.”
“That’s great, you guys,” he said, still confused. “But what does this have to do with me?”
“We were hoping you’d go to the fundraiser in our place,” Abby said, a pleading look on her face. “It’s a fun party and the food is always good. We already paid for the tickets, so it wouldn’t cost you anything unless you decide to bid on something in the silent auction.”
“It’s for the Children’s Hospital,” Jackson said. “Think about all those sick kids and their families. The money really makes a difference.”
“You had to use guilt, didn’t you?” he asked, then sighed. “I guess I could go alone. There’s no way I’m calling Erin and inviting her up here, I’d never get rid of her.”
He remembered the ring sitting on the table, walked over, picked it up, and slipped it into his pocket, hoping no one noticed. “I’m sure we could find someone to go with you as a friend. It will be more fun if you’re not alone,” Jackson said, looking over at Abby. “Any ideas?”
The sound of the printer coming to life on the other side of the room broke the silence, and they all looked over at Paula. “Sorry, didn’t mean to make so much noise,” she said. “I would have just emailed these, but Hattie wants them printed out. I’ll be out of your way in just a second.”
Abby stared at Paula for a second, then a smile slowly spread across her face, “Hey, Paula, what are you doing tomorrow night?” she asked, then looked over at Ryan, still grinning. “See, problem solved.”
“No way, that’s not a good idea,” he said, backing away. “Besides, I’m sure Paula is busy.”
“Are you busy, Paula?” Abby asked, looking over at her. “If not, we were hoping you’d do us a favor.”
“Well…I don’t have any plans…” Paula said, but Abby cut her off.
“Then it’s settled. You and Ryan will go to the fundraiser together,” Abby said, clapping her hands together. “You’re going to make such a handsome couple. It’s black tie, so I hope you have something to wear.”
“Wait…I don’t think…I mean…I don’t have anything to wear,” Paula said, her eyes wide with alarm. “And I’m not really the fundraiser kind of girl; I don’t even own a pair of heels. I’ll just embarrass you all, you should find someone else.”
“Nonsense, this isn’t a high society thing, it’s just people who care about the kids,” Abby said. “I’m sure we can find you something amazing to wear. You and I are about the same size, and I have an entire closet full of clothes that I never wear.”
Before he could protest, Abby was dragging Paula away and Jackson was slapping the tickets in his hand. “You’ll have a blast,” Jackson said, then hesitated for a second. “Is it my imagination, or did we interrupt something when we walked in?”
He thought about lying, even opened his mouth to say the words, but changed his mind at the last second. “Yeah, you could say that, I kissed her,” he admitted. “I didn’t mean to, it just happened, I’m such an idiot. I’m engaged; I shouldn’t be kissing other women.”
“Hmm…I didn’t think that was official,” Jackson said. “Has something changed?”
“No, we haven’t officially announced anything, but that’s why my mother was here, she’s pushing for me to propose on Christmas,” he said, feeling a little nauseous at the idea. “I pushed back, but I’m going to have to give in soon and get it over with.”
When Jackson just stared at him, he shrugged, “I know I shouldn’t talk about getting married like that, but not all of us can be as lucky as you,” he said. “I’d give anything to be able to fall in love like a normal person, but my mother…well…”
“I’m trying really hard not to judge you, you’re one of my best friends, and it’s your life, but I would feel a lot better if you were happier about this,” Jackson said, then shrugged his shoulders.
“Maybe there’s a reason you kissed Paula, maybe fate has different plans for you.
It might not hurt to keep an open mind.”
***Paula***
Doing her best not to whoop with joy, Paula followed Alex out of the coffee shop and into the chill of an early December afternoon, sure that she’d almost landed herself a job after graduation.
What had started out as a quick meet-up for coffee just to get to know each other had turned into a full-blown job interview, and she’d nailed every part of it.
Her views and beliefs about the media and journalism aligned perfectly with Alex’s, something she hadn’t expected, and they’d spent the last few hours talking about where he wanted the paper to go.
She’d been thrilled when he'd more or less said that he could see a place for her at the paper, and she could already see herself living in the Pacific Northwest, hiking in the mountains, hanging out at the beach, a new and exciting life.
Telling herself she needed to slow down, she took a deep breath and looked up at Alex, deciding to let him close the meeting down and hoping the job offer would come right then.
“I had a great time today, I’m really glad we did this,” Alex said, smiling down at her. “I’ll talk to my dad about setting up a second interview. He may want you to do a sample piece just to see what you’ve got. It’s pretty standard in the industry for a new reporter. I’ll let you know.”
“That sounds great, I’d love to meet your dad,” she said, a little disappointed he wasn’t offering her a job right then. “I’d be more than happy to do that, just give me an idea of what you want and I’ll come up with something.”
“Well, I guess that’s it,” Alex said, then hesitated, an embarrassed look on his face.
“This is probably completely inappropriate, I mean this was supposed to be a work meeting, but I can’t let you go without…
the thing is, and I want you to know I didn’t plan this, but I’m attracted to you and not just a little bit. ”
“Oh, I don’t know what to say,” she stammered, caught off guard for a second. “I’m umm…very flattered, but I’m not looking for a relationship right now. I’m trying to focus on graduating and getting my career started.”
“Do you think you’d ever be interested?” Alex asked. “I hate to push you, but it makes a difference, I mean, if I were your boss…”
“You’re not making this easy, but I’m sorry, I’m not really attracted to you,” she said, shaking her head. “It’s nothing personal…you’re a really good-looking guy and all…I just don’t mix business and pleasure…it’s never a good idea…”
“Okay, it was worth a shot,” Alex said, his voice full of disappointment. “This doesn’t change anything about the paper; I’ll still talk to my dad and let you know.”
“Thanks, Alex, I’m sorry about…well, you know,” she said, desperate to get away. “I’ll look forward to your call.”
When she pulled up in front of the frat house ten minutes later, she didn’t get out right away, instead, she sat licking her wounds and wondering if it would be horribly rude to cancel at the last minute.
Getting all dressed up and spending the night with Ryan was the last thing she wanted to do right then.
She was still smarting about the way her meeting with Alex had ended.
Even if he was being honest about developing feelings for her over coffee, it didn’t matter, the job at the paper was spoiled, she’d never know now if she got it because of her own merits or because Alex wanted her.
A knock on her window scared her and she let out a little scream, then turned to find Abby standing next to her car, bouncing up and down in the cold.
“Are you going to sit in your car or come inside?” she asked.
“I just got here, but Stephanie is already upstairs. Hurry up; it’s freezing out here. ”
She grabbed her stuff and got out of the car. “Sorry, I was brooding,” she said, then sighed. “Why are men such a pain in the butt?”
“Oh no, what did Ryan do now?” Abby asked, linking arms with her. “They can be such children sometimes.”
“It wasn’t Ryan,” she said, feeling a little strange to be automatically linked to him. “I just went to a meeting about a job after graduation, and I thought it went perfectly until the guy interviewing me told me that he’s attracted to me.”
“Uhhh, that’s awful,” Abby said, shaking her head. “Now the job is ruined, you can’t take it even if he offers it to you.”
“Exactly, and I was so excited,” she said, then sighed. “But there will be other jobs. I wouldn’t want to work for someone like that anyway.”
“Well, try to forget about it for the night, we’ve got exactly two hours to get you dolled up,” Abby said, leading her into the house. “This is going to be fun. Stephanie and Cooper decided to go with you at the last minute, so you’ll have some company. I kind of wish I was going now, too.”
“You could have your tickets back, I’m sure Ryan won’t care,” she said, following her up the stairs. “Where are we going?”
“There’s a parent’s apartment up in the attic, we’re taking it over for the afternoon,” Abby said. “Thanks for the offer, but I’ve been busting my butt for the chance to work with Dr. Bradwell, even if it would be fun to get all dressed up with you guys.”
Stephanie was waiting for them in the living room when they walked in, a big smile on her face. “I’ve got everything all ready,” she said. “This is going to be so much fun. I’ve never done this before. Where should we start?”
Two hours later, she stood staring at herself in the mirror, not sure if it was really her she was looking at or if a beautiful sophisticated woman had taken her place.
The dress Abby had chosen for her was the same color as her eyes, making them stand out even more.
Her hair was swept up in a complicated style, and Stephanie had applied just enough makeup to accentuate her features without making her feel overdone.
“These are all you're missing,” Abby said, carrying a shoe box over to her and opening the lid to reveal a gorgeous pair of strappy silver heels. “The heel isn’t too high; I think you should be able to handle these.”
She slipped them on, then looked at herself in the mirror again. “I don’t know what to say,” she said, feeling her eyes tearing up. “I don’t look like me, I look like…a model. I’ve never really cared that much about clothes, but I feel so pretty. This really isn’t so bad.”
Abby and Stephanie laughed, “Sometimes it’s okay to be a girl,” Stephanie said. “I spent a lot of years hiding my looks so people would take me seriously, but I finally realized I can be smart and beautiful at the same time.”
“Darn right,” Abby said, giving Stephanie a hug. “Are you two ready? It’s time to go.”