Love.com by Karolyn Cairns Page B

that,” Ian allowed, looking uncertain for the first time since she met him. He mumbled something about having work to do and left.
    Emily’s victory was such she wanted to shout to the roof tops. Ian definitely noticed her today, even regarded her with real interest, as if trying to gauge what another man might have seen in her to make such an elaborate gesture.
    Her soaring feelings lasted throughout the day. Everyone wanted to know who sent the flowers, whispering and talking about it. Emily eyed Janice sitting outside Evan’s office. She was the worst gossip in the office, sure to spread whatever Emily told her to ever corner of the workplace.
    Emily smiled as she got up. It was time her fictitious admirer had a real name. Was it Mike, maybe? Larry? Bob? She giggled and settled on Mike. A common enough name, and yes, he was totally into her, crazy about her, to the point he begged her to go to dinner with him that night. Would she go? Of course, she would.
    Janice did her job. By the end of the day, everyone learned the mysterious Mike was taking her out to dinner that night. Ian was sitting in his office when she left for the evening. He looked up, his eyes taking in her much-changed appearance in the new flower-print dress with more than a little interest flaring in his gaze.
    “You look really nice, Emily. Hot date, I heard? Is it the flower guy?”
    “ Yeah, he’s taking me out to dinner,” Emily confided, smiling in what she hoped was an eager manner.
    “Have fun . You deserve it, Emily,” Ian said quietly. She detected a note of something in his voice she would have liked to label as regret or jealousy. But no, it was too soon for that. Ian didn’t know she was alive. Or did he? He certainly seemed to recognize she had a pulse, regarding her over his coffee cup in a way that unsettled her.
    “Good night , Ian.” Emily walked away from him and headed to the elevator, her heart beating erratically, feeling his electric eyes in the center of her back. She promised herself she wouldn’t look up before the elevator doors closed. She did anyway, peeping out from under the elaborate waves she spent two hours creating with her curling iron that morning. Ian was watching her leave, his expression inscrutable. She would have given anything to know what he was thinking just then. The doors shut. She was never to know what message was seen in those impossibly-blue eyes.
    ~ ~ ~
    Greyson had a cabin cruiser he had lodged in a slip at the marina. Emily was disgusted to realize all boats looked the same to her when she got there. She walked up and down the dock for nearly an hour, worrying the time as she saw she was late for their dinner date.
    Finally she stopped a n older man on the pier. “Where is slip #2330? I’m meeting someone there.”
    The old man scratched his head, looking confused at her question. It was clear he was hard of hearing. She fairly shouted the question back at him. He smiled and pointed down at the painted numbers on the dock . So that’s what those numbers meant? Duh!
    “Thanks,” Emily said and hurried away, smoothing the navy and white striped blouse with the red belt over the white pleated skirt. She was sure the nautical-themed outfit would inspire nothing less than romantic interest from Greyson.
    Truthfully, she hadn’t been on a boat since her and Eddie’s honeymoon. They went deep sea fishing in Florida. She recalled the seasickness that had her vomiting over the side, the miserable sunburn she incurred, and her solemn vow to never step foot on another boat with a shudder.
    Emily became so preoccupied reading the numbers o n the dock; she failed to see where she was walking. She tripped over a rope at the edge of the dock, going down with a yelp. She gasped as her feet left the dock. She soon plunged into the sea below.
    She spit out mouthfuls of seawater as she came up bobbing to the surface, still clutching her sodden handbag for dear life. Emily was glad a pair of teenage