Chapter 1
Ryan Atwood stepped out of his latest project and dialed the number for ATCO Architects and Interior Design.
"Good afternoon, ATCO, Kim speaking, how may I direct your call?" Ryan smiled. He loved hearing the phone answered like that. "ATCO, Atwood-Cohen(or Cooper)" His own company, just started.
"Hey Kim, it's Ryan, I need Julie please."
"Hey Ryan, just a sec, I'll page her for you" Kim replied placing Ryan on hold and pushing the series of buttons to page the Vice-President and principal Interior Designer, Julie Cooper.
"Julie, Ryan on 101" came Kim's voice over the office intercom.
Julie reached for the phone and dialed 101. "Ryan, how are things down there? Are you finished checking it over?"
"Yeah, I'm just leaving the project now." Ryan replied quickly
"Excellent! So I can get my designers in there soon?" Julie was excited for her first real project.
"Everything's on schedule for the target date." Ryan said, ever the man of few words, and hung up.
Ryan and Julie had both completed four year degrees for there Bachelor of Design. Ryan in Architecture, and Julie in Interior Design. Ryan had also done his Bachelor of Science in Structural Engineering at the same time and gone on to get his Structural Engineer designation. It had been a grueling six years of school for him, but he had worked hard, apprenticed with a top engineering firm in San Francisco and was now beginning to live his dream.
Kirsten and Sandy Cohen, his adoptive parents, had invested in his idea for a company that would encompass all the needs of a clientele looking for a one-stop shop to design, build, and decorate their business and residential needs. Julie had been the logical choice to head the Interior Design division, while he headed the architectural design and acted as supervising engineer on the projects. They had their first two projects on the go now. This office building in a lower income neighborhood in San Francisco was the one that was moving the quickest and he wanted everything to be perfect. His company, his livelihood, and those of his step-mother and half-brother were on the line.
Ryan walked down the steps of the building he had just been inspecting and headed for his car as he put his phone away. He looked across the street and saw a young teenage boy sitting on a concrete wall. He looked so sad, and immediately brought to mind that day more than ten years ago now when Sandy Cohen had taken Ryan home with him after his mother abandoned him in Chino.
"Hey kid! Need any help?" Ryan called to the teen sitting across the street. He had always believed that one day, he would have the chance to pay forward the opportunity that had been given to him. The young boy looked up at Ryan, then looked down again hanging his head in total despair.
Ryan walked toward the boy and sat down on the wall next to him.
"Hey, I'm Ryan. You look like you could use a friend." He said quietly. "And you are?"
"What's it to you?" snapped the boy.
"Hey man, I'm just trying to help." Ryan replied. "I just thought maybe there's
somewhere I can take you, or someone I can call?"
"Nah, I'm cool. I'll figure it out" said the boy dejectedly, " I always do."
Ryan nodded and reached for his wallet. "All right, tell you what. Here's ten bucks so you can go get a burger or something, and here's my card with my cell number. If you need anything, you call me." He handed the kid a ten dollar bill and his business card that he had quickly scribbled his cell phone number on.
The boy took the money and the card and Ryan started to walk back to his car.
"My name's Nathaniel, but everyone calls me Nate." The teen called after Ryan. "Can I just ask…why?"
Ryan smiled. "Let's just say, it's my turn to pay it forward. Call me. I mean it."
"Thanks" said Nate and got on his bike to go spend the ten bucks.
Ryan got in his car and watched as Nate peddled away down the street. He smiled to himself and wondered if he would ever see or hear from Nate again. Maybe he was ok, and he'd just given ten bucks to a kid who was going to spend it on baseball cards. Somehow Ryan knew that wasn't the case. He knew that look that Nate had, and he knew that life, no matter how far removed from it he was now.
Nate disappeared out of sight and Ryan started the car. He was just about to pull away when his cell phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and smiled.
"Hey babe!" he said cheerily. "I'm just leaving the project now. I'll be home in about 20 minutes. What's for dinner?"
"Hey sweetie, er coq au vin" came the reply from the soft voice that he loved to hear.
Ryan chuckled. "You haven't made that for me in years! You know there's no need for the "vin" anymore" he teased. "I love you, Taylor Townsend. I'll see you soon."
Taylor melted every time he said it. "I love you too, Ryan."