Unplanned Fairy Tale Read online

  Relieved that I could finally get off my aching feet, I tried to balance my coffee in my hand, while I maneuvered the heavy bags over to a table. It wasn’t an easy feat considering that I had to limp every step of the way.

  “Damn,” I said when I finally got situated in a chair and sat the bags down.

  “What’s the matter?” a friendly voice asked.

  “Oh, it’s nothing,” I said. “I just broke a nail.”

  “Looks like you broke your heel too,” he observed.

  As soon as I looked up, I wished I didn’t have so many bags to carry. All I wanted to do was get out of there. Standing behind the empty chair across from mine was the dark-haired stranger from the bar.

  “Mind if I sit down?” he asked as he put his hand on the back of the chair. I found it rather assuming of him to think I’d be sitting in a coffee shop all by myself, even if I was.

  “My friend’s just grabbing her coffee,” I lied as I played with my broken fingernail.

  “Well, that’s funny,” he said, “because there’s no one in line at the cash. Why don’t you let me help you with that?” he said as he reached over and lightly brushed my hand with his fingers.

  “Help me with what?” I asked as I looked at him and took a sip of my coffee. His steel blue eyes looked almost violet the way the light shone through the windows, and I couldn’t stop staring at them.

  “With your nail, silly,” he laughed as he picked up my hand and inspected it closer.

  “No, no,” I squealed. “Don’t hurt me. Don’t rip it off.”

  “I’m not going to hurt you. I just happen to have some of this,” he said as he pulled some super glue out of his briefcase. I looked at him curiously as he took the lid off and took my hand in his.

  While he held my hand still, he squeezed the tube over my nail and laid a thin line of glue over the break.

  “I hope we don’t get bonded together,” I said as he held my nail together, waiting for the glue to set. He looked away from my hand, and we stared into each other’s eyes for a brief moment while we smirked.

  “I’m skilled in the art of gluing,” he said. “I paid attention in Kindergarten.”

  I watched in awe as my nail sealed back together. “Where on earth did you learn this, and how long will it hold?” I asked him.

  “I grew up in a house full of girls, and until your nail grows long enough for you to cut it off without it hurting,” he said. “Now, why don’t you let me fix that shoe of yours while I’m at it?”

  “Give it a go, Mr. Fix It,” I said as I handed him my shoe. He had the heel repaired before I was finished with my coffee. “Thank you so much, Mister...”

  “Call me Jason,” he said as he squeezed my fingers and smiled at me.

  “Thank you so much, Jason. I’m afraid I have to be going now...”

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name,” he said, looking at me with a sly grin.

  “It’s Miss Rollins,” I said as I stood up and started grabbing my bags.

  “Okay, Miss Rollins, you have a wonderful day,” he said with a puzzled look on his face.

  “You too,” I said as I got up and headed out of the coffee shop. I peeked around to see if he was watching me walk out, and caught him in the act. Sly little bugger didn’t even buy me a coffee. If he thought a little bit of super glue was going to get him anywhere he had another thing coming.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  ~Jason~

  Miss Rollins. I didn’t even have a first name for her, just Miss Rollins with the gorgeous blonde hair and the velvety soft hands. At least I was getting somewhere. I finally got her to talk to me.

  I just wish she’d told me her first name, so I’d at least be able to find her phone number in the book. There were at least 200 Rollinses in there, and without a first name, I had nothing to go on without calling every single one of them.

  ***

  I thought about her for the rest of the day, and when I laid my head down to go to sleep that night. I even dreamed of her. But for the rest of the weekend, I had my head wrapped up in the new season. By Monday morning, I had all but forgotten about my blond little angel.

  “Mr. Donnelly,” Julie said as I walked by her desk on my way into my office. I hadn’t stopped, and she jumped up and was coming after me with her finger raised as if to get my attention.

  “Can I help you with something, Julie?” I asked. “I have several interviews set up for you this week,” she said. “Ten each day, starting today.”

  “Interviews for what?” I asked, “TV Guide, Time Magazine?” With sweeps season underway and the new lineup coming, I figured everyone would want to talk to me.

  “Not quite,” she said. “Your potential wives.” She had a huge grin on her face as she said it.

  “Oh yes,” I said. How could I have forgotten? The wife interviews. I guess I didn’t expect her to set them up so quickly. “Thanks, Julie,” was all I could think of to say.

  “I hope you find someone suitable, sir,” she said as she turned around and went back to her desk.

  I walked into my office and closed the door behind me, grateful that Julie was so secretive. No one would ever find out about the wife interviews from her. I made a mental note to give her a raise on her next paycheck.

  I sat down behind my desk and started working on next season’s lineup, when a flash of panic came over me. “Julie, can you come in here please,” I said on the intercom.

  Julie came rushing into my office with a hot coffee within minutes. “Here you go, Mr. Donnelly, just the way you like it.” God, she was dependable.

  “That’s great, Julie. But that’s not why I called you in here. The women that I’m interviewing, do they know...”

  “Now, Mr. Donnelly, if they knew why they were being interviewed we’d have every single woman in the entire state, or the entire country for that matter, running in here trying to get her greedy little fingers on your money. Don’t you worry about that. They think they’re interviewing to be your personal assistant.”

  “Thank you, Julie. That’s perfect. But isn’t it a little bit deceptive?”

  “Aw, sir, isn’t a wife an assistant of sorts?” she said as she winked at me and smiled. “You’re not being deceptive, you’re just not giving out the whole job description yet.”

  I could always count on Julie to make me feel better. She was one hell of a secretary. If she hadn’t already been married, I probably would have married her myself years ago.

  “When’s the first interview?” I asked, looking down at my watch.

  “Oh goodness,” she said. “She’s probably here now. Hold on, and I’ll check.”

  Damn, I thought. I was hoping for more time to get ready. Trying to impress a potential future wife was a lot different than trying to impress a casual fling. I ran my fingers through my hair and straightened my tie as Julie let the first one into my office.

  Her name was Meg. She was stuffy and she made me feel old. I listened to her ramble on for twenty minutes about how she had been a personal assistant to the former CEO of Calhoun Broadcasting and how I could benefit from having her on board. I didn’t want her on anything. I was bored.

  Right after she left, the next one came hurdling into my office dropping papers everywhere. After I helped her pick them up she sat down and we talked. I couldn’t help but wonder how a woman could be so beautiful and not have a single stimulating word to say.

  If my whole week was going to be like this, I’d rather be working on the lineup. It was far more interesting than these boring women that Julie had lined up as potential brides.

  When number three came walking in, I was terrified. She was very military, and told me about how she runs a tight ship. She had all kinds of great ideas about organization and order, but she wasn’t someone I wanted running my life, and I certainly didn’t want her in my bed.

  When she left, I got up to stretch my legs. Julie was sitting at her desk, so I th
ought I’d go over and talk to her for a second. “What the hell?” I said.

  “What do you mean?” she asked as she continued typing away on her computer.

  I put my hand over her monitor. “What the hell are you sending to me? These women aren’t potential wives. One was a drill sergeant and the rest are boring as hell. Is there at least someone on the list that I’ll enjoy talking to?”

  She looked up at me and smirked. “Mr. Donnelly, the kind of girl that makes a good wife isn’t the same kind of girl that usually piques your curiosity. Big breasts and a nice ass don’t exactly make someone marriage material.”

  “I didn’t say that’s what I was looking for. I said I wanted someone that was at least interesting to talk to.” As much as I liked Julie, she certainly knew how to push my buttons.

  “Look, you need someone who can take care of you, hence the drill sergeant. You also need someone who would make a good mother, which is the reason for the others. My choices are all carefully calculated. Trust the process, Mr. Donnelly, trust the process.”

  I shook my head and smiled. “Trust the process, huh,” I said as I looked out the window. “I can’t even imagine spending a night with any one of these women, let alone the rest of my life.” Just then, I saw the blond from the bar and coffee shop running down the street.

  “Julie, I have to run out for a minute,” I said as I hurried toward the elevator.

  “But Mr. Donnelly, your next interview will be here any minute. What do I tell her?”

  “I don’t care what you tell her. Tell her the position’s been filled. Tell them all that,” I said as I hurried along. When I got on the elevator, I pushed buttons frantically. I had to get down there. I had to catch her, to see her, to talk to her.

  When I stepped out onto the street, I smiled as I saw her in the distance running along in her heels. She hadn’t gotten very far. I chased after her, wishing I knew her first name. “Miss Rollins,” I called to no avail. She didn’t hear me, or at least she didn’t turn around.

  When I finally caught up to her, I grabbed her elbow. “Miss Rollins,” I said out of breath.

  She turned around and glared at me with an alarmed expression on her face. I hadn’t meant to scare her. After pulling her arm back, she started walking again, picking up her pace as I followed her.

  “Can I help you?” she said as she continued walking. I loved the way her heels clicked on the sidewalk.

  “That depends,” I said. “Can I take you to lunch?”

  “No,” she said as she kept on going. “I don’t have time for idle chit chat. I’m a little busy right now.”

  “Look, I don’t know what I ever did to you,” I said. “The other day I fixed your nail and your shoe. If I said something that upset you, I’m sorry. All I want to do is talk to you.”

  She turned around sharply and glared at me. “Thank you for all that. But right now, if you don’t mind, I’m a little busy.” Then she spun around on her heels and started rushing down the street again.

  “I just wanted to talk to you,” I said as she walked away.

  “Some of us have work to do,” she said sharply as she marched on down the street.

  I turned around and walked back toward my office building, passing several other women on the way. Why didn’t any of them hold the same appeal for me? I tried to feel some sort of attraction to any of them, but none of them could hold a candle to her. She still wouldn’t give me the time of day, but I was more determined than ever to win her over.

  “What was that all about?” Julie asked when I got back to the office.

  “Nothing. I just remembered that I needed something, so I ran out to get it,” I said as I grabbed a coffee.

  “Are you ready to resume the interviews then?” she asked as she looked down at her computer screen.

  “No. I meant what I said about that. Who wants to marry a billionaire is now officially over. Finding a wife and mother to bear my children is something I’m going to have to do on my own,” I said, looking up at the ceiling. I didn’t think I’d be able to find anyone in a million years. No one would put up with my antics. But I was sure as hell going to try.

  CHAPTER SIX

  ~Jerrica~

  I walked through the door of my apartment, exhausted from my first day on the job. After grabbing a yogurt out of the fridge, I slipped off my heels and sat down on the couch to relax while I stared out the window and reflected on my day.

  “You’re home already,” Liz said as she came down the hall. “How was the first day at the new job?”

  “Great, terrible, and everything in between. Right now, I’m basically a gopher. It’s not what I thought it was at all. I thought I’d be doing the real work. Instead they have me running all over the city picking up supplies and delivering things,” I said as I rubbed my aching feet.

  “Awww, it will get better. Do you want a glass of wine?” she asked as she poured one for herself.

  “No. I better not. I have to go in early tomorrow, lucky me.”

  “It was only your first day. I’m sure after you prove yourself they’ll give you actual projects to work on. Give it a few weeks. If you still hate it, you can always start applying for other jobs. Just don’t let it get you down.”

  “It’s not really that bad. I’m just disappointed, you know. I wanted to jump right in and get right into the swing of things. I’m going to try to stick it out and work my way up the ladder.”

  “Good for you. That’s the spirit,” she said as she patted me on the back. “Oh, guess what? I have a date on Saturday.”

  “With who?” I asked her suspiciously. Liz didn’t date. She fell in love a lot, but her idea of dating was hanging out with someone watching movies on the couch or eating takeout. For her to use the word “date” meant the guy must be special.

  “With Jimmy Calhoun,” she said as she scrunched up her face.

  “Jimmy Calhoun? From high school, how the hell did that happen?”

  “I ran into him at the supermarket the other day. He’s a lawyer now and recently divorced. We got talking and one thing led to another, and yeah, he’s taking me to dinner.”

  “Wow, that’s awesome,” I said as I nudged her shoulder. “Congratulations. I hope it all works out.”

  “It’s just a date,” she said. “I’m trying not to read too much into it. How about you, anything new and exciting going on in your life?”

  “No. Well, do you remember that guy from the bar on Friday night?”

  “Yeah, yeah, the one who thought he could buy us with a drink. What about him?” she asked as she stared at me intently, waiting for the gossip.

  “Remember when I went shopping the next day?”

  “Yeah, yeah, keep going,” she said impatiently.

  “Well, I ran into him again at a coffee shop.”

  “And...please tell me there’s more,” she said with her hand on her hip.

  “I had broken a nail and he fixed it for me with super glue, and then he fixed my shoe.”

  “Go on...”

  “Well, I ran into him again today. I was running errands for work and he tried to stop me on the street.”

  “What did he want?”

  “He asked to take me to lunch. But of course I told him I was too busy. I have too much on the go right now to get bogged down with a relationship.”

  “Oh, so you’re attracted to him,” she said with a glint of sarcasm in her voice.

  “I never said that,” I said.

  “Yes, you did. You said you were too busy for a relationship.”

  “So?”

  “If you didn’t like him, you would have said you weren’t interested in him, or you didn’t like him.”

  “Well, I don’t like how he assumes that I’m interested, or the way he tries to demand my time,” I said as I pondered on the idea.

  “But you are attracted to him,” she said, smiling at me mischievously.

  “Well,
he does have a nice smile, and a killer butt. Oh, and his eyes, the way his eyes sparkle in the sunlight...”

  “Jerrica, just admit it, you’re smitten.”

  ***

  The next morning when I was getting ready for work, I kept thinking about my conversation with Liz the night before. Maybe I do like him, I thought. It wasn’t that hard to believe that I could be smitten with him. After all, he certainly was charming.

  I tried to put him out of my mind while I finished getting ready and hurried to the office. If I was going to move up the ladder, I had a lot of work to do. My career was very important to me, and I didn’t have time to sit around daydreaming about him.

  “Jerrica, I’m glad you’re here,” my boss said. “Can you run over to CHI and grab a copy of the dailies?”

  “That’s what I’m here for,” I said as I grabbed my purse, ready to head back out the door. I hurried along the streets determined to make it back in record time. If running errands was what it took to get a promotion, I’d be the best damn gopher they ever had.

  I was hurrying along so fast, that I didn’t even look up to see the gentleman in the grey suit that was walking toward me until I bumped into him with a thud. “Miss Rollins,” he said. “We meet again.”

  I sighed in disbelief as I realized who he was. “Yes, I’ll go to lunch with you,” I said.

  “I don’t remember asking,” he laughed. “But it was nice running into you, or rather it was nice being run into by you.”

  I felt my face turning crimson. What an ass, I thought. “Oh, I... I... I’m sorry,” I stammered. I wanted to cry, and I knew I had to get out of there fast. I nodded my head and started to walk away.

  “Miss Rollins,” he said as he grabbed my elbow. “The restaurant on the corner at noon?”

  “I’ll be there,” I said, smiling. Then I put my head down and walked away. I felt like such a klutz for walking into him like that, and an even bigger idiot for assuming he was going to ask me out again. At least he decided to humor me by giving me a pity date.

  ***

  As the morning wore on, I wished I knew his last name or his phone number so I could cancel our lunch date. I really didn’t want to get into anything right now, and if it was just a pity date, I could do without it.