Falling Into You (Geek to Chic) (32 page)

Roni paced the
house, unsure what to do with herself, or how to expel her nervous energy.
 
Izzy told her to go for a run to clear her
head, so she did.
 
Instead of burning off
her energy and leveling her out like a run usually did, it seemed to have the
opposite effect.
 
Her emotions and mind
were going in every direction.
 
She had
little control over the crying fits that came out of nowhere.
 

During her run
around Wash Park, she saw a man with the same phone cover Derek had and fell to
pieces.
 
Several runners stopped to check
if she was ok thinks that she was injured.
 
She was mortified.
 
She did manage
to gain control and complete her run.

After her run
she scrubbed the house from top to bottom.
 
Even cleaning the baseboards and hand scrubbing the floors. She had
nothing left to do but walk in circles around the house and think about the one
man she was trying desperately not think about.
 

She missed
him.
 
Even looked forward to his
texts.
 
Though most of them broke her
heart.
 
Part of her still wanted to run
to him.
 
But she didn’t know if her heart
could take it if he really thought she was the manipulative gold digger he
implied she was.
 
Sighing, picked up the
duster and started to dust the house, for the third time.
 
When she was about to do the floors again the
doorbell rang.
 
Roni wasn’t expecting
anyone.
 

She wandered
to the door and peeked out the peephole.
 
A short woman with copious curves and big breasts, dressed in Capris and
a cute knit top, stood on the other side of the door.
 
She had her hair pinned back in a tight bun
and wire rimmed glasses.
 
Roni had no
clue who she was but figured she looked harmless enough.
 
She opened the door with a smile on her face
to welcome the woman.
 
“Hi, can I help
you?”

The woman,
looked her up and down and smiled big.
 
Pushing her glasses back up her nose the woman asked, “Are you Roni?”

“Yes, I am.”

The woman
thrust out her hand in greeting.
 
“I’m
Jemma Perkins.
 
Derek’s assistant.
 
I wanted to thank you for helping out while I
was away.”
 

Roni stood
stunned for a moment before she accepted the woman’s hand.
 
“It’s nice to meet you finally.
 
Please come in. Can I get you something to
drink?”

“No thank you.
I only have a moment or two before I need to head back to the office.”
 
Her gaze wandered over Roni’s home.
 
Her hands wrung together.
 
Roni quickly picked up that the woman was
nervous.
 
And for the first time she also
notices a small gift the woman had brought in.
 
Alarm bells went off.
 
Of course
she was here on Derek’s behalf, and not to simply thank her.
 
Not that Roni had expected any less.

“Would you at
least like to have a seat and we can talk for a few minutes.”
 
Without waiting for an answer Roni walked
into the living room.
 
She took a seat in
the chair furthest away from the couch.
 

“Yes, thank
you.
 
You did a wonderful job filling
in.
 
I can’t believe you were able to get
him to stop attending some meetings.
 
I
approached him about not attending every meeting about a year ago.
 
I am lucky I still have my head after that
meeting.”
 
She laughed.
 

Roni smiled
and laughed a little knowing the exact tone Derek probably used with her.
 
“I bet that was quite the battle.
 
I didn’t really give him a choice.
 
Since I controlled his schedule, I simply
didn’t add the meetings.
 
It took him a
few days to catch on.”
 
The laughter left
her, and the agony in her chest returned.
 
“So… um… …did you need me to go over anything I did?”
 

Jemma leaned
over, which, given her small size was a stretch, and squeezed the Roni’s hand.
“I’m sorry Roni.
 
I know I am one of the
last people you wanted to see at your door.”

“No Jemma,
really I’m fine.
 
Actually, I’m glad you
stopped by.
 
Hold one a second.”
 
Roni went into her kitchen to grab her work
bag.
 
Back in the living room, she handed
Jemma the iPad that belonged to the company.
 
“Can you take this back to Derek for me?
 
I was going to have a courier or Izzy take it, but since you’re
here.”
 
She shrugged.

“Sorry I am
under instructions not to take that back from you.
 
Derek said for you to keep it.
 
He also wants you to have this.”
 
Jemma handed her the gift bag.
 
Roni shook her head and refused to take the
bag.
 
Jemma put it on the coffee table.
 
“I came to deliver that gift from Derek and
to tell you what a change I see in him.
 
He seems human, approachable.
 
He
even gave up the suits and it lets everyone wear casual clothes.
 
Well, unless some general or senator is
scheduled to be in the building, then it is back to the monkey suits for the
men and pantyhose and heels for us women.
 
He even redecorated, or should I say decorated his office.
 
All of the positive changes going on with him
are because of you.”
 

Roni swallowed
hard.
 
She felt happy that his staff was
finally getting to see the man she knew.
 
At the same time she was, she wasn’t there to witness it for
herself.
 
“That is wonderful to
hear.”
 

“Well, I
better go.”
 
Jemma stood and started to
head for the door.
 
She took four steps
before she stopped and turned back.
 
“I
know that you don’t know me.
 
And I know
I didn’t see you and Derek together or know what happened to end the
relationship.
 
I am, however a woman who
can pick out a man in love a hundred yards away.
 
Derek is a man who is madly in love, and
completely lost without you.
 
Think about
giving him a chance to at least explain.
 
Sometimes it takes the Derek’s brain a while to catch up with his
emotions.”
 

“I’ll think
about it.”
 
Roni smiled sadly at
Jemma.
 
“Um, can you do me a favor?
 
Can you just look after him for me?
 
He needs someone to care.”
 

“I do care for
him Roni, and I will try to look after him like I always have.
 
But it is you that he needs.”

With that
Jemma left.
 
Roni stood completely
bewildered.
 
After a minute or two of
staring at a closed door, she turned to go get a cup of tea from the kitchen.
  
The gift on the table immediately captured
her attention.
 
She pondered the
possibilities of what it was, the man could have sent.
 
Only one way to find out.
 
Roni leaned over the coffee table and gently
took out the tissue paper.
 
She pulled
out a stuffed animal.
 
Once she turned
the animal to face her, she burst out laughing.
 

Of course
Prince Geek Boy would send her a rare, perfect condition stuffed Ewok.
 
She hugged the stupid doll.
 
Looking further into the bag she saw a hand
written card.
 
With a deep breath, she pulled
the card out to read it.
 

Roni,

Gaging by the lack of response from my texts
and phone calls I assume my stupidity at the Gala cannot be repaired.
 

I am sending you this Ewok as a thank
you.
 
You were the first person beyond
Alex and C, who accepted me, geek and all.
 
For the first time in my life because of the way you looked at me and
made me feel, I have accepted me.
 

I miss you with everything I have.
 

Derek.

Roni burst
into tears.
 
Still clutching the Ewok she
fell to the couch crying.
 

***

Derek sat at
his desk, hands flying over the keyboard.
 
Even though his heart was still held up in a dark room, listening to the
Dave Matthew’s Band and crying, the rest of him was in work mode.
 
The new contracts that Collin’s partners
brought in were keeping his mind busy.
 
He would code as long as his body could physically do the task.
 

A soft knock
grabbed his attention from his screen.
 
Jemma walked in, iPad in hand, ready to work. “How did the errand
go?”
 
Ok, so he should have asked a few
other questions first before grilling her about her visit to Roni’s but he
couldn’t stop the words from rushing out of his mouth.
 

Jemma gave him
a big smile before sitting down in one of the chairs in front of his desk.
 
“I can see why you fell for her.
 
She is lovely.”
 
She opened her iPad and started working
without another word.
 

He wanted to
scream at her to tell him everything that had occurred during her time with
Roni.
 
He even wanted to demand she tell
him exactly what Roni was wearing and what she smelled like so he could live
through her.
 
Wow, I am pathetic
.
 
He tried
to be patient.
 
Instead, he blurted out,
“and?”
 

Jemma looked
up from her iPad, her eyes dancing with mischief.
 
“And nothing.
 
I dropped off the gift, thanked her for filling in and came right back
here.”
 
She went back to work.
 

“Did she like
the gift?”
 
He had thought for days about
what to send her.
 
Roses were
overdone.
 
Jewelry was not Roni.
 
He had finally come up with the idea while
pacing his office.
 
He remembered how much
she liked the little Ewok.
 
The note had
taken even longer to write.
 

“I am not
sure.
 
I left before she opened it.
 
She did attempt to give me the iPad back.”

He raised his
eyebrow hoping Jemma had stuck to her guns.
 

“You can drop
the eyebrow. I told her it was hers to keep.
 
Luckily for me she was too tired to argue.
 
I have a feeling since she has been keeping
you in line for almost two months that she knows how to argue.”
 
She smirked.

He
chuckled.
 
“You have become very mouthy
since you came back.”
 

“Oh, I have
always been mouthy, just not in front of you.
 
Now that you have decided not to be a scary bastard, I have decided to
be myself.”
 
Again she smirked.

He full on
laughed this time.
 
“And here I thought
you had no backbone.
 
Glad to see I was
wrong.
 
By the way, I am giving you a
significant raise for putting up with my ass for these past few years.”
 

She looked
shocked.
 
“Thank…… thank you.
 
That is very nice of you.”

“And you are
to let me know if you need any time off to care for your mother.
 
All you have to do is send me a text telling
me you are taking the day or days off to care for her.
 
You will be paid for each and every day you
take off.” He knew she needed to be with her mom. He also knew she was worried
about her job.
 
Derek wanted to alleviate
some of her worries.
 

“That is so
kind of you, thank you.”
 
She paused and
looked deep into his eyes.
 
“Roni really
does bring out the best of you.
 
I can’t
wait to see the two of you back together.
 
Now what is on the agenda for the day?”

It was his
turn to look shocked.
 
“You really think
she’ll forgive me? To be honest, I don’t think she will.
 
I was a huge asshole that night. I wouldn’t
forgive me if I was her”

Jemma smiled
again.
 
“Trust me, she wants to forgive
you.
 
Right now she is just scared.
 
Give her time.
 
Now if you don’t need anything I need to help
Phin and Alex.
 
Alex seems a little lost
without Roni too.”