***The next day***
Jennifer came to work and hesitantly went into the news room.
Sloane, the journalist who sat across from her, stopped her.
"You might want to tread carefully".
"Why, what's going on?"
"Word has it that the bigwig CEO who just bought us called and told the brass upstairs that he was transferring Jeff to Boston. And they called him at home and told him. And he didn't take it well. He's been yelling and snapping at everybody since he got here".
"Thanks for the heads up".
She headed to her desk and put her things down, and then went and clocked in and got some coffee.
She and Jeff made eye contact, but didn't speak.
She sat down and got to work on her article, and then about an hour later, she saw Jeff carry out the contents of his desk.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when he was gone.
Jennifer worked another hour and then headed to lunch.
When she got back, there was a large bouquet of flowers on her desk. The bouquet was filled with pink roses, pink gladiolus, pink ranunculus, stargazer lilies, and pink poppies. She smelled them several times, and then dug for the card.
You're the best dip maker in town. Hope you're having a good day. Jonathan Hart.
She smiled at his thoughtfulness, and picked up the phone and called him.
"Hart Industries, how may I help you?"
"Jonathan Hart please".
"I'm sorry, he's on another line".
"Oh, that's ok. Can you please tell him Jennifer Edwards called?"
"Yes ma'am, right away".
"Thank you".
As soon as she hung up, the phone rang.
"Hello, this is Jennifer Edwards".
"Hey, it's me. Want to grab dinner tonight?"
"Sure. Where are you thinking?"
"How about Soup DuJour at 7?"
"Sounds great, see you then".
About 20 minutes later, her phone rang.
"Hello, this is Jennifer Edwards".
"Hey, it's Jonathan".
"Hi. Thank you for the flowers, that was incredibly kind of you".
"You're welcome. How are things at the office today?"
"Loud this morning, but tolerable. Quiet since he left. More peaceful since he left, actually. Like everyone is relieved and not stressed".
"Glad to hear it. Listen, there's a special project I have you in mind for. Would you be willing to meet me tonight so we can talk about it?"
"Well, I'm having dinner with a friend at 7. I suppose I can call you after it's over. Does tomorrow night work for you?"
"Yeah, that works. How about 6 tomorrow night at the Centennial Grill?"
"Sure. Do you still want me to call you tonight when I get in?"
"Sure. Let me give you the number to my penthouse. It's 212.804.4886".
"Thanks".
"Well, have a good day, keep making me look good".
She cracked up.
"Ok, I'll do that. Bye Mr. Hart".
"Bye, Miss Edwards".
She hung up and got back to work, and found it very hard to concentrate.
***Later that night***
Jennifer came in from work and changed clothes. She put on some destructed jeans, her silver UGG boots, and a thick red sweater. She grabbed her black wool coat and scarf and black pleather gloves and then headed to meet Lindsey.
She got to the restaurant first and got them a table.
She was perusing the menu when Lindsey arrived.
"Hi".
"Hi, I haven't seen you in forever".
They shared a brief hug and then made their selections.
"So how did the hearing go?"
"Fine, I guess. It was nerve wracking, annoying, and a colossal waste of time, but I didn't get charged with anything so I guess that's good".
"When did you get home?"
"Well, they dismissed the hearing early, due to a storm coming in. So, we went back to the hotel, and found that they were booked solid all weekend. So, my boss and I headed to my dad's house, and stayed two nights."
"Was that awkward?"
"It was at first. The only sleep-able room upstairs was mine, and I offered it to him, and said I would take my dad's bed, but he wouldn't hear of it. So, we shared the bed. Nothing happened, but it was still awkward at first. Then the power went out, so we were sharing blankets and cuddling up together, sort of, till it came back on".
"And then?"
"And then nothing. We shared some meals, went horseback riding, had a snowball fight, and then came home Sunday morning. To be honest, it was more awkward when we were around his pilot, but that's because he deeply offended me Thursday night".
She relayed the story of their pizza dinner and Lindsey was shocked.
"I can't believe he said that to you".
"Yeah, me either. He wants to take me to dinner though, to make it up to me. I told him I'd think about it".
"I hope you keep thinking till you're 98".
"I just might".
The waitress brought their soups, and then went to refill their drinks. Jennifer was starving. She had ordered a soup trio-tomato dill, Italian chicken chowder, and loaded potato. Lindsey had ordered creamy onion, creamy tomato, and cream of mushroom.
They had some girl talk for about an hour and then headed home.
As promised, when Jennifer came inside, she called Jonathan.
"Hello?"
"Hey, it's Jennifer".
"Hi, how was your dinner?"
"Wonderful."
"Glad to hear it".
"So, what's this special project you want me to work on?"
"Well, I've been thinking. And I don't think I'm going to do it. But I still want to have dinner with you".
"Alright".
They were chatting and talking about various things when there was a sudden pounding on the door.
"What's that noise?"
"Someone is banging on my door".
"Do you have a peephole?"
"Yes".
"Look and see who it is".
She set the phone down and took a look and then came back to the phone.
"I don't see anyone".
"Ok, what's your address?"
"282 Bloomfield Avenue, #208. Basically, go to the corner of 55th and Clark, by the New York City bank, and I'm diagonally across the street from the bank, to the right".
"Got it. I'm going to hang up, call the police and call you back. Don't open the door unless you hear the police or me".
"Ok".
The person started pounding again.
"Don't open the door".
He hung up and called the police, and then hurried to her apartment.
Jennifer went to the far end of the couch and tried to stay out of sight. She pulled the phone over as close to her as possible and waited for it to ring.
About 12 minutes later, the pounding stopped.
About 14 minutes later, there was another knock on the door.
"Jennifer? Open up, it's me".
She hurried to the door and let him in.
Just as she was going to close it, an arm reached in and grabbed her.
Jonathan forced the door open, grabbed the other person's arm, and yanked all of them into the hall.
The person was a black man, about 28 years old.
"You better let her arm go right now, or I swear to you, I'll throw a punch. And I promise you, I will not miss".
The person let go of Jennifer.
Jonathan turned to Jennifer.
"Do you know this person?"
"No, I don't".
"She's the one that's been spreading lies about my girlfriend, and getting her to break up with me".
He was slurring his words.
The police arrived, and took their statements, and then carted the guy away. The police told Jennifer he had escaped from the mental ward of the hospital a few blocks away.
She and Jonathan came back inside the apartment after it was all over.
"Are you ok?"
"Yes, I guess. I was so focused on waiting for you to call back that I never thought to check to see if he had left".
"I hate that you had to come all the way over here".
She was so scared she was shaking.
"It's ok, I wasn't going to let anything happen to you."
He wrapped his arms around her and held her for a few minutes.
After she had calmed down some, he got up and opened her door and examined it.
"Where are you going?"
"I was just looking to make sure your door isn't broken or anything. He was pounding pretty hard".
He closed it and came back to the couch.
"I just keep thinking…I literally own nothing but what you see in here, and I have to be able to feel safe in my own residence. And I've lived here for so long without ever having a problem. And I have no idea what I would have done if you hadn't come over. I cannot thank you enough".
"No thanks necessary."
"Maybe I need to go somewhere".
"What do you mean go somewhere?"
"I mean, the thing with Jeff happened last night, and then this happened…"
She started shaking again, so he got up and got her some water.
"Thank you".
"I tell you what. Would you feel better if I stayed here tonight with you?"
She nodded.
"Ok, then I'll stay. I'll be right here. If anyone tries to come in, they are going to have to come through me".
She nodded.
She went and changed for bed and then brought him some blankets and pillows.
"Goodnight".
"Goodnight".
She climbed into bed and managed to fall asleep.
Once he knew she was asleep, he fell asleep as well.
***A few hours later***
"No! No! Go away!"
He heard her yelling and before he was fully awake, he was up off the couch and in her room.
"Jennifer…Jennifer….wake up, you're having a nightmare".
She sat up and looked at him.
"Oh, I'm sorry. He was there, and he was so real…"
"It's ok. How about some water?"
She nodded.
He went and got her some water and then sat there while she drank it and calmed down.
"You think you can go back to sleep?"
"Yeah, I think so".
"Ok. Night".
"No, don't go".
"Ok."
He sat back down on the bed again.
"I keep seeing his arm in my head".
"It's ok, I promise. Want me to turn the lights on and walk you around and show you it's ok?"
"No, I believe you".
"I'll be right back".
He went and got the pillows and blankets and came back.
He stretched out on the bed next to her.
"Ok, come on. Lay down. I'll lay here till you feel better and can fall asleep again".
After making sure they were covered up, she laid down next to him, and then eventually fell asleep. He wrapped an arm around her and fell back asleep also.
***The next morning***
They slept all wrapped up till Jennifer's alarm went off.
Jonathan quickly hit snooze and got up and went and made coffee.
A few minutes later, Jennifer came into the kitchen.
"Morning".
"Morning. How are you feeling?"
"Embarrassed mostly, but better, I guess".
"You have nothing to be embarrassed about. You were almost attacked and it scared you and it's totally natural to feel that way".
"Yeah, but you're my boss and I'm supposed to be stronger than this".
"I would be worried about you if you weren't scared. And yes, I'm your boss, but last night, I was your friend. I promise you, it's fine".
"You're too kind".
She reached up and got down two coffee cups and then got out the cream and sugar.
"Thanks for making the coffee".
"No problem".
"And thanks for staying here last night. I think I might call the landlord and ask him to put some stronger locks on the doors. He'll probably say no, but I'll ask anyways".
"Wouldn't be a bad idea."
"Want me to make you bacon and eggs?"
"No, that's ok. I'm going to head out. I'll pick something up on my way into the office. Are we still on for dinner tonight?"
"Yeah, I'd like that".
"Great. I'll pick you up at 6".
She walked him to the door and hugged him goodbye.
"See you tonight".
"See you tonight".
As she closed the door behind him, she suddenly found herself having butterflies about having dinner with him.
***Later that night***
Jennifer got home from work around 5. Not having Jeff in the office worked out great when it came to leaving early.
She came in and took a quick shower and then put on a taupe colored wrap dress, some knee-high black stiletto boots and a chunky black necklace.
She had just spritzed on some perfume when Jonathan knocked on her door.
"Hi, come on in".
"Hi".
He had a small bouquet of white roses in his hand.
"I got you these".
"Oh, thank you. I'll just put them in some water".
She quickly grabbed a vase and filled it and then stuck the roses in the vase and balanced it against the counter.
"Ok, I'm ready".
She picked up her coat, which he took from her and held for her to put on, and then she grabbed her purse.
"How did your conversation with the landlord go?"
"He said I'm welcome to put some locks on if I want, but he's not paying for it or doing it for me".
"Is he always an ass?"
"Oh yeah".
She locked the door behind them and they headed to the elevator.
He had brought the car service, so they took that to the restaurant.
She noticed that he was wearing one of his Italian suits and thought it looked damned good on him.
They had a lovely dinner with the best food Jennifer had eaten in months. Their conversation was effortless. They just had this way of connecting with each other.
After dinner was over, he paid the check and they walked outside.
"What do you want to do now?"
"How about we go back to my place for a nightcap?"
"Sure".
They took a cab back to his place and went inside.
He took her coat for her.
"Thank you".
He walked over to the fireplace and started it, and then turned to Jennifer.
"How about a brandy?"
"Oh, I would love a brandy".
He poured them both a brandy, and they sipped it on the couch in front of the fire.
"So, I'm confused by something. When I talked to you yesterday morning, you said it had been loud before we talked. What did you mean by that?"
"When I walked in, I was told that Jeff was yelling and snapping at anyone who spoke to him. And when he left, he was being a little boisterous and raising his voice".
"Interesting".
"How did he seem when you spoke to him?"
"I didn't speak to him. I spoke to his boss, who offered to call and speak to him and then the boss called me back to tell me Jeff said he wasn't willing to relocate to Boston. I told him to tell him it was relocation or resignation, no other options".
"Which one did he ultimately pick?"
"He resigned".
"Wow. Wonder where he'll end up".
"Hopefully in an office full of men".
Jennifer chuckled.
"Ok, twenty questions. What's your favorite color?"
"Pink. I'm also fond of purple and blue, though. And I love sparkly and glittery things. What about you?"
"Blue, or red. What's your favorite food?"
"Mexican. You?"
"Italian. What's your favorite way to relax?"
"Bubble bath. You?"
"If I ever do relax, I'll let you know. What's the best thing that happened to you last week?"
"Well, it certainly wasn't the Senate hearing. Hmm…being at my father's house, watching the snowfall. You?"
"The horseback ride was pretty fun. What's your favorite part of day?"
"When I've completed my to-do list and I know that there isn't anything I absolutely have to do the rest of the day. I love that. What about you?"
"I guess it's when I sink into bed at night. I love that moment when the bed is still cool and I'm sinking into bed. What's something you really want but can't afford?"
"Oh that's easy. I'm dying to go on a Mediterranean cruise. But they are all out of my price range. What about you?"
"I collect watches. And there's one that I've been after-the Plasko 9094. It's sterling silver, has a blue face and platinum hands".
"Why don't you get it?"
"Because when they were making them, I was in high school. They were expensive then, but now, they are priced at over $100,000 and I can't seem to find one for sale that is in good condition".
"I used to think I would collect watches. My grandfather left me his watch collection, which has about 20 watches in it, from all over the world. I've never done anything with them, though".
"Where did you put the watches?"
"In my safety deposit box".
She took a sip of her brandy and turned to him.
"if you were having a bad day, how could someone make it better?"
"Well, that depends on who it is, I suppose, and why my day is bad. I mean, if it was a friend, just a phone call would help, or if it was Max, he knows my favorite foods and all that, and he always seems to make them at the right times without me having to ask. What about you?"
"Oh, different things, like you said. Letting me just rant and rave, or sending me flowers, or sending my favorite lunch or a hot coffee. Little stuff like that. What's your favorite way to spend a weekend?"
"On my boat, if I can. At my ranch, if I really want to get away. What about you?"
"If I'm here in New York, I like to go for a run in the park, and maybe take in a movie. If it's cold, I like to go get sushi, or a chicken taco salad and then watch a movie at home under a blanket or in bed".
She took a quick glance at her watch.
"Well, I better go. Thank you for a very lovely evening".
"Let me get you a cab".
He called the front desk and asked them to call him a cab.
Jennifer took her glass to the sink and rinsed it and then he helped her with her coat.
"So are you coming by the office tomorrow? Or when the new editor gets here?"
"No, actually. I am based in California and I'm flying back tomorrow."
"I see".
They headed to the elevator and then out the front door and into a waiting cab.
She noticed that the coffee stand closest to her building was permanently closed.
"Oh, that's a shame. I loved that place. They made the best iced vanilla coffee".
"You like iced coffee?"
"Sometimes. My standard order is typically a venti almond milk latte with 4 pumps vanilla, one pump cinnamon and non-fat whipped cream on top, but every now and then I'll get an iced coffee".
She put her hand on his chest.
"What kind of coffee do you like?"
"Regular, with a little cream and sugar".
"Well, we are just going to have to broaden your horizons".
She smiled at him and he loved it.
He helped her out of the cab and then paid the driver when they got to her building, and then held the door open for her to her building as they went inside.
"Now, if anyone bangs on your door, call me or call the police. Don't open it".
"I'll be fine".
He waited while she unlocked the door, and then helped her with her coat again.
"Thank you".
He laid her coat down across the end of the couch.
"Well, have a safe flight tomorrow".
"Thanks. And thank you for having dinner with me".
"I loved it".
Without hesitation, he stepped forward and tenderly kissed her, his lips caressing hers in the most perfect of motions. He wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her closer to him, deepening the kiss. She slightly opened her lips, letting him in, as she wrapped her arms around his waist.
They kissed for about 5 minutes, before he finally broke it.
"If I don't leave now, I never will".
She nodded.
"Goodnight".
"Goodnight".
He leaned forward and kissed her forehead and then she locked the door behind him.
She headed to the bedroom and got ready for bed, thinking about the kiss the entire time.