Page 33 of Serenading Reagan
“Open up that bakery of yours.” Chase pulled into the parking lot of a sandwich shop. Not exactly what he’d had in mind, but talking to Reagan was more important than food right now. “Babe, you’ve got the money from your parents now. There’s nothing to lose except a shitty job with a shitty boss who deserves to have his shitty ass kicked.”
She stared at him for a moment; fear, hope and relief brimming in her eyes. Unable to hold back from touching her, Chase leaned over to gently kiss her forehead, nose, and lips sweetly.
“I believe in you, Red. You are capable of great things. What’s happening to you there is not right, not at all. Let me stand by your side and help you move forward to something better.”
Reagan took in a deep breath, then turned her shining eyes to him. A smile stretched across her face as she replied, “You know what, you’re right. I want to be done with Harris and done with that job. Thank you, Chase. You showed up at just the right time.” She leaned over and kissed him firmly. “Now, are you taking me to lunch?”
* * *
Chase didn’t say anything else about Harris over lunch, for which Reagan was grateful. She was thrilled to see him and loved the fact that he had wanted to surprise her for lunch, but she was also mortified about what had happened at the office. Truthfully, Harris touching her ass was disgusting and unacceptable. He had always kept to just verbal harassment through uncomfortable and inappropriate inuendo. Now that he had taken it a step further into physically bothering her, Reagan knew she had to do something.
Chase walked her back to the office, all the way up to her cubicle, with a protective arm around her waist. When Reagan put her purse back inside her desk drawer, she turned in his arms to say goodbye.
“You can’t stay here glaring at everyone all afternoon, babe,” she chided him gently.
His eyes turned to her, dark with a protective gleam. “I know, I just want to make sure that jackass and everyone else knows I’m with you, and I’m here for you.”
Her heart warmed to hear his support. But, before she could reply, a quiet sound caught her attention. She turned, and saw her co-worker Lucy standing nearby, shifting back and forth uncomfortably.
“Lucy, hi. Sorry, do you need anything?” Reagan asked the other woman politely.
“No, I just, I saw Harris.” Lucy’s voice was soft and hesitant, but with an undercurrent of strength. She cleared her throat and continued, “That is, I saw what he did, earlier. And I heard what he said to your boyfriend. He’s, well, he’s done it to me.”
Reagan’s heart started to race, and she felt Chase pull her in closer. But again, Lucy didn’t give her any chance to reply before her next statement, words that would give Reagan the salvation she had been looking for.
“I recorded him touching you. I already have a recording of him saying some disgusting things to me, but I didn’t think it was enough to go to management if it was just me. Then when I started to notice him treating you the same way, I decided to try and catch it. I am so sorry I never said anything, I wasn’t sure how you’d react. But after what he did to you today, I just had to come and tell you. It’s all on tape.”
Reagan was speechless. Lucy had just presented her with exactly what she needed to prove to the company what Harris was doing. They would have to believe the two of them, and Reagan could leave with her dignity intact. Thankfully, Chase saved her from having to formulate the words of a response.
“Lucy, hi. I’m Reagan’s boyfriend Chase. Thanks for telling us, and more importantly, thank you for looking out for Reagan. I think I can safely speak for us both when I say she is more than happy to go to management with you. Right, babe?” Chase looked to Reagan for confirmation and all she could do was nod.
The look of relief on Lucy’s face was unmistakable and finally spurred Reagan to respond. “Yes, Lucy, of course I want to go with you to report him. I can’t tell you how relieved I am that you have proof.” Reagan paused, filled with sorrow over the realization that she and Lucy, and who knew how many others, were all victims to this man’s harassment. “I’m just so sorry that I didn’t do anything earlier. Maybe I could have stopped him somehow.”
Chase squeezed her arm, whether in support or empathy she wasn’t sure. Still, just having him there gave her strength. She could feel his love for her pouring through his touch.
Lucy gave her a small smile. “Don’t feel sorry. You and I did nothing wrong. I’ll e-mail you the video today and we can make a plan to nail his sorry ass for this.”
Reagan and Lucy quickly exchanged their personal e-mail addresses and phone numbers. Then on impulse, Reagan leaned in and gave Lucy a hug. “If one good thing comes out of this, it’ll be you and I becoming friends. Thank you, Lucy.”
As Lucy walked away, Reagan turned back to Chase. The emotion shining from his eyes overwhelmed her. He was gazing at her with such admiration, compassion, and affection that she was positive was love.
“So, I guess I’ve got the answer to my problem, no need to quit,” she said lightly, although even she could hear the uncertainty in her words.
“Red, was Harris the only reason you had for quitting?” As usual, Chase’s gentle way of encouraging her to believe herself to be capable of more, was both uncomfortable and exhilarating. Maybe she didn’t have to quit to get away from Harris, but did she really want to stay in this job that brought her no joy? Didn’t she deserve to be fulfilled in whatever she did?
As Reagan pondered that, thinking about the money from her parents and the support of her friends and family, Chase leaned in and kissed her forehead.
“I should leave you to finish your work. But I hope you think about this seriously, babe. You need to share your gift with the world, or at least the good people of Portland. We need good brownies.” His voice was teasing, yet she knew he meant what he said.
Reagan went up on her toes to kiss him softly. “Thank you, Chase, I promise I will think about it. I’ll see you tonight at the pub.”
“See you tonight, babe. I love you.” Chase smiled as he said those three words that sang to her heart.
Then with one final kiss, he left her at her cubicle, where she spent the afternoon trying—and failing—to work. Instead her head was filled with imagining what life could be like if she filled it with the things she loved. Baking, family, friends, and Chase.
* * *
As Chase pushed open the door to The Lucky Strike that night, he questioned again if he should have insisted on picking Reagan up from work. She’d said she would meet him here, and that she would be fine, but he was still livid at what he had witnessed at her job. Thank god that other woman had come forward. Maybe together, she and Reagan could put an end to the harassment.
