Rebound by Nikki Mathis Thompson Page A

could see a dimple that she had not noticed before.
    “Oh,” was all she could come up with. 
    It was so thoughtful of him to remember, and for a moment she was speechless. She was extremely touched as well. Do something nice for her, great. But doing something for her Teddy…Well that was another thing entirely.
    Finally she said, “Thank you, so much. I will surprise him with it when he gets home. He will absolutely love it.”
    “I want to give you a bonus or something as well. I’m still working that out,” he said.
    “No, Mr. Abbot, please. I was just doing my job and frankly just working here, this opportunity, is all the bonus I need. Honestly.”
    Xander. Xander. Xander…Why can’t I remember to call him that?
    That impressed him almost as much as her finding the error. He gave her an approving nod.
    “Yes, right. I have those two meetings this afternoon and I will send you my schedule for this week and you can update and correct any conflicts.”
    He sat silent for a moment, looked at his screen, and then continued, “Also there is a dinner meeting scheduled for tomorrow night. I know it is short notice but would you be able to attend? You made quite an impression on Saturday.”
    “I’m glad to hear that. I thought it went better than I had expected. Well, not counting the emotional break down...It is nice to know the feeling was mutual. When and where?” she asked.
    “I will get back to you when I have all of the details, it’s tentative for now.”
    “Do you need me to do anything, make the reservations or call to get attendance confirmation?” she offered.
    “No, I don’t believe so, but if anything comes up I will let you know. They are handling everything. I guess that is all for now.” 
    “Ok, I will get to work.”
    “And Xander...” She turned, and with all the sincerity she felt said, “Thank you again for what you did on Saturday. You have no idea what it meant to me.” She turned and left. 
    Later that day Katrine was sitting at her desk going over all of the reports her boss would need for his meetings. She was humming to a song when a voice said, “Is that a ukulele?” with a gentle mocking. She was startled, but smoothly answered, “Yes it is, do you have a problem with that particular instrument?”
    “No, I was just surprised.” He stayed where he was, leaning against the wall by her desk and listened to the rest of the song. 
    “I liked that. What was that song called?”
    “‘Without you’,” she said absent-mindedly, attempting to keep her focus on the work front of her, but he was still standing there. 
    “The voice sounds familiar. Was that Pearl Jam?” he asked.
    She paused her typing for a moment. “Yes that was the voice, but a solo album.” 
    Why was he just standing there? He was making her nervous and uncomfortable, so she kept talking to bridge the silence. “My grandmother told me stories about how she would play the ukulele when she was a girl. I guess that is why I have a thing for that instrument. It makes me smile.” She shrugged her shoulders, then continued to type. Then she was kicking herself for over-sharing.
      Too much information, blabber mouth!
     Xander grinned, “What else makes you smile, Katrine?”
    That made her pause. The question seemed strange coming from him. The tone of his voice made  her stomach do a flip-flop. She guessed he was taking her up on her friendship offer after all.
    She thought about his question and said, “That would take more than one conversation.”
    “That many things?”
    “I guess I never thought about it, but yes,” she said after a bit of contemplation.
    “Is music one of them?” Xander said.
    “Oh my god yes, I absolutely love music, almost obsessively so!”  
    God, chill!! 
    If she didn’t keep herself in check she would geek-out when it came to things she was passionate about. He was smiling at her as if he found her amusing, but in a good way.
    “Well, I look forward to