Tessa's Wishes (Whispered Wishes #3)

by Karen Pokras

  He turned his attention back to her from the photo, looking at her strangely, probably wondering why she stood there silently just staring at him with an odd expression. “Are you Tessa?” he asked.

  “Yes,” she hesitated, noticing his piercing blue eyes under his mop of hair. Okay, he knew her name. What was going on?

  “Hi,” he said, reaching into his briefcase. “I believe you’ve been waiting for these?” He held out a thick pile of statements. The name Nicholas Schilling was across the top page.

  She sighed inwardly. Of course. She’d been so distracted over that idiot doctor, she’d forgotten Mr. Schilling’s financial assistant would be delivering the statements this week.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, trying to calm her racing heart and overactive imagination. “Mr. Abbott’s not here.” Putting her phone down on the table used for outgoing mail, she took the papers out of the man’s hands and tried not to laugh at what a fool she’d been. “Thank you, we’ve been expecting these.” It was only a half lie.

  She looked at the man who was standing in front of her. Now that she knew he wasn’t some common criminal, she couldn’t help but notice he also had chiseled cheekbones to go along with his incredible blue eyes. Maybe she did want to apply for that job in Mr. Schilling’s office after all.

  “If you have any questions about any of those reports, just give me a call.” He smiled, showing off dimples.

  Dimples, too? She couldn’t take her eyes off of him. What was going on with her?

  “I have some time now, and the conference room is free. If you want to quickly go through them, I mean. That way I won’t have to bother you later.”

  She knew clear as day she didn’t need any help going over any statements. In fact, she preferred to work by herself, and working with Schilling’s financial assistant without Mr. Abbott’s approval would certainly be grounds for dismissal. After the fiasco with Dr. Two-timer, she couldn’t explain it. She should be pushing him out the door without giving it a second thought, yet, just the opposite was happening. She suddenly felt ready to hangout with just a normal, unpretentious guy. He was normal, right? So what if he happened to be on the better side of average looking? He didn’t seem to notice with that messy thing he had going on. It was almost buffoonish. Yes, that was it! Was this the guy who would make her cry?

  He smiled back at her. “Sure, I have some time.”

  Chapter 16

  “So, can I get you anything—water, coffee, a powerbar? I’m afraid we don’t keep anything around here to eat, but I could order in sandwiches or something.”

  Tessa glanced over at Mr. Schilling’s financial assistant. They’d been sitting in the conference room, going over statements for the last hour. For someone who looked completely disheveled, this guy was smart. Well, of course he would be. It’s not like Mr. Schilling wouldn’t hire the best and brightest. It’s just this was an impromptu meeting, and he acted like he’d prepared for weeks. Maybe he was one of those absent-minded professor types. One of those guys who look like they live on the streets, but is in fact an actual genius. One thing was for sure; he didn’t smell like he lived on the streets. He smelled good. Really good. It was hard not to notice.

  “Now that you mention it, I am kind of hungry. I didn’t have time to grab breakfast. A sandwich would be great, but only if you let me buy.”

  “Oh,” she said, “thank you. Are you sure?” She hadn’t thought about who would be paying for lunch, now that he mentioned it, but she was glad he’d offered. It’s not like Mr. Abbott gave her a corporate credit card or anything, and she doubted he’d reimburse her, given the fact he’d be too busy firing her for having this little impromptu meeting. He was very particular when it came to Mr. Schilling’s financial information. It didn’t matter that this guy was privy to the statements. Her boss wouldn’t want anyone going over the numbers until he himself had a chance to rip apart Tessa’s projections. Luckily, Mr. Abbott was away at an out of state client’s office for the next two days. He’d already called this morning to check in and said he probably wouldn’t have a chance to call again until close to five o’clock.

  “It’s no problem,” he replied. “I’ll just charge it back to the office. After all, this is a working lunch.” He curved the corners of his mouth up, showing off his dimples again. “A very pleasant working lunch,” he added.

  Feeling the heat rise to her cheeks, she smiled back before shyly looking away. “Let me go find the menu from the nearby deli,” she said. “I’ll be right back.”

  She walked down the hall and into the kitchen. Taking a long, deep breath, she grabbed the menu, popped into the ladies room to check her hair and makeup, and promptly returned. Handing it over, she said, “The turkey and roast beef are both pretty good, but I’d stay away from the tuna.”

  He laughed. “I’ll trust your judgment. Just order two of whatever you’re getting.”

  She ordered roast beef sandwiches, chips, and drinks before taking a seat at the conference table to continue going over the statements while they waited for lunch to be delivered. The food came quickly, as did the conversation, which remained professional as they worked.

  About halfway through their meal, she realized she didn’t actually know this guy’s name. Would it be too awkward to ask almost two hours into a meeting? Yes. She’d have to do some investigative work once he left.

  After finishing the food and reviewing the last of the statements, Tessa showed him her reports from the previous quarter and gave him a run down on the basics of what would be presented at the next meeting. However, she did not give away any of her trade secrets on how she came up with her projections. Good looking or not, that information was hers alone. Even without that information, he seemed impressed.

  “I’ve seen your reports at past conferences,” he said as he threw away the trash from lunch and packed up his briefcase. “They’re always very impressive.”

  “Right.” Tessa nodded, feeling a bit embarrassed. “Of course, you would be at all of the meetings. How silly of me.”

  “No, not at all, I’m glad you showed me. I always thought of you more as an assistant to Steven Abbott. I never realized you were the brains behind so much of the work.”

  She smiled. That figured. Why would her boss give her any of the credit? She was just a lowly employee. Would he even know how to do these projections and reports if she left?

  “Well, of course Mr. Abbott reviews and approves everything,” Tessa explained.

  Why was she defending him? Probably because she didn’t want this guy going back to Mr. Schilling to report that his accountant’s assistant was the one who did all the work even though he paid Mr. Abbott an exorbitant hourly rate. If that got back to her boss, she’d surely lose her job. She needed to make sure that didn’t happen. It was time to play up his role a bit, as much as she hated to do it.

  “It’s like the theater,” she continued. “The director is the brains behind the production, but you still need the actors, musicians, backstage crew, and everyone else to make it all happen. I guess you can say you’ve now been given a backstage tour. When I used to work in the theater, people paid extra for that, you know.” She raised her eyebrows, feeling a bit flirtatious.

  “Ah, you worked in a theater? I’m actually a huge fan of theater myself. Maybe we could …” He stopped mid-sentence, his eyes looking uncertain.

  “Maybe we could?” Tessa repeated, hoping he would continue.

  “Well, I was just thinking. There’s a small theater not far from here that I heard about. The Wynne—”

  “—Beckett Theater.” Tessa interrupted, smiling wide. “That’s my theater. I mean, that’s the theater where I used to work. I was the assistant director.”

  “I can see it means a lot to you. Your entire face lit up just at the mention of it.”

  Tessa put her hands to her cheeks. “Did it?” she asked. “I haven’t been back there in years.”

  “Well, they’re doing a production of Guys and
Dolls. Tomorrow night is the last night. It may sound kind of funny, but I’ve always been a fan of shows from that era. Would you be interested in going? Perhaps we could have dinner before?”

  Tessa beamed. Funny how this guy went from being someone she was suspicious of to her dream date in just a matter of hours.

  “I’d like that, thank you.”

  “Great. I’ll give you a call tomorrow. I do have to run, though. I’m so glad I finally had a chance to meet you.” He showed off his dimples one more time as he grabbed his ratty old briefcase.

  “Same,” she replied. She watched as he left the building and drove away, before picking up her phone.

  “Nicholas Schilling Capital Ventures, how may I direct your call?” the receptionist answered.

  “Hello, can you tell me the name of Mr. Schilling’s financial assistant, please?”

  “Certainly, his name is Todd Mitchell, but I’m afraid he’s not in the office at the moment. Would you like his voicemail?”

  “No, that’s okay, thank you.” Sitting back in her chair, she smiled. Todd Mitchell. Well now her date had a name.

  Chapter 17

  Shortly after Tessa arrived home from work, Holly came over to help her get ready for her date and to stay with Sophie. Apparently her sister still felt guilty about the entire Dr. Scumbag incident, as she wasted no time volunteering to come over.

  “Stop fidgeting,” she said, gently rubbing her sister’s arm as Tessa nervously adjusted the edge of her top for the fifth time. “Everything will be fine, you’ll see. Besides, I thought you said you liked this guy.”

  “I did. I mean, I do. I just … that was yesterday, and now I’m thinking, what if I’m moving too fast?”

  Taking her sister’s hands in her own, Holly turned Tessa so she was looking directly at her. “Too fast for what? You’re having dinner and going to a play. That sounds like a pretty typical first date. That’s all it is, sweetie. A date. There’s no commitment other than to get out of the house and enjoy someone else’s company for a few hours. You’re not even letting him pick you up. Which sucks for me, because I was really hoping to meet him.”

  When Todd had called her during the day to get her address, she made some excuse about having to run an errand first and said she would meet him at the restaurant instead. He already knew where she worked, and she wasn’t sure she was ready to give out her home address, nor did she want to be alone in a car with him. What did she really know about him, anyway? She preferred to have her own escape route if need be.

  “I know. It’s just hard. And I don’t think I like this outfit. Stupid small closet and day job.”

  Getting prepared for her date proved to be no easy feat. After trying on about twenty outfits, she was now wearing a black skirt and blue top that matched her eyes. Everything she owned was either too casual or meant for business meetings. She really needed to go shopping.

  “You look perfect,” Holly said with a reassuring tone. “The first outfit looked great. So did the second, third, and fourth. Everything you put on looks great, Tess. Stop second-guessing yourself.”

  Whatever happened to her carefree days of just throwing something on and walking away? She used to be so confident. She was such a different person now.

  “Mommy,” Sophie said, tugging at her skirt and looking up at her with adoring eyes, “I think you look like a princess.”

  Bending down to give her daughter a hug, Tessa smiled. “Aw, thank you, sweetie. I think you look like a princess, too. I promise I won’t be out late tonight, and when I get back, I’ll come give you a kiss and snuggle, even though you’ll already be asleep. You be good for Aunt Holly, okay?”

  “She’s always good,” Holly said, “and we’re going to have lots of fun. I brought surprises.” Lifting up a tote bag, her sister smiled. “I raided the art room at school today. I’ve got felt, glitter, Popsicle sticks, fuzzy balls, glue, markers, and all kinds of other fun stuff. Promise we won’t make a mess, Mom,” she said, sticking her tongue out.

  “Wow, maybe I should stay home. It sounds like you’re going to have more fun here.”

  “No way.” Holly handed Tessa her purse and keys. “Isn’t it time for you to leave? I believe Prince Charming is waiting for you.”

  ~~~

  Tessa stared at the man sitting across the table from her at the Urban Bistro. Damn he cleaned up good. Hair perfectly styled, clothing no longer wrinkled or frayed … dimples still there. She wiped her palms on her skirt under the table, trying to calm her nerves.

  The last time she’d been to the Urban Bistro was several years ago on Valentine’s Day with her sister, Holly. They’d both been dateless and needed a place to go that would be free of memories of past boyfriends. It took nearly getting through the entire alphabet before finding a place they could both agree to. They didn’t stay. Besides running into the nasty woman Ben was dating at the time, they couldn’t even afford to purchase a bottle of water. Nicholas Schilling really does pay well, doesn’t he?

  “Have you been here before?” she asked.

  “No, but I’ve always wanted to check it out. I’ve heard good things.”

  She hoped he’d been warned about the prices, and that he was paying for the meal.

  “How about you?” he asked. “Do you come here a lot?”

  “No,” she said, laughing under her breath. “I was here once, years ago with my sister, but haven’t been back since.” Technically it was true. He didn’t need to know they hadn’t actually ate or drank anything when they came.

  The waitress came by with the bottle of wine Todd ordered, filling his glass first, and then hers, after allowing him a chance to give his approval.

  “Thank you,” he said. “We still need a few moments before ordering.”

  “Certainly,” she acknowledged, walking away quietly.

  Todd raised his glass. “To a hopefully not so awkward first date.”

  Tessa smiled and clinked her glass against his. “Agreed.”

  “So,” he began, after they each took a sip, “assistant director of a community theater to financial guru. That’s quite a leap. What brought that on?”

  So much for this first date not being awkward, she thought. Apparently we’re getting to the tough topics right from the get-go. Might as well get this over with and watch him race out the door.

  Taking a long sip of her wine, she thought carefully about how to answer. “Well,” she began, “theater’s my first love. I was a theater production major in college. I was lucky to get a job in my field right out of school.”

  “Yes, you were. Fresh after graduation, I was slinging burgers, and trust me, it was not my dream job. So why didn’t you stick with it?”

  She picked up the wine glass and began swirling the red liquid around the edges slowly. Why was she hesitating? Getting pregnant with Sophie was nothing to be ashamed of. It wasn’t her fault Scott couldn’t handle the pressure. She loved her daughter more than anything else in this world. If this guy—who was practically a stranger—couldn’t handle the fact she had a child, then he wasn’t worth her time.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “Am I getting too personal too soon? I have a tendency to do that sometimes. I just find you so easy to talk to.” He flashed a caring smile at her, and she suddenly felt more at ease.

  “No, it’s fine.” She smiled back. “Sometimes life doesn’t turn out quite as we plan, but in the process we wind up with unexpected gifts … amazing gifts, actually. That’s what happened to me. My gift is my daughter. Her name is Sophie, and she’s three years old. The short story is I needed to find a career that could support the two of us better.”

  Taking another sip of her wine, she waited for Todd to make up some excuse as to why he had to cut their date short.

  “She’s lucky to have such a loving and selfless mother. I hope I get to meet her one day.”

  This time the caring look didn’t come from his smile, but came straight from his eyes. It was honest and sincere and travele
d directly to her heart.

  Chapter 18

  “And so you’ve always been interested in finance?” Tessa asked as they finished their coffee.

  She and Todd had been talking in the restaurant so long, they’d completely lost track of time and missed the play. When they realized what had happened, they decided to order dessert and keep talking. Actually, it was more like Todd asking questions and Tessa doing all of the talking. He seemed fascinated by her history: her background, her sisters, her daughter, her past mistakes. It was as if he needed to absorb every last detail of her life.

  She was glad she’d told him about Sophie right away. With the few dates she’d actually had in the past, bringing up the subject of a daughter was always a source of major anxiety. In addition to the timing of when to bring the topic of Sophie up, there was always the how. Plus, she worried incessantly about what her date’s reaction might be. What if yet another guy walked out on her?

  Not that this was a serious relationship or anything … it was just one date. The first date. Would there be a second?

  Tessa finally decided it was her turn to start asking some of the questions. She started with neutral topics about finance in general—interest rates, the stock market, bond yields—safe subjects she knew he’d feel comfortable talking about before asking more personal questions. Just who was Todd Mitchell? He didn’t seem to mind being the subject of her interrogation.

  “Would you believe my story is similar to yours?” he asked, tilting his head just slightly while raising his eyebrows. His eyes smiled, flirting without words.

  Looking at Todd, she giggled. “You have a three year old daughter named Sophie, too?”

  “No,” he laughed. “I wanted to go into the arts. Music actually. I played guitar and a little piano. In fact, we were probably at the university during the same time, although I didn’t take any theater classes.”