But he wasn’t there.
“It’s not that,” she said slowly. “I’m not ready, because I’m not going through with it.”
Jason dragged out a sigh, boldly displaying open annoyance. “Not again.”
Elle bristled. “I know I’ve changed my mind a few times but…”
Jason snorted. He actually snorted.
Raising her chin, Elle narrowed her eyes at him. “I’m calling it off.”
“You’re what?” Jason’s tone dripped with disdain.
“I’m taking the company—my company—in a different direction. As Jane Austen said, ‘It is not what we think or feel that makes us who we are. It is what we do. Or fail to do.’ And I’ve failed to stand up for what I believe is right. But not anymore.”
“Who?” He stared at her blankly.
“Jane Austen.” Elle cocked her head, wondering if he hadn’t heard her correctly. “The author of Sense and Sensibility. The—“ When recognition failed to register on Jason’s face, heat rose to her cheeks as she realized what was happening.
Jason hadn’t sent those messages! He’d lied! Which meant… No! He wouldn’t!
“You have no idea what I’m talking about, do you?” she asked, although she already knew the answer. Her gut had told her Jason never sent those messages. Why hadn’t she listened?
In fact… Her stomach flip-flopped. Of course! She almost laughed out loud as the realization struck her. She knew exactly who had sent those messages. The answer had been in front of her the entire time! How had she not seen it? Who knew her better than Graham? And to think, he could have told her what to do outright. Instead, he’d given her clues, allowing her to make the decision for herself. Oh, how she loved that man.
“Sure, I do,” Jason asserted. “The messages I sent were quotes. From a book. By Jane Austen.”
Elle shook her head with a pitying expression. “Please, don’t embarrass yourself any further. You didn’t send me those messages. Which means you used your clearance to hack into my personal account.”
“You can’t prove that.”
“I’ve been coding software since I was thirteen. Dare me to prove it.”
Jason did his best to remain calm and composed, but Elle saw a flash of panic in his eyes.
“I’ll tell you what,” she said. “Walk away right now and burn our contract, and I’ll forget about the whole thing.”
He hesitated as if weighing his options. Then, without a word, he set his glass of champagne on the bistro table and walked out as casually as if he were stepping outside for some fresh air.
“Where’s he going?” Lacey appeared by her side with a look of concern. “Aren’t you guys giving your speech in a few minutes?”
Oh, no! The speech!
“Here,” Rob said, joining them. “Looks like you could use this.” He handed Elle a tall glass of water.
“You look a little green. Are you sick?” Lacey pressed a hand to Elle’s forehead, checking her temperature. Turning to Rob, she said, “She feels hot. Jason must have gone for some Advil.”
Elle gently took Lacey’s hand from her forehead and held it in her own. “He hasn’t gone for medication, Lace. He’s not coming back.”
“What do you mean, he’s not coming back? You guys have to make the big announcement!” Lacey was starting to look a little green herself.
“Calm down and let her explain, babe.” Rob flashed Elle an encouraging smile.
Elle took a deep breath, grateful for Rob’s reassuring presence. “He’s gone because I fired him. And before you freak out,” Elle rushed on as Lacey opened her mouth to protest, “he’s destroying our contract, so we don’t owe him anything.”
“Why would he do that?”
“Because I found out he hacked into my Puzzle account to read my messages, then pretended he sent them to me.”
“What?” This time, the overreaction came from Rob. “Wait here. I’ll—“
Elle held back a smile as she placed her hand on his arm to stop him from going after Jason. “That’s sweet, but not necessary.”
“But what are we going to do? All these people…” Lacey’s voice sounded small and scared.
Seeing the panic in her friend’s eyes stirred something inside of Elle—a strength she didn’t know she had. “Don’t worry. I have a plan.”
In front of fifty captivated guests, Elle shared her vision for the future of Puzzle. She planned to modify her algorithms to be less rigid. While the app would still narrow down pools of potential matches, the focus would be on providing an environment for open communication, including live chatting sessions during which users could get to know one another in a safe and controlled setting. And these ideas were only the beginning. In the end, Elle hoped to offer a balance between logic and emotion. She wanted to give users direction as well as the freedom to choose.
The conclusion of her speech was met with cheers and applause. Lacey embraced her with glistening eyes, and Rob enveloped her in a bone-crushing hug. But as lovely as it all was, there was one thing missing.
One person, to be exact.
Her fear and insecurities told her to move on—Graham had made his feelings clear. But in reality, she’d never come right out and asked him, face to face. The time had come to leave no doubt in her mind.
Even though the evening had barely begun, Elle bid Lacey and Rob goodbye and made her escape through the stairwell and out the back door.
But as she pushed through the exit, and emerged into a charming patio, she collided with a disoriented delivery boy.
“Excuse me, ma’am, I’m looking for,” the boy, who couldn’t have been a day over twenty-one, glanced at a note scribbled on the back of his hand, “the Puzzle Anniversary Party.”
“I just came from there. It’s upstairs.”
His face fell. “It’s not over, is it? I have a delivery for an Elle Montgomery.”
“I’m Elle Montgomery, but there must be a mistake.” She peered over his shoulder at the small puzzle-shaped ice sculpture he’d wheeled over on a cart. “All of our sculptures were already delivered.”
The boy shrugged. “My orders are to leave it with you.” He scrambled inside his coat pocket, producing a tiny white envelope. “This goes with it.” He shoved the envelope in her hand before heading back down the street and climbing inside his white delivery van.
Dumbfounded, Elle stared at the special delivery. What the heck was she supposed to do with an extra ice sculpture? Not to mention the cart. The patio was small, with a few tables and chairs, and an ivy-covered arbor strung with bistro lights. Maybe she could tuck it in a corner somewhere to melt?
Then she remembered the envelope.
A tiny slip of paper inside read Break Me.
Elle glanced over her shoulder. Was this some kind of joke? Was she on camera? Hesitantly, she stepped toward the sculpture. It was about a foot and a half tall and equally wide. Gingerly, she picked it up to take a closer look. The ice was cold and slick to the touch, and she almost dropped it.
It was hard to tell, but it looked like there might be something frozen inside.
Her heart pounded against her chest as she took one last look around. Then she raised the sculpture a few feet into the air and held her breath, the cold ice stinging her bare hands.
An image of her and Graham in the Break Room flashed through her mind, and she couldn’t help a smile. Bolstered by the memory, she flung the sculpture to the ground and shards of sparkling ice scattered across the asphalt.
There, a few feet in front of her, a metal object glittered in the dim light.
Elle wrapped her fingers around the delicate chain and lifted it off the ground. Peering closer, she gasped at the heart pendant made from tiny puzzle pieces welded together.
“Do you like it?”
Startled, Elle whirled around to see Graham standing behind her.
He looked unbelievably handsome in a classic black tuxedo and… Was that a fuchsia tie? Elle would have giggled if she
wasn’t already about to cry.
“I love it,” she murmured, so close to saying, I love you, too.
He stepped forward and took it from her hand.
Turning around, Elle lifted her hair. Her skin tingled against his touch as he clasped the pendant around her neck.
As he adjusted the collar of her jacket, she closed her eyes and let her hair fall, savoring the sensation of having him so close. Turning around, she gazed up at him, and their eyes met.
In that moment, she had no doubt he loved her, too.
“I have something else for you.” His voice was husky as he reached into his jacket pocket. He pulled out a crumpled sheet of binder paper. “I meant to give this to you over ten years ago.”
Curious, Elle accepted the letter and unfolded it. As her eyes scanned the crinkled page, they filled with tears. A sob caught in her throat when she neared the end.
Will you be my valentine?
“It’s a long story,” Graham said, “but for reasons I won’t get into right now, this letter never got to you on the day it should have.”
Glancing up at him, Elle didn’t care that tears streamed down her cheeks, ruining her makeup.
“Elle Montgomery, my heart chose you a long time ago. And I’d very much like to keep on choosing you, if that’s okay with you. Will you do me the honor of being my valentine?”
The time it took for Elle to wrap her arms around Graham, and for their lips to find each other, felt like a lifetime too long. She wanted to simultaneously weep for the time they’d lost and rejoice for the joys that lay ahead.
Although they’d never kissed, his lips were at once familiar and tantalizingly new. And the pressure of his body against hers made her feel alive in a way she’d never imagined possible. She never, ever wanted to let him go, and her heart ached when they finally pulled apart.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” he said breathlessly, pressing his forehead to hers and drawing her even closer.
“Except there’s one problem,” Elle murmured.
“What’s that?”
“In your letter, it says to meet you in the vineyard if my answer is yes.”
A slow, playful smile spread across Graham’s face. “You’re right.” Gently guiding her by the elbow, he steered her toward the street.
* * *
Dalton Estates was the perfect place for a wedding. Elle had always thought so. In fact, in her wildest dreams, she’d envisioned herself and Graham getting married there. Of course, she wouldn’t have chosen candy-apple red and fuchsia as their wedding colors, but to each their own.
Elle had often fantasized about returning to the vineyard with Graham, and during the long car ride from San Francisco, she’d wanted to pinch herself. As they approached the regal entrance, with its towering archway and elm-lined drive, happy tears filled her eyes.
Rather than join everyone at the reception, Graham led Elle around back toward their favorite spot in the vineyard. Elle gasped when she spotted a checkered picnic blanket, a basket filled with Nerds and Laffy Taffy, and an ancient boom box. “How did you arrange all of this?”
“Let’s just say, someone owed me a favor.” Graham said with a laugh, striding toward the boom box.
Elle took in the dents and discoloration. “Does that thing even work anymore?”
“We’ll find out.” Graham pressed play, and the speakers crackled before the familiar sounds of Dashboard Confessional’s “Stolen” filled the crisp night air.
Elle melted, recalling the countless hours they’d spent lying in that very same spot, heads together, listening to their favorite band as they counted the stars and dreamt about their futures.
“Care to dance?” Graham held out his hand.
Elle giggled, giddy as a schoolgirl again.
As she slipped her fingers through his, she smiled to herself.
Their hands were a perfect fit.
Just like puzzle pieces.
* * *
If you’d like to read more about Elle and Graham, you can sign up for a free bonus story here.
Want more stories by Rachael Bloome? Discover other books by this author here.
A Note From the Author
Dear Friends,
Thank you for reading Puzzle Pieces. This story is close to my heart. While I grew up in a small town, I was born in the Bay Area near San Francisco, and some of my roots are still there. And I may have smirked at a blank canvas hanging on the wall in SFMOMA before. But that’s just between us. ;)
Until next time,
Blessings & Blooms
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank my parents for nurturing a love of storytelling as well as encouraging me to pursue my passions. And providing an endless supply of coffee to fuel my creativity.
I’d also like to thank Dave Cenker for encouraging me to share this story with the world. And Beth Attwood Proofreading Services and Wilette Cruz with Red Leaf Book Design for bringing this story to life with their incredible talents for editing and design.
And, as always, I’d like to thank you, the reader, for inviting me and my characters into your world. I hope you enjoyed Elle and Graham’s story. I’d love to hear from you anytime at [email protected].
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