Her grin widened and the green in her eyes deepened to the color of a genuine emerald. "Yes, Dane. That I can do." She exhaled and her shoulders fell slightly. "This is the type of position I aspired to gain by working here. Wow. I'm not sure what else to say."
I looked her right in the eyes and acknowledged, "I know a good thing when I see it. I'm not the only one making out in this deal. I promise you that." I let that sink in before continuing. "But I do have to tell you, taking this position would require you to travel some. I will be relying on you, and eventually, entrusting you with a lot of responsibility. I was serious when I said I don't need you to run menial errands. I need you to do what I do to help me out."
"I can handle that. I'm the person for the job."
"Good. I like to hear that," I said with a smirk, remembering the advice I'd given her last night. "Can you tell me a little bit about why you chose this line of work?"
"Have you ever seen the movie Rain Man?"
I nodded and wondered where she was going with this.
"Well, I loved the movie and idolized him."
That wasn't the answer I expected. "Which one, Dustin Hoffman or Tom Cruise?"
"Dustin Hoffman."
"The autistic one?"
Her brows scrunched together and her lips pursed. She straightened her spine and her shoulders became taut, but not in the confident way I'd seen this morning. More of an insulted reaction. "You may remember his character as being autistic, but I remember him as a numbers genius."
"I didn't mean anything bad by it-"
"People with autism-and take note, I didn't say who suffer from-are beautiful and smart, highly intellectual, and incredibly gifted. I'd be willing to bet they could do your job better than you. They are amazing individuals who happen to think differently, but people like you are too ignorant to see that." And then she was out of her seat.
"Wait." I stood, holding my hands out to stop her. "That's not what I meant. I am not ignorant. I don't see people by the color of their skin or their gender. And I certainly don't see them for any disease, illness, handicap, or any other label put upon them."
I paused to catch my breath, needing to take control of my temper before continuing. "I know what I said sounded ignorant, and I apologize for that, but please understand the words simply came out wrong. I only meant to verify which character he played. It's been a while since I've seen the movie."
Her cheeks flamed. I watched as her throat worked with a harsh swallow, her gaze flitting around my desk, avoiding me altogether.
"Can we sit down and resume the interview?" I remained standing, waiting for her to make the decision. Once she nodded and took her seat again, I took mine and proceeded. "You will have your own office"-I pointed to the wall behind her-"right through there. It has its own door to the hall, and the receptionist will handle your calls as well. Off by five every evening, unless of course you're out of town, and every weekend and holiday off. Evaluations are quarterly, and bonuses at the end of the year based on hours worked. Do you agree to this?"
She nodded at the same time my office phone rang. I groaned with irritation. The receptionist was new, and it seemed as though he didn't understand how to use the intercom. Instead, he simply transferred calls, regardless of whether I was busy or not. I held up a finger and lifted the phone from the cradle.
It took me a second to understand who was on the line. She was hysterical, but eventually, I realized who it was when she said she needed me to come home. I knew she hadn't been up long, and after the night she had, her frantic disposition didn't surprise me. To appease her, I promised to make it home. I had to finish up with some urgent work and then I'd be there with her until she calmed down. It didn't happen often-that she'd ask me to be with her-but when she did, I was there. I would always be there.
I hung up the phone and returned my attention to Eden, apologizing for the interruption. "I'm sorry, but I have to run out of the office for a little bit. I guess the interview was pretty much finished. All I need now is your answer. I'm offering you the job … if you'll take it."
"Of course. Thank you very much, Dane."
"You can head down to HR and fill out all the new-hire information. They'll discuss salary and benefits with you. We'll meet here tomorrow morning at eight. Does that work for you?"
"Yes. Thank you." She stood and headed for the door. I followed her and held it open, but I paused when she bit her lip and turned to me. "What exactly am I telling them when I get there?"
"I'll call down and let them know to expect you. Just tell them Dane Kauffmann sent you."
She stilled, her motionless chest hinting at her halted breaths.
"See you in the morning, Eden." I winked at her and then exited my office, leaving her behind in stunned silence. All the while, my grin never wavered. I shouldn't have been hopeful, I shouldn't have been smiling, but I couldn't help it.
I braced myself before opening the front door. I didn't know what I'd find once I walked in. I didn't know what condition she'd be in or how dark my day would get. I prayed for the best and unlocked the deadbolt.
"Gabi," I called out into the quiet room.
I heard rustling on the couch, but I couldn't see her. When I walked closer, I found her curled up with a blanket, crying to herself. I knelt on the floor in front of her, mere inches from her face.
"Gabriella, what's wrong? Talk to me," I begged with soft, coaxing words, hoping they'd help calm her down.
But they didn't.
They never did.
She shook her head and closed her eyes, keeping it all inside like she always did. She'd begged me to be with her, I'd dropped everything and came home, but now she met me with total indifference. Always a contradiction and conundrum.
Looking at her, it was hard to miss the drastic change in her over the years. I could vividly remember the first time I ever laid eyes on her … in the tenth grade. She was always quiet and kept to herself, but wherever she was, my eyes would follow. She was the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen.
Even though she had aged some-much like we all do after twelve years-and the stressors of life had altered her appearance dramatically, I could still see a glimpse of that girl I'd fallen in love with. It was what kept the hope alive. She had the biggest dark-brown eyes, and they captivated me from the very first glance. Some used to say they were too big for her face, but in my opinion, they held so much life. They were the perfect size. They fit her. She still had those same eyes, but more recently, they were bloodshot and dim. She cried all the time, and the life they once held was almost smothered. It killed me to look into them. I wanted to make her happy again … but I didn't know how.
"Gabi, can you look at me, please? Can you please tell me what's wrong?"
Her eyes opened into mere slits as more tears fell. It nearly gutted me.
"She would have been born today." Her words were soft and broken between sobs.
Fuck. It hadn't even occurred to me. Somehow, I'd completely forgotten, and it officially made me the biggest dick in the world. I hung my head and took a deep breath, attempting to shove down the regret and anger enough to offer her the support she needed.
"I'm so sorry, Gabs. I wasn't even thinking about what day it was."
Last night, Gabi was at home, in pain, while I was at a bar, conversing with another woman. When Gabi woke up this morning, I was gone. I was at work, hiring the same woman who'd kept me away last night. I hadn't been here with Gabriella, I didn't comfort her, I didn't grieve with her. I hadn't been where I was supposed to be.
I'd moved on.
I wasn't stuck in neutral like she was. I only wished she could move on with me, because the more she dug her heels into the ground, the more strain it put on me. And I wasn't interested in hovering in neutral, or lingering in a damaged state. I longed for happiness-to laugh and smile like I had last night. I was desperate for my heart to ricochet off my ribcage the way it had this morning. Only, Gabi needed to be the one who made those things possible. Not someone else.
Her big brown eyes closed again, and then the heartbreaking sobs followed. I hated how much pain she was in-how much pain she was always in. She had been through enough in her life, and all I wanted to do was protect her. If I could be her salvation, I'd give her everything and take away the endless suffering.
I needed her to give me something.
Show me something.
"You forgot," she said through sobs, tears filling her words. "How could you forget? It's as if she meant nothing to you. You didn't care about her? Love her? Or me?"
Her accusatory questions had me balling my fists. I hated it when she turned it around on me. She made it sound like I was insensitive, which maybe I was. But I left work early to be with her. She called and I came running. I didn't know why she constantly had to question my devotion to her.