The Risk
"Change is inevitable, but a broken heart is preventable!"
Chapter 5
It was Monday afternoon, before Haley got a chance to meet with Tim Smith. As he sat rocking in his chair and rubbing his hands together anxiously, she thought maybe she should let well enough alone. However, she had little patience left for him and his issues needed to be addressed.
Haley sat at her beautiful desk with her back to floor length window. The bluish green waters of the Atlantic ocean foaming as they hit the rocks along the shore could be seen from one side. The thick pines, weeping willows and sturdy oaks of the forest were seen out the far end of the other window. The rest of the walls were covered with bookshelves and file cabinets, perfect furnishing for a daycare owner/manager.
"Frankly, Mr. Smith I'm puzzled. You're action of late have been very irresponsible and selfish. In the past couple of weeks, you've missed several days and when you did show up, on occasion you were tardy or inebriated. Our children's families as well as the staff has been unconvinced by your thoughtlessness. Not to mention; the poor reflection your behavior has brought on the school."
Tim was posted in one of the trio of chocolate armchairs that sat directly in front of Haley's desk, irritated that he wasn't even man enough to look his boss in the eye. His wasn't intimated by her calm head and professional demeanor, but her beauty. Good looking woman got under his skin and Haley had from his first day on the job. She reminded him of his step mom, Sharon, the only mother(or father) he had know. She had been so pretty, like a Disney princess to a little boy….so amazing, so perfect.
"Tim?"
"Yes, Ma'am?" The short stocky man sat up straight, twisting his hands in his lap. His eyes were dull and his light brown hair was choppy and poorly cut. His skin was flush and his lips dry. The only thing distinctive about the thirty year old was the large piece of missing flesh from his left ear.
"I want clarification, please."
"I caught that nasty bug all these snot… all the little kids had. I guess from driving the bus, you know all those germs. I was sick." He lied. He couldn't sleep last Sunday night so he downed a whole bottle of vodka and a half of Jack. When he rose Monday morning, he had a major hang over. His cure was to continue his drunken stupor. Every time he nodded off the flashbacks, the screams and laughter filled his head. He would have nightmares and the voices returned, laughing, screaming, sometimes both: Sharon's voice, Todd's voice, the other's voices ….. all screaming at him.
"I hired you without any North Carolina references. But, Mrs. Thompson at the temporary agency in Brunswick recommended you, citing your work history with them. She convinced me you were reliable. Until recently, I agreed with her and found your work performance exemplary. I was proud…"
Tim may have been moved by Ms. James positive re-enforcement if he hadn't blocked out her words, caught up in his own thoughts. Sharon use to wear her hair in a loose bun like Haley's, tendrils spilling out here and there to shape her pretty face. She had been blonde too. He just realized that. His mouth turned down as he remembered how she disappeared at days on end. Young and innocent, he worried that she was hurt or lost. He refused to believe she spent her days filming low class pornography in some shabby hotel in the rough part of Birmingham and her nights shooting up meth with any lowlife willing to cover her fix when her money ran out. She had forgotten about the two boys she vowed to raise at his father's death bed. Tim had been left with his older brother, Todd. Smith could feel the bile rise in his throat. Make it go away! He didn't want to remember his brother, the awful things he made him do, the things he did to him. Todd hurt him and made him swear to never tell a soul. Tim always obeyed his big brother, the devil himself.
"Well?" Haley stopped.
"I swear it won't happen again," It was the first thing he could think of. "If we're done, I need to get back to work on the playground. I have to put in the new slide and swing set."
Haley knew she had lost reign over the meeting early into the conversation, but she wasn't sure how it occurred. Point-blank, she didn't much care. For the first time since she had started her business, her personal life overshadowed work.
She had been able to focus on much of anything but the incredible man, hopefully getting his much need rest in her home. She was distressed by her outburst this morning. It was an unwise error to let Nathan see her fright and dismay. How was she going to prove that he was wrong about her- that she didn't need his guardianship, but his loving support?
"Ms. James?"
"I'm giving you a written warning, Tim. I want to see an immediate change. Without improvement, I will be force to let you go. I would like to be able to depend on you and keep you as a vital member of my staff, but that's your choice to make……. You can go back to work now."
"I won't let you down. You'll see," He grinned tightly, his eyes eerie and his voice cold as marble. He closed the door as he backed out of the room.
Haley sat for minutes, reviewing the talk. Tim made her feel uneasy.
"You're just drained." she told herself as her mind drifted. She was also miffed that Nathan had no qualms about finding her in his bed clothed in her unmentionables. Trembles of excitement surged through her body as she remembered his touch, those hands. She couldn't dwell on it.
Why stir up those passionate feelings? They had made love so long ago. Nathan considered the incident a humongous error and a grave lapse in judgment brought on by weakness that he would forever regret. Haley's opinion was extreme opposite. It had been a night of pure bliss, physically and mentally. Yes, she was young, but she was sure of her feeling for him. Things would never have gotten to that point if she didn't love him.
Nathan was sleeping so soundly when she brought him up a tray at lunchtime, she hadn't the heart to disturb him. She left a note on the nightstand and placed the cover plate inside the microwave in the kitchen. He needed all the rest he could get.
"Enter." the boss yelled in reply to the rapping on the door. She was reading the last page of the psychological evaluation, Antwon "Skills" Taylor, Bevin's husband, had prepared for one of the ADHD students.
"I need you to sign these for the copier guy. He had to be at his next job by five. The last slip is ours. He fixed the machine and threw in some free toner and paper." She flashed her beautiful dimples.
"It's that late already?" Haley checked the wall clock above the door. "The children have already left. I could have come to the supply room and done this." She scribbled her signature and pulled the yellow perforated sheet from the trio, handing the remaining to Brooke.
"You finally set Smith's straight, I wasn't going to interrupt that! Besides, CopyGuy is hot!" She giggled.
Haley laughed too. Brooke was always dependable when your spirits needed a lift. "Your married, remember?" She teased, closing the folder and filing it.
"But not old and blind. ….. Speaking of appearances, why do you look like hell today? I define "sleeping in" as a good thing …. A damn good thing." She winked.
"I'm just tired." Haley ignored her innuendos.
"Haley your spreading yourself too thin again. If you don't start trying to do everything yourself, you're going to crash and burn, big time," Her concerned friend warned. "I'm sure anything else can wait until tomorrow. Why don't you call it a day?"
"I just need to make one quick phone call to your sister-n-law, Myra. She the dean of the Early Childhood development department at UNC-Wilmington. They have a class graduating next month. I want her to recommend a few new hires."
Childishly clapping her hands and bouncing up and down, Brooke beamed. "I like the sound of that. Make sure she sends over that student that moonlights as a stripper, the Lone Stallion. Everyone around here loves horsy rides!" She whipped her arm above her head as if she had a lasso.
Haley cracked up. "What am I going to do with you?"
Brooke's eyes sparkle with mischief. It was time to find out the scoop. "So when were you going to tell about your houseguest? Word is he's around thirty, tall, dark and sexy as guy in a Mariah Carey video. I was hoping he would walk you over to school, so I could make sure Bevin didn't leave out any juicy details. Mmm …. Mmm … his deep voice gave me chills this morning. I had to check myself for wetness like the two year olds! So, when do I meet him?"
Haley blushed despite an attempt to act as if she wasn't interested in Nathan that way. "Bevin just can't keep her pie hole closed, especially about a man." She huffed, but wasn't really upset that her two most trusted friends had this discussion. Haley knew how much they cared about her happiness- which meant getting her hitched in their blissful wedded minds. She was exhausted telling them her lifestyle suited her and she didn't need a man to define her.
"Just like I told Bevin, Nathan is an old friend. He's family, Brooke." She paused to make sure Brooke was really taking in her words. "Unfortunately, he is healing from major surgery."
"I'm sorry to hear that, Hales." Brooke said sincerely, watching her employer's sullen disposition. She would never forget the kindness Haley had shown her. She had given her a change, even though she hadn't worked a day in her life.
After marrying the summer of her sophomore year in college, Brooke took time off to spend with her daughter. As Jersey reached school age, she found little opportunities for employment in the small town. Haley let her abilities shine, giving her pride and the knowledge that, if necessary, she could survive without a man, a truth she had been denied at a young age by her mother. She wasn't just a wife, a mother, and a socialite anymore. Her work was important and she was spectacular at it. She was her own person.
"I hope Nathan stays until he's well." Haley sighed worriedly, but knowing him it was doubtful. The combination of all their time together in the last five years barely filled a fortnight. That's how they managed to maintain a rein on their passion and unwavering love for each other without confrontation, they were close, but still worlds away.
"If that's what you want, I'm sure you won't have a hard time convincing him." Brooke soothed, positive that Haley was hiding her true feeling for Nathan. They may see each other as family, but hers was certainly in the husbandly sense by the way her eyes lit up when she spoke of him and the way she brushed her fingers across her lips as she thought of him. Whether she was ready to admit it or not, Haley was completely in love with this man.
As Brooke strolled back out the open entrance and over to the reception area, she said, "Oh yea. Jersey asked me to tell you she has chess and audio visual club today and dance team practice every afternoon this week. She can't restock the inventory in the classrooms until Saturday.
"Saturday is perfect." Haley said, dialing the number to the college and praying Brooke was right, Nathan would stay until he was healthy.
Are you sure you're up for this? Brooke will understand if we don't show. She's always throwing these cocktail parties." Haley nervous gaze left the road shortly and peered at Nathan's side view.
He directed his attention out the window, intent on keeping his lustful eyes off the ravishing woman in the driver's seat. He considered himself a reserved man, usually relaxed with his solitude. Yet, he turned to Haley during his most vulnerable time, never skeptical of her wholehearted welcoming. His trust in her was conclusive. She followed his lead, giving of herself just as easily and expecting nothing in return. Their relationship was basic, but in many ways knotty.
Underneath the concern in her voice, he recognized the anxiousness. This evening was important to her. She wanted to introduce him to her friends, her colleagues, and her new world. How could he deny her, especially when he knew his approval meant everything to her?
He said gently, "I would love to meet your friend, Beautiful. Besides, you been hidden away in that house all week nursing me. You're too awesome for that."
The serenity of their subdued evenings together these last couple of weeks had been a rare treat, and an overwhelming form of torture for him. His craving for her enslaved him, much more than ever before. He couldn't comprehend why it was so dominate this time.
It wasn't as if they never visited each other. They spent quality time together. However, since the reconciliation, the time had never been like this. There was always separate hotel rooms and public activities. He felt a primal ache that constantly left him awake for hours, replaying every moment of the day that they spent together. What made this meeting so different? Was it his near-death experience? Or had something else changed their course and he just wasn't aware of it? Was this Haley's issue …. Or his?
"I've enjoy our time together." She was elated that he was finally healing, honored that she had taken such great care of him and eternally grateful that he had let her. She knew she would have been crushed if he had kept his injury under wraps and recovered on his own in Manhattan.
They conversed easily, discussing a variety of topics, nothing heavy. Finally, she turned the Mercedes right on Cotton Circle.
"The McFadden's home is in the middle of the cul-de-sac. It's the dark brick one with the red door."
Nathan whistled. "I guess doctors don't do bad in small towns either." He noted looking at the magnificent structure.
Car's lined both sides of the street and filled the driveway. Haley had to circle around and park a block away from the lovely home.
"Brooke is the perfect party planner, although she surprisingly humble about it. Her husband, Marvin is a plastic surgeon, mainly does reconstruction on accident victims or people with abnormalities. I know you'll like them both. They've become so dear to me."
She spoke with such admiration and conviction.
She slipped out of the car, putting on her coat, before joining on the sidewalk and making their way to the festivities hand in hand.
"I don't think your secretary needs a job." He nudged her playfully.
"Well too bad, I would be lost without her." She hip checked him giggling loudly as they reached the stately porch and rang the bell. He tickled her sides, shining down on her. Her gaze linger on his full pink lips and stellar blue eyes.
"You look really beautiful, Beautiful." He hummed against her ear, one thumb blushing the light redness of her cheek from the mild autumn/winter weather.
Haley's beauty was natural. It came from deep down in the furthers parts of her soul. It was a combination of her warm spirit, sharp mind, kind heart and glorious body. Nathan learned early on to cherish it.
As his own body recovered, so did his sense of drive. Soon, he would be returning to the Sudan to finish his assignment. The problem was that for the first time, he was hesitant. He didn't want to go. Why remind himself how different and far removed his life was from hers?
Haley took in his elevated height and muscular build with unvoiced pleasure. The light blue crew neck tee and the v-neck navy cashmere sweater brought out his eyes. His dark trouser hung off his lean legs perfectly. He had dropped weight during his illness. It was obvious in his midsection and lean face, but the man was still deliciously appealing.
Brooke opened the door, greeting the pair with hugs. The party was bustling, enveloping Marvin's and Brooke's colleagues, a number of parents with kids enrolled in the nursery that worked for the hospital, neighbors and close friends. In such a small community, everyone knew or knew of each other. Haley was thrilled to introduce Nathan around. It had nothing to do with his celebrity status, but personal relationship. No only did she love this man, she admired and trusted him.
Marvin McFadden was a moderate, easy-going man. He had come from meager beginning, but since he was a young child, there was never a doubt "Mouth" would be successful. His humble power and average looks was a perfect contradiction to his elegant and charming wife.
The two men immediately hit it off, discovering their mutual interest in politics and love of golf.
When Haley was sidelined for the tenth time, Nathan went in search of peace and quiet, feeling a little claustrophobic and cornered by several guest, many of the female persuasion. He dipped inside a room at the far end of the main corridor Marvin had explained it was the game room.
"Excuse me." Nathan said when he noticed it was already occupied by a stunning young lady. She already had her mother's smoldering looks and her daddy's light eyes. " I just wanted some air."
"Ooo, hot-older-guy. I'll-call-you-back-Selena," She attempted to whisper unsuccessfully, hanging up the cell phone in her palm. "Have a seat." The girl urged. "I'm Jersey Mcfadden. I was just watching the Panther's kick the Falcon's ass. Ooops, don't tell my parents I cursed." She begged, batting her eyes, with a dimpled smirk.
"I didn't hear a thing." Nathan left the door wide opened, raised his hands in defeat, taking a seat in one of the luxury stadium seats positioned in front of the sixty inch plasma television. A pool table was off to one side, a air hockey game the other way. A bar with beer on tap sat in the corner and four different video game systems and their accessories housed the entertainment system shelves along with a stereo system. "I'm Nathan Scott." He held out his hand, but the energetic girl continued to flutter around the room.
"You're Ms. Haley's friend from New York. The other night, Mommy was telling Daddy you were sick. You don't look sick to me." She blatantly leered at him.
"I'm much better, thanks." He openly blushed at the child's boldness and consideration for his well being. That was one of the appeals of a small town.
"I work for Ms. Haley like mommy. I take care of the garden, restock classrooms and make sure all the audio visual equipment stays in working order. I'm saving up for a movie camera. I'm going to be a director or a star one day."
Nathan predicted Jersey age at around thirteen. She was short, but puberty had already set in. Although her face clear shows her juvenile age and innocence.
"What the hell! Atlanta just scored. I hate Michael Vick!" She huffed tugging at the feminine cut Delhomme jersey she was wearing.
Nathan was fully relaxed and amused since they arrived at the party.
"I heard you were a photographer. Do you think I'm photogenic?" The exuberant girl face him, giving him simple pose showing her left side, then the right. " Mommy says I have good bone structure."
"I don't think your parents would think you asking a grown man that was cool." Nathan said rather paternally.
Jersey rolled her eyes in annoyance. "It's not like your some pervert interested in me. You're into Ms. Haley and you guys are shacking up.. I'm not a kid. I know exactly what that means." She griped as if were common knowledge.
"I'm not-"
"I see you escaped some of those scavengers we call the single ladies of Tree Hill." Marvin laughed, stepping in the large room. "What's the score, Princess?"
"Twenty-seven to thirty-one. I was telling Mr. Scott how I was working for my movie camera, Daddy."
"I never doubted it." He smiled with an apologetic look Nathan's way before eyeing the game again. "Field goal! Panthers! Yeah, baby!" He high-fived his gleeful daughter, his eyes still on the screen. "Brooke has a buffet fit for a king spread out in the living room."
Nathan would have stayed and enjoyed the comforts of family life, but begrudgingly gave into fate, not wanting Haley to think him rude. "Thanks for letting me hang out for a while, Jersey."
The giddy girl waved at him and kissed her father's cheek.
Neither man noticed the gloomy figure detach himself from the picnic bench in the backyard, where he had been seated, stalking the premises. Nor did they see him take five hearty swigs from the brown bag covered bottle in his shaky hand. Smith drank deeply from it, tensing his face as the hard liquid went down his throat. Oblivious to his chill surroundings, the droopy eyed voyeur's attraction was strictly the young girl doing a victory dance around the family room completely engrossed in a sporting event.
Once Nathan and Marvin were in the hall, the father chuckled. "I hope Jersey didn't talk you to death. She so much like Brooke, loves football and loves to talk. But they're my girls and I wouldn't trade them for the world."
"Jersey's a great kid and Brooke's amazing. You're very lucky, Mouth." Nathan admitted with a bit more envy than he wanted to share.
As they tread through the hordes of party goers and into the sparsely occupied dining room, Nathan scanned the room for Haley. He had been missing her most of the evening and was in dire need of a fix. Spotting her, his heart clenched and he was filled with a violent sense of panic. She was cornered near the china cabinet by the same man she had been deep in conversation with when she slipped away earlier. He was the only one she had chose not to introduce to Nathan.
"Who's that with Haley?"………..
Pamela