CLEAN ROMANCE: Finding Peace (Christian Romance, Inspirational Romance, Second Chance Romance) (New Adult Contemporary Romance/Clean and Wholesome)

Finding Peace

Grace
Warren

Moon and Stars Press is
accepting unpublished manuscripts for consideration. Click here Http//
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Books
Also by Grace Warren:

The Gambler’s True Heart

An
Unexpected Bride

Rescued
Hearts

A Ranch
To Call Home

Mail
Order Bride of the Ages

Synopsis:

Julie has had a rough start
in life. Her first love...well, it didn't end well for either of them. She was
lost for a long time until she found peace in God and later she met a man who
took a chance on her and offered her a job.

Hard work allows her to strive and grow with the company
and she finally starts to feel good about herself. When offered partner, she
jumps at the chance and doesn't realize that though she may be blind to love,
Mr. Right may be just around the corner.

“Finding Peace”

© Grace Warren
2016

Moon and Stars
Press

Second Edition

All Rights
Reserved

Julie sat in Mr. Ladbrook’s office,
patiently waiting for him to call her in. She’d only ever been here once before
when she was being interviewed for a position in the company. That was over two
years ago.

“Miss. Grey?” said the secretary looking
up at Julie. “Mr. Ladbrook will see you now.” She stood up, readjusted her
dress and took a deep breath in. She went into his office and slowly walked up
to his desk. John didn’t look up; he had his head buried in a mountain of files
and papers.

“Just give me a sec Julie, I’ll be with
you soon. Go ahead and take a seat.”

She did as he asked and sat down. She
watched him closely. She remembered the first time she saw him, she felt a
little intimidated. He was a stout man with one of those permanent expressions
of anger or annoyance on his face at all times. He had a big, bushy, brown and
grey moustache, like something from an old cowboy movie. But as she got to know
him, she began to grow fond of him. He had helped her out in so many ways over
the past two years. Whenever she panicked over a looming deadline he calmed her
nerves and helped her get it done. He was like a father figure to her. Now when
she looked at him all she saw was a big cuddly teddy bear. She liked the way he
twiddled his moustache as he worked. It always made her chuckle.

“What’s so funny?” he asked, finally
looking up and acknowledging her presence.

“Oh nothing.”

He got up and stretched his back.

“So Ms. Grey, as you know, it’s time for
your review and this is a special one.”

He sat back down and put his feet on the
desk.

“But first let me ask you, how do you
think you are doing?”

“Yes, I think I’m doing very well. At
first when I started it was a little shaky, but with your help, I was able to
ride the wave and now I feel like…”

“Like what? Go ahead, you can tell me
anything.”

“Now I feel like I’m flying,” she said
with a big grin on her face.

“Hmm,” replied John looking down at the
floor, deep in thought.

The grin slowly slipped away and was
replaced with a feeling of anxiousness.

Have I said too much?
She thought.
I
was too cocky, I knew it.

“What is it?” she asked, “what’s wrong?”

“You’re right, when you first came here
you were so shy and timid, but since then I’ve seen you grow into a confident
young woman. I’m so proud of the progress you’ve made Julie, I really am.
Furthermore, I agree with you about you flying. Everybody can see it. You’re
even picking up on mistakes made by some of our senior partners, which is
unheard of. That’s why I’ve come to a decision.”

He got up and came around to the front of
the desk.

“Julie, I’d like to offer you a position
as a Junior Partner. If you maintain this level of commitment and
determination, you should reach senior partner status in a few short years. I
have no doubt you can do it. Your promotion is effective immediately, that is,
if you’re interested. What do you think?”

“I…I…I’m completely speechless, John. I
don’t know what to say.”

“Then just say yes.”

Her eyes began to well up with tears and
she felt like hugging him.

“Yes.”

She got up and shook his hand. They both
looked each other in the eye and John grabbed her
shoulder.         

“You made it Julie, you’ve finally
escaped your past.”

“Because of you, John, I couldn’t have
done it without you.”

“It wasn’t me, it was Him.”

John pointed to the small cross hanging
around his neck. They hugged and then she left, still drying her eyes as she
walked through the secretary’s office. Once she got back to her cubicle, she
received a text.

    
Take the rest
of the day off. See Janine at 8:30 sharp. She’ll get you started.

Julie pumped her fist in the air, grabbed
her stuff and left the office. Her life was turning around; she could feel it.
No sooner had she got home and put her briefcase down that her phone started
vibrating. She looked at the display. It was Melissa.

“Hi Mel, how are you?”

“I’m good, how about you?”

“I’ve got some good news…”

“You’ve found a man?” interrupted
Melissa.

“No!”

“Okay, calm down, I was just guessing.
Okay then what is it? I have no idea.”

“John offered me a promotion to Junior
Partner!”

There was no reaction on the other end.

“Hello?”

“Yeah I heard you,” said Melissa. “Is
that good? Is it better than your role now? I have no idea.”

Julie sighed.

“Yes Mel, it means I’m gonna be a
fully-fledged accountant!”

Melissa started screaming at the top of
her lungs and Julie quickly moved the phone away from her ear and held it at
arm’s length for a few moments.

“I can’t believe it, you? An accountant?”

“Jee, thanks for the vote of confidence
Mel, appreciate it.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I mean, I’m really
proud of you, sis.”

“Thanks Mel.”

“You know what it means right?”

“Erm, yeah I get paid a lot more.”

“Yeah but more important than that, it’s
party time! I’m coming over!”

“Now? But I just literally got home two
minutes ago. Can’t we party on the weekend?”

“Trust you to schedule your fun time. Sometimes
I don’t know how we became friends J, I really don’t.”

“Okay, okay, give me twenty minutes.”

Melissa’s tone suddenly changed.

“Woohoo, okay, see you then!”

A little later, they both arrived at a local
bar and Melissa ordered two martinis as soon as they sat down.

“So an accountant huh? You’re one step
away from the ball and chain, J.”

“What do you mean?” Asked Julie.

“You don’t remember? We used to tell each
other that we’d never get stuck in an office job, that we’d follow our dreams
and never compromise.”

“I am following my dream.”

“Being an accountant is your dream, is
it? Whatever happened to becoming a writer? What was it you used to say? ‘Give
me a pen and paper and a tree to lean on, that’s all I need in life’.”

“I was young then. I’ve grown up. Anyway,
I don’t know why you’re acting all high and mighty, you said you would be a
world famous dancer and travel the globe! What happened to that, huh?”

“Hey, I admit I’m not living the dream.
Being a secretary is torture. But I get what you mean, things change.”

They both sat there in silence thinking
back to when they were kids without a care in the world, until finally Melissa
decided to change the subject.

“So tomorrow is going to be your first day
as an accountant huh?”

“Yup.”

“What exactly are you going to do though?
I mean, what’s gonna be so different from your normal everyday job?”

Julie thought for a moment.

“To be honest? I have no idea. I mean,
practically everything I’m doing now are the things I would do if I were an
accountant. I have to see a lady who’ll train me, so I guess I’ll know soon
enough.”

“I see,” said Melissa. “Well whoever she
is, I hope she’s nice.”

“Julie! You’re early!”

A woman sitting in a large office, almost
as big as Mr. Ladbrook’s, was feverishly scribbling something down on a piece
of paper.

“Please, please, come in. Don’t be shy,’
she said as she looked up for a moment with a smile.

“Thank you Janine,” said Julie as she walked
in the room and sat down on the green leather armchair in the corner of the
room.

Janine stood, walked over to her and held
out her hand. Julie stood up and shook it.

“Julie, I’ve had my eye on you for quite
some time.”

“You have?” Asked Julie, suddenly feeling
a little nervous.

“Yes, you’ve been performing well ever
since you got here. The number of clients and tasks you’ve taken on, and the
speed with which you’ve done so is extremely impressive. It shows me that
you’re a very driven and capable woman.”

“Oh, thank you Janine. You’re too kind.”

“Not at all, what are you doing for the
next three days?”

“I’m sorry?”

“The next three days, what’s your
schedule?”

“I…I don’t have one. I mean I’m in your
hands, whatever you need.”

“Excellent,” replied Janine with a huge
grin. “Then here’s what I want you to do, go home, pack a small suitcase, bring
your passport and meet me back here in three hours.”

“I’m sorry?”

“You have to learn to stop saying that if
you want to stick with me, Julie.”

“What I mean is I don’t understand. Why
do I need my passport? Where am I going?”

“
We
are going to Hawaii.”

“Hawaii?! What for?”

“I’ll explain on the way,” replied Janine
as she got up and left. “Remember, three hours. Don’t be late.”

Three hours later, they were both sitting
in a private company car, being driven to the airport.

“Could you tell me why we’re going to
Hawaii, please?”

“You’ve been overseeing the numbers for
most of the accounts in the east coast, right?”

“Yes.” Replied Julie.

“Well you must have noticed that for more
than half of them, a company name kept showing up, can you recall what it was?”

Julie looked down at the floor and
immediately started searching her mind. Janine watched her closely.

“Hugo Brown?”

“Yes! Hugo Brown is an investment company
and one of our biggest clients. Every now and then, we need to meet up with the
chairman and sweet talk him to stay with us. It will be an important experience
for you, especially if you want to become a Senior Partner.’

“I see. I got it now.” She smiled, part
nervous and part hysterically happy to be flying to Hawaii. She couldn’t
believe it. Mel was going to flip.

First class was as elegant as she
could’ve imagined. Hot towels, a nice filet mignon with braised carrots and a white
wine. Julie hardly cared if they were to ever land. When they plane had landed,
Julie immediately felt the humidity and the heat. It felt good.

Another company car was waiting for them after
they had visited baggage claim and they were whisked off to a ridiculous hotel
that looked like it was made for a Kardashian. Julie felt a bit out of her
element, overwhelmed by the luxury.

“Okay,” said Janine, full of energy.
“Unpack your stuff, get settled in, and then we’re off to dinner!”

“Dinner? I’m sorry Janine, I’m so tired
from the flight, is it all right if I take a power nap? I’m pretty beat.”

“That’s not the attitude that wins
clients, Julie. If you want to be successful in this game, you’re going to have
to play hard. Making the people you connect with happy is the first and most
important step and that includes your associates. Guess what Julie? I’m not
happy. You’ve got fifteen minutes.” With that, she walked off.

Fourteen and a half minutes later, Julie
met up with her outside of the hotel.

“Well I’m glad you changed your mind.
Come on.” Janine winked.

They walked along the cobbled pavement
until they reached a vibrant and bustling street. There was local music blaring
from every other house and the whole place was lined with bars and restaurants.
Julie was soaking in the atmosphere. Even though she was there to work and
learn from Janine, it felt like she was on an all-expenses paid holiday.

I could so get used to this
, she thought.

She closed her eyes and breathed in
deeply. The smell from all the different foods and flavors made her salivate.

“Hungry?” asked Janine.

“Starving.”

“There’s a great little place just down
the street from here. They do a mean tapas. You like tapas?”

“I’ve never tried it, actually, to be
honest with you. I have no idea what it is.”

“Oh Julie, you’re going to experience a
lot of things in the next couple of years. You remind me a lot of myself.”

They sat in the restaurant and looked out
onto the street as they ate.

“I could get used to this,” said Julie.

“Yeah, it’s pretty sweet.”

“So how did you get into this business?”
asked Julie.

“Oh, I don’t really have a particularly
riveting story for you. I just really enjoyed working with numbers, ever since
I was a child. Accounting seemed like the natural thing to do.”

“I admire you a lot.”

“Why?” asked Janine.

“You’re everything I want to be.”

Janine smiled.

“You almost had me going for a minute
there. If you keep kissing butt like that, you’re going to be getting clients
left, right, and center. You’ll have so many you won’t know what to do with
them.”

Julie thought,
I was being sincere,
Janine.

They sat there for a few moments in
silence, then Janine handed her a USB stick.

“Here.”

“What is it?”

“It’s everything we’ve got on Hugo.”

“Oh you mean the numbers on file? You
could have just emailed them to me.”

“No I don’t just mean the numbers. I mean
everything. You need to understand that when we’re after big fish like Hugo
here, we need to know everything about them. Where he grew up, what happened to
his parents, heck, even what kind of toothpaste he uses. Information is power
and you’d be surprised at how even the most trivial piece, when used
skillfully, can make or break a multi-million-dollar deal.”

Julie didn’t say anything and humbly
looked at the stick in her hands.

“I want you to go back to your room and
study everything in there. By morning, you should know Hugo better than his own
mother.”

“Okay, I got it.”

That night Julie did just that. There
were over fifty files, photos or other pieces of information, all catalogued
and arranged in alphabetical order. Some were just simply a long log of his
flight history, times, dates, destinations, that kind of thing. But others were
far more in depth. There was even an evaluation of his psychological health,
which made Julie chuckle a little. Her interest was peaked and she read it as
she sipped on black coffee.

‘Hugo shows tendencies of romantic perfectionism,
not only towards himself but towards his choice of partner…’

She read it cover to cover, totally
enthralled at the depth a person like Hugo could have. By morning she had
learned that he was on the brink of becoming a billionaire, that he had learned
to pilot a helicopter at the age of twenty-five, and that he could speak
Spanish and French, fluently. She knew every asset he owned and every meeting
with every client that he saw potential in collaborating with.

Okay I’ve got him
, she thought.

She closed the file and went to bed,
happy in the knowledge that she’d prepared thoroughly for the meeting with Hugo
the next day. In the morning, she decided to go for a jog. She ran along the
beach, which was a stone’s throw away from her hotel. The cool sea air flew
through her hair as she ran, it was refreshing. After thirty minutes, she
stopped and started doing some cool down exercises.

“You’re up early.”

She took out her earphones and looked
around. There was a man standing a few feet behind her doing pushups. He was
shirtless and Julie couldn’t help but stare at his physique. He was well built
with big hazel eyes and a small goatee. She suddenly felt tongue-tied.

“I…erm…yes, I am, how about you?”

How about you?
She thought.
That’s all you could come up with? Come on Julie, you can do a lot better than
that.

“Yeah, I’m up at this time every day,” he
replied. “It’s just rare to see someone else up this early exercising,
especially someone who isn’t a local.”

“Well, I like to keep in shape,” she
replied.

“Even when you’re on holiday?”

“It’s not really a holiday. I’m here on
business.”

“Oh I see,” replied the man as he got up.

“I’m Jason by the way,” he said as he
extended his hand.

Julie’s heart was pounding. As silly as
it sounded, she’d never shook a topless man’s hand before. He sensed her
nervousness and smiled.

“It’s alright, I’m not gonna bite.”

“I’m Julie.”

“Well it’s a pleasure to meet you, Julie.
Fancy a walk?”

She laughed.

“Wow, you don’t waste any time, do you?”

“Nope. You’ve only got one life, right?
Besides, my gut’s telling me that you seem like a nice girl, and my gut’s
usually right. My gut’s also telling me that it’s hungry.”

She laughed again.

“Well, actually, I’m also hungry.”

“Perfect, then what are we waiting for?”

They walked along the beach and watched
as the tide slowly lapped at their feet.

“How long have you lived here, Jason?”

“I don’t live here; I’m just visiting for
a few days.”

“Oh I see. Are you here with family?”

“Nope, I’m single, if that’s what you’re
after.”

“No, no, I didn’t mean that.”

“Relax, I’m just teasing you,” he
replied.

“How about you? Are you here with
anyone?”

“Yes, I mean no, but…what I mean is, I’m
single but I’m here with my boss.”

“With your boss? Well that must be a
barrel of laughs.”

“Oh she’s not that bad, really.”

“Really? Not that bad? Well that’s high
praise indeed.”

After they finished breakfast, Jason just
stared at her.

“So what are your plans for today?” he
asked.

“Well I’m free for the rest of the day
actually, but I got to meet my client in the evening, which should be
interesting.”

“Interesting? That doesn’t sound too
positive.”

“Yeah, it’ll be the first time for me to
meet him so I have absolutely no idea what to expect. But from what I read,
he’s a bit of an arrogant character.”

“Arrogant?”

“Yeah, he’s very successful. It’s going
be tough to impress him.”

“I see.”

“How about you?” she asked. “What do you
do when you’re not displaying your pecs on the beach?”

He laughed.

“Oh, is that what I was doing? Well, my home
is in New York. That’s where I work. I basically work in stocks and shares,
investing, that kind of thing. Pretty boring, really.”

“No, not at all. I’m sure it’s really
interesting.”

“You’re very sweet, but honestly, it’s
extremely boring. Anyway, let’s not talk about work. We’re in one of the most
beautiful parts of the world, the weather is simply magnificent and we’re
enjoying each other’s company. What more could anyone ask for?”

He lifted his glass and looked at her.

“You’re right, I’ll drink to that,” she
said.

After they left the café and started
walking back to where they had met, Jason tapped her on the shoulder.

“Follow me,” he whispered.

“What is it?” she whispered back.

“Just follow me. I promise you won’t be
disappointed.”

She did as he asked and they both walked
up a steep incline along the side of the beach. Jason crouched and Julie did
the same. He stopped and looked way into the distance in front of them.

“What is it? What can you see?”

He didn’t break his gaze and simply
pointed. Julie followed his finger and realized that there was a large man,
walking along the beach, totally naked. She collapsed in the sand in laughter.

“I can’t believe that’s what you wanted
to show me.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean there are so many amazing things
to see here, so many natural wonders, yet the thing that fascinates you the
most is some naked, wrinkly dude.”