Adoption

Darby smiled softly at Jack from across the table. She had just decided a few things in her mind. Jack looked back at her as she smiled. He felt heat rushing to his ears and he thought 'How does she keep getting lovelier? She has smiled at me so much but this one makes me feel warm.' Jack didn't know that this was the first time she had smiled at him and genuinely meant it, there was actually real kindness in her eyes. She spoke while still smiling slightly

"I can definitely understand you wanting to maintain your independence. Is there a reason you want to be independent? I take it that you aren't very close with your family if you want to be on your own?" Jack shifted uncomfortably in his seat and looked away, saying

"Oh..Uh, no I'm not close, we have a difference of opinion." Darby nodded as she listened and said

"No need to feel uncomfortable about it Mr. Clemins, disagreeing with family views is probably a lot more common than you think. But you must have felt quite strongly about it to leave to be on your own." Jack dreaded conversations about his family. He wanted to get past this as soon as possible. He coughed and said

"Well, I chose to leave and now I will never go back, if I can help it." Jack wanted to speak as little on the subject as he could, hoping she would move on to a different topic soon. Darby felt like she had gathered some key information. He never wanted to go back to his family, wanted to be independent and was very motivated and eager to make money, otherwise he wouldn't have taken such a strange job. Even though her father had sent him to follow her and she was annoyed with her father about that, it wasn't Mr. Clemin's fault and he had his own circumstances and reasons for why he needed this job. Darby decided that while she might still mess with him occasionally just for fun, she wouldn't torment him to the point of torture or driving him away. Jack sat there quietly sipping his tea. He had no idea that his future at this job had just been decided and, because he was a hard-working and honest person, his torture would be much less than others. Suddenly Darby brightly said

"Well Mr. Clemins, you might want to take the rest of the day to get packed up for our voyage. I would tell you to say good bye to your loved ones but you said you are an independent person...Don't worry Mr. Clemins, I will take good care of you…an expedition like this is sure to be life-changing..." She smiled so widely that her eyes closed. Jack suddenly felt the urge to gulp and the atmosphere in the room seemed to become cold. He laughed nervously and said

"Haha. You make it sound so ominous, Miss Herrington." Darby giggled sweetly and said

"Hehe. Do I? I can't imagine why you'd feel that way, I just mean we will have the time of our lives on an adventure hehe" Jack felt chilled and quickly asked

"D-don't we have more work to do here?" Darby shrugged and said

"Well, I have some organizing that I need to take care of but that's about it. It's better to get off early and prepare your personal items so that you have everything you need for the trip." Jack nodded and said

"Oh I see, well I have always wanted to travel and see the sights of the world. This will be very exciting!" Darby was smiling widely again. so that her eyes squinted

"Oh you will definitely see things you've never seen before…And the excitement will be so thrilling, hopefully you can handle it!" The air felt a little foreboding again then suddenly Darby clapped her hands together sharply, causing Jack to jolt and then she said "Well Mr. Clemins, we will expect you bright and early tomorrow morning at the docks! Make sure you pack everything you might need, be prepared for anything!" Darby eagerly led him back to the main entrance and was practically pushing him out of the front door, trying to help him on his way, when Director Mortimer came bursting into the main lobby as well. He was panting and doubled over to catch his breath, resting his hands on his knees and gasping for air, he seemed to be quite sweaty. Out of breath, Director Mortimer wheezed out

"O-oh Mr. Clemins, there you are! You look fine, are you fine?! H-how was your lunch break?!" Darby interrupted him, crying out in fake sadness

"You make it so obvious that you have a new favorite! You didn't even ask me if I was fine or how my break was!" She folded her arms and stuck out her bottom lip as she pretended to pout. Jack thought she looked adorable as she pouted, but Director Mortimer scoffed and snapped at her

"Why on earth would I ask you?!" Jack was a bit shocked at his angry response and Darby opened her eyes and mouth wide and gasped in artificial distress as if she had been shaken to her core. Director Mortimer, seeing Jack's confusion, sputtered out

" I-I-I am just checking up on the new employee, Darby! There's nothing wrong with that!" Darby seemed to recover quickly from her devastation and said

"Ooh! He is fine! Aren't you fine, Mr. Clemins?" She turned to pat him on the back while she smiled up at him. Jack quickly nodded and said

"Oh yes I am fine! Thank you Director Mortimer!" The Director shook his head solemnly and said

"You have a long trip ahead of you Mr. Clemins, with so much exhaustive work, I hope you are prepared." As he also reached up and patted Jack on the back. Jack stood in between the two as they both patted him encouragingly. He felt truly touched and welcomed, 'What a supportive working environment!' He thought, but then he had a second thought, 'Are they patting me? Or petting me?' Jack was suddenly reminded of how owners might pet and speak kind words to a pet. He laughed in his head at his own imagination and told himself that was silly. He had no idea how correct he was though, for both people on either side of him had mentally and secretly decided to adopt Jack. Darby had decided that he could stay and be her assistant officially and that she would only mess with him a little bit. And Director Mortimer had decided that he would protect Jack from Darby.