“Christian, that’s incredible,” she said. “And a wonderful idea! When do you think you’ll make a decision on that?”
“I’m bringing it up to the stockholders of the company in a meeting this coming week. Wednesday, I think it is. I’ll have to check my calendar just to be sure, but they honestly shouldn’t have a problem with it.”
“You’re meeting regularly with the stockholders?” she asked.
“Not regularly. But, that was another thing Charles never did. We’ve got some big players hanging onto the stock in our company, and I want them to have input. I’m also putting out a poll to the employees to see what they think of the idea as well. Charles was really hell-bent on making this a family operation, and they are all family when it comes to this company.”
I looked over and saw how broadly Stella was smiling. I loved it when I could make her smile like this, but I especially loved it when I could bring it out in her because of things I was doing with the company. It’d been two months since the entire court debacle, and Stella felt it was best if she didn’t return. I’d tried to fight her on it and even tried begging her to come back. But, she felt that I was capable of doing this on my own. She told me she’d always feel the need to preserve her father’s legacy, and she felt that would eventually hold the company back. She wanted to do right by him and keep the company moving forward, just like her father wanted.
So, Stella took on an adjunct professorship in town at one of the community colleges. She took over the classes for a teacher who had to leave in the middle of the term, and she was waiting to see if the college would hire her on for more classes.
“Excited about summer break?” I asked.
“Definitely. I get that the Saturday classes give me some fun little extra pay, but I’m exhausted,” she said.
“How did the students fare gradewise coming out of your classes?” I asked.
“Two of my classes had the highest marks in the program,” she said, smiling. “I’m trying to get the departments to understand that it’s less about what you teach and more about how you present the information. Making the classroom more interactive and technologically friendly will help you in the long run. Keeping things so archaic is what’s destroying the education system.”
“Going to completely reform the entire thing, huh?” I asked, smirking.
“Not the entire thing. I’ll start with the the classes I’m given first. You have to take it class by class. I had one class that benefitted from the desks sitting in columns because there were many videos and projections to show them, which was fine. But, I had another class where they benefitted more from sitting in a circle and seeing everyone because the class was based a bit more on personal experience and stories that were shared. It’s not revolutionary, but figuring out how your students learn to the best of their abilities is key to reforming the classroom.”
“Sounds like you’re getting this thing all figured out. That’s impressive to do in only a couple months,” I said.
“Honestly? I’ve thought about it ever since I went through school. I knew there were classes I would’ve done better in had the classroom setup been different or had different implementations of tools been used.”
“I thought you got straight A’s?” I asked.
“Well, I would’ve gotten higher A’s,” she said, grinning. “Anything else fun happening with the company?”
“Not really. I mean, I’ve got some ideas of things, but I haven’t really sat down to plan them out or anything. I’ve got three new client meetings coming up as well as many doctors we already service wanting a sit-down with your father’s latest patent product. I swung it so we hold the patent and the license, so they can only get it from us.”
“Wonder where you got that idea from,” she said, winking.
“You’ve got a good idea every now and then.”
She giggled before she took a sip of her coffee. I could feel her eyes on me, and it caused me to become very self-aware of what was happening around me. I ate with precision and kept my breathing steady. Every time Stella looked at me the way she was right now, it made me nervous. Not because I thought something bad was about to happen, but because it always brought a question to the forefront of my mind I’d wanted to ask her for a couple of weeks.
“Your mother would be proud of you, you know,” she said.
The statement caught me off guard, and I dropped my fork. I looked over at her before I swallowed the last of my eggs, and all she did was tilt her head and offer me a smile.
“Your mother didn’t die thinking she hadn’t done enough, Christian. She thought she hadn’t been alive long enough to see you come into your own. She was never disappointed in you, but if she was, she sure as hell has no right to be now. You’re a businessman, and a successful one at that. You’re not only emotionally grounded, but you’re fiscally responsible. You’re supporting yourself as well as an entire company of employees who look up to you. You’re supporting me and all the things I’m now trying to reach for. You’ve become more than your biological father could’ve ever become, and that she would be incredibly proud of. The company is thriving because of you. It would make them both proud.”
Tears rushed my eyes, and I had to take a moment to gather my thoughts. It was now or never, asking her what I wanted to. I’d been batting the idea around for a little while, but I kept postponing asking her because I wasn’t sure how she would react. What she would say.
But now more than ever, I knew exactly the answer she would give me.
“Move in with me, Stella,” I said.
This time, it was her turn to drop her fork.
“You’re here all the time anyway. You’ve moved in most of your clothes for work, you cook your meals here. You help me grocery shop and pay the bills. You practically live here anyway. Why don’t you move the rest of your things in and make it official?”
“You want me to move in with you?” she asked.
“Stella, every morning when I wake up with you in my arms, it’s like a fire has reignited within my body. You are my morning caffeine. My daily dose of vitamin C. You make my life wonderful, and if there’s more of you to be had, then I want it all to myself. I want you here in my bed every night and every morning for as long as you’ll stay. Move in with me, Stella.”