“I want you to remember that I want you,” he said. “In your mind while you’re processing all these things, I don’t want you to ever doubt that I think you’re the woman for me, and that I want you more than anything. Don’t ever get that twisted. I want you to be mine. You just have to decide if I’m the one for you.”
Veronica swallowed at yet another raw confession from this man.
“But if that man for you is Calvin,” Frank went on more softly. “I will respect your decision in that regard, and we can both move on with our lives accordingly.”
Veronica took in his words, and looked up at him.
“Thank you,” she said softly. “I can’t tell you how much it means to me that you’re so understanding.”
Frank smiled down at her.
“All I want is for you to have a good chance to be happy,” Frank almost whispered. “And I do want it to be with me, no doubt. But I think Calvin is a good man, too. And I know he has a good future to offer you as well. If he was some kind of shady low-life, I wouldn’t be encouraging you to entertaining him as an option.”
Veronica smiled, as she couldn’t quite manage a laugh. Frank noticed her quietness, and he lifted her face up to look at him.
“Everything’s going to work out, alright?” Frank assured her. “I’m going to go get ready for work. You coming up?”
“No,” Veronica shook her head. “I’m going to stay down here for a second. I just want to clear my head a little bit.”
“Okay,” Frank smiled. “I’ll see you in just a little bit.”
Veronica smiled as he moved out of the kitchen and up the stairs. She let out a soft rush of air, and she buried her face in her hands. She felt like her life was beginning to spin out of control.
She wondered how things would have been if she had never taken the job from Frank. Would she and Calvin have broken up eventually just from their differences? Would they have stayed together, eventually gotten married and had children and a family of their own? All those ideas seemed to be pure fantasy now that she had been disloyal to him.
Veronica wondered if she would tell him about her and Frank on their date. It seemed almost too cruel to do something like that to him. She knew he was terribly excited to see her, and this revelation would absolutely crush him.
And if she didn’t tell him, she knew the guilt would be eating at her the whole night, and she would just end up having a completely miserable time altogether. She would only be sparing him from the truth temporarily, anyway, and there was little point in dragging it out.
She wondered how he would react if she did tell him. Would he be angry? Hurt? Betrayed? Embarrassed? Doubtless he would feel all these emotions, but which one would he display. It was a question she would not know the answer to until she revealed her horrible secret.
And the bigger issue in all this was whether she wanted to try and recover her relationship with Calvin, or if she wanted to pursue a new relationship with Frank? In some ways, the choice of Frank seemed easy. She had already nearly seamlessly adjusted herself into his life. She was attracted to him both physically and mentally, not to mention the deeper connection that they shared.
But then, there were outside issues to consider. Frank was a man of wealth and status, and the duties of a wife were certainly much different than the duties of a nanny. She would likely be expected to attend events and to mingle with an entirely different class of people than she was accustomed to. In her mind, she just could not picture herself ever fitting in to that kind of picture.
Veronica was also afraid of being a disappointment to Frank. They had only interacted in this environment. What if he came to find one day that she was not all he had made her out to be, and came to regret his decision entirely?
All these thoughts rushed through her head, and Veronica rubbed at her temples. She got up from the table and headed upstairs to her room. She desperately hoped that a shower would help her to be able to sort out her thoughts on these issues.
Veronica had a hard time keeping her mind away from this pressing issue for the next couple of days. She tried and tried to sort everything out, but even after hours and hours agonizing over it, she had not come any closer to finding a solution or making a decision.
By the time Friday afternoon rolled around, she was nearly a complete mess. She was anxious about seeing Calvin after having spent this time without him, and knowing all the things she had done in that time.
She really was on the verge of a complete mental breakdown.
So, she was very caught off guard when Frank showed up at his home a little earlier than usual. He greeted his daughters, and then gave her a small smile.
“Go on up and start getting ready,” he said softly. “I’ve got the girls.”
Veronica nodded, unable to verbally respond, and headed up the stairs. She made it into her room, but stopped short as she saw a box on the bed. She looked closer and saw a note card lying on top of the box.
She hesitantly moved closer, and picked up the card.
‘Wear this on your date. I know it will look incredible on you. -Frank’
Veronica felt her heart clench as she read the note. As if it wasn’t enough to be playing with Calvin’s emotions, she was also acutely aware that Frank had feelings for her, and wanted her to stay with him.
She was tempted to simply ignore the box and refuse to wear the dress. But she knew that he would insist, and she didn’t want to risk hurting his feeling over something that only cost a tiny fraction of his fortune. She would wear the dress, and she would thank him profusely for it.