Chapter Five
Aurora
N ick’s few days away turn into almost two weeks.
The time drags by, and though I hate to admit it, I miss him.
With the time difference, as well as the long meetings he’s been in, and dinners he’s had to attend, it’s been hard for us to touch base very often, or have any kind of meaningful conversation when we do.
I take it as a sign—this is how things will be if I ever try to have a real relationship with him.
As for Leah, Nick calls during dinner so he can talk to her every day.
Although he makes the effort for Leah, I feel like an afterthought.
I ought to be used to feeling this way—I’ve endured enough broken promises in my life.
And really, all that matters is that he is there for his daughter.
Every little girl deserves for her parents to care.
I might have been young, but I vividly remember my mother dropping me off at my grandmother’s house—for good.
My mother promised to visit, but she never did.
When my grandmother died and my mother never reappeared, I put aside any fantasies I held of ever seeing my mother again.
Every foster parent assured me I’d have a place to stay, but too often that wasn’t the case.
Either the kids already living in the house didn’t want me there and picked fights so the frustrated parents gave up and asked to have me re-homed, or I was sent away for some other bullshit reason.
My daughter deserves more than someone who will be in and out of her life, calling himself daddy.
Though phone calls are a poor substitute for Nick’s presence, at least he keeps his promises to our daughter.
As for me, it’s better I see now how things with Nick will be, before I let my heart get involved.
Leah’s party is in a few days, and I hope Nick shows up as promised.
On the Thursday before the party, I walk into FFT’s office and find Billie at her desk, pouring over spreadsheets.
“Good morning!” I stop and drop my bag onto a nearby chair. “How goes it?” I ask the pretty girl with pink hair and black framed glasses.
Billie slides her chair back and smiles. “Pretty good! You know how we discussed the fact that so many of the kids who we’re able to get jobs end up being fired due to lack of experience or whatever other situation they’re dealing with?”
I nod, lowering myself into the other chair. “It’s definitely been an issue. ”
“Well, as you suggested, I did some research. There’s a charity in Texas who had the same issues. So they decided to open a café—one that hired kids who were still in the system, allowing them to train ahead of time.”
“I remember seeing something about that café on a news show.” I lean forward in my seat. “Tell me more about it.”
Billie glances at the computer and scrolls down the screen.
“ La La Land Café has an eight-week internship where the kids learn life skills. They’re mentored, so they have someone to support them, and they’re taught customer service, as well as other on-the-job training.
The only issue is that not everyone wants to work in the service industry.
” Billie glances at me. “So they created an outreach program to encourage other businesses to do the same thing. This gives the kids a better chance of succeeding in the real world.” Billie’s light blue eyes gleam with excitement.
I mull over the explanation and how it can apply to what FFT already has in place. “You’re suggesting we set up something similar, find businesses where skills can be learned before the kids get into the world after foster care.”
Billie points a pen at me and grins. “Bingo.”
“So we’d have to reach out to schools in order to find applicable kids. ”
Billie nods. “That’s what I’ve been doing. Creating a list of schools, contacts, and businesses in each area.”
“That’s great. Brilliant idea, Billie!” I’m so lucky that Billie answered my employment ad two years ago.
The young woman is currently twenty-two years old and has a smart, go-getter personality.
She is a huge asset to FFT, and I knew it.
“I’ll run it by the board and see if there are any employers we currently work with, who might want to participate. ”
Billie beams at my acceptance of her idea. My board consists of Sasha, Cassidy, myself and a couple of benefactors my brother Linc vouched for when I had created my charity.
Leaving Billie to her research, I go into my office and make some business calls. Several hours pass, and I am getting ready to leave so I can stop home before I pick up Leah, when Facetime rings on my phone.
I glance at the corresponding screen on my laptop, shocked to see Nick’s name. I immediately accept the call, and his face appears.
“Hey, gorgeous.”
My body warms at the name. “Hi, yourself.” I intended to be cool to him and treat him as casually as he’s treated me, but one glance at his handsome, clean-shaven face and I know there is more going on than I realize .
He looks tired. The whites of his eyes are bloodshot, and the crinkle lines around them are more pronounced. Despite feeling forgotten earlier, I can’t help but worry about him now. It makes it hard to keep an emotional distance when I want to reach through the screen and rub the frown lines away.
“Where are you?” he asks. “I don’t recognize the background.
I glance behind my desk at the large water color I chose for the wall. “In my office at Future Fast Track. It’s the charity I run.” We never talk much about the parts of my day-to-day life that don’t involve Leah.
“Tell me about your work there,” he urges.
I shake my head, knowing now isn’t the time. “Nick, you look exhausted. Is everything okay out there?”
He groans. “I’m having some staffing issues. I had to fire the manager and I’ve been working around the clock to put things in order. I’m still not sure whether I want to hire from within the company or bring in someone from the outside.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” I murmur.
He shrugs and runs his hand through his thick hair. “I’m much more interested in your life than the shit going on here. I already know Leah’s doing well. I talk to her every night. Tell me about the work you do with your charity. ”
Since that is an easy question and something I’m passionate about, I dive into the answer, explaining the reason I created FFT, what its purpose is and Billie’s new angle.
Nick asks questions, I answer them, and before I know it, I’ve been talking for almost half an hour about my job. I trail off, suddenly embarrassed.
“Wow. That was a lot. I’m sorry. I’m sure you simply asked to be polite. I tend to get carried away when it comes to this subject,” I say, feeling the heat in my cheeks.
His gaze bores into mine. “I think you’re pretty damned amazing, giving back the way you do.”
His admiration makes me feel good. “It’s so rare for someone like me to ever be in this position, going from rags to riches. I need to give back.”
He nods in understanding. “You told me Linc came to Florida. How did he find out about you?”
I still. I can’t believe how much I’ve already confided in him, but something about the distance between us makes it easier for me to open up. But talking about this? It’s beyond humiliating, something I’ve hidden in my mind. I’m not sure I can admit it out loud.
He leans forward, as if to see me better, and I focus my gaze on his lips, which only serves to remind me the man knows how to kiss. God, I am so conflicted about him. Not about our attraction but about my ability to trust anyone after what was done to me.
“Aurora, come on. Talk to me.”
I close my eyes and sigh. “Okay.”
***
Nick
I’ve had it with this extended trip. How the shit going on in this hotel has gone unreported is beyond me.
I thought I’d simply fly in to fire the manager, expecting the assistant manager to step up and take over, or at least buy me time to hire someone more qualified.
Only it turns out the lack of good leadership at the managerial level has trickled down to all aspects of the hotel.
I’ve spent hours meeting with employees in all of the departments, and I’m exhausted.
Although I’ve made time to speak to Leah every night while she has dinner, I know in my gut I’ve been neglecting speaking to Aurora alone.
I want to call her each night, but my family business keeps me busy.
Dirty Dare Vodka, though Asher’s baby, is something each sibling looks after.
Investors need wining and dining, and since I’m in town, Asher asked me to handle it.
I have a free hour now, and I call her, hoping we can catch up. I didn’t expect things to turn so personal. Maybe some distance is what we need for her to feel comfortable enough to talk to me. And if that means I made headway with the emotional walls she’s erected, I’ll take it.
I’ve been sitting in a chair in my hotel room, but now I move to the bed to get more comfortable, propping my iPad on my lap and settling in to listen.
Looking gorgeous for work, her long blonde hair hangs over one shoulder in a long braid and she has a full face of makeup, though I like her just as much, if not more, without any. Hell, I just plain like her, though I suspect the feelings floating inside me are already something more than that.
“How did Linc find out about me?” She repeats my question, and I remain silent, not wanting to say anything that might make her clam up.
“When Kenneth Kingston…I can’t bring myself to call him my father, died of a heart attack, Linc was the one who’d looked after his estate.
I guess the man was old school, at least in his dealings with my mother.
” Her mouth twists at the word. “Linc found eighteen years’ worth of canceled checks written to Tiffany Michaels. ”
“Your mother,” I say, because it’s obvious.