One Kiss: An Office Romance

“This wasn’t on the list,” she breathes, as though conveying a secret. “Just trust me. Can I drive?”

I realize she is talking to me. “Oh, of course,” I stammer.

Without another word, Clarissa strides between us, leading the way back out of the office park. I follow her almost at a jog, catching Isaac’s eye for a conspiratorial shrug. He seems game for the mystery, so I guess we are all right.

“Okay, that was quite a courageous move,” I remark as I slide into the passenger seat.

Clarissa scowls and peers around the steering wheel. “How do you turn this thing on?”

She steps on the brake and I thumb the ignition button. A chime goes off to let us know the engine is running, because it is so quiet you can’t tell.

“Okay, here is what I’m thinking,” she says in a rush as she pilots the Tesla out of the parking lot. “Isaac is not just an ear-nose-throat guy. He’s a naturopath. He does the whole holistic healing bit. He’s probably thinking he is some kind of artist. Or at least he wants his patients to think so. He doesn’t want these cookie-cutter, boring corporate boxes.”

She glances in the rearview mirror to make sure that Isaac is still following us, then flips on the turn signal.

“Okay, this is a really cool car,” she breathes excitedly.

“Yeah, thanks…” I answer uncertainly. “So where are we going? Somewhere off the list?”

“Well it’s on our list, just not on the list that you compiled for him. You’ll have to trust me.”

I’m not sure what to say. Of course, I’m not in the driver’s seat, so what choice do I have?

But when she turns into a residential neighborhood, I am beginning to get concerned. Isaac has been with the brokerage for at least fifteen years. He set up his brother’s dental practice. If I lose this client, I am finished.

What are we supposed to be doing here, I wonder, as I stare into the leafy green canopy of trees that arch over the antiquated street. She turns through winding, somewhat confusing streets until reaching a parking lot, nearly hidden by overly tall lilac bushes.

Isaac exits the roadster, scratching his head underneath his baseball cap.

“Where are we?” he mumbles through a cockeyed grin. “I didn’t even know this neighborhood was here.”

Clarissa’s eyes sparkle. “Kind of a hidden gem, right? Come look…”

Isaac and I follow her obediently as she sways up the cobbled path toward the back entrance of a stately Victorian mansion. Obviously someone went to considerable expense to renovate it, bringing it up to code while not losing the historic elements.

As we enter the parlor, I can tell that Isaac is immediately charmed. From the squat, marble columns to the curving grand stairway, this teeters precisely on the edge of “quirky” and “extravagant.” It is both artistic and lavish. It’s the perfect place for people to spend a thousand dollars getting aromatic steam puffed into their nostrils.

Isaac mutters to himself then wanders off, darting up the stairs without another word. Clarissa stares at the ceiling, tracking his position with a bemused smile on her face. Her cheeks flush charmingly. She knows she made the deal.

When he comes down, she already has a listing sheet loaded on her iPad.

“Terms are reasonable,” she chirps optimistically. “A three-year lease will get you a significant discount—”

“What’s the purchase price?” he interrupts.

She only takes a half moment to swallow before answering him with a high seven-figure price tag that doesn’t even make him flinch.

Instead he strides forward with his hand out. She shakes it confidently.

“Sounds like we found ourselves a deal,” he grins, ignoring me entirely.

Still, I feel like I won something too.

Chapter 4

Clarissa

Either the days are already getting shorter, or being in this office just makes me much more aware of the time. With the big windows behind my desk, I can sense the light changing as the hours drift by. Before I really make any progress, it’s already the golden light of midafternoon.