Sometimes, Cara wondered how her best friend could be so dense. “We’ve been highly attracted to each other since I walked down that aisle. Did you know his daughter thought I was the bride? It’s like electricity and magnetism all rolled into one whenever we’re together. We don’t touch—almost at all—and it’s smart. We shouldn’t. We just—we—we shouldn’t.”
“You’re falling in love with him.”
“I’ve already hit the ground,” Cara moaned.
“He’s obviously there, too.”
“Yes, but what good is it? He lives there, I live here, and neither of us is going to uproot ourselves for some serious chemistry.”
Dragging the chair around the desk, Carly seated herself in front of Cara and took her friend’s hands. “You’ve been single ever since I’ve known you. You walked into this office single and honestly, I was convinced you’d walk out on your retirement day just as single.”
“I date—”
“If it’s a work date. Don’t give me that garbage. You haven’t been interested in a man in the three years I’ve known you.” She held up her hand. “I’m not finished with you. Look at those roses. Look at what he said. He’s putting himself out there. He didn’t have to send these to this office. He could have sent just one with that note. He didn’t have to make his appearances so public, and he didn’t have to make himself so obvious to the world, but he did.”
“So where are you going with this?”
“Do not let this man go.” She closed her eyes and shook her head at Cara’s attempted interruption. “I’m not saying don’t let him get on the plane—”
“Train.”
“Train. Whatever. I’m saying have a message on his answering machine, an email in his inbox, and a call while he’s traveling. Send pictures of you guys and work for this.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re in love with this guy and that’s a gift from the Lord Himself. You’d be the biggest, most arrogant fool of all times to throw it back and say, ‘Sorry, Lord, it’s too inconvenient and way too much work. I’ll do without, thank you very much.’”
“Carly?”
“Hmm?”
“I love you.”
Carly pulled a rose from the vase and rubbed it lightly against her dark skin. “I know.”
Chapter Nine
“The park again?”
“Too repetitive?” Jonathan pulled sandwiches from a brown paper bag with the name of Rockland’s best deli stamped across it lengthwise.
“Actually, I like it. This was my favorite place, and it gets tiresome trying to outdo yourself all the time.” She peeked in her wrapper. “Pastrami! How did you know?”
“My mom knows your pastor who knows your mom so they made some calls and voilà.”
She stared at the wrapped sandwich, her mouth nearly watering with anticipation and then at her skirt in dread. “I make such a mess…”
“Close your eyes. Don’t open them until I tell you.” He waited for her to close her eyes and pulled something else from the bag.
Cara felt something slip over her head and prayed it wasn’t a bib. It was humiliating enough that she still left half her sandwich on her person before she finished eating but a bib would just be too much. He gently pulled her hair away from her neck and then smoothed it as the waves fell between her shoulder blades. He draped it around her and fumbled with something before she felt him pull the item close, giving it away.
“It’s an apron.”
“Surprise!”
“How’d you know?” she demanded as she glanced down at the baker’s apron covering her. Tony’s Deli was stamped on it in block letters that matched the bag on the bench between them.
“Your mom said not to go to the deli. She didn’t want your clothes ruined, so I promised to bring a towel.”
“This isn’t a towel.”
He shrugged and took a large bite of his turkey and Swiss. “Sue me,” he quipped before concentrating his attention on his sandwich.
A few minutes passed as they ate their meals and sipped the bottles of soda he’d purchased. Shaking off her nerves, Cara laughed at the curious glances he gave her, rolled up the sandwich wrappings, and stuffed them in the bag. “So, the office is buzzing about an ostentatious display of affection that arrived this morning.”
“Ostentatious,” Jonathan echoed as he took a swig of Pepsi. “That’s an ominous word.”
“Well, along with this display was this note with a hint to what the display might mean.”
“Oh, really?”
Cara’s eyes slid sideways to try to catch his thoughts. “I looked up the significance of this display and…” She hesitated. “Why so many? There has to be three dozen roses in that thing.”
“I didn’t want to leave any doubt.”
“That’s what Carly said.”
“Who?”
Cara jumped to her feet, gathered their trash, and beckoned him to follow. As they walked the small pathways of the little park, she told him of her conversation with Carly, what Carly thought it all meant, and finally of Carly’s insistence that she do everything in her power to keep Jonathan close—even when he was far away from her. As she finished, she returned to the bench, sat down, and laid her arm along the back of the bench, resting her head in her hand.
“Will you do it?”
“Do what?”
Pinching the bridge of his nose with his fingers, Jonathan visibly struggled to speak clearly. “Will you fight—like she said?”
“To a point, probably.”
“What point?”
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “I just know that as much as I’m not ready to see this—whatever this is—end, I’m not willing to risk having my heart ripped out either.”
“Oh, Cara mia, I woudn’t,” Jonathan insisted.
“Not deliberately, no. No, you wouldn’t.”
Thoughts flew between them faster than words ever could have. As they sat on the bench beneath a Japanese maple tree, they “discussed” Jonathan’s letter, Carly’s observations, and studiously avoided even thinking about the rapidity in which the days flew by them. Cara opened her mouth to say something aloud when Jonathan’s phone rang.
~*~*~*~
“Hello?” He smiled at the sound of Riley’s voice. “Yes, she got the flowers. Yes, she liked them. Yes, you can talk to her.” He passed the phone to her. “Riley wants to talk to you.”
“You told her?”
“We picked them out together yesterday. I had a hard time steering her away from the yellow and the white.”
Turning all of her attention to Riley in the delightfully infuriating way she had, Cara took the phone and leaned away from him. “Hello, Riley. I hear you went flower shopping yesterday.” The eager little girl told about the daisies, the orchids, and the sunflowers she saw but assured Cara that they hadn’t considered anything but the roses.
“Well, I think you chose perfectly. They’re exactly what I would have hoped for if I had thought to hope. You did a very good job not giving away the surprise last night…”
As Cara talked with his children, Jonathan listened amazed. Her ease, her genuine interest, and the way she gave them her full attention without concern for how he’d see that endeared her further. She sounded delighted one minute, sympathetic the next, and even her mild rebuke was as gentle as a summer shower. Who wouldn’t fall in love with a woman like that?
A minute later, she heard him greet Bryson. An impatient sigh on his part proved that she wasn’t completely oblivious to his presence. She giggled and told Bryson, “Your father is being a very impatient man. I think you should tell me all about your sand pile at home so he can practice sharing his friends, don’t you?”
Whatever Bryson said made her flush a little and wink at Jonathan. “Well, you are a very self-less boy!” A look of dismay flooded her face and she hurried to explain. “No, sweetheart, self-less. It means that you are not selfish, but it does sound a little like selfish, d
oesn’t it? Okay, well, I’ll go spend time with your daddy, but only because you’re such a thoughtful little boy. I’m very proud of you for sharing. Goodbye, sweetie and I’ll see you as soon as I can, okay?” She passed the phone back to Jonathan, crossed her arms over her chest, and threw him a look that challenged him to top that one.
“Son, what if I call Shelly and see if she’ll come and you three can go with us on our date? We’ll make a challenge of it. Sound good?” The smirk on Jonathan’s face was priceless. “I’ll tell Cara that you’re coming and that you think I share very nicely. I’ll tell her those exact words, son. Bye now.”
With a decided snap, the phone lay silent in his hands. Man and woman stood facing each other just inches apart. Cara’s arms were still crossed, one hip cocked as though amused but slightly bored. Jonathan, on the other hand, leaned one arm against a tree and let his hand rest in his pocket. He watched her grow self-conscious as she appraised him. Too soon for Jonathan’s taste, Cara lowered her eyes. He, on the other hand, couldn’t drag his eyes from her. Time froze long enough for him to enjoy gazing at her again—uninterrupted.
“I guess you have to go back,” he eventually whispered.
With an impatient toss of her hair from her face, Cara returned his gaze and nodded. “I guess.”
Jonathan brushed a stray tendril from her forehead and smoothed it into place. “Cara mia, your hair alone could be the death of me.”
“What are we, Romeo and Juliet? I was just about to tell you that if you keep looking at me like that, I’m going to forget to breathe.”
He turned her shoulders gently and untied the apron, slipping it over her head without mussing her hair again. Rolling it carefully, he handed it to her. “Let’s not do the tragic hero thing, okay? I’d rather do the fairytale ‘happily ever after’ thing. It just sounds more…” He paused searching for the right word.
“Realistic? I never thought I’d say fairytales are realistic, but in comparison with dying for love, I’d say so.”
“If I died, I’d want you to live—live a long life—and find someone wonderful who could make you happy.” Even as he spoke, Jonathan realized what his wife had felt in her last weeks. “I guess that’s what Lily was trying to share.”
“That’s good,” Cara quipped. “Because I don’t plan on suicide if you are so foolish as to off yourself.”
Their steps dragged through the park trails as they wandered toward Jonathan’s car side by side, hands nearly touching but never quite connecting. Just as they crossed the stretch of grass that separated the parking lot from the paths, Jonathan glanced at her curiously. “Ostentatious, huh?”
“It’s the first word that came to mind, okay! I loved the flowers, I adored that you bought so many. Think me self-centered, but I happen to love a little pampering and that was right up my alley. I may not be high maintenance in the gift department, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love to be spoiled as much as the next woman.”
“Ostentatious though. Interesting.”
~*~*~*~
When Cara arrived back at work, Carly waited in her office with “reports” that turned out to be little more than memos. “So, where’d you go?”
“Just to the park. There’s this cool little place a few blocks from here. I’d never seen it before the other day, but it’s amazing. Trees, trails, benches…”
“What’d he bring you?”
Cara sighed. This was it. The moment she answered, Carly would buy bridal magazines and order fabric swatches. “Pastrami.”
“Did you tell him?” A smile grew as Carly spoke. “In the short time you’ve had to get to know each other, did you actually tell him your favorite sandwich?” She stared at Cara’s outfit. “There’s not a mustard spot anywhere.”
“He brought me an apron and no, I didn’t tell him. Mom did.”
“He’s met your mom!” Carly frowned. “Right. He came yesterday when she brought your outfit. Forgot.”
The office buzzing ceased. The general low toned discussions ended, no one swiveled in a chair, printed anything, or clacked a computer keyboard. The room sat as if frozen, waiting to hear more. Cara, tired of the drama, shook her head, rolled her eyes, and strode purposefully toward the door and opened it.
“Hear ye, hear ye. Will everyone give me their full attention?” She glanced around the room, waiting for a few heads to rise above the cubicles. “Yes, I am seeing someone—” A cheer rose from the room, interrupting her. She waved her hands to silence them and continued. “His name is Jonathan, he lives in Atlanta, and he’s here, with his two children, until Monday. Then he’s going home and I don’t know when or if I’ll ever see him again.”
A collective murmur of disappointment touched her deeply. Cara smiled through unexpected tears of gratitude for the interest shown in her life, her happiness, and herself as a person. “He sent me that huge bunch of roses today and yes, I swooned. That was kind of his goal and it worked. And yes,” she continued, knowing rumors had already made the office rounds, “he chose lavender for a reason. Apparently they mean love at first sight.” She took a deep breath. “I can’t tell you what it means to me that you’re all so invested in my happiness. I can see the desire to tease…” she gave the youngest male in the room a pointed look. “… the prayers of dear friends…” she smiled gratefully at Carly. “… the curiosity, the hope and the joy in so many of you. I appreciate it. I don’t know if this’ll go anywhere. It won’t be easy with us hundreds and hundreds of miles apart but—” She swallowed, realizing she’d just made up her mind. “I do plan to give it everything I’ve got. Even if he wasn’t more than worth it, and he is, his kids certainly are.”
Without another word, she did an about face to return to her office, but an exuberant round of applause stopped her. The room, filled with standing, clapping co-workers, couldn’t have made her feel any better if they’d tried. “Thank you,” she whispered.
Carly started to return to her office but Derek stepped from his and beckoned her. “Can I see you a moment?”
With an inward groan that could have deafened the room had it been audible, Cara followed him into his immaculate office. “Yes?”
“Shut the door.”
A sense of dread swept over her. What had she done? Was he upset about her announcement? They kept a well-disciplined but still casual air in the office. Everyone worked hard, but unlike a library or classroom, the employees felt free to joke, call across the room with a question, or tease a fellow coworker about a mistake. Perhaps he thought it inappropriate for the assistant CFO to mingle so casually with the rest of the finance office.
“Um… did I—”
“You like this man.”
“Yes.”
“More than you thought yesterday, I presume?” The lack of accusation in his words brought welcome relief.
“He pretty much laid his heart at my feet last night, but we don’t know each other well enough to make the huge changes in our lives that we’d have to if we wanted to be together on a regular basis.”
“What a jumbled mess of nothingness. I swear people don’t take any kind of reasonable or unreasonable risks anymore.” At her shocked expression, he hastened to add. “Not that I’m complaining. That’s why I called you in here. If it turns out that you want to go to Atlanta to be with him, I can get you in the finance department of the southeastern corporate offices opening there. It’d be a step down…” He watched her carefully to see if she balked. “I mean, the CFO gets to pick his own assistant since they’re being groomed for Comptroller after all, but I could definitely get you into Chan’s position down there if you wanted. Just say the word and I’ll call Wes Marley and get the ball rolling.”
Overwhelming temptation washed over her. Yes, she’d make a little less money, but being hired as a CFO’s assistant right out of college had been an extremely unusual situation. She’d interviewed with Chan for Chan’s position and impressed Derek so thoroughly that he’d hired her on the spot. Her salary was t
wice what she’d hoped for, and while not wealthy, compared to her contemporaries, she did quite well for herself.
“I can’t. You do not know how badly I want to throw my arms around you, thank you from the bottom of my heart, and beg you to make that call, but I can’t. I can’t uproot my entire life, leave my dream job, and move almost a thousand miles away—where I only know one person— just in case I might fall in love with him.”
“Might?”
“Okay, might stay in love with him. If the offer is still good in a year or so, I might ask, but I don’t expect it.” She rested her hands on his desk and deliberately met his eyes. “The fact that you offered means so much to me though. I really appreciate it.”
“I can’t say I’m sorry you said no.”
“Good,” she retorted as she left his office. “I wouldn’t want to discover you were eager to get rid of me.”
Chapter Ten
Fairy lights lit the Chesterfield Greenhouse, sending Riley and Shelly into rhapsodies over their date. Cara didn’t know they’d opened the maze at night, but Jonathan assured her that their food would be delicious and he’d discovered that for the month of May, instead of a mystery dinner, they offered a scavenger hunt through the maze. They were free to stop and eat when they reached the middle dining area and continue before they left, but if they managed to find everything on their list before they left or before closing time, they had prize baskets from area merchants. Cara considered it a brilliant advertising move. It didn’t cost the greenhouse anything extra, the businesses wrote off their prizes and got new customers, and the patrons loved the hunt. She wondered exactly what Jonathan thought of it, but his voice interrupted her thoughts.
“Okay. This is how this works. You’re going to start in that corner, and we’re going to start here.” Jonathan spoke primarily to his children, but his words were clearly meant for Shelly. “Your radio is for help. If you even feel a tiny bit uncomfortable, call for help immediately. When you get to the dining area, call my phone if we’re not there yet.”
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