Crossing Paths (8 page)

“Good morning, Mr. Hargrove. How was your vacation?”

“June, it was wonderful. I think I should leave more often if this is the outcome.” He jogs toward me, which is quite a sight by itself as he’s not a small man. He tosses a single sheet of paper, and it floats onto my desk.

Mr. Hargrove:

We sincerely appreciate you sending your bright assistant to our meeting on Monday. Her ideas and suggestions were a breath of fresh air. Our official letter of contract for the job will be emailed this afternoon. I look forward to working together.

~ Cohen

I blink my eyes several times. My vision must be playing tricks on me.
Oh my gosh! I did it!
I made an impression—and a good one at that. My boss is still lingering over my desk, waiting for some kind of response.

I peer up through my bangs, still blinking my eyes. “Wow! Mr. Hargrove, I am so glad that I was able to present your ideas in a way that impressed them.”

“Oh no, you don’t.” He practically jumps across my desk, lifts me to my feet, and gives me a tight hug.

Over his shoulder, several of my coworkers are reacting to his awkward display. A few are laughing while others are trying to pick up their jaws from off the ground.

Pulling me back by my shoulders, he looks me in the eyes. “After receiving his note, I called Cohen this morning to discuss a few things. The ideas he was impressed with were yours. I had never heard them before, and they were brilliant. I had no idea what kind of talent you were hiding in that brain of yours,” he says while tapping his finger against the side of my head. “Keep up the good work, and you’ll be moving up the ladder in no time.”

I know the smile on my face has to look ridiculous, but I don’t care.
This is unbelievable!
Mr. Hargrove gives me a quick pat on the shoulder before walking back into his office. I sit back down in my chair and pick up the phone to call Caroline.

“You aren’t going to believe this!” I quickly tell her about what happened, and I almost lose my hearing when she starts squealing on the other end of the phone.

“Well, that definitely calls for a celebration. More wine and See’s Candies?”

“Sounds wonderful to me. I need to go, but I’ll see you after work.”

“Alright! See you then.”

The rest of the day flies by, and I see Caroline as I’m walking into the apartment building. She has wine and candy in hand, and she’s striking a goofy pose. She looks like a cross between Vanna White and one of
Charlie’s Angels
.

“Geez, Caroline. Could you be any weirder?”

She laughs. “Don’t tempt me, June Bug. Let’s get inside, and start this dance party.”

Our celebratory dinner consists of grilled cheese sandwiches, wine, and chocolate. We spend the entire evening dancing around the kitchen, through the living room, and then into our respective beds.
I think tonight ranks up there as one of the best nights of my life.

“Hey, June?”

“Yes, Caroline?”

““You rock!” she shouts as one of our favorite songs begins to stream from the speakers in her room.

I smile to myself, hugging my pillow.
Now, that’s what friends are for.

Thursday & Friday

The week continues to go by quickly. Mr. Hargrove gives me more projects and asks for my opinion on several new jobs. I feel like I am soaring above the atmosphere, looking down at the earth. My life has a good view at the moment.

Friday afternoon, I walk into my office, focused on filing away some papers and grabbing more information before my next meeting. A smell catches my attention, and I glance up to the table by my doorway. Beautiful pink and white peonies greet me. They must be in the wrong office. Pulling off the card, I read the handwritten words.

Congrats on the new contract! See you Monday.

Try to keep your hands to yourself, so you don’t assault me. ~C

No freaking way! He’s coming here? What will I say to him? What will he say to me? What will I wear? I need Caroline!
It’s time to spill the beans about my trip and get some advice.

When I get home, Caroline is cleaning like a mad woman.

“What are you doing?” I laugh loudly. She looks ridiculous with cleaning gloves pulled up to her elbows while dirty paper towels are littered throughout the living room.

“My brother will be here tomorrow, and I don’t want him to tell my mom what a slob I am.”

“You are being crazy. You know you could always blame the mess on me.”

“My mom would never believe that.”

“Well, at least let me help you.”

Within two hours, the whole place is spotless, and it smells lovely. We plop down on the couch together, and Caroline catches her first glimpse of my flowers.

“June?” A grin forms across her face. “Where did the flowers come from?”

I blush instantly, feeling a heat spread throughout my entire body.

“Don’t be mad at me—”

“But?” Caroline pulls her legs up, sitting Indian-style, and turns to face me on the couch. “Where did you meet him?”

“In New York.”

“What? I thought we were friends. You met a guy in New York, and you didn’t tell me?”

“Well, he doesn’t actually live in New York.” I give Caroline the full recap of my horrible encounters with Cohen—from the flying magazine to the office building steps to our airport dinner. “Oh, it was horrible!” I throw my head into my hands. Sitting still for a second, I expect Caroline to cover me with her arms and hug me until I don’t feel like a total idiot anymore. Instead, I hear her burst into uninhibited laughter.

“That has to be the funniest thing I have ever heard. So, you threw your magazine at his head on the plane? Then, you chose to run smack into his backside before your meeting?”

“I didn’t choose to run into him. It just happened.”

“Wait a minute. He’s the one who sent you flowers? What did you do? Kiss him as he helped you up?”

“No, I didn’t kiss him. You are impossible! After the meeting, he found me and asked if I was going to the airport. He was flying out, too, so we ate at a little sandwich shop in the airport. Nothing happened. He’s practically my boss.”

“So, what does the card say?” She reaches out to snatch it before I can catch her. “Oh my gosh, he likes you! You better get a tan while you’re at the lake this weekend.”

“Just shut up. I am totally freaked out.”

“You are so silly. Is he hot?”

“Yes.”

“Did he seem nice?”

“Yes.”

“Does he have money?”

“Caroline!”

“Alright, well, he passes my test. Did you get his number? I think you should date him. Maybe you should even consider bringing him to Sunday dinner, so your mom can start planning your wedding and how many babies you should have.”

“Sure, that sounds like it’ll work out just fine since he lives on the opposite side of the country. I thought you would feel sorry for me and help me pick out something nice to wear for Monday. See if I ever bare my soul to you again.”

Caroline stares at me, waiting for the answer to the only question in her approval speech. I don’t want to get into this right now. She raises her eyebrows and motions with her hands to indicate that she’s waiting.

I raise my hands in surrender. “Fine. Yes, I got his number.”

She jumps up from her seat on the couch, clapping like a child too full of energy. “You should text him. You should text him right now!”

“And say what?”

“Anything. Come on, June! He obviously likes you. Give it a chance.”

I involuntarily smile, but before I can put my smile back where it belongs—off my face—Caroline starts poking at my sides with her Twizzler-like fingers.

“See, you like him, too! Just do it.”

“Okay, okay, but you have to leave me alone about it after this.”

“Pinky swear,” she says, not offering her pinky.

I draft several different text messages, trying to figure out which one would sound like I’m interested and grateful but not desperate.

Got your flowers. That was nice.

Thank you for the gift.

Come to Texas and be with me.

I finally settle on one.

The flowers are beautiful. Thank you. —June

I hit Send, and shortly after, my phone vibrates, showing a new message.

You’re welcome. —Cohen

“Let me see it,” Caroline says, lunging toward me.

I pull my phone away before she can reach it. “Stop it. He just said, ‘You’re welcome.’ That’s it, so don’t worry about it.”

She shakes her head and sits back down on the couch. “Fine.”

I can’t believe she gave up that easily.

Caroline glances to the carpet and then peeks back up with a strange look on her face. “I need to ask you a favor,” she says.

That’s an odd change in attitude.
“Sure. Anything. What do you need?”

“Can you help me pick out a dress for my date tonight?”

Friday

“You want my help picking out something to wear?” June questions, looking at me like I just asked her to build Noah’s ark.

She’s right. I would normally ask anyone before asking for her help, but since it is her brother, I thought her guidance might be good. Of course, I can’t tell her the reason behind the request.