Forever Love (Now & Forever) Page 7

  Emily smiled. “It’s ok. No harm done. Is Alex in yet?”

  “Of course but he is walking around talking with his staff. He likes to stay on top of things around here.” Sue smiled as she headed back towards her desk.

  Emily sat back down just as George walked into the waiting area and introduced himself. They shook hands and exchanged pleasantries.

  “Look who wanted to poke his nose into my interview,” George laughed as Alex approached them.

  “Good Morning, George.”

  “Morning, Boss. I think you already know Miss. Emily Stone.”

  Emily smiled at him. “Good Morning, Alex.”

  “Good Morning, Emily,” Alex turned back towards George. “Can you make sure you bring her to my office once you are finished?”

  “Of course, are you sure you don’t want to join the interview?”

  Alex smiled at Emily. “No, I think I will let you handle it, George.” He walked away as Sue ran up to him and started to discuss his schedule for the day.

  Emily turned her attention back to George as she followed him down the hallway and into his office. He closed the door and sat behind his desk.

  They discussed her college education, they went over her love of the art business and how she desired to be an artist one day. They talked about the job and how she would be in charge of George’s schedule and all his travel arrangements. They discussed the pay scale and talked about the daily routine.

  “It sounds like I would be perfect for you, George," Emily playfully said. "I’m ready to learn the ropes and get my foot in the door.”

  “Can you start Monday?”

  Emily grinned from ear to ear. “Yes, of course, thank you.”

  He smiled and stood up. “We start at eight a.m. and we will celebrate by having lunch on Monday.”

  “Sounds wonderful, thank you again.” Emily stood up and followed him out of the office.

  “I will take you down to Alex’s office. So, how do you know him?” He asked.

  Emily looked away realizing that Alex didn’t tell him that they were dating. He wanted her to get the job on her own merits. She smiled, “He’s a very close friend of mine.”

  George nodded as they approached Sue’s desk. “Sue, Miss. Stone would like to see Alex, is he around?”

  “Of course, go right in, Emily.”

  She smiled and said good bye to George. “I look forward to seeing you on Monday.”

  Emily nodded at Sue as she walked by her and opened his door. He was behind his desk working on his computer as she softly closed the door behind her. He looked up from his desk. “You have no idea how much I wanted to tell you how breathtaking you looked today but I controlled myself.” He stood up and walked towards her. When he reached her, his hands went to her hips and leaned down and kissed her. “You look amazing, so professional.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Smith.”

  Alex smirked. “I do like it when you are so formal, Miss. Stone.”

  “I’m happy to inform you that I’m in your newest employee.”

  Alex smiled and pulled her over to his couch and they sat down. “Congratulations, Emily.”

  “Thank you and thank you for not telling George that we are a couple. I’m happy to know that I got this job on my own. You just got me in the door.”

  Alex nodded. “Yeah, we should talk about that. Sue is the only person who knows that we are a couple. I would like to keep it that way around here because I know how people talk and I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable.”

  Emily nodded. “I totally understand that. That’s fine. Mum’s the word.”

  Alex’s voice turned deep. “But, behind closed doors, you will be mine.”

  Emily blushed as she kissed him deeply. He pulled her onto his lap as her dress tightened around her thighs. His hands pushed it higher as she moaned softly. His fingers traced over her nylons as they slipped underneath her dress. She broke the kiss. “Alex, we are in your office.”

  “That’s right, my office, no one is ever allowed in without my permission.”

  “But I walked right in.”

  “That’s right. You are the one exception to the rule.”

  Emily smiled and returned to his lips, his grip tightened around her as she sunk tighter around his waist. She could feel his reaction to her and knew she wanted more.

  When he broke the kiss, she looked into his eyes. “Alex?”

  “Yes?”

  “It’s time. Not right now but I want you.”

  Alex groaned as he kissed her again with every ounce of passion that he could muster towards her. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes.”

  Alex smiled and pulled her off the couch, he wrapped his arms around her. “Are we on for dinner for Friday night?”

  “Yes, Emma is looking forward to it.”

  “I would like to your invite your mom and Paul as well.”

  Emily smiled. “That’s so sweet of you, I’m sure they would love to attend.”

  Alex leaned in and kissed her again. “Do you think they would mind taking Emma for the evening?”

  Emily winked at him. “Are you inviting me to stay over at your house?”

  “Yes.”

  She felt her knees get weak as she tried to remain calm. “I’m sure that could be arranged.”

  Alex kissed her one more time before walking towards his door. Emily quickly adjusted her dress and smoothed her hair with her hands.

  “You look beautiful,” Alex whispered.

  She smiled as he opened his door. Everyone who was waiting to meet with him turned and stared at Emily. She looked at Sue and nodded as Alex walked her to the elevator. “Congratulations again on the job, Miss. Stone. We look forward to having you join our family here.”

  “Thank you for the opportunity, Mr. Smith. See you soon.” With that she stepped onto the elevator and the doors closed as Alex winked at her. She smiled when she realized that she had a job, an apartment and a wonderful boyfriend.

  As soon as she stepped outside, she grabbed her phone and called home. “Paul, I got the job!”

  “That’s wonderful, Emily. We are so proud of you!”

  “Thank you. Any chance you can watch Emma for about an hour? I would love to stop by the gallery and talk with Henry.”

  “That’s not a problem but I need to leave for work in a couple of hours.”

  “That’s fine, I will definitely be home. How’s Emma?”

  “She’s fine. Just coloring and watching some cartoons.”

  “I will hurry home.” Emily hung up and walked to her car. She took the Parkway towards Lake Erie and pulled into Henry’s parking lot. Henry offered her a chance to display her art work in his gallery. He owned the gallery with his wife, Barbara and it was perfect for Emily. It was small, intimate and beautiful. She opened the door and walked in.

  “Emily Stone! Is that you?” Henry called out from across the room.

  “Hi Henry, how are you?”

  “You look beautiful. Please tell me that you didn’t get all dressed up for our little gallery.”

  Emily smiled. “I had a job interview this morning at the museum.”

  “Wonderful! My wife and I wondered when you would stop by to see us again.”

  “I apologize for that, Henry. After I graduated, things were slightly crazy around my house. But, I’m ready to start our discussions. When would be a good time for you?”

  “Let’s head upstairs and talk to Barbara.” Emily followed him upstairs and into their small office.

  “Emily! I’m so happy to see you again, Honey.” Barbara spun around in her chair and smiled up at her.

  “Good Morning, how are you?” Emily asked.

  “I’m wonderful. Are you finally ready for your display?”

  “I think so, I would love to sit down and discuss all of the details with you.”

  “Of course, let’s put you in the book. How’s Alex?”

  Emily smiled. “He’s great. I just saw him at the
museum. I was telling Henry that I will be starting a career there on Monday.”

  “What a wonderful place to work, plus you get to stare at Alex all day long.”

  Henry rolled his eyes. “Would you stop that, Barbara? He’s a close friend of ours. You make him feel uncomfortable and now you will make Emily feel uncomfortable.”

  “Oh, I do not! Emily knows he is attractive, don’t you?”

  Emily nodded. “Yes, he definitely is attractive.”

  Henry sighed. “I know you are friends with him, Emily. Please don’t mention my crazy wife’s attraction to him.”

  Emily laughed. “It will be our little secret.”

  They set up an appointment for the following Monday and said their goodbyes. She made it home just in time for Paul to leave for work and make Emma lunch. They sat together eating their sandwiches. They discussed Emily’s new job and she pretended that Emma was listening and knew what she was saying. She wiped Emma’s face and gave her a big kiss. “Do you want to go for a walk?”

  She nodded. “Can we go see Grandma?”

  Emily tried to smile. “Sure, we can go see if she is home.”

  Emma jumped off her chair and ran to put on her shoes. Emily started out the front door when her phone rang. “Hey Alex.”

  “Hey, what’s up?” Alex asked.

  “Emma and I are going for a walk. She wants to see Eric’s Mom.”

  “That should be fun.”

  Sensing the humor in his voice, Emily responded. “Oh yes, I can’t wait for the awkwardness to begin.”

  Alex laughed. “Well, I have something that I really would like to show you tonight, do you think you could get a babysitter?”

  Emily knew she needed to step back from having her parents babysit all the time but she also knew she was moving out soon and she wouldn’t have that luxury anymore. “I’m sure my mother would watch her. What’s going on?”

  “It’s just something I would like to show you, pick you up at eight?”

  Emily replied. “Sure, see you then.”

  They hung up as Emma chased a squirrel down the sidewalk. Emily laughed and grabbed her phone to take some pictures to send to Eric. They arrived at Eric’s parents’ house and knocked on the door.

  “Hello Emma!” Mrs. Mason opened the door and hugged her grandchild. She looked up at Emily. “My darling Emily, how are you?”

  Emily smiled and hugged her, she liked the fact that Eric’s Mom was trying to remain neutral. “I’m good. I found an apartment and just got a job this morning.”

  “That’s wonderful to hear! I just heard from Eric. He’s in Denver safe and sound. His father went with him to help with the transition. So, I’m all by myself for the next few days.”

  Emily saw the pain on her face and then quickly came up with an idea. “Mrs. Mason, how would you like to babysit for me?”

  She started to beam at the question with happiness. “Really? When? I can do it now, how long do you need?”

  Emily couldn’t help but laugh. “Well, I definitely need someone for tonight. Did you want to make arrangements for the weekend or something?”

  Mrs. Mason smiled. “Oh Honey, I would love that. My husband won’t be back until next week at some point.”

  Emily looked at Emma. “Would you like to spend some time with Grandma?”

  Emma jumped with joy. “Yes!” That made Eric’s Mom smile from ear to ear.

  “I know you have toys and some clothes here for her. I can leave her now and come back later on or do you want her to spend the night?”

  “I would love that, Emily. Oh thank you! We will have so much fun.”

  "Please know that anytime you want to see her, just call me, ok? Just because Eric and I don't see eye to eye, doesn't mean that you have to go without your granddaughter. She loves you."

  Mrs. Mason smiled. "Thank you, Emily. Thank you so much."

  CHAPTER TEN

  Emily headed home after having a long conversation with Mrs. Mason and saying good night to Emma. When she walked into the house, her mother was home from work already.

  “Is everything ok, Mom?”

  “Not feeling well today, where’s Emma?”

  “She’s staying overnight at the Mason’s.”

  “Oh, I didn’t know that.”

  “Me either but Mrs. Mason was all by herself and Emma is good company.”

  Her mother smiled. “That was sweet of you, Honey.”

  “I’m heading out with Alex tonight, why don’t you head to bed, I can make dinner.”

  As Emily prepped their dinner, her cell phone rang. “Hey Eric, how’s Denver?”

  “It’s good so far. My dad is here helping me out.”

  “That’s good. Did you get the pictures I sent you of Emma today?”

  Eric laughed. “Yes, our daughter is adorable. I wanted to say thank you.”

  “Thank me for what?” Emily asked.

  “I talked to my mom. She is overjoyed to have Emma tonight. Thank you for stopping over there today.”

  Emily replied. “It was your daughter’s idea. She wanted to see Grandma. She loves your mother, Eric.”

  “She’s a wonderful little girl. You are raising her correctly, Emily.”

  “Thank you, that means a lot to me.”

  They continued to talk for the next few minutes and hung up. Emily started the pasta and checked on her mother.

  “How are you feeling, Mom?”

  “I will be ok, just tired. I can finish up dinner.” Her mother said getting out of bed and heading downstairs.

  Emily took the chance to go into her art room that Eric had created for her, which now seemed so long ago. She hoped to find some time that evening since Emma was at her sleepover.

  After dinner, Emily took a shower and dressed in a pair of jeans and button down shirt. She slipped on her sneakers as Alex pulled up to the house.

  She ran outside as Alex stood by his car with a bouquet of red roses. He leaned down and kissed her. “Congrats again on the new job.”

  Emily smiled as her eyes glanced over him. He was gorgeous in his well pressed suit. She grabbed the flowers and took a whiff. “Thank you.”

  “Are you ready?” He asked.

  “I guess so since I have no idea where we are going.”

  He flashed her one of his million dollar smiles. “Trust me.”

  Emily smiled as he opened the door for her. They talked as they drove to wherever he was taking her. She told him about Emma’s overnight trip and they discussed her new job at the museum.

  The sun had set and it was dark in his car. Soft music played on the radio and Emily suddenly felt the tension. Alex grabbed her hand and played with her fingers. She heard him sigh softly.

  “What’s wrong?” Emily asked.

  “You still don’t know what you do to me. You don’t know how badly I want to pull over on the side of road and drag you onto my lap.”

  Emily bit her lower lip. “I want you too, Alex."

  He pulled into a small parking lot and they sat in front of a rundown building. It was definitely older but had a unique style. He leaned over and kissed her. “We will continue this conversation later.”

  “Where are we?” Emily asked.

  “I just bought this building.” He replied.

  Emily looked at him. “What? Why?”

  He got out of the car and walked around to open her door. “Alex, what’s going on?”

  He didn’t say anything as he unlocked the door of the building and they entered. He found the light switch and Emily glanced around the room. Everything was dusty and dingy. Whatever used to be there had been gone for a while. Emily walked towards the staircase and looked up towards the second floor. The main floor was a decent size. It held a stone fireplace on the far wall along with a door that lead somewhere.

  Emily turned back to Alex. “Why did you buy this?”

  Alex smiled. “My dream was to honor the arts after my Father passed away. I always wanted my own gallery, somepl
ace that I could display pieces that I was in love with and a section that would be for sale.”

  Emily watched him as he spoke. She could see his passion. “Alex, that’s a beautiful idea but this place needs work.”

  “I know but I have a friend who does construction work and he says the building is sound but it just needs some love.”

  Emily smiled. “Well, congrats then. I'm proud of you."

  “I have a question for you though, Emily.”

  He crossed the room ad wrapped his arms around her. “I want you to be a part of this with me. I want you to help design the gallery.”

  “You want me to help you?”

  Alex nodded. “Emily, you inspired me to finally get off my butt and do this adventure.”

  Emily blushed and felt so happy in that moment. “I would be honored but you should know that I just started a new job and I don’t think my boss would be happy with me taking on a side project.”

  Alex laughed heartedly. “God, I love you.”

  Emily immediately froze and she saw the regret in his eyes instantly. She whispered. “Alex.”

  “Please don’t run off, I know you aren’t ready to hear that yet. It slipped out. I just lose myself when I’m with you.”

  “I’m not running, Alex. I would never be upset because you expressed your emotions.” She kissed him softly, “Just continue to be patient with me.” She reached for his hand as they locked up and headed back to her house. They talked about the gallery and how he envisioned it on the way home.

  “Are you planning on staying at the museum?” Emily asked.

  Alex slightly pouted. “No, once I figure out what needs to be done. I will give my resignation. I need to follow to my dream.”

  Emily couldn’t help but laugh. “So, I get a job there and you leave.”

  Alex smiled at her. “That’s not it at all.”

  As they pulled into her driveway, they discussed their dinner plans for Friday. She would meet his family for the first time and that made her extremely nervous. He walked her to the front door and kissed her good night.

  She was in trouble. She already knew that she was in love with him. She just didn’t know how to handle the situation yet.

  **************

  The next few days flew by. Emily found boxes and sorted through all her things. The big move was just a week away and she was nowhere near ready. Emma stayed busy with her toys and coloring books and that allowed Emily to keep her focus on packing. As she cleaned out the bottom of her closet, she came across a box of old items from high school. She started to cry as she sifted through the pictures of her and Eric. The memories flooded back to her as she closed the box and moved on.