A Poor Dad Waited In The Rain For A Taxi, Not Knowing a Woman Beside Him Was A CEO Who Fell In Love

From Office Floors to City Heights

Two days later Graham walked Kelsey into her daycare kissed her cheek and rushed across town to the newest temp job he’d picked up cleaning offices in a highrise. It wasn’t glamorous but it paid.

He stepped out of the elevator mop and bucket in hand and froze. Gina Monroe was standing at the far end of the hallway heels clicking hair sleek a clipboard in hand.

She was giving orders to a team of executives who scrambled to keep up. She didn’t see him yet. He ducked behind a column heart racing.

What was he supposed to do?. He looked down at himself again in his secondhand jeans a t-shirt with a faded logo and sneakers that had seen better years.

She was a CEO he cleaned floors. But then he remembered her laugh and the way she’d said “You really are a good dad”. He stepped out.

Giant turned and froze her eyes lit up “you”. “Hi,” he said scratching the back of his neck “didn’t think I’d see you again”. “I was hoping I would,” she said quietly.

The elevator dinged and the others got in leaving just the two of them. “You work here?” she asked. “Just started”.

“You didn’t call,” she said. He held up the card “didn’t know what to say”. She took a step closer “you don’t need to say anything fancy”.

He looked at her heart pounding in his chest. “You’re the CEO and you’re the best thing I’ve seen in weeks”. They stared at each other the air thick.

Finally she smiled “can I take you to dinner?”. He blinked “wait what?”. “You heard me you me dinner no kids no titles just two people”.

He was speechless. Giant looked down suddenly nervous “unless you’re seeing someone”. “No,” he said quickly “i’m not i just I didn’t expect you to ask”.

“I didn’t expect to want to,” she said “but I do”. He smiled then “yeah I’d like that”. She exhaled something soft and real passing between them.

And for the first time in a long while Graham felt like maybe just maybe something good was about to happen. Graham adjusted the collar of the only blazer he owned as he stepped into the elevator.

The towering glass building loomed. It wasn’t tailored he’d picked it up from a secondhand shop 2 years ago for a wedding he never ended up attending.

But it was clean and it didn’t wrinkle when he moved. That was good enough for tonight. The babysitter he’d found through one of the other daycare moms had been surprisingly kind.

She even agreed to extend the shift once he’d told her it wasn’t just any night. “She must be someone special,” the woman had said with a knowing look.

“That was the thing he didn’t know if she was yet but she was different”. He stepped off on the top floor where a host in a sleek suit greeted him by name.

“Mr Jenkins Miss Monroe is expecting you”. He followed the host into a dining room with floor to ceiling windows that open to the city skyline glittering and endless.

The room wasn’t packed like he expected instead it was exclusive and quiet. A string quartet played in one corner soft and unobtrusive. Gina stood near a window her back to him.

Black silk draped from her shoulders and her hair was swept up revealing the delicate lines of her neck. When she turned her expression shifted from composed to something softer “you came”.

“I wasn’t sure if this place had a mop bucket policy,” Graham said stepping toward her “but figured I’d risk it”. “You clean up well,” she said her eyes taking him in.

He glanced around “this place looks expensive”. “It is”. “Do they serve grilled cheese?”.

She laughed but this time it was quieter more self-conscious. “I’ve never actually looked at their kids menu”. “Then how do you know it’s any good?”.

She looked at him and for a moment the city disappeared behind her. “You’re different from anyone I’ve ever met”. He pulled out her chair for her.

When they both sat down she nodded to the waiter. “I took the liberty of ordering the wine let me know if it’s too much”. “I’ve had boxed wine with spaghetti Graham said this will be an upgrade”.

After the waiter poured two glasses and left Gina leaned in slightly. “Why didn’t you tell me what you do?”. “Would it have mattered?”.

“No,” she said “but most people try to dress themselves up when they figure out who I am”. “I didn’t figure it out you told me”.

Her lips parted in surprise and she took a sip of wine. “You’re not intimidated by any of this?”. “I’m more worried about whether I can pronounce the stuff on this menu,” he said.

She smiled “i can order for you only if you promise it doesn’t have snails in it”. “No snails just a few syllables”. The waiter returned and Gina ordered without looking at a menu.

Graham caught only half the words but he didn’t care. The way she carried herself was magnetic not rehearsed not arrogant just certain. When they were alone again she studied him.

“You’re not like the men I usually meet”. “I’m guessing they don’t spend their weekends fixing leaky faucets and reading dinosaur books out loud”.

“They usually spend them networking in Monaco”. “That sounds exhausting”. “It is”.

He leaned forward slightly “so why me?”. She didn’t answer right away instead she looked out the window her thoughts clouding her features.

“Because you didn’t ask me for anything because you didn’t flinch when I said who I was”. “And because when your daughter looked at you it felt like watching someone live for something bigger than themselves”.

He swallowed “that’s a lot to get from 5 minutes in the rain”. “Maybe,” she said “but it’s more than I’ve gotten from some people in 5 years”.

The food arrived plated like art and Graham did his best not to look surprised when he recognized none of it. But the first bite shut him up. It tasted like heaven.

Gi caught his expression “good?”. “Is it bad if I say this is better than anything I’ve eaten in a decade?”. “That’s not bad,” she said “that’s honest”.

He pointed his fork “all right honest for honest what’s the worst part of being the boss?”. She tilted her head “everyone assumes you don’t bleed”. “Do you often?”.

“She said just not where anyone can see”. There was a silence between them but it wasn’t awkward. It was the kind that came from two people who weren’t trying to impress each other.

After dessert something caramelized and delicate Gi stood “come with me”. They exited through a private hallway and stepped onto a rooftop terrace.

A faint breeze lifted her hair as lights twinkled from nearby skyscrapers. “I come up here after long days,” she said “reminds me how small everything is”.

He stepped beside her “you don’t seem small”. “I don’t feel big either,” she said “not lately”. He looked at her then really looked.

Not at the dress or the status or the money but the weariness beneath it. “How long have you been doing this alone?” he asked.

She blinked “since my father handed me the company he died 2 months later”. “I’m sorry”. “He didn’t prepare me just threw me in i’ve been swimming ever since”.

“You ever want to stop?” she turned to face him. “Every day”. He nodded “then why don’t you?”.

“Because no one else will protect what he built”. He touched the railing “sounds lonely”. “It is”.

He didn’t say anything but he didn’t need to. She moved closer just enough that their arms brushed. “You’re good at listening”.

“I’ve had practice,” he said “life doesn’t care if you feel heard so you learn to give it to others”. Gi looked at him for a long time the city buzzing below them.

“What happens now?”. “I don’t know,” he said honestly “but I don’t want tonight to be the end”. She took his hand “neither do I”.

The wind picked up slightly cool against their skin. From somewhere below a car horn echoed but up here it felt like the world had paused.

She leaned in “can I ask you something? Anything. Would you have still come tonight if you’d known I own half the building?”.

He didn’t hesitate “i would have come even if you only owned the sidewalk”. She laughed but this time it wasn’t quiet it was full and clear and real.

When she kissed him slow deliberate unhurried it wasn’t flashy or dramatic. It was honest just like him.