PART V
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"Misfortunes, we are told, are sent to test our fortitude, but may actually be blessings in disguise."
Pride and Prejudice
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JANUARY 24 Wednesday
8:00 EST
JAG HQ
Mac walked into JAG HQ that day feeling refreshed and happy. Last night had been wonderful, almost magical, and she had fallen asleep with the vision of them dancing in her dreams. Maybe she should ask Harm if he wanted to do something later that evening or possibly that weekend. She was beginning to get used to them spending more time with each other, and liking it.
Mac sat down behind her desk and opened her briefcase, preparing to reach for a file. She saw a small cardboard box and pulled it out, smiling. She had received Chloe's birthday present that morning. She didn't have enough time to open it then so decided to open it when she got to work.
Now she eagerly pulled it out, opening it and pulling out a wrapped package inside. She tore the card on the front off first.
Dear Mac,
Happy birthday! I bet Harm gave you a better present than this, but I tried to buy you a suitable birthday present. JUST KIDDING! I don't want to receive any hate mail from you. I hope you like it. It's nothing extravagant, but I've just finished reading it and decided to send you my special copy. It's pretty old, Martha had it when she was a child. I hope you will think of it as highly as I do. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it! And give Harm a BIIIIG kiss and a hug for me. Hehe. Write back whenever you can and have a harry birthday!
Chloe
Mac smiled at Chloe's letter. Never was one to cut around the bush, was she? Mac thought to herself.
She tore the paper on the package off and was surprised and intrigued to find a copy of Jane Eyre there. Smiling she stared at stained, hardback cover for a minute before reading the inside caption. She opened the book, deciding to skim a few sentences.
Instead, Harm found her this way, hunched over, reading the book, fifteen minutes later.
"Slacker." He accused jokingly.
"Huh?" Mac glanced up then back down at her book. "I was just skimming the first page . . ." That was when she realized she had read more than one page, and she wasn't skimming it. "Chloe gave it to me for my birthday."
Harm entered the office and glanced at the book. "Hmm . . . Jane Eyre. I heard it's a very good book."
"Have you read it before?" Mac asked.
"No . . . maybe I'll borrow the copy when you're done." Harm smiled.
The Admiral at that moment chose to walk by. "Do you usually read during work, Colonel?" He asked.
Mac shook her head with a "no sir", slightly embarrassed and stuffed the book and box into her briefcase. Would she ever live this down? She really hadn't meant to do more than skim a few sentences, but she had been drawn into it from the first sentence and couldn't help but reading further.
Harm saw she was at a loss for an excuse and decided to come to her aid. "Birthday present, sir."
"Ah, I see. Happy birthday then, Colonel." The Admiral said in a rare bout of outward friendliness.
"Thank you, sir." Mac said, surprised, staring at his retreating back.
Harm smiled at her. "You were a teacher's pet in school weren't you?"
"Ha ha. Hardly. I was one of those kids . . . " Nope, divulging too much information here, Mac realized. " . . . er, I wasn't one of those kids, like you." She retorted with a smile.
Harm made an unintelligent sound and turned to head towards his office. He stopped in the doorway and then faced Mac again. "Are you doing anything for lunch today?"
"Not that I know of . . ." Mac surveyed her desk flowing with an endless stack of paperwork. "Probably just working."
"Like usual." Harm said.
"Yes, like usual." Mac smiled uncertainly up at her partner, wondering where he was going with this.
"Well we're just going to have to change that." Harm smiled. "Come to my office at 12:30, or whenever you get out of court."
Mac smiled. "Alright."
Harm turned and left her office, leaving a bewildered Mac staring after him.
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Mac knocked on Harm's door at 1:00 that afternoon.
Harm glanced up and smiled. "Thought you'd never get out of court."
Mac laughed. "Neither did I." She watched as Harm stood up and grabbed his cover. "So where are you taking me?"
Harm smiled secretively. "You'll see."
Mac groaned. "I'm beginning to think I don't want to know." But as she followed Harm to the elevator, she felt curious and excited.
1:15
Toni's Italian Restaurant
Mac smiled broadly as they pulled up in front of a familiar Italian restaurant. She turned to Harm. "I had forgotten about this place."
Harm smiled back. "I had too. I was driving past it the other day and thought we should come here."
"We used to come here like almost every week . . . it's was the regular Harm and Mac hangout." Mac smiled at the memories.
Harm nodded. "I'm hoping it will become once again the regular Harm and Mac hangout.'"
He walked around and opened the door for Mac, who was surprised but pleased at his chivalrous act.
They enjoyed a lunch at Toni's Italian Restaurant and returned to JAG shortly after, the break having refreshed them both. Mac seemed to make a sizable dent on the mountain load of files on her desk and Harm was fully prepared for his court case tomorrow.
As they walked out of JAG HQ that evening, Mac pulled her coat a little tighter around her.
"Wow, it sure is getting cold. The weather took a surprising turn all of the sudden." She commented, thinking aloud.
"It is. I've heard the meteorologists are predicting a big snowstorm next week."
Mac groaned at this. She loved snow but she hated driving with ice patches on the road. "Wonderful. All I want to do right now is take a nice long, hot bath and read the book Chloe's sent me."
'Can I join you?' Harm thought to himself and for a moment was afraid he had spoken out loud. Mac's nonchalant movement of unlocking her car and getting in assured him he had not.
"Drive carefully. And I'll see you tomorrow." Harm said as Mac rolled down her windshield.
"Yes mom." She joked. She actually appreciated his concern and had been missing it for awhile.
Harm shook his head and watched her drive away before getting into his own car and following her path.