Under His Charm (Love Under Lockdown)

Not least because of the expectation of the citizens. Most seemed happy to let me do most of the work, only making adjustments when needed. It was a system that worked well for everyone. No wonder my stomach lurched when I got the notification.

Right there, on my calendar, as though scrawled on the city gates in my blood, the announcement of the forth-coming St. Paddy’s Day parade. The one I hadn’t had a moment to plan, let alone consider, swamped as I was with other work. Work that had been assigned by Ryan, around the same time he asked me for my contacts.

“That bastard!”

Radiating with a burning rage that could have registered in kelvin, I dialed his direct phone number and waited to unleash the fury of hell upon his puny, mortal head.

“Hello?”

I skipped over the pleasantries and launched into my tirade. “How dare you steal my parade idea! Well, not my idea, I haven’t thought of one yet, but the St. Paddy’s Day parade is my thing. Everyone knows that.”

“Yeah, I’m really sorry about that. I’ve been trying really hard to impress someone at work and I got carried away. I know how important the parade is to the city, and to her.”

I could almost hear my heart rip in two. It was stupid really, to ever think he liked me the way I liked him. I still didn’t doubt his friendliness was genuine, not the usual shaking hands and kissing babies bullshit, but that was all it was. He didn’t see me as any more than a friend, which was really more than I should have hoped for with him being my boss and all.

I couldn’t help but feel a little stupid. Like a schoolgirl with a crush on a handsome teacher. It was never going to happen the way I’d hoped, but I could always fantasize.

Remembering my professional demeanor, I tried a different tack, still wanting to stay on his good side, despite my outburst. “Do you need any help with it? I mean, it looks like everything is ready to go by the announcement, but can I help put things together?”

Anything was better than nothing at that point. I would have checked the oil in all the floats just so I could be involved.

“Actually, yes, I could use some help. I need someone to get some flowers for me and bring them in to the office.”

“Flowers?”

“Yes, absolutely vital.”

“Okay, what kind of flowers?”

“Oh, anything thing you like, I leave that entirely to you. A mixed bouquet is probably best unless you happen to have a strong preference for one variety over another.”

“Okay.”

“You’ll need to take a test for the virus before you go. You’ll be acting on my behalf and I want to make sure you are covered. Particularly considering you’ll be coming to the office.”

“Okay,” I said, trying to sound agreeable.

“Great, I’ll send a doctor around.”

“Doctor? Doctors do house calls?”

“Not as a matter of course, but most can be persuaded with enough money. It is more of a professional convention that they stopped. There’s no law against it.”

“Makes sense.”

“I’ll send them right now, you should get the result soon. Fingers crossed, hey?”

He said the last bit with a joking air, letting me know he wasn’t really concerned. I was starting to be, just a little. Nothing seemed to be wrong, but I could always be asymptomatic. Nothing like the 24-hour news cycle to make you feel paranoid.

Chapter Three

The rug nearly caught fire, at least that was what it felt like. I’d been pacing so long I nearly lost track of the time. A watched pot might never boil but at least the same couldn’t be said for the turning of time. It always continued on its endless, predictable march. It was a comfort in a weird way.

It might as well have been cannon shots. The knocks, few, firm, and professional sounded insanely loud on the hollow plywood of the door. Moving at double time, I opened it to a pleasant looking woman in PPE. She had one of those plastic face shields, like, a translucent welder’s mask, as opposed to the cloth mask, so I could actually see her face.

“Candide Boucher?”

“Yes.”

“I’m Dr. Fraser,” she said, extending a gloved hand.

I wasn’t sure if I should shake or not, so I just nodded, hoping she would understand that I was being cautious, rather than just being a bitch. I kept as still as I could while she took the sample, doing my level best not to sneeze.

Soon enough, I was alone again, happily having tested negative for Covid. A load off my mind to be sure, not least because of the history of asthma in my family. I was just going to get my coat when my phone pinged.

“What’s up pussycat?”

Aofie had called me that since we were little, but I was never quite sure why. Not that I didn’t find it endearing.