Her Heart's Desire

When they hung up, Tiffany took a picture of herself and sent it. Ivan replied right back that he had it, and that it was going to be a good night for him.

Tiffany laughed aloud, then turned her phone on vibrate before placing it on her nightstand. She was glad that he had called her. She felt much better knowing that he had made it safely. No matter where he was, Tiffany knew she would worry about him. He may have a top-notch, kick-ass team, as he put it, but there was one Ivan Mangum, and he was all hers.

With a satisfied smile, she drifted off to sleep.

Minutes later, the darkness was breached by the bright light from her cell phone. “Blocked” popped up on her screen, and after a few rings it faded away to reveal the wallpaper image of her and Ivan.

*

Tiffany was in her store the next afternoon when she received a call from Ivan. She let Celeste handle their customer and went to the back room.

“Hi,” she said breathlessly. “How are things going?”

“Just fine,” he replied. “About to head out to lunch.”

“Oh. Well, I’m glad you called me. What time are you coming in this evening?”

“I’m not sure. Can I let you know later?”

“Of course.”

A knock sounded at the door. Tiffany sighed. “I’m sorry, but I’ve got to go. It looks like they need me in the front.”

“Sure,” he replied in a disappointed voice. “You go back to work. I’ll talk to you later.”

This time the knock was more insistent.

“Oh, for the love of Pete,” she said tersely. “No, wait. Just hold on for a second.”

Tiffany stomped across the room and wrenched the door open. She gasped when she saw Ivan on the other side.

“Hey, beautiful.”

She was so shocked, she dropped her phone. He reached down and caught it before it hit the floor.

“Ivan,” she breathed. She flung herself into his arms. “What… I don’t understand. What are you doing here?”

“I was able to wrap things up earlier than expected,” he said, hugging her.

“I’m glad you did,” she breathed. “I can’t believe you’re here.”

“So.” He grinned. “Are you free for lunch?”

Tiffany hugged him tightly. “Of course I’m free.”

“Great. Let’s go, lady. Daylight’s burning.”

Ivan took Tiffany to Grant Park. When he parked, Ivan opened the door for Tiffany and then walked around to the trunk of his Range Rover.

“I thought we were going to lunch?”

“We are,” he replied, opening the door and taking out a picnic basket.

She laughed. “A picnic? You’re taking me on a picnic?”

“Yes.” He chuckled. “You don’t think I can be romantic when I need to be?”

“On the contrary,” she said as they walked. “I’m sure there are many interesting things about you that I don’t even know yet.”