Page 16 of Finding My Charming

Dad just waved her off then announced to the crowd that it was all over and to get back to work.

Oh, now he’s all work and no play.

“Sorry ladies. You know I love you both, but one of the guys thought that Elise should be hazed in, and we came up with a little plan to scare you.” He chuckled, just increasing my irritation. “I never thought you’d take me seriously!”

He walked back to his office still chuckling while we watched his retreat in silence.

“We will get him back,” I promised when he was no longer in sight.

Sherrie slowly turned back to face her computer. “He won’t know when or how, but we will definitely make him pay.”

I spent the rest of the day organizing old client files and scanning documents. Really exciting stuff. Around five, Sherrie asked me to help her with one final task before I left. When I finally shut down my computer and gathered my things, I was running late. I hastily pushed open the door and reached into my purse for my keys and immediately ran into what felt like a wall. I shook my head and glanced up to see Dallin looking down at me with a smirk.

“In a hurry, Elise?”

I shot him my worst glare and bent down to pick up the few items that had fallen out of my purse in the collision. Luckily nothing embarrassing was lying on the sidewalk.

“Yeah. Sorry about that. I wasn’t looking.”

“If this is going to be a regular thing from now on, could you let me know, so I can start wearing pads when I leave?” He waved and continued walking the direction I assumed he’d been heading before I nearly tackled him.

Chapter 8

the sudden pounding on my door shocked me out of sleep. I glared at the ceiling then rolled over.

“What?” I tried to yell, but my voice was barely audible. It was probably still sleeping. Lucky.

The pounding continued with more vigor. I cleared my throat and tried again.

“Elise, are you up?” Mom asked as she opened the door and peeked her head in.

“How could I possibly sleep through that assault? Does my door need to be replaced?”

She huffed and stepped completely into my room. “It’s already eight. You need to get up anyway.”

“Wrong.” I threw the blanket over my face and prayed she’d leave me in peace on my sleep-in Saturday.

“I need you up. The fundraiser is next week, and I want you to go through your things to see what you can donate.” She tugged the blanket off my face and gave me a look. “Can you get that done for me?”

I groaned and tried to roll away from her.

“Oh no.” She grabbed my shoulder and pulled me back toward her. “Get this done fast, and you can take a nap later or continue to be productive, whatever you choose.”

Ha. Like I really have a choice.

“Fine. I’ll get a bag together.”

“Thank you, sweetie. The children thank you too!”

Of course she has to throw the children in my face to guilt me.

My parents had helped organize a massive fundraiser for homeless children in our area for over seven years. It had once been a simple donation drive and bake sale, but now it took over an entire park, including carnival rides, games, and food vendors that all worked together to raise money for the community. It was something I actually looked forward to every year. I knew the routine, but it didn’t mean I wanted to be up for it at the crack of dawn on the weekend.

For the past few years, my mom had been in charge of clothing donations while my dad organized the cook-off. It might sound cheesy or small-town, but it was tradition for our area and one of the few times people in the suburbs acknowledged their neighbors and went out of their way to help them. For this afternoon, businesses closed early, and everyone came together as if it was the 1950s again.

I finally slid out of my bed and padded to my closet. There were certainly plenty of clothes and shoes I could donate, but starting was always the hardest part.

“Just get rid of it all and start over. The public will thank you.”