the familiar characteristics: the neat and tidy bow, the simple presentation, like it had just leaped out of the last century. She’d never received a box from her admirer at work. Did this mean she worked with him? There had been subtle hints…
She turned, almost feeling like someone was in the room, watching her, but she was alone. She looked back at the box and opened the note.It simply said, “You make my heart stand still.” She placed her hand on her chest; her heart was definitely not standing still. Pulling the string to the box, it fell to the side, and she lifted its top. There, in the middle, were four exquisitely decorated chocolates.
Gilda glanced up at her reflection in the mirror, about to smile. But to her delightful surprise, she was already smiling.
This admirer was a co-worker, and he’d just made a new move to make himself known. She hoped he wouldn’t hide behind his gifts forever.
Chapter 9
H ugo still couldn’t stop smiling. Finally, it was his turn to experience good luck or karma or divine blessing or whatever you wanted to call it. He’d watched it happen to other people for years. Now it was his turn. Something was going his way; something that he didn’t have to work an eighty-hour week for.
They had twenty minutes until the news started, and to his surprise, everything looked exactly in place. The control-room personnel were focused but not stressed. Tate and Gilda looked ready to take the bull by the horns, and all the reporters were standing by for their segments. So far, they hadn’t had a single glitch. Even Chad, who normally left at 6:30 p.m., was hanging around. And Hugo had heard from a few sources that the other news stations were carrying Ray’s incident as their lead story.
Hugo was in such a good mood that he decided to call his wife. Normally, he didn’t talk to Jane during work. They’d tried it a few times when he landed his first producer’s job, but it never worked out well.
Jane hadn’t always worked. She stayed home when their daughter was young, but Hugo didn’t earn enough at his previous job to make ends meet, so Jane went to work. And to both their surprise, she loved it. Ever since then she worked. Because of it, they left more messages than they did actual talking, so they’d agreed to just e-mail each other if there was something important going on. He knew she’d be up because she always watched the news until the sports came on.
“Hello?”
“Hey, honey. It’s me.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I just wanted to say hello.”
“Aren’t you getting ready to start the news?”
“In a few minutes. It’s just been a good day, and I wanted to share it with you. How was your day?”
“Oh, crazy. I had three meetings at work, and then the school called and wanted me to volunteer at the cupcake bake-off. You’re going to have to make a batch in the morning. Plus, I had to take Kaylin to a special dance rehearsal tonight. We just got home thirty minutes ago.”
“Is she in bed yet?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, give her a hug for me anyway.”
“I’ve left a list of a few other things I need you to do before work tomorrow. And your dinner is in the fridge.”
“Okay. Well, I better run. I’ll talk to you sometime tomorrow.”
“Don’t forget, I’ve got that corporate meeting until eight.”
“Okay.”
“Love you.”
“Love you too.”
Hugo hung up the phone and turned to find Hayden standing near him. “You must really miss your wife.”
Hugo nodded, a little embarrassed that he’d been caught talking to his wife at work.
“My parents were really lucky. They worked in a business together for years, so they were with each other all the time.”
Hugo couldn’t quite imagine that, though he did long for a little more time with Jane. When he arrived home after work, she was already in bed, and by the time he got up, she was already gone. The only thing that worked out really well was Kaylin’s schedule. Their
She turned, almost feeling like someone was in the room, watching her, but she was alone. She looked back at the box and opened the note.It simply said, “You make my heart stand still.” She placed her hand on her chest; her heart was definitely not standing still. Pulling the string to the box, it fell to the side, and she lifted its top. There, in the middle, were four exquisitely decorated chocolates.
Gilda glanced up at her reflection in the mirror, about to smile. But to her delightful surprise, she was already smiling.
This admirer was a co-worker, and he’d just made a new move to make himself known. She hoped he wouldn’t hide behind his gifts forever.
Chapter 9
H ugo still couldn’t stop smiling. Finally, it was his turn to experience good luck or karma or divine blessing or whatever you wanted to call it. He’d watched it happen to other people for years. Now it was his turn. Something was going his way; something that he didn’t have to work an eighty-hour week for.
They had twenty minutes until the news started, and to his surprise, everything looked exactly in place. The control-room personnel were focused but not stressed. Tate and Gilda looked ready to take the bull by the horns, and all the reporters were standing by for their segments. So far, they hadn’t had a single glitch. Even Chad, who normally left at 6:30 p.m., was hanging around. And Hugo had heard from a few sources that the other news stations were carrying Ray’s incident as their lead story.
Hugo was in such a good mood that he decided to call his wife. Normally, he didn’t talk to Jane during work. They’d tried it a few times when he landed his first producer’s job, but it never worked out well.
Jane hadn’t always worked. She stayed home when their daughter was young, but Hugo didn’t earn enough at his previous job to make ends meet, so Jane went to work. And to both their surprise, she loved it. Ever since then she worked. Because of it, they left more messages than they did actual talking, so they’d agreed to just e-mail each other if there was something important going on. He knew she’d be up because she always watched the news until the sports came on.
“Hello?”
“Hey, honey. It’s me.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I just wanted to say hello.”
“Aren’t you getting ready to start the news?”
“In a few minutes. It’s just been a good day, and I wanted to share it with you. How was your day?”
“Oh, crazy. I had three meetings at work, and then the school called and wanted me to volunteer at the cupcake bake-off. You’re going to have to make a batch in the morning. Plus, I had to take Kaylin to a special dance rehearsal tonight. We just got home thirty minutes ago.”
“Is she in bed yet?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, give her a hug for me anyway.”
“I’ve left a list of a few other things I need you to do before work tomorrow. And your dinner is in the fridge.”
“Okay. Well, I better run. I’ll talk to you sometime tomorrow.”
“Don’t forget, I’ve got that corporate meeting until eight.”
“Okay.”
“Love you.”
“Love you too.”
Hugo hung up the phone and turned to find Hayden standing near him. “You must really miss your wife.”
Hugo nodded, a little embarrassed that he’d been caught talking to his wife at work.
“My parents were really lucky. They worked in a business together for years, so they were with each other all the time.”
Hugo couldn’t quite imagine that, though he did long for a little more time with Jane. When he arrived home after work, she was already in bed, and by the time he got up, she was already gone. The only thing that worked out really well was Kaylin’s schedule. Their
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