Done Being Friends by Trisha Grace

After the moment earlier, he was sure that Faith did feel something for him. She had allowed Zac to lean in and kiss her after he had already brushed his lips against hers. She had more than enough time to stop him or throw him a slap, but she didn’t.
    Maybe she just needed someone. Perhaps that wasn’t the best moment to kiss her; she was vulnerable and might not know what she wanted. The timing wasn’t perfect, but one thing for sure, Zac was going to let her know that he was done with being just friends with her.  
    “It’s all right angel, there are some things that I need to attend to. Eat your lunch, I will see you in an hour.” Zac bent down and kissed Faith on her cheeks.
    “Enjoy your lunch,” Zac said, looking straight into Dylan’s eyes. There was going to be war.  
    Dylan’s jaws were tight, and he didn’t reply. He simple gave a curt nod as Zac left the office.  
    Zac wanted to stay beside Faith but staying right beside her wouldn’t help much, since Dylan was there, she would at least have some company. Zac could use some time to pull in some help before the board meeting.
    He had already made two calls before meeting Faith and had put his own money and reputation on the line. Two of the board members had already agreed to not contest Mr. Preston’s decision and let Faith continue the position as acting chairperson.  
    Mr. Preston had been wise enough to keep a fifty-five percent of the company’s share between himself and Faith, but if the board members were to be unhappy, things might turn ugly. The last thing he wanted was board members pulling out and dumping their shares in the market. It would cause the stock price to go tumbling down and with two major projects going on, cash flow was extremely important.
    Excluding Mr. Preston, there were another six board members. If he could convince just one more board member, there would at least be a tie in the meeting and the rest of the board members wouldn’t have a choice but to go along with it, at least, for the moment.
    “Good afternoon Mr. Jackson, Zac Hayden here. I hope I am not disturbing your lunch.”
    Things went smoothly. Once Mr. Jackson heard his promise that he would be personally helping Faith to keep an eye on the business and would personally guarantee any losses during the period when Faith was the chairperson; they were more than willing to cooperate.  
    He knew that putting up the guarantee for their losses was risky and being an astute businessman; he should have known better, but it was for Faith and she was definitely worth the risk.
    “I will ask the attorney to send you the contract immediately.”
    “I can sign it at the board meeting, there is no hurry.”
    “Actually sir, I would prefer it if you do not let Faith know about the deal.”
    A booming laughter echoed at the other end of the phone, and Zac raised a brow.  
    “Well, well, well. Isn’t that interesting? You sure she is worth it? There are plenty of fish out there which are of lower risk and require less effort.”
    Zac chuckled. Zac knew what he meant, but the fact was, he had never put much effort into any of his romantic advances.
    But Faith wasn’t just another girl. Faith never really liked the big flashy necklace that weighed enough to potentially break her neck. She loved simple accessories that were not flashy, just simple like her. In fact, she barely wore any accessories. She would usually only wear the simple cross necklace that her mother had given her, and the pair of small diamond earrings that Zac had given her on one of the Christmas.  
    “She is definitely worth every effort. Have a good lunch sir and the contract will reach you before the board meeting. Thanks again.”
    Another rough chuckle boomed before the phone hung up.
    With some time left over, Zac returned to his ‘redemption plan’ though he knew Faith had probably forgotten about it already. Still, he wanted to show her that he was serious about them moving beyond