Surrender 01 - Surrender

disappointment she felt. With all the stress she’d been through in the last months, she wouldn’t be surprised if she was having a nervous breakdown.
    Her mother was getting out of the hospital any day now and Ari still hadn’t found the courage to tell her about the house or her mother’s business. Rafe’s chasing her had been one wild ride after the other. Not having work — and then managing to land a great job.
    “Just place one foot in front of the other and remember that tomorrow is a new day.” That was what Ari told herself at least twice a day — that day she had to repeat it about twenty times. Being with Rafe was like finding herself inside a fast-moving tornado. Ari wasn’t sure she even understood what a calm, normal life felt like anymore.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

    “Can I see you in my office?”
    “Yes. Let me finish this e-mail and I’ll be right there,” Ari said as she pressed the intercom speaker and replied to her boss. With a few keystrokes she finished her work and sent the document.
    Rising from her seat, she stretched her arms and smiled. Although her job was boring and mundane, and it made her want to rush back into the classroom so she could do what she truly loved, she liked where she worked.
    She had amazing benefits, worked with good people and made enough money to take care of her mother and still have some left over for savings. She thought she might even be able to get back to school within the year. That was the best-case scenario.
    She walked down the long hallway and knocked on her boss’s open door.
    “Come in, Ari. How soon can you get home and pack a bag?”
    “Sir?” She’d been told that she might have to travel, but she’d assumed she’d get a lot more notice than go pack a bag . She wasn’t upset about going somewhere — just the opposite, in fact. She thought it would be nice to get out of town , anywhere other than the Bay area. She soon had to face picking up her mother at the hospital, telling the poor woman how much her beloved daughter had messed everything up, and then, with luck, gathering up the pieces of her mom’s shattered heart.
    “The CEO requested you for a business trip to New York. The jet leaves in two hours. A car is waiting out front to take you back to your place and then get you to the airport. Will that give you enough time?”
    “Yes, of course, but I don’t understand,” she hedged. “How long will I be gone? Why would the CEO have requested me? I really don’t think I’m qualified for…” She trailed off at the smile on her boss’s face.
    “Don’t look so frightened, Ari. This is a good thing. It means that you do such an excellent job here that the corporate officers have taken notice of you. This could end up being a big promotion for you. I don’t want to lose you here, but I’d never hold you back. If advancement is on the horizon, then you need to reach out and grasp it,” he said with sincerity. “Headquarters didn’t say how long you’d be gone, but I think it’s a quick trip. Normally, they give a lot more notice than two hours if it’s anything longer than a couple days.”
    “I guess I can go, then — I don’t know what to say,” she answered hesitantly as shock filled her. She wasn’t sure that she wanted advancement. What if the job ended up being wonderful and then she never went back to school? She didn’t want to settle for a job just because it paid well. She wanted to finish her education and do what she was always meant to do.
    “You say a heartfelt thanks and then rush home to get ready,” he replied with a chuckle.
    “Thank you, Mr. Avery. I appreciate your confidence in me,” she replied automatically.
    He waved her off and she turned around and went back to her desk, where she gathered her coat and purse and then made her way to the bank of elevators. It didn’t take long for her to reach the lobby, and then to step outside.
    A nice Bentley was parked at the curb with a driver waiting at the back door. He immediately opened the door when he spotted her and Ari slid inside without saying a word. She hoped it was the company car and not a kidnapper — not that she’d be worth kidnapping. She didn’t have a wealthy family that could post ransom. She certainly didn’t have any kind of influence with the rich and famous. She was just Ari.
    “Good afternoon, ma’am. I have your address here. Do you need to make any other stops before we arrive there?”
    “No, but thank