by Gina Wilkins
Jenny’s cup hit the side table with an eager little thump. “Oh, this I have to hear. How did he coincidentally kiss you?”
“He, um, thought I’d hung some mistletoe in the office.”
Neither of her friends bought that explanation for a moment, as their expressions clearly informed her.
She sighed. “Okay, we knew what we were doing. I guess it was an impulse. Curiosity. Scott called it an experiment. I’m not sure I can explain it completely.”
Stevie waved a hand dismissively. “Forget explanations. We want details. How was it?”
“It was nice.”
Her friends groaned in unison at the guarded reply.
Stevie cocked her head skeptically. “You’re telling me that after six years of being pretty much joined at the hip with that undeniably great-looking guy, you finally kiss him and it’s just...nice?”
Jenny tsked her tongue. “I don’t believe it. Scott hasn’t spent time with all those busty blondes without picking up a few tricks.”
The image of Scott picking up kissing tricks from a series of blondes made Tess scowl when she realized just how intensely she disliked the idea. It was difficult to keep believing she wasn’t harboring secret feelings for Scott when just the thought of him kissing another woman caused a knot to form in her stomach.
“Well?” Jenny teased. “Was it good?”
“It was better than good,” she conceded with a sigh. “The man knows how to kiss. No surprise, I guess, since he’s so successful at everything he does.”
“Except finding a bride,” Stevie added pointedly.
“That remains to be seen,” Jenny murmured.
Tess made a sound like a strangled growl. “Can someone remind me why I thought it was a good idea to consult with you two about this?”
“Because we’re your best friends and we love you,” Stevie replied immediately. “Even if Jen and I don’t necessarily agree on everything, we absolutely want what’s best for you.”
Tess could hardly continue to pout after that. “That is why I called you. I just needed to talk this through while I decide how to answer him.”
“You didn’t mention any of this to your sister?” Jenny looked as though she already knew the answer, but asked just for confirmation.
“I wish Nina and I had the kind of relationship that would make me feel comfortable discussing this sort of thing with her, but we just don’t. I don’t know if it’s because of the age gap or her preoccupation with her family and her schedule, or maybe we’re just too different to fully understand each other, but I don’t think she’d be of any help at all with this.”
Nina would probably tell her to stop waffling and latch on to this eligible bachelor before he got away, perhaps adding that it wasn’t as if Tess could count on any other offers. Tess bit her lip as she could almost hear the words in her sister’s blunt voice—or was that her own insecurity whispering at the back of her mind?
“It really is a shame you and Nina aren’t closer. I always wanted a sister, myself,” Jenny mused with regret. “I thought I’d missed out on something, being an only child. I was lucky enough to meet Stevie in high school, and she filled a big gap for me.”
“That goes both ways,” Stevie assured her. “I love my brother, but I certainly can’t talk to him about relationship issues.”
“And I’m lucky to have you both in my life now,” Tess assured them, then quickly waved a hand. “That’s enough of the sappy talk or we’ll all end up sniffling. So I’m ready for advice. Stevie?”
Uncharacteristically somber, Stevie took her time deliberating her response. “I’d be wary,” she said after a moment. “You and Scott work together so well, and you love your job so much. I’d hate for what could turn out to be an impulsive mistake to change everything for you.”
“Jenny?”
Jenny shrugged. “As I’ve already said, I think it could be worth considering. You and Scott are mature adults with a great deal in common. You both know the personal and professional risks you’d be taking, so maybe you could take steps to minimize repercussions if it doesn’t work out. Yes, it’s a gamble, but isn’t every relationship, in some way?”
Any other time, Tess might have been amused at the role reversal from her friends. Reckless Stevie advising prudence, practical Jenny encouraging a romantic gamble. Tess couldn’t help wondering if the turnaround could be attributed to the state of her friends’ own relationships—Jenny was so happy in her new marriage, whereas Stevie had been involved for some time with a moody musician who’d been spending increasingly more time with his moderately successful local band than with her. Tess and Jenny had worried lately that Joe was growing restless, perhaps even beginning to stray. Both suspected Stevie secretly echoed their concerns. Tess had never truly believed Stevie and Joe shared the kind of commitment that would last a lifetime, but Stevie always gave everything she had to making her relationships work, even when it became obvious to others that her efforts would ultimately fail. She was always so optimistic—which made Tess even more nervous that Stevie was the one urging caution.
“So what are you going to tell Scott?” Stevie asked.
Tess spread her hands in confusion. “I have no idea.”
“And we haven’t helped much, have we?” Jenny asked ruefully. “With our completely opposite advice.”
“You’ve helped tremendously. You’ve listened without judgment while I expressed my concerns. I’ll think about everything you’ve both said while I make up my mind.”
“If you need to talk any more, you know where to find us,” Stevie offered.
“I know. Thanks. And now, how about if we table this topic for a while and maybe order take-out?”
“I’d love to, but I can’t stay,” Jenny said with a glance at her watch. “Gavin has the night off and we’re having a date night. We might even see a movie. In a theater. With popcorn and everything.”
Knowing how rare a free evening was for them, Tess smiled. “Good for you. Stevie?”
“Sorry. I’m out, too. I promised Joe I’d drive him and his band mates to the airport this evening. They’re catching a late flight to Austin for a gig there.”
Tess and Jenny exchanged quick glances. Stevie spent a lot of time as an unpaid assistant for her boyfriend’s alternative rock band, Eleven Twenty-Five. As busy as she was with her own kitchen design business, she still spent hours making calls for the band, dealing with printers and club owners, hauling supplies in her SUV, making flight arrangements. Tess wasn’t entirely sure what Stevie received in return. But because it was none of her business and Stevie hadn’t asked for advice, she kept her mouth shut. “Another time, then.”
“Soon,” Stevie promised. She jumped to her feet, tossed back her curls and carried her teacup toward the kitchen, looking suddenly restless. “I’d better get going. I promised Cole I’d feed his cat while he’s out of town.”
Cole McKellar was Stevie’s next-door neighbor, a quiet widower who sometimes helped Stevie with home maintenance in exchange for occasional cat-sitting. Tess hadn’t met him, but Stevie always spoke fondly of him. It was part of Stevie’s charm, as well as her weakness, that she liked almost everyone, and she had a near compulsive desire to take care of her friends. She stopped to give Tess a quick hug on her way out. “Seriously, call if you want to talk more. I’m always available as a sounding board.”
“Same here,” Jenny seconded as she prepared to follow Stevie out. “We’re here for you, pal.”
Smiling broadly, Tess locked the door behind them. Her smile faded as it occurred to her that an entire Sunday evening of solitude stretched in front of her now that her friends had rushed off to be with their significant others. Maybe she’d do a little Christmas decorating of her own place.
Not much was going on this last day of the long holiday weekend. Her s
ister had invited her for dinner, but she’d begged off, having endured enough nagging this week. Usually Tess enjoyed an evening to herself with nothing to do but lose herself in a good book or catch up on TV shows she’d recorded. Tonight she felt too antsy to relax, too aware of the silence in her condo. There were too few distractions from her convoluted thoughts, and she was no closer to a decision now than she’d been before her friends had arrived.
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.”
“Crazy day, huh?”
“Very.” She filled him in on the new hire.
Scott nodded. For the past couple of years he’d given her free rein for hiring and supervising the office staff. She often joked that her official title should have several “slashes” in it—office manager/human resources director/customer service representative/personal assistant to the boss. While she enjoyed the variety of her duties, the challenge was doing them all well, a feat she thought she managed most days.
“I’m sure you made the right choice,” he said. “Oh, and we got the Kilgo job today.”
&nbs
p; “Congratulations. I know you and Andy put a lot of hours into that bid.” Andy Staples was one of the project managers, an architect who’d been with the firm from the beginning. If Tess thought of herself as Scott’s right-hand woman within the home office, Andy was definitely Scott’s second in command everywhere else.
“Yeah. We’re both excited about the project. So you were about to leave for the day?”
Because she was wearing her coat and holding her purse and empty lunch dish, the answer seemed obvious, but she nodded. “Yes. Do you need anything before I go?”
“Want to have an early dinner somewhere? Talk awhile?”
His smile and the gleam in his navy eyes took her aback. That quickly, he’d transformed from work associate to would-be suitor. Was he really able to separate the professional from the personal that easily, or was he just that much better at masking his thoughts and feelings when he was in work mode?
“I, um—” It took her a bit longer to make the switch. “I have to stop by a baby-supplies store. We’re having Heather’s shower tomorrow afternoon and I haven’t had a chance to get anything for her. So maybe we should—”
“Stop by there together,” he finished for her. “I haven’t gotten anything for her, either.”
She blinked. “You want to go baby shower shopping together?”
“Well, there are things I’d rather do,” he replied candidly. “But you need a gift and so do I, so it makes sense for us to go together, right?”
She bit her lip. She wasn’t sure she knew what made sense anymore.
The phone in her hand beeped and she glanced down at the screen. Her sister had sent a text unnecessarily alerting her that cousin Dana’s party invitations had gone out. Nina had also felt the need to remind her that Awkward Orthodontist was still available as a potential escort—though not in those exact words, of course.
Tess sighed, then glanced up at the doorway where her good-looking employer stood smiling at her. “Okay, fine. Let’s go buy something cute and fuzzy,” she said more gruffly than she’d intended.