Chapter 141: Options: Hannah
"Do you have anything in mind as to what you would like to do?" Roman asked from across the table.
I shook my head, a bit of shame coming over me. "I just... I don’t know. I was brought up to believe I would only be a housewife, so I never really gave much thought to careers I would like... I just never thought much about being a housewife, either, and how I would spend my days. I guess I never really thought about the future at all, since I thought I wouldn’t be in control of it."
He nodded. "That makes sense. Heartbreaking, but I get it."
Taking a bite of the bread, I could tell from the slight scrunch around his eyes he was deep in thought, going through the options for me.
"Have you thought about school? You could always take classes online from the house."
I shrugged. "I don’t know. I guess I could, but I don’t know what to even study. I don’t know what my interests are. I just know—I think—I want to be out of the house."
"Aw," he started, a slight smirk coming over his face. I felt his foot nudging mine under the table and stroked my ankle in a flirty way. "I like you being here, knowing I can home to you at any time for a little afternoon delight."
"Afternoon delight? How old are you? Sixty?" I laughed. I hadn’t heard that phrase outside of songs from the eighties. "And have you done that at all since we’ve been back from vacation?"
"Fair point," he smiled. I knew he was only teasing about it, anyway. He thought for another moment before making his next suggestion. "How about you come to work with me tomorrow? You can shadow me. Learn about the business and see if business, or one of the fields we manage, is something that interests you."
It was then that I realized I really had no idea what it was that he did. I knew he was in charge of the family company and that it was successful, but what that business was, was beyond me.
"What fields exactly does your company work in?" I asked.
"Just about anything you can think of," he answered breezily. "We’re a parent company; a conglomerate. We own real estate companies, like I said, some tech start-ups, manufacturing plants, as couple of environmental businesses, a publishing house, and so on. It could be a good way to see if there are any that spark your interest."
I hadn’t ever thought about that. I guess I couldn’t have, considering I didn’t even know what his company did, and I didn’t think that business would interest me. Even if it didn’t give me an idea of what I wanted to do, it would be nice to spend the day to see what it was that Roman did.
"That would be great," I said with a nod. "If you’re really okay with that."
"I would love to show the office how gorgeous my wife is," he smirked.
I laughed a bit and rolled my eyes. "Of course. And I’d love to mark my territory."
"Don’t get too jealous of Rachel. She is my right-hand lady at work," he commented. My eyes narrowed at him, and he smirked. "She’s my cousin."
We shared a laugh and went back to our meal. A new wave of lightness came over me, knowing that I wouldn’t have to go through the same frustration and boredom that I had that day the following day. Another bit of weight was lifted from my shoulders and I was just so grateful for Roman. He always seemed to know how to make things better, or at least feel better.
Once dinner was done, we headed into the den and watched a movie together. Even though most people would have found our nightly rituals and routines to be boring, I reveled in them.
I never thought that the cuddliness and laid back sort of nights would have been a part of my life, and I swore to myself not to take it for granted. Who knew when life would throw another wrench into our lives? I wanted to cherish those peaceful, calm little moments while we had them.
We went to bed at our usual time, and, the next morning, I was surprised to find myself excited to wake, even with our morning starting out with a good sweat. Exercise hadn’t been something I had really done since my school days, and had always sounded so boring, but I liked it when it meant I got to spend time with Roman. We ran our mile, did deadlifts—which hurt my hands, and I made it rather known—some pullups, and ab wheels before we headed for breakfast.
The morning went seamlessly until it came time for me to pick an outfit. "What exactly should I wear?" I called to him from the closet as he busied himself in the bathroom.
"Whatever you want," he called back.
"I want to look professional," I frowned as I leafed through my options. Most of my fall clothes were rather casual, and the dresses were more for a night out on the town. I plucked one from the hanger and pulled down a cinched blazer. Pairing it with some tights and heels, I walked out of the closet and did a little turn as I showed him. "Is this okay?"
"You look like a fiery, doesn’t-take-no-for-an-answer business woman." He smiled at me.
"Oh, don’t go petting my ego," I laughed, rolling my eyes.
He walked over to me as he fastened a cufflink and put his hands on my hips. "It’s my second favorite thing to pet," he winked, slipping his hand up my dress.
"Hey now," I laughed, batting his hand away. "We need to stay on schedule. I don’t want to get in your way. I want to just observe."
"Very well," he chuckled and gave me a kiss before taking my hand. We walked out of the room, only stopping to grab tumblers of coffee and my purse before heading out. "We have a long day ahead of us. Don’t get overwhelmed and if you get too bored, just let me know, and we’ll duck out early."
"Should have told me that weeks ago," I teased. "I would have been texting you moment by moment how bored I was so you could duck out early."
"Now you know," he chuckled.
We headed downtown, and an exciting kind of nerves took over my stomach. I was excited to see his office, his life away from the house, and how he interacted with his coworkers and employees. It was a side of him I had never seen and was so curious about.
We parked in a spot with a plaque with his name on it. "My, my. I think you’re someone important."
"I think you’re right," he chuckled.
We walked out of the parking garage and to the front of the building. I couldn’t have wiped the smile from my face if I even tried.
We moved into the building and iI instantaneously felt the eyes on us. Heads turned and whispered spread throughout the lobby as we moved over to the executive elevator.
"Looks like you’re already the talk of the office," he whispered to me as we stepped in.
"Let’s give them something to talk about," I giggled, giving him a kiss before the elevator doors could shut.
"Cheeky," he snickered.
The lift took us to the top floor. We stepped out into another lobby. There were hallways leading off of both sides, but an office right in front of us.
It had Roman’s name on it. Stepping through, we stopped at a desk just outside of the office.
There as a woman looking to be in her forties sitting there, dutifully typing on a computer. The name plate let me know it was Rachel Thaddeus. I wondered if she chose to work, or if she needed to.
She peered up and smiled at us. "Good morning, Roman. Oh! Hannah, it’s nice to meet you."
She stood up and extended a hand. I shook it and returned the smile. "Good morning."
"Hannah will be shadowing me today. I may have to hand her over to you for a couple of meetings," Roman told her.
"I’ll be sure she’s well entertained and looked after," Rachel replied.
She passed Roman over some paperwork before we headed into his office. His office was spacious, well kept, and furnished with glossy wooden furniture and modern electronics.
"I don’t know if I ever pictured your office before, but I think this is just how I would have," I stated as we moved to the desk.
I sat across from him, but he quickly gestured for me to join him on his side. He dragged the chair over for me.
Reaching into his drawer, he pulled out a tablet and a notebook and handed them to me. "Here, so you can document the day, if you want and take notes when something sparks your interest. Ready for the day, Mrs. Thaddeus?" he asked me with a gentle smile on his face.
"As ready as I’ll ever be," I replied.
He pulled up his email and the day began. I took a deep breath and sipped my coffee. I said a silent prayer that I would find something that day that would give me purpose.
