Chapter 17

Rosalee had to admit she was a bit nervous going into the office. She was worried about what everyone would say or think about her. She knew how people could be, especially if they didn’t know you very well. Would they call her a slut, say she got this job because she’s sleeping with the boss? She had to stop thinking this way and not care. She knew the truth. But still, when she walked through the office back to hers, she could feel eyes following her and knew they were whispering between them. But she held her head up and wished everyone a good morning.

Bonnie saw her, and when she reached her desk, she handed Rosalee the mail. “Morning, Miss Keller.”

“Thank you, and good morning to you,” she said as she took the mail from Bonnie’s hand. She was about to go in back when Bonnie stopped her.

“I just wanted to say how happy I am for you and Mr. Thatcher. It does my heart good to see him happy. If I’m not out of line, I just want to say I think you are good for him. I’ve known him for years, and after hooking up with that nasty woman, Clarice, he deserves some happiness.”

She moved closer to Bonnie. “Was she really as bad as all that?”

“I really shouldn’t say anything. It’s not my place, and I don’t think Mr. Thatcher would approve of me gossiping about his ex-wife.”

“That’s okay. I won’t tell him. It’s just that I am really curious about her, and he won’t talk about her at all. Well, not much anyway. So I would really appreciate any information so that I can understand why sometimes he’s so down.”

“I don’t know everything, but what I do know from having met her a couple of times is she’s a snob and a gold digger. She and that half-brother of Ace made his life a living hell. She treated him like her own personal bank account and always flirted with other men. I’m just so glad that he has found you because we all have noticed the change in him.”

“I gather everyone knows about me and Ace?”

“I’m so sorry about that. I only told Paula, and I told her not to tell anyone, but I guess she has a bigger mouth than I thought.”

“That’s okay. We were thinking about a way to break it to everyone. Well, I better get to work before he comes in. Just because we’re dating doesn’t mean he won’t treat me the same as he does the others.”

When Ace got to work, he went over and kissed her cheek. “When you bring my coffee in, make sure to bring your pen and pad.”

“I always do,” she said, smiling back at him.

He looked up when she entered his office and placed his coffee in front of him. “Thank you, and how was it when you came in this morning? I mean, did anyone give you a hard time or say anything out of line?”

She sat down in the chair across from him. “No, but I could hear them whispering behind my back.”

“I knew Bonnie would tell them.”

“We talked, and she admitted she told one of the women but didn’t think that it would go any further. Now, do you have something for me to write down, or was this just an excuse to get me in here?”

“Both,” he replied. He read off a bunch of names and phone numbers and asked her to call them and set up appointments for all of them. Then he handed her some papers for her to type out and mail. “I’ll be out this afternoon for a while showing a potential client a piece of property.”

She got to her feet, tucking the papers in her arms. “So will you be back before quitting time?”

“I’m going to try, but if I don’t, I want to ask you if you would like to have dinner with me tonight? I thought we could go to that new steakhouse.”

“I would love to go out to dinner with you.”

“Great, I’ll pick you up around seven.”

She nodded her head. She liked that he put his hand on the small of her back as he walked with her out to her office.

“Okay, if I don’t see you this afternoon, I’ll see you tonight,” he said, giving her a kiss before leaving.

She felt like she was on top of the world and one of the luckiest women ever. She had her dream job and was in love with a man who was everything she could ever want. The only sad part of her life was her father’s refusal to speak to her. As a rule, she never used Ace’s bathroom and always used the one for employees. She was sitting there doing her business when she heard the door opening and her two women talking, and they were talking about her.

“Can you believe that the boss is actually seeing his assistant?”

“I know, and I bet you they were sleeping together before she came to work here, and that’s why she got the job, the little slut.”

“I really don’t see what the man sees in her. Sure, she’s pretty, but so out of his league. So I bet you anything he doesn’t give a damn about her, and it’s only using her for sex.”

Rosalee sat there quietly and waited for the two women to leave. She knew there would be talk, but she never for one minute thought it would be so nasty. With tears in her eyes, she washed her hands and hurried back to her office. It was close to three o’clock when Ace returned. She didn’t think he’d be back, but there he was standing in front of her with a frown on his face.

“Rosalee, you look like you’ve been crying.”

“It’s nothing,” she said, looking down at some papers. “I didn’t think you’d be back so soon.”

“The one guy canceled on me.” He went around her desk and pulled her up onto her feet, cupping her face in his hands. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

She told him what she had overheard in the lady’s room.

“I’m so sorry you had to hear that. Who were those women that said these things?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t see their faces, and I didn’t recognize their voices. If you’re thinking about doing anything about it, don’t.”

He used his thumbs to stroke her cheek. “I want you to come with me.”

“Where?”

“Just follow me.”

When they got to the area where all the cubicles were, he stopped and took her by surprise when he placed the palms of his hands on each side of her cheek and planted a big kiss on her, right in front of everybody.

When he finally broke the kiss, he turned to look at everyone who was obviously staring at them. “If you all are wondering what this was all about, I’ll tell you. Rosalee and I are a couple, and we are in love. And just so you know, she got this job because of her qualifications and not because we’re dating, which only started a while ago. I will not tolerate anyone talking behind our backs or calling her names. If I find out that anyone is doing that, I will fire them on the spot. Now get back to work and mind your own damn business.” Looking at her and smiling, he took her hand and led her back into their office.

When they got back to their office, she was angry and turned to him. “How could you do that? You totally humiliated me in front of everyone.”

“I did it because you were upset, and I won’t allow anyone to hurt you. At least this way it’s all out in the open, and for those who didn’t believe the rumors that were going around, now they know the truth. Some of them even clapped,” he said, pulling her close against him.

“It was still embarrassing though.”

“I’m sorry, that wasn’t my intention. So are we still on for dinner tonight?”

There was no way she could stay mad at him, not when he looked at her and gave her such a sweet smile. “Yes, we’re still on for dinner.”

Later, as she was getting ready for dinner with Ace, Eve walked in.

“Brett and I were talking, and we thought it would be a nice idea for the four of us to go out some night before he has to leave.”

She turned to look at Eve and smiled. “I think it would be a great idea, and I will talk to Ace tonight over dinner. I’m sure that now that he and Brett have made peace with one another, he will be more than happy to go.”

That night, she wore a blue dress and applied just a slight amount of makeup. She was never one to wear a lot of it, mainly just mascara and lipstick and just a touch of blush.

When she opened the door to him, he had to check her out from head to toe. “You always look amazing in everything you wear.” He leaned over to give her a kiss. “Are you ready to go?”

“Yes,” she said, grabbing her purse.

That’s what he liked about her, she never kept him waiting and was always ready on time. He drove them to the restaurant, and after they were seated, he ordered a bottle of wine.

“Ace, Eve and I were talking, and she was wondering if the four of us could go out this weekend since Brett will be leaving the following Monday.”

“That’s okay with me, and I even have the perfect place for us to go.”

“Oh really, and where would that be?”

“One of my clients is hosting a benefit dance for the homeless, and he has given me four tickets. So do you think your friends would enjoy that? It’s one of those fancy Black tie deals.”

“Oh, I know Eve would love it, those kinds of events are up her alley. Now as for Brett, I’m not sure, but I will ask them.”

“If he needs a tux, I know where he can rent one that’s fairly cheap.”

“Seeing it’s a real dress-up occasion, I’m going to have to go shopping and find something nice to wear to it.”

“I’d be more than happy to buy it for you.”

She shook her head when she looked at him. “I’m more than capable of affording my own dress, but I do thank you for the offer.”

“Okay, I understand, but I do have a gift for you, one I would love for you to wear.”

“You don’t have to buy new gifts, that is not why I’m with you.”

“I know that, but you’re my girl, and I wanted to get you something nice.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black velvet box. “I hope you like it.”

She looked at the box, and to her, it appeared to be one that held a ring. Her heart started racing, she never would have expected him to give her an engagement ring so soon. Her smile disappeared when she opened it and saw a pair of dangling diamond earrings. “Oh,” she said, feeling slightly disappointed.

“If you don’t like them, we can exchange them for something that you do.”

She looked up at him and forced a smile. “No, they’re absolutely beautiful. Thank you, I love them, and I will wear them to the benefit. But you really shouldn’t have spent so much money on them.”

He could tell she was a little upset, and it dawned on him why. The box did resemble a ring box, and he realized that she probably thought it was an engagement ring, so he figured he’d better explain some things. “Money is no object when it comes to you. I’m sorry if you thought it was an engagement ring.”

“No, no, I wasn’t thinking that. Besides, it’s way too early for something like that, and I know we’re both not there yet.”

He reached over the table and took her hands in his. “You know I love you, right?”

“I know you do, and I love you too.”

“Rosalee, I do want to spend the rest of my life with you, to grow old with you. But I was married once, and it was horrible, not that it would be with you, I just don’t ever want to get married again. I hope you can understand that. What I want to ask is, can you live with us keeping things the way they are?”

As much as she had always dreamed of finding the love of her life to marry, she was not going to break up with him. Married or not, she would always love him. “I love you, Ace, and I too want to be with you forever, so yes, I can accept your decision. But I do have one question for you?”

“Go ahead and ask.”

“Do you ever want to have children?”

He took in a deep breath before answering. “When my ex lied to me and said she was pregnant, and even though I wasn’t in love with her, I was thrilled at the thought of being a father. So yes, someday I would like for us to have children.”

This made her feel better. “I’m so glad to hear you say that because I want children someday too. And the thing is, I want your children.” Removing the earrings she was wearing, she put on her new ones. “So how do they look on me?”

“Beautiful, just beautiful,” he said, gripping her chin in his hand, he pulled her towards him and kissed her. He was so happy that she was going to accept the fact that he was never going to marry her, but he vowed to always love and be faithful to her.

After dinner, they decided to go for a walk before heading home. She wrapped her arm through his as they strolled down the busy street, enjoying the beautiful night air.