"What?"
"Oh man…I wasn't going to tell you like this, I swear. I had it all planned out, and then I started thinking about the plan and I decided to abandon it, and then I guess with our conversation from this morning, it was on my mind again, and I'm sorry".
"You're sorry?"
"Yeah, I am".
"I see".
"Oh wait. I should explain. I'm not sorry that I feel this way, I'm sorry that I told you".
"You're sorry you told me?"
"Yes. No. Wait, I mean, I'm sorry I told you like this".
She started smiling.
"What's so funny?"
"You are so cute when you're all flustered".
He took a deep breath.
"Let me start again".
"Ok".
"I love you, I'm in love with you, and I had this big plan to tell you, but I abandoned the plan, and then I guess with our conversation this morning, it was on my mind. I'm glad you know, I just feel bad that I didn't tell you with some grand gesture".
"Jonathan, I don't need a grand gesture. Those are nice and all, and I love making memories like that. But really, all I need is you".
She leaned up and kissed him. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in closer and deepening the kiss.
"I love you too".
"You do?"
She nodded.
She pulled herself up on the counter.
"So, tell me. What was the plan?"
"Well, it was going to be at the dinner party. You were going to win a door prize that was a stuffed animal holding a heart that says "I love you". But I started thinking that you might not want that to be a public moment".
"Thank you for reconsidering".
They spent a few more minutes kissing, and then she hopped down off the counter.
"Can you do me a favor? Pretty please?"
"Sure".
She went and wheeled the new desk chair.
"Can we put this in my trunk?"
"We can try".
She popped the trunk and they wheeled it out there.
It fit in the trunk, but they couldn't close the trunk.
Jonathan finally laid it in the backseat.
"Can you lift this tomorrow?"
"I'll figure it out".
They headed back inside and he carried the box and bags of her other supplies to the car for her while she carried the carpet.
"Darling, are you sure you can handle this?"
"I'll figure it out".
After everything was in the car, he turned and kissed her.
"I love you, sweet dreams".
"I love you too. I'll call you tomorrow after lunch sometime".
"Great".
"Do we have a board meeting tomorrow night?"
"No".
"Even better".
She kissed him again and then he left, and she closed the garage when his car started up.
She got all the lights turned out and then poured herself a glass of wine.
She took it with her to the bedroom and quickly sank into a hot bubble bath.
The phone rang, so she reached over and got it.
"Hello?"
"Hey, it's me, Hayleigh".
"Hey".
"Listen, I'm sorry about our conversation this morning. I shouldn't have said anything".
"Thank you. But actually, I'm glad you did. Jonathan and I talked, and we were on the same page. Everything's fine. But, I wouldn't have known that if you hadn't told me, so I'm glad you said something".
"Well, I'm glad it worked out. Jonathan isn't Elliott, Jennifer. There is nobody in the world who is anything like Elliott".
"I know. I keep telling myself that".
"Bill may have said those things about him, but he says wonderful things about him too. He really respects Jonathan. He tells me all the time that he's always learning from him".
"I can see that. Jonathan is a terrific person. I'm glad I gave him a chance".
"Are you all set for tomorrow?"
"Yes, I believe so. He came by tonight and helped me load my car with the stuff for my office, and I picked out my outfit, so I think I'm all set".
"Well, I'm sure you'll do great. I can't wait to read your first article".
"I'll be sure to get you an advanced copy".
"So, what do you say to you and me and Bill and Jonathan doing a double date sometime?"
"I love that idea. I'll mention it to him, but I'm sure he'll go for it. He loves Bill".
"Great. Let me know when, and I'll twist Bill's arm till he says yes".
"Great. Well, I'm about to get out of the bath and head to bed. I'll call you tomorrow".
"Sounds good".
They hung up and Jennifer climbed out of the bath and dried off.
She slipped into a nightgown, and then climbed into bed.
As she drifted off to sleep, she wished Jonathan was still there.
***Monday***
Jennifer was up bright and early, and made herself breakfast before getting ready.
As soon as she was dressed, she grabbed her purse and keys and headed to the car.
She had just pulled out of the neighborhood when her cell phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Hi sweetheart. It's Pa. How are you?"
"I'm fine. How are you?"
"Good. I called you at the Daily News, but they said you didn't work there anymore."
"That's right. I'm starting today at a magazine."
"What magazine?"
"Modern Woman".
"Very well. How is everything with the house?"
"Fine. I got the pool shocked yesterday, and I pulled some weeds out of the flowerbeds. Landscapers will be by this week to remove the dead bushes."
"Wonderful. Well, have a good first day, sweetheart. I love you".
"I love you too. I'll talk to you soon".
She pulled up in the parking lot, and found a spot.
She walked in and headed to the receptionist's desk.
"Hi, I'm Jennifer Edwards. I've been hired to work here. Can you point me in the direction of the newsroom, please?"
She pointed towards the large room right next to them.
"Like, just go in there and talk to them, ok?"
"Thank you".
She headed to the arched doorway and found a cute blonde with brunette curls.
"Hi, can I help you?"
"I'm Jennifer Edwards. I was hired to work here".
"Hi. I'm Kimberli, with an I".
"Hi, it's nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too, Jenny".
"Thank you. And it's Jennifer".
"Whatever".
"Can you point me in the direction of my office?"
"Yes, you are the one at the back on the right".
"Thank you".
She headed to her desk and started getting her things set up.
She decided to move her desk to the opposite side. Doing that meant moving just about everything else.
After she had the furniture where she wanted it, she grabbed a dolly and headed to the parking lot to unload her car.
She was shocked to see Max pulling up and parking next to her car.
"Hey Miss Edwards".
"Hey. What are you doing here?"
"Mr. H. asked me to come help you unload".
"Oh, alright."
She grabbed the bags, while he grabbed and loaded the heavy stuff. She pushed the chair inside while he pulled the dolly.
"Right this way, Max".
She led him to her office. All the other women just stared at him as they walked past.
He helped her for an hour or so, before finally leaving it all with her.
He came back inside just as she was coming out of her office to head to the coffee station.
"One more thing, Miss Edwards. Mr. H. asked me to give you these".
He handed her a vase of flowers and a small gift bag.
"Thanks Max. I owe you a dinner for helping me".
"Mr. H. was raving about your grilled chicken, and your mashed potatoes. Maybe you could swing by the house and teach me the recipe sometime".
"You got it. Thanks again".
She kissed his cheek and then headed to her office to set the flowers down.
She grabbed the card and quickly read it.
"Have a wonderful first day. I love you-Jonathan".
After her staff meeting, she spent the rest of the day getting her office set up like she liked it.
She was in her office around 1, when the receptionist came in.
"Like, you have a phone call on line 1, ok?"
"Thank you".
She picked up line 1.
"Hello?"
"Hi."
"Hi darling. Thank you for my flowers, and the gift bag".
"You're welcome. How's it going?"
"Fine, I suppose. It's definitely different from anywhere else I've worked, but that's ok, I guess".
"Different how?"
"Different like I'm the only one who isn't from the valley. And I'm the only one who doesn't talk like I'm a chipmunk".
He chuckled.
"I'm so glad you don't. How big is your office?"
"Standard size, I guess. It's about half the size of the conference room. All glass walls, linoleum flooring".
"Sounds nice."
"Yeah, it's not bad. I am going to get a tower fan, and I think I want a new desk."
"We can go shopping tonight if you want".
"Oh, that's ok. I'll just order it and have it delivered. The kind of desk that I want will be too heavy for you and Max to lift. How was your meeting this morning?"
"Good, good."
"I meant to tell you, Hayleigh called last night after you left. She wanted to apologize for upsetting me, and she reiterated that while Bill did tell her those things, he also tells her all the time how much he respects you".
"Well, that was nice of her. And that's good to hear".
"Yeah, I thought so too. I didn't tell her anything other than you and I talked about things and we are on the same page".
"Good. I'm glad you two talked".
"Yeah, me too. Darling, when you order office furniture, who do you order from?"
"Coastal Empires".
"Got it."
She ordered a gorgeous black desk with a locking drawer, with a gray and white marble topper, and a silver tower fan while they talked.
"Ok, I better get back to work. I love you".
"I love you too. Come to the house tonight for dinner? You've had a long day, you don't need to cook".
"Sure. I'll call you when I leave here".
"Great. I love you".
"I love you too".
She blew him a kiss as she hung up the phone and then headed to the water station.
She filled up her water bottle and then went back to her office.
After she got everything set up just like she wanted it, she sat down and started working.
Two hours later, her fan and desk arrived.
The receptionist pointed them in her direction.
"Hi, thanks for coming. Right this way".
They brought her desk in, and got the topper placed, and then waited while she quickly moved everything off the top of the old one, and moved that one out of the way.
She got the fan set up, and then finally, once her desk was all moved over, she was able to sit down and work.
She put the flowers on the windowsill, and then moved the old desk to the other side of the office. She decided to cover it with a cloth and use it as a table.
She knocked out an article and then around 5, got to a stopping point.
She closed her laptop, and then gathered her things and headed out.
***Jonathan's house***
Jennifer pulled up right after Jonathan got home.
"Hi".
"Hi".
She walked up the driveway and kissed him.
They headed into the house.
"Hey Miss Edwards".
"Hi Max".
"Darling, how about some wine?"
"Please".
She walked over to Max.
"Can I help?"
"I got this. Mr. H said you was a fan of shrimp tacos, so I grilled some. But if you want, you can write down the recipes".
"Ok".
She went and got a notepad and sat down and wrote them down rather quickly.
"Darling, did you know that my neighborhood now connects to yours?"
"It does?"
"Yeah. They opened up where it was blocked. Take my street to the end, go right and then take the next left. That street now turns into your street".
"Well, that's very interesting".
"Yeah, I thought so too".
"What's the time frame on dinner, Max?"
"About 15 minutes".
"Perfect. Jennifer and I will be in the living room".
"I'll holler when it's ready".
They walked into the living room and sat on the couch.
"So, I paid extra for the rapid delivery, and they brought my desk and fan. I moved the other desk to the other wall and I think I'll use it as storage or something".
"Good idea".
He leaned over and kissed her, and let his fingers play with her hair.
Both of them found themselves continuing the kiss as long as possible.
"Ok you two, dinner is served-whoa".
Jennifer blushed and tried to hide the smile on her face.
"Ok, Max. Here we come".
He took her hand and led her to the kitchen.
Jennifer opted for a shrimp taco salad, while Jonathan happily made himself some shrimp soft tacos.
Max ate with them and told them all about his new lady friend, Margaret.
"She sounds lovely, Max".
Jennifer volunteered to do the dishes, but Max wouldn't let her.
"No thank you. You had a busy first day. I'm Max, I got this".
She kissed his cheek.
"Thank you for dinner, Max".
"Max, Jennifer has the most amazing steak marinade."
"She does? Miss Edwards, why don't you whip some up, and then I'll grill the steaks tomorrow night".
"Sure".
She began assembling the marinade, but realized he was missing some key ingredients.
"Darling, you are out of the main components. I have some at my house. Why don't we take the steaks to my house, and I'll mix it up and then you can bring it back?"
"Sure".
He went and changed out of his suit into some sweatpants and a t-shirt, and then followed her to her house.
"Night Max."
"Night Miss Edwards".
"I'll be back later, Max. Don't wait up".
She pulled up into the garage, and he parked behind her.
She quickly mixed the marinade while he rinsed the steaks. Once they had them in a ziplock and had the marinade poured over them, she put the steaks in the fridge.
"I'm going to go change. Can you come help me with something in the bedroom?"
"Sure".
They headed to the bedroom.
"Ok, so my remote fell behind the bed. Can you pull it out and I'll lean down and get it?"
"I'll get it. Go ahead and change".
She stepped into the bathroom to change and when she came out, he was sitting on the bed with the remote.
She had put on some terry cloth pajama shorts and a spaghetti strap tank top.
"Thank you".
She came and sat in his lap.
He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her.
"How about a surprise?"
"I love surprises."
"Good. Then sit on the bed".
She climbed off his lap and sat on the bed. He got the pillows situated, and then moved to sit against her headboard.
"Ok, now come sit in front of me".
She sat in front of him.
He started rubbing her shoulders, and could tell she was really tense.
"Mmmm".
He focused on her shoulder blades, where all the knots were, and really rubbed her stressed spots.
"Have you ever had a professional massage?"
"Only when I injured my back".
"I love them. I get them a lot. Deep tissue is the best".
"How do they do deep tissue?"
"With their elbows while I lay on the massage table".
She leaned forward and flattened her stomach against the mattress.
He worked on her lower back, and then moved up to her shoulder blades.
He rubbed on her for about 20 minutes.
"I think I got all your knots out".
"You're wonderful".
She sat up and moved to lay down with him. He wrapped his arms around her and just held her.
He kissed her forehead as she momentarily fell asleep.
He let her sleep for about 30 minutes, and then gently woke her.
"Baby…wake up."
"Hmmm?"
"Wake up. You have to lock the door behind me".
"Ok".
He eased out from under her and helped her out of the bed.
She sleepily took his hand and led him to the kitchen.
"Goodnight, I love you. Don't forget the steaks".
"Goodnight, I love you too".
He kissed her a few times, and then grabbed the steaks out of the fridge.
He opened the garage and started to walk towards his car.
"Ok, close it".
She closed the garage and headed back to bed and slept like a baby all night long.