***The Next Morning***
Jennifer was up and ready to leave by 8:20. She was wearing a beautiful hot pink sleeveless wrap dress, and some black wedges. Once her hair and makeup were flawless, she quickly packed a briefcase, and then headed down to the lobby. She grabbed a quick cup of coffee and then sat down and waited.
Jonathan's car service picked her up right on time, and took her to Hart Industries and dropped her off right out front.
"Thank you".
"My pleasure, ma'am".
Jennifer made her way inside and up to the elevator.
When she stepped off the elevator onto Jonathan's floor, she was immediately greeted by his secretary.
"Hi, welcome to Hart Industries. I'm Deanne, Mr. Hart's secretary".
"Hi, I'm Jennifer Edwards, nice to meet you".
"Lovely to meet you as well."
"Mr. Hart is in a meeting, but he ordered breakfast for the two of you, and it should be here any minute. He asked me to fix you a cup of coffee, just the way you like it. So, here it is, and if you need more, the coffee machine is at the end of the hall. He said you can wait in his office until he's finished. And if there's anything you need, just let me know".
"Thank you, so much".
She walked into his office and set her bags down.
She walked around his office, looking at the various awards in his display case, and the pictures on his shelf. She was just about to go sit down when one particular picture caught her eye. It was of the two of them, on one of their dates, before the Vegas trip. They were staring at each other, completely oblivious to the camera. She recognized the former interior of Jonathan's home, and correctly surmised that Max had taken the picture.
She was touched that he had kept the photo after all these years.
She went and sat down before the tears came, and tried to put her thoughts on paper. She started by writing down her initial observations about his office-large, yet comfortable. Not cramped like her cubicle at The Times. His desk was large, but not obnoxiously large-and yet, conveyed a sense of power. The circle window gave a nice modern touch, and kept the room from feeling so closed off.
She had just finished putting her thoughts down when he came in.
"Hi. Sorry to keep you waiting".
"Oh, that's quite alright. I was just jotting down some of my thoughts".
Deanne came in just then.
"Mr. Hart, your breakfast delivery is here".
"Thank you, Deanne".
"Certainly".
He got out some plates and silverware and set them on the table.
"I ordered both of us a breakfast sampler from the deli across the street. And I made sure to tell them to give you a fruit salad."
"Thank you".
"So, we both have a loaded veggie omelet, a side of hash browns, and a biscuit, plus some fresh squeezed orange juice. I also had Deanne make us a fresh pot of coffee".
"You didn't have to go to all this trouble, but I appreciate it".
"Nonsense. No trouble at all".
He told her all about his meeting over breakfast, and the deal he was trying to close.
"If I can land this Naval contract, that will mean an extra 10-15 years of steady employment for my engineers at least. And if I can close the Owings merger, then that's 4 factories that will stay open, and everyone working there now will keep their job".
"So, are you thinking you want me to write about all the different deals you are working on, and maybe barely touch on how you did everything right and yet are still fielding the blame for a building that collapsed on land they bought from you? Or do you want me to leave that out all together?"
"Up to you. You're the professional. I think it's best to mention it, though. But for legal reasons I can't discuss it at length".
"Do you want to do this story-style, or interview style?"
"We could do it interview style. That might be the best".
"Ok. Well, I'll just sit here in the background and observe as you do what it is that you do, and then we'll get to the questions later".
"Got it".
After they were finished eating, he went to his desk and sat down.
"Deanne, can you get me the latest quarterly sales reports, please?"
"Right away, sir".
Jennifer made a few notes as he conducted a conference call.
As soon as he hung up, Deanne buzzed him.
"Sir, the reports are here".
"Send them in".
Jennifer was looking for something in her bag when she heard a familiar voice.
"Jennifer, is that really you?"
"Heather! Hi!"
They shared a quick but warm hug.
"I'm sorry, sir. Here are the reports you asked for".
"Thank you. Jennifer, I'm going to run these to Stanley's office, so if you need me, have Deanne call his office".
"Certainly".
Jennifer knew he was just giving her time with Heather.
"So, how long are you back in town for?"
"Just a few days. He hired me to write an article for him. Flew me out here, the whole works. As soon as we are done, I'm headed back".
"I see. So are you two…"
"Nope. Not yet, anyways. We had dinner last week in New York and again last night, and were able to put some things to rest, but this is all business. I guess we're just friends, but we haven't talked about it, officially yet".
"Well, it's good to see you so happy. You look great, by the way. New York really agrees with you".
"Thank you. Motherhood agrees with you as well. How are the kids?"
"So fun. Every day is just a blast. Briar just turned 8 months, and is finally sleeping through the night, thankfully. And Keely will be 3 in a couple of months. Her vocabulary has really blossomed these past couple of months. She just chats me up a storm each day".
"That's so great. Do you think you're done?"
"I know I am. But Neil isn't, so we'll probably have one more".
"Well, if you're ever in New York, you know how to find me."
"Oh, something tells me you are going to be back here in Los Angeles before I ever make it out of the state, much less to the East Coast".
"What makes you say that?"
"Let's just say this is the most relaxed I've personally seen Mr. Hart in years. Normally, he's barking at people, and normally he would have never let me stay in here and talk to his guest. I would venture to guess he still has feelings for you".
"Well, I did find one of our pictures on his bookshelf over there. But I was thinking he just forgot it was there".
"That dark Mahogany one, over there by the display case?"
"Yeah, that's the one".
"Jennifer, about two months ago, he sent out a memo asking for volunteers to come help him assemble and place some furniture on a Saturday. He was providing pizza and drinks to whomever showed up. My husband and I got a sitter and came up for a little bit, and the men assembled that bookshelf and the display case. After they were finished, I asked him if he wanted me to organize his pictures on it, and he said no, that he would prefer to do it himself".
Jennifer gave her a nice smile.
"I can't believe he still wanted to keep my picture".
"Like I said, I think it's very likely you're going to be back here visiting him before I can make it to New York to visit you".
Just then, Jonathan came back into the office.
"Well, I better get back to my office. It was so great to see you."
They shared a warm hug.
"Thank you, it was great to see you too".
***Later that Afternoon***
Jennifer and Jonathan worked steadily till it was quitting time, and she had developed a lot of questions to ask him for the interview. He took her to the lab so she could see the latest inventions they were working on, and then returned to his office. When she returned to his office afterwards, he was at his desk, on the phone. She observed him and made a few more notes while she waited for his call to end.
"How was your tour?"
"Mind blowing. I am particularly fond of the tv behind the mirror invention for the bathroom".
"What do you say to us having dinner, and then we can get to the interview?"
"I say yes please".
"Ok. How does Italian sound?"
"Anything sounds wonderful right about now".
"Great. Well, I'm ready when you are".
"I'm ready".
They gathered their things and headed to the elevator.
"Do you need to go by your hotel first?"
"No, I'm ok".
He opened the door for her, and then slid into the driver's seat next to her.
They drove to the more upscale part of downtown Los Angeles and parked.
He came and opened the door for her, and they walked inside.
"This used to be a movie theater, about 50 years ago. They still have one of the original screens, and show a silent movie on it each day while you eat".
"Oh I love that!"
"And the food here is out of this world".
They were seated almost immediately, and had a nice little romantic table for two.
"Hi, I'm Mandi. Welcome to Bellucci's. Can I start you off with a drink?"
"I'll have a sparkling water with a double twist of lime".
"And I'll have a regular water, thank you".
They looked over the menu and made their selections.
"So, I have about 40 questions to ask you, but I'm not sure all of them are going to end up in the article. I might have to edit for content, and clarity."
"That's fine. Do you think the Times will print it?"
"Yes, I do".
"Great. I might have a magazine interested in running it as well".
"Wonderful".
"So, what have you been up to the last 5 years?"
"Jonathan….didn't we cover that last week in New York?"
"Maybe a little. I don't really mean it the way it sounds. What I mean is…have you been involved with anyone?"
"There was one person that I spent a little time with. After a few weeks though, it was beyond clear to me that he was more interested in me than I was in him, and also that he wasn't really interested in me for me. Other than that, I haven't dated anyone seriously. What about you?"
"Well, I've had dates, but they weren't with anyone I was serious about".
"I seem to recall a while back seeing you in the papers with a girl named Nicole or something".
"Nikki. She's a great girl. Her father and I were business associates, and he was sort of like a mentor to me. He was diagnosed with a terminal illness and called me up and invited me to his Italian villa, and asked me if I would marry her and make sure she was well taken care of. But after he died, we realized that it just wasn't right between us, so we called off the engagement".
"I see".
"We're still friends though. I hear from her every now and then. She's living it up in Venice, having the time of her life".
"That's wonderful. At least you and Nikki didn't make the same mistake you and I did".
"You think what we had was a mistake?"
"No, I didn't say that. I think what we had was wonderful. But our mistake was in not seeking the annulment the second we woke up and realized we were married. No matter how you look at it, our relationship wasn't ready for marriage".
"You have a point. But if you think I wasn't willing to make our marriage work, you're wrong".
"Don't you ever wonder….what would have happened if I hadn't been offered the job in New York?"
"Sometimes. I hate to think we would have crashed and burned though. I like to think we would have made it".
"Yeah, I do too. But I guess we'll never know".
***Later That Night***
Jonathan and Jennifer headed to her hotel after dinner.
Along the way, they chatted about all the fun they used to have.
"I remember you could make me laugh harder than anyone else".
"Yeah, you had the same effect on me too. And we also had a great affinity for spending time with each other, doing the most mundane of things".
"And we also enjoyed our time in the bedroom".
"Yeah, that was probably the healthiest part of our relationship".
They parked, and he came around and opened the door for her.
"Thank you".
There was an awkward silence as they stepped onto the elevator.
She dug the hotel key out of her purse and handed it to him, and he let them in.
"Make yourself comfortable. I'm going to change out of this dress really fast".
He took his tie off and sat down and turned on her tv.
A few minutes later she emerged in some black velour lounging pants, and a mint green t-shirt.
"Ok, we can do the questions now if you want".
"Sounds good to me".
"Or, if you want, we can just get the sex out of the way".
"Jonathan! We had an agreement…"
"I know. I'm sorry. It's just….you've never looked more beautiful than you are right this minute".
"Thank you. Can we please get back to the questions?"
"Yes".
"Thank you. And can you stop crinkling your eyes like that?"
"Like what?"
"Like that, what you're doing right now. That was always a weakness of mine".
"Sorry".
They worked on the questions for about an hour, and then decided to call it quits.
"What do you have planned for tomorrow?"
"More meetings, if you want to watch those".
"I think I'm good. Unless you want me to watch".
"Up to you".
"I do need, if you have it, a computer to type the article on. That is, if you want to see it before I head back to New York".
"I can definitely give you that. I tell you what-I'll have a car pick you up in the morning, and I'll have Deanne put you in the office down the hall. After my first meeting, we can finish the questions".
"Perfect. Well thank you for dinner".
"My pleasure".
He helped her up off the couch and they walked to the door.
"If you need me just call me".
"I will. Thank you for dinner".
"My pleasure".
He gave her a long hug and then kissed her forehead.
"Goodnight. I'll see you in the morning".
"Goodnight".
As she closed the door behind him, she couldn't help but think about her conversation with Heather earlier that day, and how she had asked her if she and Jonathan were reconciling.
Maybe….just maybe, it will happen after all.
***The Next Morning***
Jennifer was downstairs in the hotel lobby, ready to go at precisely 8:20. She had chosen a green form-fitting t-shirt dress, and some strappy black wedges. She had just filled her travel mug with coffee when she saw Max come through the door.
"Hi Miss Edwards".
"Max! Hi! What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to drive you to the office. No car service for you-you deserve better than that".
She smiled.
"Thank you, Max".
They walked to the car and then headed to the office.
"How much longer will you be in town, Miss Edwards?"
"I'm just about finished with my article for Jonathan…so I'll probably head home tomorrow or the next day".
"What? You've barely been here! You gotta stay at least a month or so, Miss Edwards".
She was laughing.
"A month? That's pushing it, don't you think?"
"No I do not. That would be the perfect amount of time".
"Next time, Max."
He dropped her off right out front, and she leaned over and kissed his cheek.
"Thank you, Max".
"My pleasure, Miss Edwards. I meant what I said-we love you and we miss you, and a few days just isn't long enough".
"I appreciate it, Max".
She headed inside, and Deanne showed her into Jonathan's office.
"Morning".
"Good morning".
"I take it Max got you here ok?"
"Yes, he did. He was so cute, too. He seemed almost offended that you sent the car service for me yesterday".
"No almost. He was very offended. He told me in no uncertain terms that driving you around was his job and that was that".
He came over and kissed her cheek.
"He also told me that my visits to California require a one-month minimum stay".
"He is quite possibly your number one fan. Every woman that he would see me with over the years, or if I had a relationship that ended badly, he would always say "It didn't work out, because she's not the one. Now Miss Edwards, she was the one".
She laughed at his impersonation of Max.
"Well, we just have a few more questions to get answered, and then I'll be in the typing phase. Shall we get to it?"
"Absolutely".
Neither of them were willing to admit that they didn't want this interview to end, nor did they want her trip to end.