The Inheritance (Forever Bound #1) (12 page)

Damian: You probably think I’m pathetic.

Charity: Pathetic?

Damian: I clearly can’t take no for an answer. I pestered you to start talking to me again.

Charity: If we’re going to be technical…I never really said no. I simply stated that I didn’t know I

was expected to come to your beckon call whenever you needed sex.

Damian: I believe you’re exact words were that you didn’t know we had mandatory sex. Are you

saying that you weren’t officially calling this proposition off?

Charity stared at the text before she quickly shot back a response.

Charity: I’m saying that maybe we should have rules. Like…we can’t expect the other person to drop

their personal life, just to please the other person. The sex only happens if both parties agree to it,

and we have to agree not to be angry if the other person isn’t available.

Charity put the phone down on the countertop and waited for his response. Her heart raced as she removed her dinner from the microwave. When the phone chimed in, she anxiously picked it back up.

Damian: I’m just impressed you aren’t turned off by my desperation.

She laughed and wrote back her response.

Charity: Desperation? Honestly…that parts sweet. It makes me feel pretty special that you needed

me that badly. Ugh…did that sound too corny? Lol.

Damian: Corny? Never!! You speak the truth. I did need you badly, and it was a real bummer when

I couldn’t get my “needs” fulfilled, lol, but I like the new rules. BUT you know…rules are made to be

broken.

Charity laughed as she grabbed her silverware from the drawer. She carried it all to the kitchen table and sat down, before typing in her reply.

Charity: Not these rules. I’m a very strict enforcer.

She took a bite from her tv dinner and laughed as the thought hit her. Damian would freak out if he knew what she was having for supper. She typed up another message. She didn’t get the message sent, before his reply came through.

Derek: Hmm…strict enforcer? Sounds kind of dirty.

She nearly spat out the mashed potatoes from her TV dinner, as she read his reply. She laughed, covering her mouth with a napkin.

Charity: Thanks a lot! I nearly spit out my gourmet meal I made after reading your message. LOL

Damian: Gourmet meal? Is it Mac and Cheese?

Charity: Close! I’m eating a tv dinner…chicken and mashed potatoes. Hmm…I bet you’re so jealous

right now.

Damian: Oh…you’re killing me. I’m going to have to prepare you a meal that’s fit for a Queen.

Charity: Hm…are you offering
?


Damian: Anytime!

Charity sighed, glancing back and forth between her food and phone. It wouldn’t hurt to have him prepare a meal for her. After all, it was his job.

Charity: Friday night?

Damian: Are you asking me out on a date?

Charity: NO!! This is simply two friends having dinner together. Besides…you’re cooking.

Damian: LOL!! Let me check my calendar. After all, if I’m not free I’ll have to take a raincheck.

That’s what the rules state, right?

Charity: Right, but no one said anything about sex on Friday. I’m coming for food.

She continued to eat, chuckling as she waited for his reply. She finished her meal and was throwing it into the trash, when she contemplated if he took her text the wrong way. She nearly asked him, noting that it would make her look like the pathetic one, but she didn’t have to send him another message, because he finally did answer back.

Damian: Well, I’m free Friday night, but I must confess I thought maybe Friday night you would

be in the mood for food and sex.

Charity: Well…maybe we’ll have to see how good the food is first.

Damian: You drive a hard bargain, but I’ll have to go with it. Allergic to anything? Any preferences on cuisine?

Charity: No allergies and surprise me!

She put the phone down and took in a deep breath.
It’s just two friends having a night in.
There was nothing complicated with that.

***

Derek loaded up his briefcase with some papers from work and started to get up from his desk when he heard a knock on his door. He groaned. “Jesse…what a surprise!” He smiled, standing up.

“I saw the lights on and was checking up on you. Do you know what time it is?” Jesse asked.

Derek glanced at his watch. “Almost seven thirty. Why are you still here?”

“I had a deposition to write.”

“Well, I was getting ready to leave,” Derek commented. Jesse fidgeted, while standing in the doorway. He didn’t attempt to move out of the way, so Derek pointed to the door. “Are you going to stay there all night, or allow me to leave my office?”

“I was just wondering if you’ve looked over Charity’s resume.”

Derek nodded. “I have, but you’re not going to want to hear what I have to say.”

Jesse tilted his head. “What?” he asked.

Derek put his briefcase down on the desk and heaved a sigh. “She has no experience in this line of work. She doesn’t have an education, outside of a year of school. I’m sorry, but I have higher expectations for the person I hire.”

“I thought you guys got along over the weekend. You seemed to be having a great time. What happened?”

Derek laughed. “Nothing happened. This isn’t personal. She seems like a very nice lady, but come on…she’s never been an assistant to anyone. I need to be able to rely on her.”

“Can I tell you something?” Jesse asked.

“Don’t you always?” Derek asked.

Jesse smiled. “True!” Then Jesse started telling Derek the story of Charity’s background. “She was forced to grow up at a young age. She had to quit school because her parents were killed in a house fire. Her sister was left here alone…all of their belongings gone. She didn’t even look back. A year ago she was going to get married, and her fiancé left her a week before the wedding.” Derek had not heard any of this before, and it did pull at his heartstrings a little. He knew all about getting your heart broke, but that didn’t change the fact that she didn’t have the skills.

“I get that, and I do feel sorry for her, but that doesn’t change that she doesn’t have the knowledge of being an assistant.”

“She doesn’t want sympathy, Derek. She isn’t that kind of a woman and if she knew I told you what Ana told me, then she wouldn’t be pleased. She needs a job. Come on, Derek. You said it yourself, you haven’t found anyone that’s lived up to your expectations. Being your assistant is something that can be taught. She’s a quick learner.”

Derek crossed his arms. “I thought you just met her. How do you know she’s a quick learner?”

Jesse sheepishly smiled. “She’d have to be to have to grow up so fast…right?” Derek rolled his eyes, but allowed Jesse to continued. “It’s not like you have candidates coming out of the woodwork. What harm would it do to interview her? If you walk away saying ‘oh my gosh, that was a complete waste of my time’ then you just don’t hire her. No harm, no foul.”

Derek wanted to just be done with Jesse’s argument, so he finally threw up his hands and said he would give her an interview. “Are you satisfied?” Derek asked.

Jesse smiled. “I’m pleased. Thank you!”

Derek laughed as Jesse stepped back from the opening. “I’ll call her tomorrow, but I don’t promise anything.”

“Of course not!” Jesse said. They walked out of the office together. Jesse continued talking, but Derek slowly zoned him out. He was exhausted and just wanted to get home and crash. He was going to have another busy day ahead of him.

Charity finished applying the finishing touches on her makeup when she heard her phone ringing from her bedroom. She hurried into the bedroom and glanced down at the phone number. She didn’t know the number, and usually, she let those go to voicemail, but hope welled up inside of her, and she wanted to believe it was Derek’s number.

She answered it. “Hello?”

“Hello…Charity?”

“Yes, this is Charity.”

“Hi, this is Derek Worthington.”

She could’ve jumped for joy, as her voice turned slightly shake. “Yes, Mayor Worthington. Thank you for calling me!” She didn’t want to sound too cheerful.

“Of course. I was hoping you would be interested in coming in for an interview this afternoon.”

She glanced at the clock on her nightstand. She was to be at work in thirty minutes and scheduled until six o’clock. Her mind raced. She couldn’t pass up the opportunity. “What time?” she asked.

“Anytime after one o’clock. I have meetings this morning, but I’m pretty open after that.”

“How about two?” she asked.

“That will work. I will put you down. I look forward to seeing you then. Goodbye!”

“Goodbye, Mayor Worthington.” She hung the call-up. He was definitely more pleasant than he was the day before. She went back into the bathroom to finish getting ready for work. She would have to worry about the details later.

When she was on her way to work, she dialed up several co-workers numbers. When she got to Stella, she explained in very little detail that she needed off the afternoon. She was relieved when Stella agreed to come in at noon.

“I will never be able to repay you,” she said, eagerly.

Stella laughed. “It’s alright dear. I hope you’re doing something fun.”

She again kept it very vague, thanked Stella, and happily drove the rest of the way to work. When she got into the Diner, she made her way to Bill’s office. He didn’t mind when people switched as long as two conditions fell into the line. They told him, if possible, and they had the position covered.

He looked up when she got to his office. “Hey, Charity.”

“Hey. I have something going on this afternoon and Stella said she would cover. Just checking with you.”

For a moment he paused, and she wondered if he would say she couldn’t have it off. She then would have to make a decision. Pretend to be sick or just say she has no choice and walk out. She had never been the rebellious type so option two wouldn’t come easy. When he voiced his concern, she wasn’t surprised in the least. He was like a father figure to many of them, and it was only fitting he would be curious. “You can have it off, but I’m a little confused.”

“About?” she asked.

He tilted his head. “It wasn’t long ago that you told me you needed the hours, and now you’re giving up half your shift?” He frowned. “Must be pretty important.”

She stood there, feeling like a punished child, and she wasn’t even being scolded. “It is,” was the only thing she could say.

“Fine.” He went back to his work, not questioning it anymore.

“Thank you, Bill.” Her words nearly came out in a whisper. She hated not being forward with him, especially when at any moment Derek could call her employer and ask for a reference. It would be easiest to tell him before he found out from someone else.

She left his office, feeling a bit of sickness wash over her. It could’ve been because she hated interviews, or it could be because she just withheld the truth from her boss. It was a mixture of both. She walked out of the backroom and spotted Jamie busily working on a couple of tables. She immediately started taking orders at her tables and tried to push the interview out of her mind. She had a couple hours before she could go home and get ready for it and she didn’t want to have a heart attack worrying about it.

***

Derek greeted her at the door. Even though he tried to ignore his instinct, he momentarily drifted his eyes over her outfit. It was conservative, yet stylish…professional, yet fun. He took his eyes back up to her and greeted her with a handshake and smile. “Thank you for coming in today, Ms. Parker.”

A touch of redness brushed against her cheeks. He found it endearing but surprising to her normal strong-willed demeanor that he noticed out of her. “Please…call me, Charity,” she replied, taking the seat that he motioned for her. “I’m grateful that you’re taking the time out of your schedule, Mayor Worthington.”

He smiled, taking the seat in behind his desk. “Enough of the formalities. Let’s make this interview as comfortable as we can. “You may still call me Derek.” He looked down at the resume in front of him, then picked up the list of questions he’d asked pretty much every candidate thus far. He sighed, staring down the list. He wanted to believe this could be his last interview, but he couldn’t get his hopes up. He looked back up at her. The once confident woman he met at the restaurant and the funny and charismatic woman he got to know at Jesse’s house, now looked a mess. Her face was tense, and her eyes were jetting back and forth between him and the piece of paper. She was nervous, and he didn’t blame her. “I don’t really like this list of questions anyway,” he said, pushing it away from him. Her eyes widened, and he was surprised, as well. For the first time, he was going away from the set interview and winging it. “Tell me about yourself!”

It didn’t take long for her to dive on into her answer. “I am a dedicated worker that never gives up on the task at hand. I strive to make and achieve goals on a daily basis, as I have done working at Bill’s Diner. There was a time where we have found falling numbers, and I headed up and orchestrated activities to help out so we could improve sales. Just last year we had the car wash that you attended.” She paused, and he nodded slightly. Her shyness seemed to slowly fade away as she continued. “It worked, and I’m happy to say that Bill’s Diner has increased in total sales by 75% over the past two years. I enjoy working with people, but can also function on my own. The past several years of working at Bill’s Diner has helped me to manage my time, because people don’t like cold food, and it’s important to exceed their expectations at all times.” She stopped and smiled, almost heaving a sigh that she got her first question answered.

He noticed her bubbly personality that she possessed when he first got to know her, but the thing that stuck out the most was the fact that she was the only person to not answer the question about the life they live outside of work. “So you’d say time management is one of your strengths?”

She smiled and nodded. “Absolutely, Sir.” He nearly choked when she called him sir. Mayor Worthington was bad enough, but sir was absolutely horrendous to take in. He considered saying something about it but pushed it out of his mind. “As a young adult going into working at Bill’s Diner you would have to assume time management wouldn’t be a strong suit.” She laughed slightly, and he snickered in response. “However, being able to get the customers in and out of the diner in a time-efficient manner is what matters, and you can’t dawdle if you expect them to continue coming back.”

He would’ve expected her to say that ‘you can’t dawdle if you expect a good tip,” but she didn’t even mention the money. “What makes you feel like you’d be a good candidate for this job?”

She scrunched up her nose, and he had to look away from her expression. It was genuine and yet there was something so attractive about her at that moment. It confused him all the more. “Besides the fact that I already know how you take your coffee…” She laughed, which caused him to look up at her. Their eyes met, and he couldn’t fight the chuckle inside. She smiled to prove she was teasing, but it was the most relaxing response he’d received from any candidate. “I’m organized, and I know how busy you are, Mayor…” she hesitated, blushing slightly, “Derek, and I could keep you on track.”

It was a good answer…great, in fact. “What would you say your worst attribute is?” he asked.

She didn’t even hesitate when she answered. “I tend to get a little anxious about getting a job done.”

“Anxious?” he asked.

“I can be a little anal when I have a job that needs to be done…and done now. I hate failure and having to do things more than once doesn’t sit well with me. I have worked on not being so angry with myself if I have to ask for help, but that doesn’t mean that I won’t work all hours of the night if need be.”

“So, working overtime and weekends wouldn’t be an issue with you?” he asked.

She shook her head. “I’m already working weekends and nights so that definitely doesn’t bother me at all.”

Some of her answers seemed spot on, but he couldn’t give up the notion that she was just saying the things he wanted to hear. Sample interview questions were all over the internet, and it was fair to say that she studied and studied hard. He absentmindedly tapped the head of his pen on the desk, as he tried to figure out the best way to ask her the question. When he couldn’t find the perfect words, he chose to use the only words he had. “I’ll be honest with you, Charity. Your resume isn’t the ideal resume for someone that is applying for a position like this.” Her face clouded over, and he quickly continued so he didn’t completely scare her off. “What would you say to someone that would question you should look for employment elsewhere?”

“Um…I…I guess, I…” she stammered, causing him to feel uncomfortable. However, she did finally get out her answer. “I’ll admit I worked extra hard on this resume, Derek. I wanted to make it impressive, and I wanted you to be impressed, but there was only so much I could do, and I understand that I may not have the background or the education that you desire in a potential employee, but I do have the willpower to succeed. I’m a quick learner, and I would tell someone that would happen to question why I was here, that the right employee doesn’t have to have every skill and doesn’t have to be perfect on paper, as long as they’re ready to work hard and get the job done. I’m that person, Derek, and I wouldn’t let you down.”

He was blown away by her direct answer and for a moment he did question why he had this sudden attitude that his next employee had to be highly qualified to do the job. He wasn’t hiring a brain surgeon. “When could you start if you were to get the job?” he asked.

“Immediately,” she quickly responded. She was fast to answer the question that was on the tip of his tongue. “Bill doesn’t require a two weeks notice. People are usually scrambling for hours there and I’m sure he could feel my shifts in no time.”

He wrote that down on her resume. It was a huge deal that she could start immediately because he wanted someone to train while Lily was still there. “Would it be hard leaving Bill’s Diner?” he asked. It was a question he never asked anyone else. He didn’t even feel it was his business as to how they felt about leaving their previous employer.

She frowned. “It would be tough as I think it would be for anyone to leave a place they’ve worked at for a while, but change happens, and we just need to flow with it. Right?” He was constantly being reminded how he doesn’t like change, so he wasn’t the best person to answer that question. He just shrugged. “I enjoy what I do, and I enjoy the people I work with, but I’m excited about a new experience.”

Again, he was impressed by her honest answer. He glanced down at the list of questions, even though he stayed away from them the entire interview. When he didn’t see a glaring question he wanted to ask her, he went with the obvious question to end an interview. “Do you have any questions for me?” he asked.

She didn’t leave any silence between his question and her answer. “Do you know when you’re going to hire someone?” she asked.

“Honestly, I’ve had several interviews but haven’t had much luck in that department. I would like to have an offer out to someone by Friday. So, I expect that to be the date. I know Lily is anxious to get someone trained.” He smiled and looked down at her resume, along with the questions that he was going to ask her. He didn’t really have anything else, besides that. He looked back up and saw her uncertainty on her face. He stood up from his desk, hating to dismiss her when he wished he could’ve given her something to remain positive over, but he had nothing. “It was really nice talking with you, Charity.” He reached into his desk drawer and withdrew a business card. “If you have any questions, feel free to call me.” She took his card, and he held out his hand, and she slowly stood to her feet.

“Likewise.” She smiled, but there was more hidden behind her eyes that shared she wasn’t too confident. She shook his hand, and he walked her to the door, and she looked back at him. “Have a great rest of your day!”

He nodded. “You too!” He watched her leave his office and head to the elevator. When she got on the elevator, she looked down, and the door closed her in. He walked back to his desk and picked up her resume. She wasn’t the ideal candidate, but she also was by far the most genuine and the one he could picture himself working with the best. He slid the resume into the drawer, where only one remained. The rest he had Amanda call and give them the news that he wasn’t able to extend a job offer. He wanted to make a decision soon, but he had a few more people to try out and then he would have no choice but choose one of them.

***

Charity didn’t feel too confident about her interview. She left his office and could feel herself weakening and tears forming at the back of her eyes. She pushed them away and forced herself to move on with the rest of her day. As nighttime came and went, she could only think about her answers to his questions.
Did I appear confident or cocky? Did I answer his questions in the way that I should have? Am I just fooling myself?
Wednesday wasn’t much better. She didn’t have to work, so it gave her plenty of time to dwell on her responses and wish she could do them over.