A Beautiful Thought (The Beautiful Series) (28 page)

“But this is so much,” Kathy cried. “How can we ever repay such a gift?”

That was an easy answer. “I don’t want anything in return. I simply wanted to give.”

From the corner of my eye, I could see Gail’s father staring me down with a questioning gaze.

“A man just doesn’t offer such kindness without other intentions,” David said in a strong yet calm voice.

I somehow instinctively knew what he was getting at.

I turned my eyes on him confidently. “I’m in love with your daughter, sir, and I think of her as my family already. I take care of what is my own.” I paused, hoping this was coming out of my mouth right. “That includes the three of you, too. I have only known Caroline for a short time, but she is an incredible person, and I want to help her succeed in any way I can.”

David rose to his feet, so I did, too. His brief silence scared me shitless, knowing this could go north or south real quick. I had just informed him I was in love with his daughter, but I meant it, and I would not apologize for it or take my words back.

David extended his hand to me, and I shook it.

“Thank you, Damon,” he said frankly. “You will never know how much this means to us and how grateful we are for your generosity.”

I breathed in a relieved sigh, knowing without a doubt this was the most rewarding gift I had ever given anyone in my life. No emotion would ever top the gift of giving to another being.

“You are most welcome, sir,” I responded as David hugged me with a manly pat on the back.

Kathy rose with a tender, fond smile. “Dear boy, thank you.” She wept. “Thank you so much for your astounding heart and generosity. I will forever be grateful to you.”

“You’re welcome,” I said, embracing her.

David walked over to his daughter and drew her into his arms. “You found yourself a good man, Gail,” he said, gently patting her. “Don’t let this one through your fingers.”

“I don’t plan on it, Dad.” Gail blushed at her father.

When her eyes caught mine, I grinned over at her, loving the pink in her cheeks.

“So, will you be staying for dinner, dear?” Kathy asked.

“Unfortunately not, but I will stop over and see Caroline again soon,” Gail said regretfully. “We have dinner plans with Abbey, Jason, and Pearl.”

“Okay, sweetie. Well, you two kids go have fun.” Kathy beamed at Gail and me. “And thank you again. Words can never express our thanks to you, Damon.”

“It was my honor, Mrs. Bennett.” I smiled over at her, feeling honored to be able to give such an amazing gift to truly great people.

I was deeply humbled by their happiness and gratitude. Nothing had ever felt better besides sharing the moment with my girl.

As elated as I was about the scholarship news being shared earlier today with Gail’s family, I felt like shit that I still had not informed Gail about the job possibility in Boston. But every time I even thought about telling her, the idea of bringing worry to her eyes when I had not heard a response from William Rawn Associates yet held me back. It could very well not work out in my favor.

Worse over, until I heard from William Rawn Associates, I felt like I was leaving my general contractor back in Denver hanging in the air. I would not be able to work for both companies as well as continue my partnership with Kyle and Jason at the same time. Something had to give somewhere, and I did not know which tie I would be forced to sever.

Tonight, we were having dinner with Abbey and Jason at their new place, so I again found myself not having the chance to talk with Gail. With every passing minute, keeping her in the dark was eating me up from the inside out.

I stared out into Abbey and Jason’s new backyard, watching Gail and Abbey play some princess dress-up thing with Pearl. They all had pink crowns on their heads, colorful beaded jewels covering their neck and wrists, and shiny wands in their hands.

Giggles filled the air as I sat in my chair on the concrete patio. It was the sweetest sound to hear Abbey, Gail, and Pearl all sharing laughter together.

Then, Pearl took both Abbey’s and Gail’s hands and dragged them toward the back door. She beamed between the two of them while talking about playing pretend castle up in her new room. I smiled over at Gail as she passed by me, and she winked at me in return before heading through the door into the house.

“So, how are you guys settling into the new place?” I asked Jason, who was sitting at the head of the table to my left.

“We are almost finally unpacked, if that counts for anything.” He chortled. “Although, I still have a few boxes left in the garage.”

“Still?” I laughed teasingly, shifting in my chair to get comfortable. The sun was beaming down right on me, but it felt good to get some fresh air.

“Yes. You would not believe how much stuff a seven-year-old girl can have,” Jason replied in awe. “I think Pearl’s stuff was more than mine and Abbey’s put together.” He raised a playful brow at me. “And let me tell ya, Abbey had a shit-ton of clothes and shoes and purses, and Pearl still topped her.”

“I can only imagine given the fact that Gail’s room is packed with all that stuff, too.” I chuckled. “I’ll never understand why women need so much stuff.” I gestured down to my clothing. “T-shirt and jeans, and I’m good.”

“Me, too. Keep it simple,” Jason chuckled in response. “So, take a word of advice, when you decide to have kids, make sure you really like your house first. Because if you add any more girls to the mix, it will take a whole army to move you.”

“I’ll remember that,” I responded as my mind roamed to the possibility of someday having that down the line.

I had never really given it much thought before as I had always been so focused on getting my career where I wanted it to be, but I did know I wanted a family someday.

My thoughts roamed back to the fact that I hadn’t told Gail about this damn Boston job thing. She and I would have to work this out later tonight. No more stalling or my head was going to explode.

“What is on that mind of yours over there?” Jason asked, waving his hand in front of my face.

I shook away my thoughts and gave Jason the look. “Oh no, I’m not letting you pick my brain today. You did that enough last time, Dr. Phil.”

“Aw, come on.” Jason laughed. “Maybe I can help.”

“I don’t want your help with pulling out all my feelings and shit,” I retorted at my brother jokingly.

“You’re no fun,” he scoffed. “You know, you shouldn’t keep them all bottled up inside. It’s not good for your health,” he added, grinning.

“Put a cork in it, Dr. Phil,” I responded with humor as my phone rang. I jumped from my chair. “Saved from your interrogation by my cell phone.” I smirked at him. “Thank God.”

“Pussy.” Jason coughed loudly at my back.

I spun around rapidly and grinned. “All men love it.” I resumed sauntering off in the other direction, hearing Jason laugh his ass off on the way. Out of earshot, I cleared my throat and quickly answered my cell. “Hello?”

“Mr. Johnson?” a man in a deep voice questioned.

I instantly recognized the voice.

“This is William Rawn.”

“Hello, sir,” I responded, widening my eyes, as I kept walking to the back of the yard.

“I apologize for calling you outside of work hours. However, I wanted to get things squared away as time is always of the essence these days,” he replied in a light tone. “Is this a good time?”

“Of course,” I answered, coming to a stop at the back tree line.

“Good,” Mr. Rawn responded. “I’m calling in regard to your interview. After reviewing your file with my colleagues over the past few days, I would like to personally offer you a job within our company here at William Rawn Associates.”

My heart hammered in my chest as my mind reeled over what this meant for my career. I stared blankly out at the trees.

“Thank you for this extraordinary opportunity, sir,” I said, gathering my thoughts. “I’m thrilled to join your company.”

“You are most welcome, Damon. We look forward to you joining our architectural team,” he said kindly. “Jonathan will be contacting you in the next day or two. He will handle coordinating specific dates with you, so we can accommodate any current obligations in your schedule during this transition. Also, he will help organize your relocation to Boston as we will compensate your moving expenses into your sign-on bonus.”

Relocate to Boston?

I closed my eyes, feeling fucking torn. That was not what I had anticipated. My heart hit the pit of my stomach and churned tightly, but I had no time to stall. Men like William Rawn did not wait for indecisiveness.

I managed to tell him, “Thank you, Mr. Rawn. I look forward to his call.”

“My team and I look forward to seeing you in the near future, Damon. I’m anxious to see what new talents you will bring to our company. Good day,” Mr. Rawn replied.

“You, too. Good-bye,” I said, feeling numb inside.

Fuck. Shit. Fuck.

“Who’s a fuckin’ shit fuck?” Jason asked from behind me with curiosity.

Not realizing I had spoken my cussing streak out loud, I spun around to see Jason extending a cold beer to me.

“I am,” I answered his question with an exasperated sigh, feeling more confused than ever. I grasped the beer from my brother, twisted the cap off, and took a large sip before meeting Jason’s questioning stare once again. “What are you doing over here anyway?” I asked.

“Well, your face looked like your dog just died, except I know you don’t have one.” Jason stared at me with speculative eyes, making me uneasy. “You seemed like you might hit the floor at any second there, too, so I figured I’d better be concerned and come save your ass if you stopped breathing, or Mom
would
kick my ass.”

I let out a half-strangled laugh. Jason could always make someone laugh, even at the worst of times.

“I’m afraid you can’t save me from this one,” I said, sitting on top of a chopped log behind me. “I fucked up big time.”

Jason used the bottom of his foot to roll another log closer. Then, he tipped it over and sat down next to me. “Spill it, or I’ll beat it out of you,” he threatened in a brotherly tone.

I shifted my gaze from the grass upward to see Gail walking out of the house with a huge smile on her stunning face. Her eyes scanned the yard until they landed on mine, knocking the wind out of me.

Gail’s smile broadened at the sight of me. She waved before taking a seat with Abbey at the patio table, and then she continued to listen to what her friend was saying to her.

“God, I love her,” I murmured, more to myself than anyone. All the while, I prayed I could find a way out of this deep hole I’d managed to dig for myself.

“I already knew that part.” Jason chuckled, nudging me with his shoulder.

No point in skirting around the truth of my actions anymore, so I looked over at him. “That phone call was from William Rawn. I just accepted a job with their company.”

His hand stopped midair with his beer, his jaw gaped open, and his eyes beamed with gladness. “That’s awesome news, Damon!” he exclaimed proudly, slapping me on the back. “Congratulations!”

And the rest of my nightmare needed to be said. “I have not had the chance to tell Gail about any of this yet.”

Jason’s jaw dropped even lower, and he scoffed, “You fucking idiot.”

“Yep,” I agreed on a troubled sigh. I took another swig of my beer, feeling worse with every passing second.

“How in the hell are you going to fix that
minor
detail?”

I hung my head in defeat and ran my thumb back and forth over the glass of my cold beer bottle. “I don’t even know where to begin explaining it to Gail, Jason,” I admitted. “I was counting on William Rawn Associates letting me commute, not relocating me to Boston.”

“That is a big traveling commitment though, Damon,” he replied thoughtfully. “Especially with your obligations in Denver, too.”

“I will have to give my notice to Dave back in Denver,” I said honestly.

If the choice were between Boston and Denver, I would pick Boston any day of the week. Both involved an airplane ride from here, so I would happily fly longer to work with a phenomenal company.

“I think that sounds more practical of the two to let go,” Jason said in agreement. “Damon, I don’t want you to worry about the office here in Lake Tahoe. I knew going into this business adventure that you weren’t set on staying here, so I want you to make the right decision for you.” He set his hand on my shoulder. “Either way, I got your back.”

“Thanks, man,” I responded sincerely.

“And start by telling Gail the truth, brother. Make her understand your reasons,” he said softly. “That’s all you can do.”

“Yeah.”

Jason slapped my back again, harder this time. “Now, go get your girl, and start with some serious groveling.”

“Okay, Dr. Phil,” I said, rising from my log. “We have seriously got to stop having these conversations, or you’re going to take my man card.”

Jason threw his head back, laughing hysterically. “Oh, Damon, I hate to break this to you, but Gail already
owns
that card from here on out, bud, so go grovel.”

“Groveling coming right up,” I said, flipping him the bird over my shoulder with a grin to go along with it.