by Sierra Rose
“But?”
“But I’m just not comfortable with you making that kind of up-front investment in property chosen for a couple who frankly just got together. It’s a great risk and what if the market suffers and you couldn’t get your money out of the place?”
“I don’t want my money out of the place and frankly I’d never miss it if I lost money on a single real estate transaction. But I don’t intend to sell our home unless we want to move some place better.”
“As idealistic as that is, Jack, there are a number of variables here, not the least of which is your recent bereavement. It’s not a great time to make major life decisions or purchases,” she said with genuine concern. She didn’t want him to rush into this and then regret it. She’d rather wait than lose him over too rash and sudden a move.
“Really? I kind of wish I’d known I was under those kinds of restrictions before we left Madrid.”
“Why?” she asked.
“Because it might have altered my plans. Anyway, we can talk about this when we look at apartments. No reason to stress out about it now.”
Jack kissed the top of her head and went to shower, seeming subdued. Britt fell asleep in front of a remodeling show before he returned. When she woke, he was curled up beside him in bed. He had scooped her up and carried her there without waking her, just so he could hold her while she slept. Drowsily, she kissed him and drifted back off.
In the morning, she found a note from Jack who had gone out for a run.
“Meet me at Tamarind at six,” it read.
Britt smiled. What was he up to? She loved surprises.
When she got to work, she heard Bobby whispering her name. She froze and listened closer as he chatted with two others.
“She’s a co-worker-with-benefits,” one said with a chuckle. “I bet he tripled her wages.”
“Depends how good she is in the sack.”
“Must be good. He stopped dating all other women and is exclusive with only her.”
“They pulled it off good,” another said. “They never did any flirtatious touching and never left a traceable trail of their tryst. No notes. No e-mails. Can you imagine the insane sexual tension? They acted like strangers.”
“Until the post-shift cocktails,” another laughed.
“Think they made out in the elevators?” Daryl asked.
“Dude, there are security cameras.”
“Hey, Jack’s the boss. He can have them discreetly turned off.”
They all burst out in laughter.
Britt peeked her head over the cubicle and glared at them. “I see our relationship is the center of office gossip. Nothing is juicier than other people’s love lives, especially when it's supposed to be a secret.”
“We’re sorry,” Joe said. “We didn’t know you were standing there.”
“Obviously not. You know what? Dating the boss and all the gossip that comes along with it can be quite daunting. But I love Jack and we’re taking the leap of faith to pursue a serious relationship. We’re not hiding it anymore. We love each other and we vowed to keep it very professional at work. If you can’t handle it, then I suggest you quit. Because Jack is the boss and he wouldn’t want to hear this kind of talk. And I won’t work around all this gossip.”
“We’re sorry,” Daryl said.
“Did I mention I’m fighting for Jack to keep this company? He’s mentioned selling it or closing it down because he has no reason to keep Creative Consulting. And that means you won’t have a job. I fought for your jobs. If I wasn’t his girlfriend, you’d be out of a job right about now, so you should be thanking me, not cracking jokes. Because I’m fighting for you.”
“Wow,” Joe said. “I feel so bad. I’m such an idiot.”
“Have a nice day, guys.”
Blushing, they rushed off as she sat down.
Later, when she went to talk to Marj, she found that some changes were being implemented already.
“Looks like they’re getting a replacement for Fitzsimmons,” Marj said. “A whole team is doing interviews next week for a COO to run the place.”
“Isn’t it fantastic news? Jack’s saving the company. I couldn’t be more thrilled or thankful.”
“We’re all very thankful. I swear I’m sending him a fruit basket and card.”
Britt smiled. “Jack has a good heart.”
“I know he does. He doesn’t want to see any of us lose our jobs.”
“He doesn’t.”
“And I want to thank you too. I know you had a huge part to play in keeping this place open.”
“I just simply asked.”
“Thank you.”
“I love this company. I didn’t want to see it go down the drain.”
“Me, neither. Did you know the second conference room is being repainted for Jack to have an office? Supposedly it’s a standalone satellite thing for his freelance work, not part of the company.”
“So why wouldn’t he put that on another floor?” Brit asked. “He owns the whole building.”
“No shit? He owns the entire building? Well, no wonder you didn’t want that guy from Tinder. You had, like, that millionaire from Pretty Woman all along!”
Britt laughed. “You just compared me to a hooker.”
“I did not!”
She playfully nudged Marj. “Just leave the movies out of the discussion.”
“Okay, fine. Well, to make up for that, my guess on why he’s putting the office on this floor is to be closer to you. He must be pretty serious about you.”
“We’re house hunting this weekend,” Britt confessed excitedly.
“Latest gossip in the office is that Jack used to date a lot. But some wonderful girl had settled him down, that he was head over heels with her. I see now, that girl was you. And I’m so happy for you.”
“It wasn’t easy. I was crazy about him, but I was indecisive and didn’t know what I wanted. I was still upset about getting dumped. I thought Jack was out of my league, too good for me. I thought if I couldn’t keep Kevin, how could I keep him? What if he used me? What if I got my heart stomped on all over again? What if everyone at the office found out? What if his dad found out? It scared the hell out of me and I pushed him away. And he could’ve let me go, but he didn’t.”
“I think he was in too deep.”
“Yeah, we both were, whether or not I wanted to admit it to myself or not. And that Tinder guy you set me up with almost ruined things between us. I had blew the guy off and he seemed to accept it. But then he called me and left a romantic message on my answering machine right after Jack and I made love. Jack was so upset. He stormed off...”
“Tinder Guy sent flowers to the office and Jack threw them away. Now that I think about it, Jack did seem extra upset about that. I thought maybe he thought it was unprofessional, that he was all work like his dad. But it was because he was dating you.”
“So I called the Tinder guy and told him to knock it off. I told him I was involved and had a boyfriend.”
“Hey, I’m sorry about that. I had no idea you were dating somebody. I would’ve never done that if I had known. I wouldn’t want to mess up your chances with Jack.”
“It’s okay. I know that. I should’ve told you.”
“Why didn’t Tinder Guy leave you alone after you told him you had a boyfriend?”
“He said he had just read some magazine article on Cosmo that said to give it one more shot.”
“Even with a boyfriend?”
“He didn’t think I was serious and really had one or else I wouldn’t have been setting up a profile. He said the article had all these couples that had second chance meetings and they had hit it off. He was hoping for the same success. I told him off in a nice way. He finally got the hint and never called me back. But he put this huge dent between Jack and me. I thought I lost Jack.” Britt blew out a long breath. “Anyway, we worked it all out. And now...it’s like a dream come true. And that kind of stuff just doesn’t happen to me.”
“Why wouldn’t it happen to you?” Marj asked. “Girl, you’re pretty and friendly and...”
“I’m blushing.”
“You’re a catch. You landed Jack! Every woman dreamed about him at the office. And who got him? You. You won the jackpot. So quit being insecure.”
Britt blew out a long breath. “So I have a few flaws.”
“I do too. Who doesn’t?” She winked. “I bet perfect Jack even has some.”
“He does, but I love and accept his flaws, just as he loves and accepts mine.”
“Awwww. You two are so cute together. You’re so lucky.”
“I was just at the right place at the right time.”
“Fate, right?”
“I never believed in that kind of stuff. But I really think it was. Jack and I are crazy in love.”
“And now you’re apartment hunting!”
“Yeah. It’s so exciting.”
“That should take the stress off you. I mean, if you can’t decide between two apartments, this guy can buy them both.”
Britt grinned. “We only need one. And as soon as we find a place and move in, we want you and Luke to come over for dinner.”
“We’d love too. I see you’ll be putting that herb garden on your rooftop to good use.”
“Absolutely.”
“So what’s it like to date the boss?”
“It’s weird to go from dating the boss’s son to dating the boss himself. But it feels pretty much the same. And I told him not to give me any special privileges.”
“So you’re staying in your cubicle?”
“Nope.”
She arched a brow. “But I thought you said you didn’t want any special privileges or preferred treatment.”
“He’s expanding a few more floors and giving everyone their own private offices.”
She gave Britt a high-five. “Way to go! Can you tell him you want new furniture too? That way we’ll all be sure to get it.” She winked. “Can’t have only you getting special privileges.”
Britt playfully punched her. “We’ll see. Now I have some work to catch up on. Thanks for filling me in on the gossip.”
“We still on for coffee on Thursday?”
“Absolutely. It’s a tradition,” Britt assured her with a hug.
Chapter 17
Britt went back to her apartment to get her lucky dress, the blue one she’d worn the night she met Jack. For a while she’d thought of it as doomed, because Kevin had dumped her that night at Tamarind. Soon enough, she’d realized it was, if not actually a charm of good fortune, at least the souvenir of her luckiest night. She put her hair in her accustomed high ponytail and noticed as she slicked on her lipstick that her reflection looked a hell of a lot happier than it had in the same dress a few months back.
Clearly she was joyous at the idea of meeting Jack at Tamarind to talk about properties, completing the circle. She had gone there the first time with a manila folder of printouts to show a disinterested boyfriend their apartment options. Even if Jack didn’t show up with a manila folder tonight, it would be a celebration of the next step in their new life together.
Britt felt excited, bubbly even. She got to Tamarind a little early and found Jack sitting at the table where they’d first spent an evening together. Two margaritas stood at her place and as she approached, Jack got to his feet. She shot him the biggest smile ever. He shot her back the most handsome smile.
Instead of the casual look he’d sported that first night, he wore a crisp button down, open at the throat. He looked like he belonged in a catalog he was so gorgeous. His eyes seemed to bore into her as she came toward him. Instead of pulling out her chair, standing on ceremony, he caught her around the waist, murmured, “Nice dress.” Then he kissed her full on the lips, his tongue darting in her mouth and turning her knees to useless, melting things so she had to hold on to his broad shoulders. When he drew back, looking at her searchingly, she couldn’t help but smile.
“Nice kiss,” she replied and sat down. “I still can’t thank you enough for saving the company. Thank you, Jack. It means everything to me.”
“I know how much you enjoy your job there. So I’m going to keep Creative Consulting.”
“And I’ll be the best bookkeeper you ever had. You’ve made me the happiest woman on the planet.”
“Wait. Hold up! You’re not supposed to say that just yet.” He flashed Britt his perfect grin. “Please don’t get so ahead of me, darling.”
“What?” she asked.
“You’re so beautiful,” he said, changing the subject.
“Thank you. And might I add, you’re as handsome as ever.”
With a sip of her margarita and a sigh, she settled back to look at him, at the strange, beautiful déjà vu of being simultaneously in the exact same spot and yet a much, much better place. Here was a man across from her whom she’d love to see across the breakfast table for the next forty years. Here was a man who couldn’t wait to kiss her as soon as he saw her. Here was Jack, the man she loved. She reached across the table and took his hand. His thumb stroked her knuckles and he looked critically at her.
“Give me the other hand,” he said.
She chuckled. “What’s wrong with this one?”
He winked. “I want the other one.”
“Both of them? Are you going to read my palms?”
“No, just your left hand. Please,” he said smoothly.
Britt reached out her left hand as if to shake his hand.
“I know it’s fast. And maybe we should wait, but I don’t want too. I met this beautiful woman that turned my world upside down. I bought her a margarita and it was the best decision I’ve ever made. This gorgeous woman invited me over for dinner and made me eat lobster. I don’t even like it but I wanted a chance to get to know her. I was mesmerized. She wore a dress, very much like the one you have.”
Britt pointed to her blue dress. “This one?”
“Yeah. And I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. She-uh, you. You were like the radiant sunshine on a dark, rainy day. And we had this amazing connection. And sometimes you pushed me away, and we had our up’s and down’s. But I still kept chasing you. Because I couldn’t stop. I couldn’t get you out of my head.”
“You had the exact same effect on me.”
“And then we went to Spain, and I think we had a real breakthrough. It was so emotional and amazing and I knew when I was there, I’d never loved someone as much as you, and I couldn’t imagine my life without you. Spain was the turning point for me. I knew I never wanted to date another woman. Remember when we had the romantic dinner with the candles?”
Britt smiled. “Yeah.”
“When I looked into your eyes...I knew. I just did.”
“Oh, Jack. I’m going to cry. That’s the sweetest thing. I felt the connection that night. I knew I’d love you forever.”
“We made so many memories together on that trip, and I want to continue creating memories with you for the rest of our lives.”
She squeezed his hand. “When I’m with you, Jack, I feel complete and I know that we’re truly meant to be.”
“Well then. Please make me the happiest man alive.” Then, he spoke those life-changing words that were etched into her mind forever. “Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
Britt was speechless. Her heart pounded. Tears welled up in her eyes.
Smiling, Jack reached into his pocket and pulled out a dazzling diamond ring. He gently slid it on her finger. Her eyes widened as she looked from the ring to his face, dazzling her with the most beautiful smile ever, then back to the ring again because it was quite the stunner.
She brought the ring up nearer to her face and gazed at it for a moment. It was a wide platinum band with a single brilliant diamond, classic and incredibly her own.
He walked over to her, knelt down, and then kissed her hand ever so softly. “So, will you marry me?”
She leapt up from her seat and launched herself at him.
“Yes! Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!” she laughed, kissing him again.
They had captured the attention of everyone, and all the patrons around them clapped.
“I am officially the happiest man on the planet,” Jack said, grinning.
“And I am officially the happiest woman on the planet.”
“I was a little worried. You gave me that improving speech about not making major decisions right now and I’d already bought the ring when we were in Madrid. I was afraid you’d make me march directly back to Spain to return it.”
“Don’t be silly. There’s an entire ocean. You couldn’t march there. You’d have to fly. And you are NOT taking my ring back!”
Jack kissed her softly, a sweetheart’s kiss. The blue dress she wore was indeed her lucky dress. She had met Jack while wearing it, and now he asked her to marry him while wearing it.
“I love you and I want you to be my wife,” he said seriously. “I won’t even make you eat the lobster I ordered.”
“You ordered lobster? That’s taking the nostalgia a bit far,” she teased. “But I love you enough to eat the crustacean as long as I can sit with you.”
“Don’t be silly. I ordered the steak for us both. No reason to eat something dismal for old time’s sake. Now you drink up. I intend to get you tipsy and have my way with you,” he instructed sternly.
The waiter came over and opened up a bottle of champagne and they toasted to their happy lives.
“I love you, Jack,” she said.
He gazed deeply into her eyes. “I love you too. I can’t imagine growing old with anyone else, nor do I want to.”
It was the most exhilarating moment of her life. She’d never forget it, not ever. “I promise you, no one will work harder to make you happy or cherish you more than me,” she said, excitement flooding through her. She couldn’t believe how happy she was and how fast her heart was beating.
“Thank you. I never knew I could be this happy, Britt.”
“I feel the exact same way.
His lips lowered on hers and she kissed him back with everything she had. She would hold him forever and never let him go.
THE END
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