"Jonathan, I love this car," Jennifer announced after driving it for about four blocks.

He grinned at her from the passenger seat. "We'll have to go to the dealer in California and pick out a color you like. You said colorful, so maybe red?"

She grimaced slightly. "Red's a little much, don't you think?"

His face fell.

"What? You like red?"

"I got a red Ferrari a couple months ago," Jonathan mumbled.

"Well for a Ferrari, sure. You can't just have any old color for a Ferrari. But a Mercedes isn't as flashy. I don't really need to stick out that much. But we'll see what's available," she reasoned. His expression brightened at her words.

He really was too cute for words, that fiancé of hers. It had been a week now, since they'd met, and she'd come to know enough of him to understand his moods and reactions to things. He was very confident and didn't need validation for things, she could tell, but it did matter to him a great deal that she agreed with his choices. Jonathan wasn't out for her approval, but he wanted to please her. He didn't want to do anything that wouldn't make her happy. He loved her and intended to take care of her forever, and that was just what she intended, too.

"I think while you're at work, I'm going to start going through my things here. I need to pack some things to take with me to LA, of course, but I need to decide what I should get rid of. Maybe Max could help me," she mused.

"What would you need to get rid of?"

"Well, like my furniture and things. I can't imagine we'll need two dining tables or whatever else. I'll talk to Max about what you've already got and what I should bring."

"What if I like some of your things better than what I've already got?" he countered.

"Then I'll make sure you look at everything before I get rid of it, how about that?"

"Deal," he agreed. And just in time, as Jennifer had pulled up next to the New York headquarters for Hart Industries. "This is perfect, darling, thank you. I'll call you later when I'm finished. If you're busy, just send Max to pick me up."

Jennifer agreed to that plan. Jonathan leaned over and kissed her before getting out of the car. She waved at him before he disappeared inside the building. And now she had all day to figure things out.

It still didn't feel real, somehow, that she and Jonathan would be building a life together. They'd be getting married and living together. The past week had been a whirlwind and a dream—though at times a terrifying nightmare, too. How were they supposed to live an actual life together? Adventures and vacations and such were one thing, but real life was quite another.

She'd been trying to find out from Max how Jonathan lived back in LA, but so far she'd just heard about his hobbies and his work. And if that was the case, she'd need to get back into the swing of her own work so she wasn't left wandering an empty house in Los Angeles while she waited for him to get back from the office.

Well, that wasn't going to happen. Jennifer Edwards wasn't the sort of woman to wait around for anyone. And knowing Jonathan, the life he led in LA now would change when she was living with him. She had no doubt in her mind that they'd be living their lives together; he wouldn't expect her to just conform to the life he already had.

But thinking about work reminded Jennifer that she did have about half a manuscript that needed her attention. She'd published books already, but this next one was something she was really proud of. Something she was excited to finish. The contract with the London Herald had distracted her, and it was time to get back to it. To be fair, though, she'd taken the job in London because she'd gotten a bit of a block with her book and she needed something to take her away from New York and away from the mind-numbing frustration of her dead ends. And come to think of it, Los Angeles would be a wonderful place to work on the book. Between Jonathan's connections and her own abilities, she could probably finish it up with relative ease.

Jennifer took the long way back to her apartment, thinking about the future and getting excited about everything in store. She drove Jonathan's Mercedes through the park and rolled down the window to let in the warm summer breeze. LA didn't have the same kind of humidity, and she was certainly looking forward to that. And it doubled her desire for a convertible version of this car to have in California.

It was another few minutes before Jennifer noticed that her cheeks were hurting. She hadn't realized that she'd been smiling so much.

"Hi, I'd like to see Andrew Finley, if he's available. Or if he's not, I'd be happy to wait in an available conference room so I can make some calls to LA."

The receptionist in the lobby frowned. "Do you have an appointment with Mr. Finley?"

"I'm afraid I don't, but I'm hoping he can make some time for me today."

She continued to look at him suspiciously. "I'll call his secretary and ask. Who should I say is here?"

"Jonathan Hart," he responded, smiling. He wasn't one of those CEOs who needed his portrait plastered on the walls of his offices. He did as much press as he needed to in order to promote products and new ventures, and his picture ended up in the newspaper periodically. But Jonathan was hardly a household name. He didn't blame this girl for not knowing who he was. He was always a little amused when he could surprise people with his identity like this.

"Really!?" the receptionist blurted.

He chuckled, "Yes, really."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Mr. Hart! I just started a week ago, I didn't realize…"

"It's quite alright," he interrupted. "No harm done."

"I'll just call up to Mr. Finley's office now." She picked up the phone and started dialing the extension.

"I appreciate that, thank you." He turned away from the desk and admired the decoration of the lobby. It was tasteful, which he liked. He didn't spend much time here, but he was glad to see it looked nice. As the company grew, his control over it had started to dwindle. And that was for the best, of course. Just as he'd told Jennifer, he trusted the people who worked for him and he didn't look over people's shoulders. But it was difficult sometimes for him to know that so much happened that he didn't know about. Like the decorations of the lobbies in his various buildings. He was going to have to get used to that. Very soon, in fact.

"Mr. Finley can see you now, Mr. Hart. And I've called up to have a conference room with a phone for your long distance calls set up. You can go right back to the elevators there and go to up the fortieth floor."

"Thank you," he said. "And what's your name?"

She blinked at him as though he'd grown an extra head. "Me? Um. Maria, sir. Maria Moreno."

Clearly she wasn't used to people treating the receptionist like a person. Which was all too common in big business, in Jonathan's experience. Hopefully working at Hart Industries longer would help change her view. "Thank you very much for your help, Maria," he said sincerely.

Jonathan made his way up to the executive office suits at the top of the building. His New York Vice President was waiting for him when he got off the elevator. "My secretary said you were here! Jonathan, how are you? To what do we owe the pleasure?"

The two men shook hands in happy greeting. "I'm well, Andrew. I was in town and wanted to check in on things. How are you?"

"Just fine. Business is going well. I know LA is handling the operational side of the Kingsford merger, but we're finalizing the post-closing stock issuances out here," Andrew said.

"And I want to hear all about it. I've gotta check in with Marcus in LA, too." Jonathan followed Andrew into his office. It was a great view of the city. Fit for a Vice President. And when the door to the office was closed and Jonathan was alone with Andrew, he said, "Actually, could we try and get Marcus on the phone now? I think it makes sense to talk to you both together."

"Sure, I'll get the speakerphone set up." Andrew pressed the intercom and asked his secretary to get the equipment and call to LA for Marcus Werther. It was all set up very efficiently.

"Jonathan, I didn't know you were going to New York after London," Marcus said, once they got through the pleasantries. "Something going on?"

"As a matter of fact, there is. I'd like us to work out the operational details for me to step away for a while," Jonathan said.

"What does that mean?" Marcus asked worriedly. Andrew's expression matched Marcus's tone.

"It means just what I said. I intend to step away from the company for a while and leave the operations to you, Marcus, and distribute some responsibility to Andrew as needed for that to work," Jonathan explained. He'd been thinking about this for a couple days now. It would all work out well, he just needed to get the ball rolling.

"But why?" Andrew asked.

Jonathan smiled. "Because I'm getting married."