Home Ch. 02

"Excuse me," Peyton said timidly. "I have a meeting with the head of marketing."

The receptionist picked up the phone and dialed a number. Once she confirmed the meeting, she told Peyton to take the elevator to the third floor, and walk to the third office in.

While going up, Peyton felt her heart rate increase as she got became more and more nervous.

"Think of Nate," she said to herself repeatedly. She pictured him smiling down at her and she felt herself calming. She thought about how he walked and talked with confidence and decided to mimic that behavior. Instead of walking with her head down like she often did, she tilted her chin up and walked fluidly. She got a few looks from some people in their cubicles, but she didn't see them. She only saw Nate. Once she reached the door, she knocked.

"Come in." she heard a feminine voice chime. Peyton walked in and stood. She couldn't see who the voice came from, for the big chair had its back to her.

"Sit," said the voice. Peyton took the seat in front of the desk.

"Hello. My name is Peyton Cavanaugh. I'm here to apply for the position as your new secretary."

The chair finally turned and Peyton was faced with a beautiful woman. Her skin was pale and flawless. She had a petite upturned nose and a strong cheek bones. Her figure was smaller than Peyton's, except in the chest, where the woman was full D-cup to Peyton's C-cup. What Peyton noticed most was the woman's hair. It was a fiery shade of red.

"Hello," The woman answered sternly. "My name is Addison Broughton."

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Peyton held her heels in her hands as she entered the church after the interview. Pastor Donavon, who was practicing and editing his sermon at the podium, called to her.

"How was the interview?" he asked.

Peyton smiled wide. "She said she was impressed with me. She was a little cold, but she seemed very smart. I do hope I get the job. It would bring in enough money for my own small apartment."

"Well, no one else deserves it more," Pastor Donavon said encouragingly. "But Peyton, don't you need a degree of sorts to work for any company?"

"Yeah, Pastor Donavon, but I do have a degree; in business and financing."

Pastor Donavon looked perplexed. "You do?"

Peyton understood his confusion. "Pastor, I'm not a high school drop-out. I went to college for 4 years."

"Then why are you-"

"Homeless?" Peyton stated clearly. Pastor Donavon looked uneasy. She patted his shoulder. "It's alright to ask Pastor. When I attended college back in my home town, I stayed with my father and step-sister. After he died she put me out and cut me off from all his money. I was lucky to graduate before she took everything."

"Well, why didn't you get a job there?"

"It gets more complicated there," Peyton sighed. "Let's just say my step sister had a lot of influence and didn't want to see me around."

Pastor Donavon gave her an empathetic look.

Peyton just smiled.

"Don't worry!" she said. "I survived just fine on my own. And now, hopefully, things will be looking up."

Pastor Donavon suddenly started digging around in his pocket. He pulled out a small slip of paper.

"Before I forget," he said, "Nate stopped by." Peyton instantly got excited. "He left this note for you." Peyton took the note and practically flew to her room, but not before quickly thanking the pastor. He just laughed and went back to writing his sermon.

Peyton closed her room door and opened the note, which read:

Peyton,

In an effort to be more hopelessly romantic, I would like to pick you up tonight and bring you to my place for dinner. I'm going to try and dazzle you with my culinary skills, so please, excuse me if I act nervous. You seem to have that effect on me. I'll come by the church at 7. I can't wait to see you.

- Nate

Peyton re-read the note three more times. She kept getting stuck on You seem to have that effect on me.She was surprised that she affected him at all. I have a date with Nate!

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Six-thirty came quickly and Peyton felt like she had a swarm of moths trying to escape her stomach. She went to the bathroom and did a once over. She wore a snug V-neck silk dark blue blouse, a black pencil skirt, and the pumps she'd worn to the interview. She ran her fingers through her dark hair and wished she could afford make up. I bet Jane has some!

Jane did in fact have make up and helped Peyton put it on. She refused to add too much, as not to spoil Peyton's natural beauty, but added enough to make her eyes pop and her lips shine. When Nate's car arrived, the moths in her stomach had settled and Peyton focused on enjoying herself. When he came up to the steps meet her, Peyton bit her lip to hold back a sigh. Damn, this man is too fine.

"Hey, Peyton," Nate said as he leaned down and placed a kiss on her cheek. "You look gorgeous."

Peyton felt her whole face get warm.

"Hello, Nate. Thank you," she squeaked.

In the car, Peyton twiddled her fingers, trying to think of something to say. Nate noticed how quiet she was.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Nate asked.

Peyton laughed. "My father used to say that. I'm looking forward to getting a sample of your cooking."

Nate smiled. "Tell me about your dad."

Peyton took a moment to think. "Not a lot to tell. He took care of me after my mom left when I was eight. He was five tons of fun, and very protective of me. He always had little quirky sayings like "Don't cash a check with your mouth that you can't pay off with your ass" and "Why did the chicken cross the road?"

"Why?"

"Who the hell let the chicken out?!" Nate laughed and noticed how animated Peyton got when she talked about her father.

"Where is he now?" He asked.

"He died. A heart attack. About six months ago."

"I'm sorry," Nate placed his hand on her thigh in a more reassuring than sexual gesture.

"It's ok," she sighed. "He used to say that a sudden death is like being pushed into a pool; there are a couple seconds where you're disoriented and everything's rushing over you, but when those seconds are over, you'll feel the cool water drift you off peacefully." Nate squeezed her thigh; he liked that phrase. He wondered if his son had felt that, or anything at all for that matter.

Nate was anxious as they arrived at his home. When they entered the house, he heard Peyton whistle. "Wow! Swanky."

"Thank you," Nate laughed. "I do well off."

Peyton liked the fancy feel of the matching appliances and well-designed layout. The

mouthwatering smell of the chicken pulled at her senses.

"What are we having?" She tried to peek into a pot, but Nate stopped her.

"It's almost ready. You'll see."

Nate gave her a mischievous smile as Peyton eyed him suspiciously. She took a seat at the dining table and waited. He returned with two plates of chicken parmesan, with wild rice, green beans and sweet rolls.

"Damn!" Peyton exclaimed. "This ain't no joke."

Nate laughed. "I try."

She noticed he had three big chicken breasts on his plate. She chuckled.

"What?" he asked, curiously.

"It's nothing. Just that you pile your plate like my dad used to. 'Big fella's gotta eat!' he used to say."

Nate laughed some more. "I think your dad and I would have gotten along great."

"Yeah, you would have. He had a thing for tall guys." Nate busted out laughing some more. The two spent the time talking and laughing between bites. Whatever nervousness they'd felt before melted away. Once they were done, Peyton and Nate cleared off the table together.

"So, how did your job hunting go?" Nate asked.

"Fairly well. I had a job interview today. I think the woman liked me."

"What was her name?"

"Addison Broughton."

Nate stopped and stared and Peyton.

"Are you sure that was her name?" He asked. When Peyton nodded, he asked "What did she look like?"

Peyton described her in detail, which was easy because she admired the woman's looks. Nate felt a stab in his chest.

"Do you know her?" Peyton asked. Nate mulled over his options:

A. Tell Peyton how she could potentially work for his bitchy ex

B. Blow it off like nothing and hope for the best.

Nate chose the latter. "Never heard of her. Just wondering."

Peyton nodded and put the dishes in the dish washer. Nate knew this would come back to bite him in the ass, but at the moment, he was just afraid of ruining their date. He put it out of his mind and guided her to the living room. Peyton expressed how much she loved how big everything was: the black leather sectional couch, the fifty-inch plasma TV, the high ceiling, the entire house.

"Big fella's gotta have room." Nate said. Peyton giggled. They sat on the couch and Nate turned to face her.

"Peyton, we have a problem."

"What would that be?" Peyton asked, her anxiety returning.

"I barely know anything about you. I don't even know your last name."

Peyton let out a sigh of relief. "Well, my name is Peyton Cavanaugh. I'm twenty-two years old. I like sunsets, long walks on the beach, and getting caught in the rain. Is that good?"

Nate shook his head. "What brought you to the city?"

"I had no home in the country." Peyton stopped talking and started messing with her fingers

again.

Nate slid closer to her and put his big hand over hers. "Peyton, I want you to know you can tell me anything. I don't judge and I have to say, you fascinate me."

"Why?"

"Why not? Your one of the kindest people I've ever met and you don't even know it. It seems like you have no idea how amazing you are."

Peyton gave him a sad smile. "I guess I could use a reminder now and again." She laced her fingers with his. "Well, after I turned fifteen, my father re-married. My step -mother had a daughter of her own, Vicky. I don't really know why but Victoria never much took to me. When her mother died in a car accident, she started hating me. She was very manipulative. She always used her mother's death as a sympathy card."

Nate smirked. "I've dealt with a woman like that before. They're never any fun."

"You got that right," Peyton continued. "My dad died without leaving a will, so Vicky went to court and won most of the cash. I didn't care about the money, but she still thought I'd one day try to get it back from her. So when I graduated from college, she cut me off from the entire family fund. I tried to get a job, but she would go to each employer and somehow convince them that hiring me wouldn't be in their best interest. Time went by and I found myself evicted from my small apartment. I sold what I could, took the money and I've been running ever since."

Peyton's head was down and her voice was quiet. Nate's heart went out to her. He placed his hand on the side of her face and Peyton leaned into his warm palm. She saw his sad expression and smiled.

"Don't feel too bad for me. I've met some pretty cool people, and seen some pretty cool sites. A home can be anywhere you make it. I might not have always had shelter, but I could always find a home."

Nate instantly envied her. He lived in a fabulous house but it hadn't felt like home in the longest time. He could hardly remember what having a home felt like. Maybe she could remind me.

Nate leaned forward slowly and kissed her lightly. Peyton didn't hesitate to kiss him back. She allowed his tongue access to her warm mouth and felt the walls around her heart melt away. Nate's kiss became more feverish as he drew her closer to him. He felt Peyton's hands push against his chest, pushing him away. He looked down at her and felt like his heart had broken over a kiss. Peyton kept pushing though, until he was lying back on the couch and she was lying on top of him. She kissed him this time and he wrapped his arms around her waist, happier than ever. Peyton kissed him urgently, surging forward with her tongue and grazing it over his lips. Nate tightened his grasp and ran his tongue over her soft lips. He let his hands slide down to cup her generous ass. He heard her moan as he gave it a good squeeze. Peyton felt the bulge in his pants harden and she pressed herself against it. He caressed her body with his hand and she loved every second of it.

"Peyton." He moaned against her lips and she felt as if her heart would burst out of her chest. He somehow balanced being gentle and assertive with his mouth and hands. She never wanted it to end. That was, until she felt his hand go up her shirt. Peyton froze and her whole body stiffened. She sat up half way and looked down at him.

"What's wrong?" he whispered. Peyton suddenly sat up completely and untangled herself from him.

"I need to go," she said, without looking at him. "Can you please take me back to the church?"

"Yeah, sure," Nate sat up, dumbfounded. "I'll take you back, but are you ok? Was I moving too fast or-"

"No, no, it's not you, Nate. I just want to go now."

Nate wanted to question her, but he saw that she looked scared. "Ok, I'll take you back."

They drove all the way back to St. Michael's in silence. Nate couldn't think of anything to say besides "I'm sorry." Once there, Peyton practically shot out of the car.

"Thank you for a lovely evening!" She yelled back at him before entering the church. Nate drove home completely confused, but happy.