by Gail Sattler
He’d finally met her face-to-face. He was stunned.
And her perfume. He had no idea why such a thing would stick in his mind, but one day in the mall he’d nearly had a heart attack when he smelled the same perfume while walking past the cosmetic counter. He didn’t know why he did it, but he bought a bottle. The brand wasn’t even expensive stuff. It still sat on the vanity in his washroom as a reminder every day. As if he needed one. Being able to wake up in the morning was reminder enough.
And here she was. The voice. The perfume. Her name was Cindy.
“Are you all right, Mr. Smythe?” The senior vice president’s voice brought Monty back to the present.
He cleared his throat and adjusted his tie to bide himself some time until his hands stopped shaking. “Yes.” He nodded, then shook his head. The entire presentation he’d worked on for months disappeared in the blink of an eye. “No, I’m not. I’m sorry, Mr. Blackmore. I apologize for the inconvenience, but I have to talk to your secretary.”
“My secretary? What for?”
Monty faced Mr. Blackmore, knowing he could possibly blow the most lucrative contract of his career. “I have to talk to her. She saved my life and disappeared. I’ve been looking for her for months, and I can’t let her get away again.”
“She saved your life? Cindy? My Cindy? How?”
His gut clenched just thinking about it. After talking to so many people, he’d put all the pieces together about what happened and who did what. The only thing he hadn’t been able to find was the missing mystery woman. “About five months ago I was in a very serious automobile accident. She appeared out of nowhere, administered some life-saving first aid, and disappeared without telling anyone her name. I’m sorry, but my mind has just gone blank. I’d like to reschedule another appointment. And please accept my apologies.”
Robert turned his head in Cindy’s direction, as did Monty, to watch the shadow of her form through the curtained window. “Were you really hurt that bad?”
Monty nodded. “It was touch-and-go for awhile. Without her, they say I would have died.”
“Wow.”
Monty tried not to squirm as Robert scanned him from head to foot. “And you’re all right now?”
“Except for a quantity of metal holding me together and a number of assorted scars, I’m fine.” He stood.
“Sure, book another appointment with my secretary.” Robert paused, grinned as he glanced again through the curtain, then walked around his desk to open the door. “I’ve enjoyed our conversation today, Mr. Smythe. And please call me Robert. I look forward to meeting with you again.”
“Thank you, Robert.” Monty returned the handshake. “And please, call me Montgomery.”
Monty headed straight for Cindy’s desk, where she sat with her head bowed, concentrating intently on her work. She stopped typing as soon as she realized he was there.
“I’d like to book another appointment with Robert, but I’ll have to do that when I get back to my office.” He cleared his throat and wiggled the knot of his tie for lack of something better to do with his hands. His tie had never been so straight. “And I really would like to see you again, somewhere private, so we can talk.”
Her face flushed. “It’s okay,” she whispered, glancing from side to side before making eye contact. “Don’t worry about it.”
“But I want to. I have so much I want to say to you. Is there anything I can do for you?”
“I don’t want anything from you. Really. If you want to do something, why don’t you just send me a few flowers, and that’ll be enough.”
“Flowers? That’s it?”
“Yes.” Her voice dropped. “Just a few flowers. I like fresh flowers.”
“Flowers it is.” Monty reached out, grasped her hand, and bending forward, brought it up to his lips and kissed it, something he’d never done in his life, but the action felt strangely right. “I’m glad I finally got to meet you. Good-bye, Cindy.”
He released her hand, bowed, turned, and trying his best to minimize his limp, walked into the elevator and out to his car.
❧
Cindy watched Montgomery Edward Smythe disappear as the elevator door closed, her mind still reeling from the events of the day.
First, her performance review, which she didn’t want to think about, and now this.
“Wow,” Ann sighed.
“Yeah. Wow,” Brenda sighed, too.
Susan rested her elbows on her desk and cradled her chin in her cupped palms. “Who is he, and why didn’t you tell us about him?”
“Why can’t he buy me flowers?” Melinda giggled.
“There’s nothing to tell. I don’t even know him,” Cindy stammered. The only ones that knew about what had happened were Troy and Erin. And she planned to keep it that way. “He needed some help one day, and I was there.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Cindy noticed Robert standing in the doorway of his office listening to the conversation. “You’re lying, Cindy.” Robert’s voice echoed in the hushed room.
All the women turned to see his rotund figure leaning against the door frame. Cindy shrank in her chair, wishing the ground would swallow her up.
“Well, maybe not lying, but that certainly isn’t the entire truth. He told me what happened. In fact, he was so shaken up after meeting you, he couldn’t concentrate, so we had to make another appointment.”
All eyes turned to Cindy, followed by an audible gasp. Cindy’s face heated up, and she nearly dropped the file she had been preparing.
“In fact,” Robert continued, undaunted, “I think I’m going to tell you all what really happened. Come on, Cindy, don’t be embarrassed.” He faced the other ladies.
Cindy shrank farther down into her chair. She tried to continue working, but her hands shook too much.
“He was in a car accident, and Cindy did more than just help. He says she saved his life, then left without telling anyone who she was.”
“Ooohhhhhh. . . ,” all four ladies gushed, staring at her, making her wish for a cave nearby so she could go hide.
“Please,” she begged, “don’t tell anyone. It wasn’t that big a deal. I just did what needed to be done.”
“It was a big deal to him, Cindy,” said Robert gravely. “But that is now between you and him, right, ladies?”
“Yes, Mr. Blackmore,” they mumbled in unison.
“Want the rest of the day off, Cindy?” he asked.
Cindy wondered if Robert could see her shaking. “No, I’m really busy, and it’s not like it happened yesterday or anything. But thanks for the offer.”
The volume of paperwork helped get her back on track, and soon everyone was hard at work again, ignoring her, just the way she wanted it.
❧
After a restless night, Cindy arrived at her desk to find a dozen pink roses in a lovely crystal vase tied with a large white ribbon waiting for her. She read the card.
A few flowers won’t ever come close to what I wanted to say, but they will have to do. Hope you enjoy them—
Montgomery
She smiled and ran her fingers along the velvety petals, then buried her face into the bouquet, inhaling the heady fragrance. Since the shock of seeing him was gone, she could appreciate his gesture. Montgomery was probably very nice.
After rummaging through her desk, she read the business card he had left the day before.
She wondered about the connection from his name to the company but then dismissed the thought. It was not her concern.
Card in hand, she dialed his number. When the receptionist put her call through, Cindy was surprised that he answered his own phone and not a secretary.
“Hello, Montgomery. This is Cindy Martins, from Circuits, Inc. I just wanted to call to thank you for the flowers. They’re very nice, although I would hardly call a dozen roses a few flowers, but thank you.”
“Please, call me Monty, and I’m glad you liked them. So tell me, what would you term ‘a few’ flowers then?”
“You’re more than welcome.”
“I’ve got to get back to work now. Thanks again. Bye, Monty.”
“Bye, Cindy.”
With that out of the way, Cindy returned her attention to her work. As the day progressed, she developed a whopping headache, which she initially attributed to a poor night’s sleep after the stress of the day before. However, by the end of the day, her monster headache had worsened to the extent that she wondered if her head would explode. Her sinuses were blocked solid, her nose started to run, and she couldn’t stop shivering.
When she arrived home, Cindy dug through the medicine cabinet in search of some heavy-duty cold medication. Tonight she had planned to go out for dinner with Troy and then to the theater to see a play she had been looking forward to for weeks, and she refused to let a little cold stop her.
She pulled a spare blanket out of the closet to keep herself warm until the medication took effect, flopped down on the couch, and absently stared at the pink roses.
The next thing she knew, her head shot up at the sound of pounding on the door. She tried to move her hands to push herself up, but she was all tangled in the blanket.
Erin, whom she hadn’t heard come home, answered the door.
Troy strode in. “Hi, how’s it. . . You look terrible! Are you sick?”
Cindy sniffled. “Thanks, I needed that. I feel much better now.” She sneezed.
Before she had the chance to stand, Troy frowned and pressed his hand on her forehead. “You’re running a fever. How long have you felt like this? And where did you get the flowers?”
Cindy tried to smile, but her eyes burned. All she could do was squint upward at him. “I started feeling crummy at lunch-time. You remember that car accident the night you were our victim? The flowers are from him.”
“That’s it? He gave you flowers?”
“He wanted me to go out with him and talk, but I told him all I wanted was a few flowers, and he sent me a dozen roses. Wasn’t that sweet?”
“Humph,” Troy mumbled, scowling at the beautiful bouquet. “Yeah, sweet.” He tucked the blanket around her chin, then stood back. “What about the play tonight?”
Suppressing a sniffle, Cindy tried to smile, but her attempt didn’t work. Her nose was so stuffed she couldn’t breathe, and on top of everything else, now her eyes were watery. Her head fell back on the couch and the blanket fell from where Troy had tucked it. She shivered.
“I’m fine.” She pulled the blanket up again, and the movement brought on a fit of coughing.
“Right. You look fine. I think we can forget about dinner, too.”
“Oh, Troy,” she moaned. “I’m so sorry. I know you wanted to see the play. Why don’t you and Erin go?” She sniffled, making her head hurt even worse.
Erin and Troy froze and stared at each other.
Cindy squeezed her eyes shut. “I’m not trying to be a matchmaker, but I don’t want to waste the tickets.” She sneezed again.
Suddenly, Troy grinned, showing off his wonderful smile and sparkling blue eyes. Cindy nearly started to admonish him that his charms were not going to work, but she started coughing.
Troy’s smile dropped to a downcast expression and he let out an exaggerated sigh. His head fell back, he lifted the back of his hand to touch his forehead, and he laid his other palm over his heart, his fingers splayed. “Oh, Erin,” he moaned melodramatically. “I’ve been stood up! Please help me salvage my broken heart!”
Erin groaned at his terrible theatrics. Cindy wanted to hit him.
He lowered himself to one knee before Erin, then grasped her left hand with his right. His eyes twinkled as he smiled engagingly at Erin, and her face flushed in return.
“Erin, would you honor me by being my guest to the theater tonight? I just happen to have great seats.” He bowed his head with a dramatic flourish.
Erin giggled, then snatched her hand away. “I’ll be dressed in ten minutes.” She disappeared into her bedroom before Cindy could blink twice.
Cindy gritted her teeth at the thought of Erin falling for that rot. She glared at Troy. “How do you do that?”
Troy shrugged his shoulders. “I have a gift.”
“She’s my best friend. I’m warning you.”
“Me?”
“Yes, you.”
He tipped his head back and laughed aloud. Cindy ignored him and sagged back into the soft, comfy couch, which shifted when Troy sat to wait for Erin. Cindy felt herself dozing off again, but she didn’t care. She never heard them leave.
Sometime in the middle of the night Cindy awoke, finding herself still on the couch with her trusty blanket. She made a much needed trip to the washroom and crawled off to bed.
In the morning, she didn’t feel any better and phoned in sick. Not that she expected sympathy from her boss, but she couldn’t tell if Robert was teasing when he reminded her about how his previous secretary phoned in sick, then quit. After thinking about it all day and all the following night, she went in the next day despite not being fully recovered.
She felt infinitely better when Robert nearly dropped his coffee cup as she walked by his office and sat down at her desk, which was piled high with folders and loose papers. She didn’t know how so much could accumulate in one day.
Within seconds, Robert appeared beside her, the cup still in his hand. “What are you doing here?”
“I work here. Don’t I?” She sneezed.
“I didn’t expect you today. I guess you can tell I missed you. And by the way, Montgomery phoned for you yesterday. I left you a note.”
He had stuck a note with Monty’s name and phone number in the center of her computer screen, along with other notes concerning matters requiring her immediate attention.
“Did he say what he wanted?”
“Didn’t ask. But I think it was important.”
She also noticed his card wasn’t in her drawer but sitting on top of the phone.
She called him right away. As soon as she identified herself, the receptionist put her through immediately. “Hi, Monty. It’s Cindy, from Circuits, Inc., returning your call.”
“It’s great to hear from you. How are you feeling? Robert said you were sick yesterday.”
“I’m not great, but I feel much better than I did yesterday. Thanks for asking. Now what can I do for you?”
“I need to make an appointment to see Robert.”
Cindy raised her eyebrows. He could have made the appointment himself by speaking with Robert. Neither of them needed her just for that.
She flipped through Robert’s appointment book. “How does ten-thirty Friday morning sound?”
“Fine. I’ll see you at the same time, too.”
“Can’t miss me, I sit right outside his office door, and you won’t get in unless I say so.”
He laughed. “I wish I had a secretary like you. Maybe someday. See you tomorrow. Bye.”
Later that morning, more flowers arrived—a small but lovely arrangement of three fragrant blossoms she couldn’t identify, surrounded by dainty baby’s breath. The card was brief and to the point.
A few flowers, as requested.
Monty
Cindy frowned as she reread the card. She had not requested any more flowers. In fact, quite the opposite. She told him a dozen was too much and that. . . and that she only wanted a few flowers, like two or three.
Cindy grinned in spite of herself.
Throughout the day, her attention wandered to the vase of flowers on the corner of her desk. While she fought with the piles of paperwork, she continually tried to inhale their delicate fragrance as best she could through her stuffy nose. Every time she looked at them, she thought of Monty.
Her smile faded. That was probably his intention, and
she wasn’t falling for it.
All day long, she struggled to catch up with the backlog, and by the time she got home, she felt exhausted. Sitting on the couch, she was halfway falling asleep when Erin ran in the door and straight to her bedroom.
“Where are you going in such a rush?” she called out.
“I’ve got to change. Troy is going to be here in fifteen minutes, and we’re going out for dinner.”
Cindy nearly dropped the remote control. She headed to Erin’s room to question her but found her in the washroom, frantically fixing her hair. “You’re going out with Troy? That was quick. You just went out with him night before last.”
“I went out with him last night, too, but you were sleeping and didn’t notice,” Erin mumbled as she applied her makeup.
Cindy crossed her arms. “You watch that man. He’s got more lines than a high school notebook. I should know. He used every one of them on me.”
Erin spoke while applying her lipstick. “You didn’t fall for any of them, did you?”
Cindy grinned. “Well, no. I thought they were kind of cute.” She giggled. “And he tries so hard. I think I bruised his ego when I told him I only wanted to be friends. You should see the women at work drooling over him.”
“Don’t worry about me.” Erin winked. “I’m a big girl.”
“But he’s a big boy.”
Erin winked. “Yeah, I know. Isn’t he great?”
Cindy lost her smile. “Erin, he’s an unbeliever. While I like him as a friend, I don’t know if the relationship you have in mind with him is such a good idea.”
“I know. But we’ve talked a lot about spiritual things, and he’s really thinking about it. Trust me, okay? Like, I’m not going to run out and marry the guy. At least not yet.”
Troy knocked at the door, and they nodded at each other as Erin opened it.
“Where are we going?” Erin asked as she slipped on her shoes. “Remember you’re paying.”
Troy only grinned and waved to Cindy as they exited.
