Wish of the Heart by Malia Mallory

Chapter 1
    Macie’s eyes flickered toward her boss’s office door as she fished out the vibrating cell phone from her pocket. Her boss wasn’t a big fan of personal cell phone use in the office, and she tried to avoid it.
    A little zing of excitement passed through her. It was a text from Kenny. They’d been corresponding for over a week since making contact on an online dating site.
    Hey hey how’s your day? What do you say we finally meet up?  
    Macie’s nose wrinkled. Was all that rhyming on purpose?  
    Kenny was right, though. It was time to move to a phone call or perhaps a cup of coffee. Macie liked to meet her potentials at Bethesda Fountain. Every time, she hoped to turn a prospective boyfriend into an actual boyfriend, but so far, no one stuck more than a few months. Macie didn’t let it get her down. She knew the right person was out there somewhere, and she was determined to find him.
    Bethesda Fountain, a prominent Central Park landmark, was easily located. There were always lots of people around, and Macie considered it relatively low risk. She’d never had any trouble, despite her mother’s constant concern about “that online dating thing.” Sure, there were creeps, but they couldn’t all be bad, right? After all, Macie herself was right there on the site with her own profile.
    Meeting someone at a party or being introduced by friends didn’t lessen the risk in her mind. One of her worst dating experiences ever had been the roommate of a friend she’d been set up with.
    Macie entered her response to Kenny, checking carefully for any errors before she hit send.
    What do you think about meeting at Bethesda Fountain?
    Macie’s hand slid to the mouse on her desk, and she looked at her e-mail while she waited for Kenny’s reply. There was a note from her boss with a new spreadsheet attached. He wanted her to incorporate the new numbers into her project. She clicked to open the spreadsheet and gasped as she saw column after column of data appear on her screen.
    Macie’s cell phone vibrated again, and she glanced at the screen.
    Sure. How about after work?
    Macie tapped her feet in a tiny dance. This could be it! She was finally going to meet Kenny. He seemed nice and had a good job with an accounting firm. According to his profile pictures, he loved to ski. He had a dog. No one who had a dog could be that bad, could they?  
    The spreadsheet mocked her from the computer screen. There was no way she could merge all that data into the project and get out at five. Did her boss want it today? Of course, he wanted it today. She knew without even asking. Working late made setting a time more difficult. Macie didn’t want to make a poor first impression by being late, but neither did she want to hang out too long and get nervous. Allowing the little voice inside time to break down her confidence was asking for trouble.
    What time do you leave the office? I usually leave at 5 but I have to finish a project today.  
    Macie’s boss poked his head out of his office. “Did you get my email?”
    Macie kept her phone on her lap out of sight. “Uh, yes. I’m looking it over right now.”
    “Great. I need it for my meeting tomorrow, and I’ll want to review it tonight. Send it back as soon as you’re done.”
    “Yes. I sure will.” Grrrr . Her boss was usually a decent guy. He didn’t yell. He didn’t throw things. But he did have pretty unrealistic ideas about how long projects took to complete.
    I normally leave the office at 6.  
    Macie scrolled through the spreadsheet. If she worked through lunch, maybe she could get out by six.
    How about 6:30?
    Her fingertips drummed on her thigh as she waited for a response.
    Sounds great.
    Macie headed toward the kitchenette for coffee. She was going to need it.
     
    ~ * ~ * ~
     
    Macie’s eyes darted around. She felt more conspicuous than usual sitting on the side of the fountain today. The blouse and skirt that seemed so stylish this morning were hot and