Wow, long time no update, huh? Well, with all luck I'll be able to update sooner. Read and enjoy, but no flames!
Chapter 4: The Pages.
Cornelia frowned. "What do you mean, not able to watch Ivy?" She demanded. "Look, I've got a job, lady. I can't just leave my 3 year old daughter at home or call in sick!"
"I'm sorry, Ms. Hale, but we feel that Ivy might be a negative example to the other children as they all come from good family lives and Ivy---doesn't." The day care superviser said coldly.
"So what the heck am I supposed to do about that?" Cornelia yelled. "I thought I made it perfectly clear on the paperwork that I'm a single mother. That means that I'm not married!"
"We expected the father to play a part in your and Ivy's lives." The woman sighed. "And we didn't expect that you were completely single. It's just that...Ivy's telling the other children about her aunt Will and brother Ian and keeps going on and on about how her father married aunt Will. And it's causing conflict."
"The only conflict here is the one we're having." Cornelia countered angrily. "The only conflict here is me wondering if I should sue you or simply beat the out of you!"
"Violence won't fix any problem, Ms. Hale." The voice on the line said dryly.
"Don't you go making me sound like an idiot! Don't you go treating me like one of the toddlers!" Cornelia said sharply. "I am a grown woman, and you can't treat me like this!"
"Goodbye, Ms. Hale. We'll mail you Ivy's belongings." Click. The dial tone informed Cornelia that the conversation was, indeed, over.
The young mother dropped her head on her hands, breathing deeply. Then she looked up at the clock on the wall. It was already 7 a.m; her boss would have just unlocked the doors to the bookstore (A/N.--Before you guys ask, no it's not Cedric's bookstore. It's a figment of my imagination.) She had to be at work by 8; the daycare was located conviently near her workplace. But now she had to find a baby sitter.
With a low, weary sigh, Cornelia dialed the number.
"Hello, Pages' Bookstore." A deep male voice said politely.
"Hi, Mr. Page." Cornelia said softly. "How are you?"
"Cornelia? I'm fine, but...what's wrong?" There was sincere concern in her employer's voice, and a low rustling noise which indicated he had sat down on the counter to talk.
"I can't make it in today. My daycare called and said that they wouldn't take Ivy in." Cornelia replied. "Honestly, Mr. Page, if I had any idea this would have happened--"
"Don't worry about it." Mr. Page said firmly. "Listen, I think I have a solution. Just bring Ivy in with you. It would just be for today, until you find someone who can keep an eye on the kid."
"But I thought you hated kids." Cornelia objected, messing with a pen on her desk.
"Me? No, I love kids. That's why we have such a large children's book section. Just bring Ivy in with you. I'll keep her in my office with my own little girl. Then, this evening you can have as long as you need to find a new babysitter." Mr. Page insisted.
"Thank you so much, Mr. Page." Cornelia smiled. "You won't regret this."
"I know." Mr. Page agreed. "I expect to see you and Ivy at promptly 8 o'clock." He hung up, and Cornelia smiled thoughtfully as she leaned against the wall. Mr. Page's mysterious daughter! Everyone told me he was a widower and his wife had died in childbirth, but I thought that was a lie! Well, I guess it's not. And he loves kids? Maybe I should look into some overtime. Then she sat upright. What the heck? Why am I thinking about Mr. Page like that? He's in his early 30's! Come on, Cornelia, snap out of it! The last time you had a crush on your employer was before you and Caleb met! You don't even know Mr. Page's first name, for crying out loud!
She jumped up, hurried into her room, and began to get dressed in a green blouse and black skirt. Then, as she hurried into Ivy's room to wake the child and pick out her outfit, she paused. Still. She thought quietly. I wonder what he's really like when he's not being my boss.
Sometime later...
"You're late, Cornelia." A man called as she hurried into the bookstore. "By exactly 2 minutes, in fact."
"Then I'll work over 2 minutes on my lunch. It's not the end of the world, Mr. Page." Cornelia turned to face the handsome man who had addressed her. Just over 6 feet tall, the man towered over Cornelia and required her to tip her head all the way back to view him.
He shook back his headful of black hair. "I hate it when people work over on their lunches. Just come 2 minutes early tomorrow." He told his employee, eyes twinkling with humor. "Or you could scrub the toilets today instead."
"You'd do anything to avoid cleaning the toilets, huh?" Cornelia smiled up at her employer. "If you want me to clean the bathrooms, you could just ask me and I would."
"In that case, you're right on time." Mr. Page's smile widened into a grin. "And this must be Ivy."
"Yes, this is Ivy." Cornelia agreed, gently brushing her daughter's hair back from her face. "Ivy, this is Mr. Page."
Ivy regarded the man with huge green eyes before she said, in a firm voice, "You're not ugly!"
"Thank you." Mr. Page chuckled. "And you are most definately not ugly, either." He smiled at Cornelia, as if wondering what she had told Ivy, and then turned as a small voice called for him. "And this is my daughter Damaris."
Cornelia smiled at the slight form. "Hello, Damaris." She said gently. "How are you?"
"Fine." The child whispered, clutching at her father's pants leg. She was small as Ivy, with her father's black hair and her mother's blue eyes, but her pale white skin and white dress gave her a ghost like appearance. The tiny hand clutched harder at the fabric as she noticed the woman's eyes on her. "And how are you?"
"Very well, thank you." Cornelia smiled up at Mr. Page.
He shrugged slightly. "Damaris is shy." He said awkwardly. "Like her mother was. Come on, I'll show you my office." He bent to pick up Damaris gently, and held her against his chest.
Cornelia followed him down a hallway, up a narrow set of stairs, and into his large office. The walls were painted tan with a green accent wall; his desk and bookcases were dark brown, but his couch and chair were green. Green drapes fluttered in front of the windows. And, scattered around the room, small toys lay in disuse.
"This is a lovely office." Cornelia said, admiring the earthtones.
"Thank you. My wife designed it for me." He said in a strained voice. He turned away, eyes slightly red.
Cornelia put down Ivy on the floor and noticed a portrait of Mr. Page and a redheaded lady. She was leaning into his side, smiling shyly, and looked happy.
"Cornelia?" Mr. Page said, and his voice was colder. She whirled to face her employer, whose eyes were cold behind his glasses. "You may go now."
Without quite knowing how she got there, Cornelia found herself on the stairs. So much for havng a crush on him. Cornelia thought as she walked down the stairs. Halfway down, she paused and looked back at the door, then continued down the stairs wishing she had seen his rare smile one more time.
