determined.
“Hey, come on, Steph, we’re all in this together. We want to help. At least tell us what happened.”
It was apparent that she wouldn’t have a minute’s peace until she confessed everything to her romance-loving friends. “Meet me at ten in the cafeteria,” Stephanie told them. “I’ll get it all over with at once, but only if you promise never to mention Jonas Lockwood’s name to me again.”
Toni and Maureen exchanged meaningful glances. “This doesn’t sound good.”
“It’s my final offer.” Replaying her humiliation was going to be bad enough; she didn’t want it dragged out any more than necessary.
“All right, all right,” Toni muttered. “We’ll be there.”
Stephanie’s morning went smoothly. Her boss, George Potter, was on a two-day business trip to Seattle, but there was enough work to keep Stephanie occupied for another week if need be.
When she arrived in the cafeteria later that morning, she found the four women sitting at the table closest to the window, eagerly awaiting her arrival. A fifth cup of coffee was on the table in front of an empty chair.
“From that frown you’re wearing, I’d say the meeting with Mr. Lockwood didn’t go very well,” Jan commented, barely giving Stephanie time to take a seat.
“There are no adequate words to describe it,” Stephanie said by way of confirmation, reaching for the coffee. “I’m sorry to be such a major disappointment to you all, but anything that might have happened between me and Jonas Lockwood is off.”
“Why?”
“What happened?”
“I could have sworn he was hooked.”
“To be honest,” Stephanie said, striving to be as forthright as possible, “I think Jonas may be attracted to me, but we’re too different.”
“That’s what makes you so good together,” Barbara countered.
“And I saw the way he looked at her,” Jan inserted thoughtfully. “Now tell us what happened and let us figure out the next strategy.”
Stephanie swallowed and shrugged. “If you must know, he kissed me.”
“And you’re complaining?”
“No, he was!”
“What?” All four looked at her as if she’d been working too much overtime.
“He kissed me, then immediately acted like he’d committed some terrible faux pas. The way he was looking at me, one would assume that I’d kissed him and he didn’t like it in the least. He was angry and unreasonable, and worse, he insulted me with an apology.”
“What did you say?”
“I told him never to let it happen again.”
A chorus of moans and groans followed.
“You didn’t!” Jan cried. “That was the worst thing you could have said.”
“Well, it was his own fault,” Stephanie flared, angry now. She’d been furious with him, and with herself. She’d liked it—in fact, she’d wished he had continued kissing her.
“Did you like it—the kiss I mean?” Toni looked at her hopefully.
Once again, Stephanie pretended to find her black coffee enthralling, and she centered her gaze on it. “Yes.”
“How do you feel about Mr. Lockwood?”
“I... I don’t know anymore.”
“But if he’d asked you to dinner, you would have accepted the invitation?”
“Probably.” Stephanie remembered the exhilaration in his eyes when he’d learned he’d gotten the permission of the French government to establish a branch of Lockwood Industries there. He worked so hard, and gave so much of himself to the business, that Stephanie experienced a sense of elation just watching him. She was happy for him and pleased to have played a small part in his triumph.
“But you can’t give up.”
“It was Jonas who did that,” Stephanie said sharply.
“But he hasn’t. Don’t you see that?”
Stephanie glanced around the table, thinking her co-workers were playing some kind of joke on her. “I don’t see it. Not at all.”
“She hasn’t read enough romances yet,” Jan said, defending her friend. “She doesn’t know.”
“Mr. Lockwood is definitely
“Hey, come on, Steph, we’re all in this together. We want to help. At least tell us what happened.”
It was apparent that she wouldn’t have a minute’s peace until she confessed everything to her romance-loving friends. “Meet me at ten in the cafeteria,” Stephanie told them. “I’ll get it all over with at once, but only if you promise never to mention Jonas Lockwood’s name to me again.”
Toni and Maureen exchanged meaningful glances. “This doesn’t sound good.”
“It’s my final offer.” Replaying her humiliation was going to be bad enough; she didn’t want it dragged out any more than necessary.
“All right, all right,” Toni muttered. “We’ll be there.”
Stephanie’s morning went smoothly. Her boss, George Potter, was on a two-day business trip to Seattle, but there was enough work to keep Stephanie occupied for another week if need be.
When she arrived in the cafeteria later that morning, she found the four women sitting at the table closest to the window, eagerly awaiting her arrival. A fifth cup of coffee was on the table in front of an empty chair.
“From that frown you’re wearing, I’d say the meeting with Mr. Lockwood didn’t go very well,” Jan commented, barely giving Stephanie time to take a seat.
“There are no adequate words to describe it,” Stephanie said by way of confirmation, reaching for the coffee. “I’m sorry to be such a major disappointment to you all, but anything that might have happened between me and Jonas Lockwood is off.”
“Why?”
“What happened?”
“I could have sworn he was hooked.”
“To be honest,” Stephanie said, striving to be as forthright as possible, “I think Jonas may be attracted to me, but we’re too different.”
“That’s what makes you so good together,” Barbara countered.
“And I saw the way he looked at her,” Jan inserted thoughtfully. “Now tell us what happened and let us figure out the next strategy.”
Stephanie swallowed and shrugged. “If you must know, he kissed me.”
“And you’re complaining?”
“No, he was!”
“What?” All four looked at her as if she’d been working too much overtime.
“He kissed me, then immediately acted like he’d committed some terrible faux pas. The way he was looking at me, one would assume that I’d kissed him and he didn’t like it in the least. He was angry and unreasonable, and worse, he insulted me with an apology.”
“What did you say?”
“I told him never to let it happen again.”
A chorus of moans and groans followed.
“You didn’t!” Jan cried. “That was the worst thing you could have said.”
“Well, it was his own fault,” Stephanie flared, angry now. She’d been furious with him, and with herself. She’d liked it—in fact, she’d wished he had continued kissing her.
“Did you like it—the kiss I mean?” Toni looked at her hopefully.
Once again, Stephanie pretended to find her black coffee enthralling, and she centered her gaze on it. “Yes.”
“How do you feel about Mr. Lockwood?”
“I... I don’t know anymore.”
“But if he’d asked you to dinner, you would have accepted the invitation?”
“Probably.” Stephanie remembered the exhilaration in his eyes when he’d learned he’d gotten the permission of the French government to establish a branch of Lockwood Industries there. He worked so hard, and gave so much of himself to the business, that Stephanie experienced a sense of elation just watching him. She was happy for him and pleased to have played a small part in his triumph.
“But you can’t give up.”
“It was Jonas who did that,” Stephanie said sharply.
“But he hasn’t. Don’t you see that?”
Stephanie glanced around the table, thinking her co-workers were playing some kind of joke on her. “I don’t see it. Not at all.”
“She hasn’t read enough romances yet,” Jan said, defending her friend. “She doesn’t know.”
“Mr. Lockwood is definitely
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