Seraphina
Copyright© 2025 by Krista*
Chapter 9
Time passed and a new year came along as it does at the end of every December. It was now late February. Looking through the office window to the snow gently falling outside, Eric took a sip of his coffee and sighed. He had returned to his office at the Oregon location, per his agreement with Seraphina, but his thoughts were frequently on the activities at Gold Mine Motors in California.
The transfer of ownership had been almost seamless and Serephina had stepped up in her new role to replace Jeff after he retired, without any conflicts or troubles. He had told her, during one of their now infrequent conversations, that he was proud of her. She was polite with her thanks.
The phone on his desk rang and he picked up. “This is Eric. How can I help you?”
“Hi Eric, this is Zoe Cooke at Gold Mine. How are you?” Since Eric had discovered that Seraphina had been innocent of embezzlement, their relationship had thawed, somewhat.
“I’m doing well, Zoe. Thanks. To what do I owe the pleasure of your call?”
“Point blank? I’m watching one of my closest friends silently fall apart. It’s time to put an end to this nonsense, one way or another, once and for all. Question. Do you think of her?” There was only one person that Zoe could be referring to.
“Constantly,” Eric looked at the 5x7 picture on his desk from Trunk or Treat, where he was holding Ruth at his hip, with Seraphina slinking up alongside him in her cat outfit. His grin was so large it covered most of his face.
“I figured as much. It’s the same for her. I swear, there are times I will see her suddenly get lost in thought, her eyes unfocused and she ‘goes somewhere’ that we can’t follow.” Zoe paused a moment before she continued. “She loves you. She is too stubborn to admit it, but she does. And honestly, I want the two of you to figure this shit out once and for all and either get together permanently, or make a total break of things.”
“I would love to do that, but we have an agreement that I will back off until she decides what to do. I don’t want to push her into a decision she later regrets.”
“Eric? Have you ever heard the term ‘fish or cut bait’? It’s time. Rather than do anything, she will do nothing, so as to stay safe. No risk of things turning bad if she doesn’t do anything. Do you follow me on this?”
“Okay, I follow. So what are you suggesting here?”
“Can you roller skate?”
Studying the paperwork before her, Seraphina smiled. Sales numbers were positive, even with her having to fire John Grogan back in early January. He protested, but the numbers didn’t lie. Gone with no references. It was Wednesday afternoon and her mind went to the coming weekend.
A knock on her door caught her off guard. “Come in!”
Eric slowly entered the room. “I was in the area and decided to visit. Can you spare a little time for me?” She had no way of knowing, but right now he was terrified of her answer.
Serephina surprised both of them as she stood and went to hug Eric briefly. “Come! Sit! How are you?” She led him to a chair in front of her desk.
“I was asked to come down here to see if there was anything you or the dealership needed. Right now I can tell you that the company owners are really impressed with things here and are very happy with this acquisition. And having you in charge here is a big reason why.”
“I have a great team of people working with me here.”
“Yes. ‘Team’ is the word that makes sense. I have seen situations where the dealership is like a mini dictatorship with lots of tension and back stabbing and everything is a mess. Here you have people that work to help not only each other, but the company as a whole. You all see the big picture on things.”
“We did have to do a little ‘house cleaning’ at the start of the year, but things are looking great now. Eric, you could have saved yourself the drive and called me on the phone!”
“Perhaps, but if we’re being honest, there are other reasons for me to visit.”
“And you agreed to allow me the time I need to figure things out.”
“Yes I did. I’m just asking if you have made any decisions or had thoughts or questions for me. I hate to be a pest, but this waiting is killing me!”
Seraphina looked out the office window at the darkening sky, a number of expressions crossing her face. Eric decided to turn the conversation slightly. “How is Ruth?”
A smile flickered across her face. “As precocious as ever. She finally figured out that the ‘dragon scale’ was just a guitar pick, and instead of being upset, found it all to be amusing. But every time we get Chinese food, she calls the teriyaki chicken ‘dragon meat’ instead.”
Eric couldn’t help but laugh.
“She still asks about you,” Seraphina quietly stated. “I tell her that you have to work at the office up in Oregon. Then she asks when you will visit. All I can answer is ‘I don’t know’ and she just sighs.”
“I would love to spend time with her again. I would love to spend time with YOU again. I’m going to lay it out here for you, even if you say you still need time. Okay?” She nodded. “I miss you. Both of you. When we go out all three of us, it’s so natural, like we’re a family. Ruth is a delight. And when it’s you and me alone? I can’t help but feel like I hit the jackpot on the lottery. Being apart from you is killing me. I don’t know what to do here. Help me figure this out. Please!”
Per her request, Eric told her the name of the extended stay hotel he had reserved for the week. “Okay, so tomorrow, we will meet there and then go out for dinner. This topic is too private to take place here at the office. We go, we eat, we talk. And if needed, we go back to the hotel to TALK more. Just talk. Understood?”
“Right. Eat, talk. Understood.”
“Good. And one more thing? Do you have plans for Saturday?”
Eric passed through the service area and saw Zoe getting ready to leave for the day. She smiled when she saw him. “Eric! How are you? Down to visit?”
“Yes,” he grinned. “And I think I might finally be making progress with your boss. I’m taking her out for dinner tomorrow so we can talk about things. And if by the end of the meal, we’re not finished, she will come back to my room so we can fully resolve things.”
“Good. One thing however. Make sure that you buy some rope so you can secure her to the bed as soon as you get back to your room. That way she can’t get up and leave before you work everything out. Then? Leave her secured and rock her world like there is no tomorrow.”
“Zoe!”
“And after that? Untie her and rock her world again. She had better be walking funny on Friday morning, or you and me are going to have words!” Zoe couldn’t help but giggle.
“Yes, ma’am!”
Dinner went well.