Mr. Valentine's Heart

Leap of Faith

I swear I’ve been sleeping like I’m pregnant or something. I’ve been with Alexi several times, though it was never by choice. I would be more worried, but I was able to get birth control without him knowing. Maybe, once I get settled, I can find a doctor to check me out.

The two hours passed fast since I slept most of the way. I’m glad I did because I’m not sure that I would have been able to answer any questions that the couple would ask me. The older woman turns to look at me. “We are about 10 minutes outside the city and another 20 minutes from our home. Where can we take you?” Sh.it! I didn’t think about anything past getting in the car.

“Uh, maybe a shelter or something.” Her eyes get big, and she sneaks a glance at her husband.

“Darling girl, do you not have anyone to help you, no one to lean on?” I shake my head, feeling a tear fall from my eye.

This is crazy, and I know that. I wanted to get out of that place so badly, but I didn’t make any plans. I’m in a bad situation and have no idea how to make things better. I have a little bit of money, but I have no place to stay and no job.

She pats my hand and squeezes it. “I don’t know what you’ve been through, but I want to help you. Please stay with us. Let us help you get settled with a job and then a place. It’s just my husband and I in the house, so we have more than enough space.

“I can’t do that to you.” She shakes her head.

“Nonsense, darling girl. We have the means to help, so let us.” I look between her and her husband. This could either be the dumbest thing I’ve ever done or the one thing that will catapult me to where I want to be. Before I can think too deeply, I feel my head move in a nodding gesture. She smiles wide and holds her hand out to me. “I’m BettyAnn and this is my husband Jim.”

“I… I’m Cherise Perry. It’s great to meet you both. Thank you so much for this.”

❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥

I've been in Misty Falls for a few days now, and settling in has been pretty easy. BettyAnn and Jim are a dream, not serial killers or sickos at all. I know I took a big risk, but I knew I had to do it. I had to make sure I could secure my getaway and remain out of my ‘husband's’ clutches.

I've been looking for a place, much to BettyAnn's dismay. I know she'd rather I stick around, but I need a bit of independence. I have never been alone for the last five years, and I hated it. I want to be able to be the only person in the room and do what I want to do.

I found a few places renting rooms, but I'm not really interested in having shared spaces. It's too similar to where I fled from, and I need something different. I was able to find two apartments that seem to have reasonable rents and even come fully furnished. I plan to check them out after I find myself a job.

Finding a job has been a bit difficult. I have no idea what skills I have, if any. I don't even know if I've ever worked before. Most of the jobs I've called expect you to have some type of experience, and I have none. You have to have a job to get experience, yet no job will hire you without experience.

I sigh and flip to another page of the want ads. Crazy that I'm using a newspaper, right? It's one of those local papers, and I figure it would be better to look here since I have no idea what I can do. An ad catches my eye, and I quickly read through it. They are looking for a product tester. My face gets warm when I catch the name of the company: Guilty Pleasures. I have no idea what the job would be, but I'm in no position to be choosy.

~Caleb~

I sigh as I go through the report for what feels like the millionth time. Jamichael has taken over while we gather candidates to interview for the position. He's also been trying to get product testers in.

We started by calling all of those who quit to see if they wanted to come back. We explained the change in leadership, but many didn't want to be bothered. Either they now had a bad taste in their mouths, or they had found a different job. I'm not at all surprised because we never keep product testers on for long.

My door opens, and Jamichael walks in. He plops in the chair in front of me and props his feet on my desk. I let out a slight growl, causing him to chuckle as he put his feet on the floor. “Why are you stressing, bro? You upset because no one wants to get off with your toys?” I sigh and roll my eyes.

“Make fun if you want, but those same toys keep you in your shoes and women.” Jamichael is a total sneakerhead and a player. He will spend hundreds on a pair of shoes without batting an eye.

Jamichael holds his hands up in mock surrender. “I was just joking! Hell, even I know we make a good product. I've used one or two of our toys and I've given some out as gifts.” My stomach rolls at his words. That's more information about my friend than I've ever wanted to know.

“I know we will find people, it's just frustrating that we were put slightly behind schedule because of this mess.”

“Well, look, I have a group of people coming in to talk in a day or so. I think we will find some good people and we can get the product testing going again.” I nod and look at the papers in front of me.

“Have you checked out the list that I gave you?”

“Yeah, I looked at the files as well. There's only one name I think we need to steer clear of.” I look at Jamichael, wondering if we were thinking the same thing. “Ontario Neems.”

“Ontario Neems.” We both speak at the same time, laughing afterward. We are constantly doing things like that. When I read his file, I found him lacking, and I guess I wasn’t wrong.

Jamichael stands up and turns to leave. “I say we have interviews at the end of the week. That will give us the weekend to go over candidates.” I nod in agreement and watch him walk out of my office. A slight pain in my chest causes me to rub it away. I get that sometimes, and I’ve chalked it up to a broken heart. Imagine Mr. Valentine, brokenhearted.