“My gosh. If anything comes of this I’ll take you for dinner.” She said. “It’ll be a McDonald’s dinner but dinner none-the-less.”
I had to laugh.
She looked at her watch and I could tell she was getting ready to leave.
“Are you in a hurry? It looks like it’s really raining outside. You might want to just stay for a little longer.” The truth was I didn’t want her to go.
Watching her look outside I saw her shoulders slump. She really did want to leave and I couldn’t understand why. What was the Universe trying to show me with this one that I was missing?
“I need to get home.” She said. “I’d love to stay and chat but I’m getting tired and it’s been a long day and whether or not Mrs. Ogawa can help me I still need to go to the unemployment office and get my resume in shape and…”
“I’m exhausted just listening to you.” I said. “Would you let me do one last thing?”
She pulled back a little as if I might ask for a kiss.
“What?” she was suspicious again. It was adorable.
“My driver is parked out back. Let me have him drive you home. You don’t need to stand out in the rain for the bus. I think you’ve had a hard- enough day.”
“Are you serious?”
I nodded my head.
“Okay?” she said, pursing her eyebrows together as if she didn’t quite believe me. I made a quick phone call and within a minute my car was in front of Liona’s.
“Come on. I’ll walk you to your ride.” I stood, picked up her banker’s box, held it for her and walked to the door. “Wait here.” I said as I stood under the tiny awning that was at the front entrance. My driver hopped out of the car with a wide black umbrella and stood holding it over me. I instructed him to take Natasha home and make sure he kept her address. He got back behind the wheel and I walked back to the awning where Natasha was standing with that look I always loved to see on women’s faces. That look of being totally impressed.
I stuck out my elbow for her to hold on to. She did and she wasn’t shy about it. This was fun for her. It was honest fun. And when she turned to face me I waited for the Universe to open the door wide in the form of a kiss.
“I really appreciate this. Thank you.”
And there it was. Natasha had her hand stuck out like we had just made the deal of a lifetime. I let a surprised laugh tumble out of my mouth and I shook her hand then brought it to my lips.
She blushed but she didn’t look away. Instead she smiled and climbed in the car. I folded the umbrella and dropped it on the floor of the back seat and slammed the door shut. Off she went.
I was full of wild electricity. Something had been jarred awake inside me and I was elated. It was a challenge. A puzzle to be solved. Natasha Morgan was something so different and special I had to stop and regroup in order to figure out what to do with her next. The Universe had really smiled on me. It was just giving me that seductive peek, just a tiny taste of its gift that was by far its most generous yet.
The rain felt good on my face. I looked at the Liona’s red neon sign as raindrops wove their way across the glass that protected it. They were such simple little drops of rain but in the right light, under the right conditions they sparkled like jewels. Everything around me looked sharp and crisp as if I had slipped on a pair of much needed glasses in order to focus. The air smelled fresh and clean. For the first time in a long time I felt really alive.
But in the meantime, what would I do with this excitement surging through my veins. I went back inside Liona’s. With the rain keeping everyone where they were, it was slow. I took Beth to a back room and let her ease my stress. But all I could think of was Natasha Morgan.
MARTY
It was 7:56 in the morning and already my daily status report was coming in late. Reid Industries was never going to stay in the black if I, the CEO, couldn’t get organized before the rest of the four hundred and sixteen employees even sat down at their desks.
I looked at my desk and could have sworn some work had been done yesterday in order to move some of the files but over the six hours I was gone from here it not only didn’t look like anything had moved but it looked as if more were added.
The windows pointed and looked out over a beautiful skyline as another gray day opened up. My small conference table was also covered with paperwork that I had forgotten about. There were letters and contracts to be signed and others to be edited or tossed.
I had a small bar at the other end of my office collecting dust since it was only utilized during the Christmas party that I insisted stay traditional like they were when my father ran the business. No wasting time and money making people go to a restaurant that jacks up the prices at that special time of year.
Instead we had a BYOB policy and I paid for a fleet of cars to get people home if they needed it. So far it had continued to be a success.
“Mr. Reid, we’ve got to get your schedule ironed out or you won’t have a clue what you’re doing today.” My secretary Denise yelled from outside my office. “Not that today should be any different from yesterday.”
“Yes, yes, Denise. Let’s go then.”
“Okay,” she stomped into my office as if she had a war to fight. “You’ve got a conference call with Patrick at 9:45. You’re supposed to respond to Ireland’s proposal.”