Until Jake

“No, but… Well, yes, it is new. I mean, for me at least. And again. Eleven years is a lot, Mags. A huge difference.”

“Only if you choose for it to be.”

“That’s bullshit and you know it. His mother would go through the roof—and consider me some sort of sexual predator. And his younger sisters… They’ll think it’s gross, won’t they?”

“I don’t know, Kate. This isn’t a situation I’m familiar with. But if you made a connection with this guy, don’t you owe it to yourself—and to him—to explore it further?”

“Explore it further? As in…date a guy who was still in junior high when I was being promoted to Marketing Director at the firm in L.A.?”

Maggi’s face scrunched up. “Put like that…”

“Put like that, I am a sexual predator!”

“Oh, good grief, Kate. You are not!” Maggi threw her hands in the air. “The man is legal. The man is hot. The man is apparently hot for you!”

Kate sighed, a dismal feeling suddenly weighing her down. “What am I doing?” Her brow furrowed and her heart sank. “What have I done?”

“You met something you like, Kate. Someone who lit you up and gave you back a part of yourself that had been missing for a long, long time. A painfully long time.”

Kate stared at her friend, the empathy in Maggi’s eyes tugging at her emotions. Still… “I might have made a really big mistake.”

Maggi leaned forward and covered both of Kate’s hands, resting on the desk, with hers. She squeezed gently. “Don’t say that. You were thrilled two minutes ago. Glowing and exuberant. Now you’re caving to doubt. Insecurity. Regret.”

“It’s more than that. I feel…something. A hell of a lot of something.” She pulled her hands from Maggi’s. “Christ. I think I might have… Could have… Shit.” She tried to catch her breath. Slow her raging pulse. No such luck. “Doesn’t it sound as though I—”

“Fell in love?” This time, Maggi grinned. “Would it really be so bad?”

Kate shrieked as she did a face plant onto the cushioned leather blotter before her. Because she knew it was true. “Holy fucking shit.”

* * *

Jenna, Kate’s assistant, poked her head around the partially opened door to Kate’s office. “Special delivery. Okay for me to come in?”

Kate was having a small heart attack, but she nodded anyway. “Yeah, sure.”

As Jenna entered, Kate and Maggi exchanged looks. In Jenna’s hands was a tall, slim crystal vase filled with a spray of flowers that overwhelmed the eyes upon first glance. The arrangement was stunning and about the most vibrantly colorful display Kate had ever seen. Jenna carefully set the vase on the small table in the corner.

“Heavy, but it sure is beautiful,” she said.

Kate was speechless. The room was instantly filled with an exotic fragrance from the blooms, the aroma was that rich.

Maggi said, “Wow. He’s one hell of a guy.”

Jenna plucked the small card from the bouquet and handed it to Kate on her way out of the office. When the door closed, Kate slid a manicured nail under the sealed envelope and extracted the simple white note card.

“Well?” Maggi demanded, intrigue fringing her voice. “What does it say? Come on! The suspense is killing me!”

She read the note. “‘Kate, until next time...’”

Maggi wagged her brows. “He’s already counting the minutes?”

“Guess I convinced him there actually would be a next time.”

Sparing another glance at the flowers, Maggi said, “You must give one hell of a blow job.”

Kate finished reading. “‘Dinner tonight?’”

Maggi whistled under her breath. “The boy can’t get enough of you.”