GALEN
The weekend turned out to be a milestone for mine and Korinne's relationship. Talking to her brought back all of the fond memories we shared together. I wanted to make love to her more than anything, but she wasn't completely ready yet. Maybe once she saw I wasn't going anywhere I could get her to open up to me. Staring at my phone, I decided to send her a text.
Me: Hey.
Kori: Hello.
Me: How are you?
Kori: Fine, you?
Me: Working.
Kori: Sounds like fun. :)
Me: Can we talk tonight?
Kori: Of course.
Me: Great! I'll call you after work.
Kori: Sounds good!
There was nothing I could do about Korinne missing her husband except be there for her and let her know I understood. I knew what it was like to lose someone you loved, but my loss was my father. There was a difference, but it was still a loss that hurt nonetheless. I had an idea in my head of something I could do for Korinne to show her that I understood and cared. Searching through my phone, I found the number to the man I needed to speak to.
"Hello, Richard here." His voice came over the line.
"Richard, its Galen. How are you?" I greeted warmly.
"Galen! My boy, it's been a long time. How's the family?" he inquired excitedly. Richard was a really good friend of my father's, and was also on the board of trustees at the hospital. The same hospital Korinne's husband worked at.
"The family is doing great. Hey, listen, I would like to make a donation to the hospital."
"Really?" he replied. "That would be mighty generous of you. How much would you want to donate?"
"Does two million sound good?" I asked. The line went silent and I was starting to think the connection was lost until I heard Richard fumble with the phone. Thankfully, I didn't give him a heart attack.
He cleared his throat and stuttered, "Did I hear that right? You want to donate two million dollars?"
I laughed. "Yes, that's right. If you don't mind, I'll have my accountant get in touch with you tomorrow."
"No, that's perfect, but I have to say that I'm speechless, Galen. Thank you so much. Is there a reason why you're doing this, or for whom might I ask?"
"Actually there is," I confessed. "I want it in Carson Anders' memory. I heard about his accident and I wanted him to be recognized for his commitment to the hospital."
Richard sighed. "Ah, yes, Dr. Carson. He was one of our best. His accident was such a tragedy. It hasn't been the same around here with him gone. I know his wife took it really hard when it happened."
"I'm sure she did," I said.
"I know everyone will appreciate this, son. If there's anything I can do for you, just let me know," Richard suggested.
"Will do, Richard. Tell your wife I said hello."
"I sure will. She'll be glad to know you called, and she also knows what this weekend is, too. Sarah mentioned it the other day."
I chuckled. "I knew she wouldn't forget."
"She never does."
"Take care, and I'll speak to you again soon," I said before hanging up. Sarah was Richard's wife and a wonderful woman. Every year she would make my favorite cake for my birthday … red velvet. This coming weekend happened to be my birthday, and I was going to be thirty-one years old. Sometimes I felt older.
A knock came at the door and Rebecca poked her head in. "We had another client call and put in a request for Mrs. Anders. Have you asked her yet if she'd come work for us?" she asked me curiously.
Shaking my head, I replied, "No, not yet. I don't want to push her or make her feel pressured. I sort of tried once before and failed."
"I understand that. Maybe you tried too soon." She sighed. "Does she not realize how amazing she is? We have clients every day wanting her to decorate their homes. She would be an amazing asset to the company."
"She would be worth more than just a mere asset, a whole lot more. I'll talk to her this weekend about it."
Rebecca smiled while chewing on her pen. "Something tells me she'll accept. She may be hurting, but I think she is stronger than you think." Rebecca gathered the blueprints of our future projects and left my office. Soon, I was going to offer Korinne the one wish she'd wanted since she started her career. I just hoped she would accept it.
***
The phone rang before I even got out of my car. When I saw who the caller was, I couldn't stop the smile that took over my face. "I thought I was going to call you," I said into the phone.
Korinne laughed. "You did, but I had to ask you something. Or better yet, I had to tell you something because I'm not going to take no for an answer."
"Ah, I like this side of you. Tell away then," I teased, curious to know what she was up to.
Korinne shrieked excitedly, "We have plans this weekend just me and you!"
Her excitement had me smiling from ear to ear. "Do we now? What plans might that be?"
"I'm surprising you this time! Pack a bag, because we're going out of town for the weekend. I'll pick you up tomorrow after you get off of work."
"I'll be waiting," I murmured.
"Great! I'll see you tomorrow," she said excitedly before hanging up the phone.
Now that was the Korinne I knew peeking out of her shell. She sounded like the happy and care-free girl from the past, but somehow I couldn't help but be wary. Was she really happy or was it a front? Maybe things would turn around for us after the weekend. Spending more time together alone would surely help. Getting away with her was going to be something we both needed, and now all I had to do was wait for that time to come. Of course, the time wasn't going to move fast enough for me.