A/N- Ok...so I'm kinda wingin' this one...not quite sure where it's going...I mean I have an idea but not for the whole story so bear with me and forgive any mistakes por' favor! :)

 *Revised*

“Goooood morning all; and what a beautiful Saturday morning it is!”

The small lump under the mound of covers slowly moved, exhibiting a groan, before a hand shot out from the blankets, blindly patting the surface of the nightstand near the bed until contact was made with the offensive interrupter of a blissful slumber.

“It’s a perfect day to go to the beach, go to a party, or even throw a little party of your own. Get the grill started!”

“Shut up.” The feeble protest, made by Charleigh Jacobs, was accompanied by slapping noises as her hand slammed down on her alarm clock.

“And if you have to work today…what a shame that is, but you better get to it before the day passes you by. Like now!”

A tussled mass of corkscrew brunette hair emerged from the large white down comforter. Charleigh shot her grey eyes to the alarm clock, miffed that she was the only woman in the world that apparently lacked the skills of multi-tasking.

Placing an index finger on the alarm clock’s button, she punched it to off with more force than necessary, enjoying the quick feeling of satisfaction that came over her when the chipper masculine voice was finally silenced.

After face planting back into her pillow for another five minutes, she reluctantly pushed the covers aside, and padded to the kitchen to start her coffee maker before jumping into the shower.

Fifteen minutes later, she was ready for work, but didn’t leave before checking her appearance once more. Dressed in dark blue jeans, a black tank top, and an oversized sweater, she could only imagine the censure she would get from her mother if she saw her.

Charleigh had never been considered pretty…she’d never even been called pretty. Her eyes were striking enough, but beyond that her features just didn’t match up, or so her mother told her.Her mouth was too wide, more like Julia Roberts’, and though she did exercise occasionally, she could never manage to stay in shape. What was shape anyway? Everyone had a shape. Why were there labels to what sort of shape women should have? Her mouth twisted wryly as she straightened her glasses.

‘You would look much prettier if you bought contacts, Charleigh. Look at your sister, she’s gorgeous, and she at least puts the effort into her appearance. You should be more like her.’

Charleigh would never be like her sister, Amy. It just wasn’t possible. For one, Charleigh was adopted. Mixed with Caucasian and African American, she stood out in a family of blondes. Her sister, however, was the epitome of perfection and she knew it. The people Charleigh had come to call mom and dad hailed her sister as a perfect being, and many men had thought so too…including the few that Charleigh had gathered the courage to bring home. Of course, that was a long time ago…

Shooting a quick glance at the clock in her kitchen as she took her first sip of coffee, she saw that she was going to be late…again.

“Danget,” she muttered, setting the coffee cup on the counter before swiping her purse, bounding out of the door and running down the steps leading away from her apartment.

“C’mon, baby…you can do it…start for mama.” Turning the key over a second time, the feeble engine of her ’79 Ford Fiesta whined and sputtered before once again, going silent. “Crap! Not today!” she exclaimed, turning the key over again.

Finally, after two additional attempts, the engine started. But not before coughing, spewing, and making its presence known to the small apartment complex.

“Piece of crap,” she muttered, and froze when the engine stalled as she was coming out of the parking lot.

“I didn’t mean it,” she panicked, patting the dashboard. “Come on, girl.”

Sometimes it seriously seemed as if her car had a mind of its’ own. Once she made it to work she jogged inside, waving at the woman sitting behind the front desk, and then opened a door in the middle of the long hallway.

“You’re listening to KMFM 103. 5…keep it here for the latest hits.”

Charleigh paused in the doorway, and then slowly closed the door. Micheal, her co-worker and boss, pushed the microphone aside and swiveled in his chair, impaling her with his light blue eyes, before flicking a pointed glance at the clock mounted up on the wall.

“I know, I know,” she pacified, unzipping her sweater, and flinging it across the chair next to his. “I’m sorry. The new schedule has me a bit behind and-“

“You said you could handle it.”

“I can!” she insisted.

There was no way she could afford to lose the opportunity that he’d given her. For the first time she had her own spot on the radio. It was only a question and answer section that ran from ten o’clock in the evening to two o’clock in the morning, but it was her very own piece. The first night had been nerve-wracking, but she was able to make it through. It only left her beyond exhausted for work in the mornings.

“Look, this schedule is just gonna take a little getting used to. But I’ll adjust, I promise,” she said, shifting under his penetrable gaze.

Micheal was a favorite of all of the women working in the radio station. His playboy good looks and his GQ style of dressing made the female species flock.

Donned in a pair of khaki’s and a tailored black collared button up shirt, he sat immobile in his chair. When he stood up he rose to a height of six feet and made her feel like at her 5’2 inches, she should be casted as one of the dwarves in the Snow White movie. The man belonged on the cover of a magazine, not in a radio station.

Ok, so maybe she was one of the drones that crushed on him a little bit. But the fact that nothing would ever happen between them mentally slammed her face to the pavement every time. For one, the two had gone to school together, and being two grades ahead of her, he had been in her sister’s class. The only drawback for him then was that he was a nerd in high school and her sister didn’t pay him the slightest attention.

Charleigh did. Perhaps it was because he was the one guy not on her sister’s radar, or it could have been because, as geeky as he was then, he was still a nice guy…and she liked him. The wedge between them now was quite noticeable, since they had reversed roles…kind of. He was the hottie…she was just as she had always been…but at least back then they were on the same level.

“I need you to be on your A-game, Charleigh. I took a chance doing this for you,” he said, interrupting her thoughts and running a hand through his disheveled dirty blonde hair.

“I got this,” she returned, smiling. “I can handle it, Mr. Meyers.”

Yes, another long-standing joke in the station. Having the name of a well-known movie killer should have made the women run away from him, not trample each other to get to him.

“Alright,” he sighed. “I’m going to get a cup of joe…you want one?”

I’ll have a cup of mike. “Yes,” she coughed, and then smiled brightly. “I would love one, thanks.”

After he left the room, she ran a hand over her face, and peeked out between a few fingers. What was wrong with her anyway? She’d always been perfectly adjusted to how things were between them. It was the main reason she had no problem being herself around him. When you see something as an impossibility; it can’t affect you.

On the counter her phone rhythmically buzzed and lit up. Retrieving it, she looked at the screen to see the words “Mom again.” After making sure that the songs were still going she sighed and flipped open the phone.

“Hi mom,” she greeted, plastering a smile on her face.

“Hello dear. I assume you are in bed?”

“At work, mom.”

“Ah, yes…that radio thing you’re doing.”

Charleigh’s smile wavered a fraction. “What’s up?”

“Oh, well I’m just calling to remind you about the family vacation coming up. You’ve missed two years so far and I don’t want anything to get in the way of this years’ outing.”

Ah, yes. The family vacation…otherwise known as her families’ attempt to get her to quit her job; go back to law school, and start being anyone but the person she actually was. It meant more hiking up killer hills in the wilderness, more bugs to deal with, and more allergic reactions. No thank you...she was done with that. Why her family insisted on going back to a place that made her look like Quasimodo when she returned was beyond her understanding.

“Uhhh, mom…I don’t think I can make it this year…”

“Why not?!” her mother sharply demanded.

Yes, Charleigh…why not? “Well…when is it again?”

“In nine days,” her mother ground out. “And it’s to go through the weekend. We leave for the cabin on Monday and vacation ends the following Sunday.”

“Right...” Charleigh began. ”Uh, well I just got this new spot on the station and my boss is-“

“You mean your fiancé.”

“Huh?”

“Your boss….your fiancé…you told us that he popped the question…that’s why you didn’t join us last year. You said it was bad timing. Well, we all want to meet him, you know. It seems like he is keeping you away from the family and I don’t like that, not one bit. Your father and I deserve to meet him, young lady.”

Crap! Crap! And more Crap!! This is why lying was not her forte. The lie had slipped out so easily, though. It wasn’t something she made a habit of, but when her mother had grilled her for the billionth time, asking her when she was going to meet someone, when she would be more like her sister, and is she sure that she’s even attracted to men…the lie popped out. “Of course! I’m…I’m engaged mom…I’m just busy...I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner…we weren’t sure about when we should break the news.”

Her mother had gone from stunned disbelief to elation. “I’d almost given up hope!” she’d said…which was ridiculous because Charleigh wasn’t that old. Nowadays, women didn’t get married until after they’d established their career. But, when her mother sounded beyond ecstatic, Charleigh was convinced that she’d done the right thing.

Now that the day of reckoning was here, she was having second thoughts.

“I want you to meet him,” she forced out. “And he is…he is eager to meet you too. The only thing is-“

“No excuses, Charleigh. You should have no problems taking the time off since you happen to be engaged to your boss. It’s an ideal situation if I ever heard one. If you don’t come on vacation with us, and bring your fiancé, well then, we will just have to come to you.”

“No!....uh, no mom,” she replied a bit more calmly. “We’ll be there.”

“Great. I’ll email you the directions in case you forgot. See you then.”

“Love y-” The distinct click of the phone stopped the phrase from coming out of her mouth. She dropped the phone back onto the counter and buried her face into her hands. Great. How would she get out of this one?

Vigorous tapping on the window in front of her drew her attention. Snapping her head up, she saw that she was being signaled to get on the air.

After getting the next songs in line, she guided the microphone to her mouth. “Up next we have J. Cole with his song, ‘Work Out’, one of my personal favorites, followed by a little Nikki Minaj and some Chris Brown. Remember the station that brings it to you real, slammin’ 103.5.”

After putting the songs into rotation, she pushed the microphone aside, and rubbed her temples.

“Alright,” Micheal said, pushing the door open with his foot, and balancing a few sugar packets on top of the to-go coffee cups he held. “One black, and one brown and white mocha.”

A smile eased the stress etched across Charleigh’s features as she reached for the mocha. “Thank you.”

Micheal paused a fraction, caught off guard by the quick smile that lit her face up.

The first sip of the mocha made her close her eyes. “Mmm,” she moaned. “All I need in the world is chocolate or coffee… and when the two collide it’s a heavenly union.”

A faint smile still across her face, she opened her eyes only to see an unreadable expression on her boss’ face.

“What?” she asked; self-consciously swiping the area above her lip. “Do I have something on my face?”

“No,” he returned a bit abruptly, and setting his coffee cup down.

“Oh..kaaaay. Maybe you should keep drinking that coffee. Looks like the grump is starting to settle into your blood stream. You really should combat it with caffeine before you make the women run from you,” she blurted, immediately wishing she had some sort of verbal filter.

Squirming under his stare for a part of the day was not on her to-do list, so it really shouldn’t be happening.

“I’m not worried about it.”

“About what?”

“Causing the women to run,” he stated, staring at her over the rim of his coffee cup.

“That’s because you are naïve to the very idea of it happening, Mr. Meyers.”

“Many things I am, Char, but naïve is not one of them,” he drawled, before taking another sip of his coffee. “And for the record, you sound ridiculous addressing me formally when you are speaking to me informally.”

“As I recall, you were very naïve in high school, and it’s only proper I call you by your formal name Mr. Meyers.” She had to do at least that to remind herself that he was her boss but he was AWOL....attractive while off limits.

“This isn’t high school. And if you take a look in the mirror you’ll see that I’m not the same person I was then.”

“Yeah, trust me. I know.” Crap. There she went again, saying way too much then she should.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

Tapping on the window signaled that it was time for another run. Micheal stared at her as he spoke into the microphone and got the next line up of songs ready to go on the air. After he was done, he raised a quizzical brow at her and sat back into his chair.“Now, where were we?”

Charleigh quickly shrugged, and took another gulp of her mocha. Three raps on the door thankfully drew his attention from her and onto the pretty red-haired woman that stuck her head through the doorway. Flashing him a bright smile, the girl sashayed into the room wearing a jean mini skirt, and white silky spaghetti strapped blouse.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, sir,” she said, her tone and stance belying that she wasn’t sorry at all. “I have a message for Ms. Jacobs.”

Charleigh snapped to attention. She’d already told her family and friends to call her cell while she was at work, so whatever it was had to be important.

“What was the message?” she asked.

“It was your mother…she didn’t wish to disturb you by calling your cell phone…and she wanted to make sure that you followed through on what you two had discussed earlier.”

Charleigh’s eyes widened. This couldn’t be happening.

“She told me I could give you the message before you went home, but since I just got on break I thought I would swing by….” she admitted, flicking another appraising glance at the tall man sitting next to her. Clearing her throat, and crossing one long leg over the other as she leaned against the door jam, she continued. “Your mother says to make sure you schedule a flight this evening…and that your fiancé should ask your father for permission and be ready for grilling…whatever that means…”

Charleigh sputtered her mocha all over her tank top. Stupid mom! And stupid girl that couldn’t wait to give her the message, obviously craving Michael’s attention!

Taking the napkins that he held out to her, she avoided his stare and leveled one of her own at the eager office assistant. “Thanks. Appreciate it,” she replied, dabbing at the brown stains on her tank top.

“No problem,” she silkily returned, sliding one last lingering glance onto her boss, and then reluctantly closed the door.

“I don’t remember you putting in a request for time off,” a hard voice stated, once they were alone again.

“I didn’t,” Charleigh quietly admitted.

“And just how long are you supposed to be gone?” he asked, throwing his hands up in frustration.

“A little over a week…starting in about nine days or so.”

“No. It’s too short of notice, Charleigh. For God’s sake! I’ve just given you your own slot and you’re ready to go on vacation without even putting in a time-off request?! Forget it. You go and you’re fired.”

Wounded grey eyes met his blue ones. “You would fire me?”

When he didn’t respond, she looked away from him and stared at her coffee cup.

“Who is this fiancé, anyway?” he asked, angrily. “I’ve never even seen you with a guy!”

Ouch. He noticed.

Ignoring the lump in her throat she looked him square in the eye and saw impatience mounting in his expression with every silent minute that went by.

“Well?” he prodded. “Who are you engaged to?!”

Nervously moistening her lips, she glanced away briefly, before meeting his piercing stare. “You.”