As she retrieved her small artificial Christmas tree from the storage room attached to her condo’s little balcony, she had to face the fact that neither Jenny nor Stevie could really help her with her personal problem. Sure, they could offer suggestions, advice—even differing opinions, as it turned out. Yet she was the one who was going to have to decide whether to take Scott up on his offer to explore new possibilities in their relationship or remain on the same safe, comfortable path they’d walked for the past six-plus years.
She’d never been a risk taker. The dutiful, responsible younger daughter—she’d always been so cautious, so careful. How could she possibly foresee all the potential pitfalls this time, when it affected every aspect of her future—her social life, her career...and maybe even her so-far-unbroken heart?
* * *
After the long weekend, the Monday workday hit the floor running. Phones were already ringing when Tess walked into the office, and the buzzing, beeping and bustling continued for hours. Before two o’clock she’d dealt with one panicky client, two surly vendors, three frantic contractors and a clerical job applicant who could barely articulate around the wad of gum in her mouth. Mentally marking that name off the list of potential employees, she sat back and drew a long breath. It felt almost like the first chance she’d had to breathe since she’d arrived almost six hours earlier.
At least she hadn’t had to worry about what to say to Scott. He’d been in meetings and phone conferences all day, and she’d seen him only for a brief consultation about a business issue. There’d been no time for personal conversation, nor even for awkward pauses. Today had been all about work, catching up and looking ahead. As she’d assured her friends, compartmentalizing wasn’t really that difficult for her and Scott. When they were in the office, nothing was more important to them than taking care of business.
As if in response to her thoughts, he stuck his head in the open doorway to her office. “What’s Art Connolly’s wife’s name?”
“Debbie. And their son is Art Jr., but they call him Buzz.”
“Debbie. Buzz. Got it. Heading out for the meeting. Shoot me a text if you need anything.”
“Okay. Have a good—” But he was gone before she could finish the sentiment.
Her mouth twisted in a wry smile. If nothing else had demonstrated how efficiently Scott could put their Saturday-evening conversation out of his mind, that little exchange would have done the trick. There had been nothing at all personal in his tone or expression, no meeting of eyes, no more warmth in his voice than she heard when he spoke with the receptionist on his way out. She couldn’t imagine any observer would even suspect that less than forty-eight hours earlier, Scott had all but asked her outright to consider having his children.
Had their conversation even crossed his mind this morning? Despite how busy she’d been, it had hovered constantly at the back of hers. Did that mean they were already unevenly invested in this looming decision? Was it really of little import to him if she accepted his offer or politely declined? Was he less concerned about the repercussions—maybe because he didn’t believe he would be as deeply affected in the long run? Had he changed his mind, had later misgivings about his impulsive suggestions, or was he really too wrapped up in business today to give anything else a second thought?
“Um, Tess?”
Blinking, she glanced toward the doorway to find a heavily pregnant young woman standing there studying her with a slight frown. She got the distinct impression it wasn’t the first time her name had been spoken. “I’m sorry, Heather, I was distracted. What can I do for you?”
“The next applicant for my job is here for her interview. And I wanted to remind you I’m leaving a little early today for a doctor’s appointment.”
Tess nodded. “I remember. I hope it goes well.”
At almost eight months along, Heather had recently given notice that she would not be returning after her delivery. Now Tess was hiring a replacement.
“The applicant’s name is Sofia Vasquez. She seems very nice—and she’s not chewing gum,” Heather added with a wink.
Tess laughed. “Good to hear.”
“I’ll send her in. And unless you need anything more from me, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Tess couldn’t help smiling as she watched Heather retreat in her pregnancy waddle. Which reminded her, she needed to pick up a gift for the office baby shower scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. She should have taken care of that already, but she’d been so busy lately.
Putting thoughts of tiny sleepers and pastel blankets out of her mind, she stood with a professional smile to greet the job applicant entering her doorway.
* * *
As was so often the case, Tess was the last person remaining in the offices that evening, well after darkness had fallen. She’d just completed the hiring of Sofia Vasquez, and sat back in her chair with a weary sigh. It had been a long day, with only a twenty-minute respite for a quick salad in the break room, and she was tired to her toes.
She cleared her desk and pulled out her phone, doing a quick check of her personal email before calling it a day. She frowned when she saw an evite to her cousin’s holiday party. It was addressed to “Tess and guest,” and she was expected to RSVP. She would deal with that later, she decided. It was after six, and she was ready to hole up at home with pj’s and tea. Slinging the strap of her bag over her shoulder, she grabbed her coat and headed for the break room to retrieve her salad container.
Now, of course, she was reminded again about Scott’s offer to accompany her to her holiday affairs. There certainly hadn’t been time during the past couple of hours to think about his proposition—not much anyway. Scott wasn’t the only one who could compartmentalize, she thought in satisfaction. And if he’d changed his mind, fine. They could agree to pretend the conversation had never taken place. After a few days, she probably wouldn’t give it another thought.
“Yeah, right,” she muttered, thinking she’d never convince her concerned friends if she couldn’t even believe it herself.
Impatient with her own dithering, she collected her plastic salad container from the drying rack next to the sink. With big windows looking out over the now-dark river, the break room had been decorated by the office staff. Normally, Tess’s spirits would have been lifted by the sight of the silly stuffed reindeer grinning from the top of the microwave, but she had too much on her mind this evening. Gripping her salad dish, she turned toward the door. She jerked to a stop when she saw someone standing there.
“Scott,” she said when she caught her breath again. “I didn’t hear you come in.”
Leaning casually against the doorway, he smiled. “Seems as if that’s becoming a pattern. And do I have to point out again that the security system isn’t on?”
“Give me a break, everyone just left. I’m on the way out myself.”