***Wednesday***
Jennifer was right on time for her goodbye dinner.
Cassie was first, and Ava showed up a few minutes later.
"I can't believe you are leaving us".
"I know. It's so surreal".
"Morgan sent you this."
"How did she take it when you told her it was just us three?"
"She didn't seem surprised. I think because you were still mad at her about the brunch thing, she kind of expected it".
Jennifer opened the package to find a card that Morgan had simply signed "Best wishes, Morgan".
She found a small wrapped box that held a silver and gold bracelet.
She opened Ava's gift next. It was a gorgeous, multi-colored beaded bracelet and a pair of golden hoop earrings.
Cassie's gift was a framed picture of the three of them.
"This is so incredibly sweet. Thank you both, very much".
After a nice dinner, she headed back to her apartment.
She walked in as the phone rang and she hurried to grab it.
"Hello?"
"Hi, it's me".
"Hi".
"I was just calling to see if you are ok. I miss you".
"I miss you too".
"Jennifer, I never meant to hurt you, I hope you realize that".
"How exactly did you expect me to feel, Jonathan?"
"I don't know. I figured you would want to come to Japan with me this time".
"And if I did, what then? Why should I have to give up everything that makes me happy just to chase you around the globe? Who's to say you won't want to move somewhere else in a few months? I want to establish roots, Jonathan. I don't want to keep packing up and moving all over".
"I don't want to lose you".
"You either want to be with me or you don't, Jonathan. And you can't live in Tokyo and be with me at the same time."
"I don't know what to say".
"I should probably tell you that I took an overseas assignment today. So, I will be out of the country for the next 3 months".
"Where are you going?"
"Australia".
"I see. Well, I'm sure you will love it over there. And if we can't be together, then I'm glad you are doing what you love".
"I didn't take the job in Australia to hurt you, Jonathan. I would never do that. I took it to get over you".
"I know that, I never thought otherwise."
"Well, I think I'm going to head to bed."
"I hate being here without you".
"When you're ready to put you and me before your job, let me know".
"I love you, I always will".
"Bye Jonathan".
She hung up and got ready for bed.
***Thursday***
Jennifer packed up the laptop that Jonathan had given her and took it with her to work.
She wrote him a long letter telling him how she felt. She hated that they weren't together, but she wasn't good at long-distance relationships, and it wouldn't be fair to them for her to screw it all up. Absent them ever getting back together, she hoped beyond all hope that they would be able to stay friends.
She put the note in the box with the laptop, and sealed it.
She called the New York office and told them to expect it, and asked them to send it to Jonathan in Tokyo.
She was all packed up by the end of the day.
They threw her a going away party that afternoon in the breakroom, and then she headed home.
***A week later***
Jennifer was settled for the most part in Australia. She was on the Golden Coast, and had rented a hotel room for a few months.
Her first assignment was to cover a film festival. She loved that the Golden Coast Chronicle allowed her to work from home, and submit everything electronically. They even gave her the equipment to do it.
Her hotel room was more like an apartment. It was probably the nicest hotel room she had ever been in. It had a private laundry room, a king size bed with what had to be the most comfortable mattress on the planet, a large soaking tub with a separate shower stall, and a balcony off the living area with an impeccable view.
She chose to work outside today, and got all set up.
She went back inside to get a bottle of water from the mini-bar and heard a knock at the door.
She went to open it.
"Delivery for Jennifer Edwards".
"That's me".
He handed her a pad to sign and then an envelope.
"Thank you".
She took the envelope to the balcony, and sat down. She opened the envelope and pulled out the contents.
It was a copy of her article with a note on top.
"You're famous! Can I have your autograph?- Love, Jonathan".
He had sent the copy of the Japanese paper with her article in it, along with an American copy.
She worked for a couple of hours and then got ready to go to the film festival.
She put on a pair of skinny jeans with a cute black top and some black sandals.
She was walking out of the hotel when a very handsome man held the door open for her.
"Thank you".
"My pleasure".
"I hope that you will come back".
"I will".
She smiled at him and then got into a cab.
About 4 hours later, she was back at the hotel.
As soon as she got out of the cab, the man was there holding the door open again.
"I'm so glad you're back".
"Thank you".
She headed to the convenience mart in the lobby and grabbed a few snacks and then checked out.
She headed for the elevator and pushed the up button.
As soon as the door opened, she got on. Suddenly, the man did too.
As the doors closed, he turned to her.
"Hi, I'm Elliott, it's nice to meet you".
"Hi. I'm Jennifer, it's nice to meet you too".
"I must say, you have the prettiest smile I have seen in a long time".
"Well thank you".
"Are you in town on business?"
"I am. I'm on an extended assignment".
"Well, I guess you could say I am as well".
The elevator got to her floor, so she turned and told him goodbye.
"I hope to see you again soon".
She headed to her hotel room and got ready for bed.
She climbed up in bed and turned on the TV and found a movie to watch while she ate her snacks.
The phone rang right as she was falling asleep.
She reached over and grabbed it.
"Hello?"
"Hi, did I wake you?"
"No, you didn't".
"Well I was just calling to tell you I miss you, and I hope I can see you soon".
"That's sweet".
"I really screwed things up between us, didn't I?"
"You did what you felt you had to do. And that's all any of us can do".
"Yeah, but I had everything I ever wanted. I had the most wonderful, gorgeous, amazing woman, I own my own company, I had it all. And now, my company is still here, but the Japanese expansion isn't working out at all, and I lost the woman who means the most to me. I feel like I've lost everything".
"You haven't lost me completely, Jonathan. We are still friends. But seriously, you are going to have to figure out how to balance work and the rest of your life. When you and I are together, we are magical. We set the nights on fire, Jonathan. But as soon as something goes wrong at the office, you hop on the next plane to Tokyo and leave me and everything we have behind".
"You're right. That's not fair to you."
"It's not fair to you either. You were in our relationship too".
"You're right. So, I guess that's a yes, I screwed up everything".
"I didn't say that".
"It's ok. How do you like Australia?"
"I love it so far. I'm covering a film festival at the moment. And this hotel, I swear they have the most comfortable beds on the planet".
"More comfortable than the bed at my penthouse?"
"You know how when you and I are in the penthouse bed and we roll over towards the middle, and that spring hits us in the back? This bed doesn't do that".
"I see. I would happily sleep with all the springs poking me in the back if you were there with me".
"If you and I were in this bed, neither of us would ever want to get out of it".
"Well, I better go. I miss you so much, it's almost criminal. I hope that one day we can get back to where we were".
"Be happy, Jonathan. That's all I wish for you, just be happy".
"I hope that you can be happy too".
"Bye Jonathan".
"Bye Jennifer".
She hung up the phone and fell asleep, dreaming of Jonathan the whole time.
***The next day***
Jennifer woke up to a series of loud knocks on the door.
She stumbled out of bed and went to open the door.
"Room service. You have a breakfast cart complete with beverages".
"I didn't order this".
"This note should explain everything. Have a nice day ma'am".
He left and she closed the door behind him.
She looked at the tray. There were two plates-one of pancakes, one of sliced fruit and cheese. She had a carafe of fresh squeezed juice, a thermos of coffee, and a carafe of ice water. There was also a clear vase with 3 irises on the tray.
She opened the note.
"Hope this starts your day off on a great note. Please call the front desk and let them know if you need something. Just tell them Elliott sent you".-Elliott".
'How thoughtful'.
She took the trays to the bed and found a movie to watch while she ate her breakfast.
After she was finished, she set the tray minus the irises outside.
She took her time getting ready, and then headed to the film festival.
Elliott was in the lobby when she stepped off the elevator.
"Hi, hope your day is going well".
"Hi. Thank you for the room service, that was very kind".
"My pleasure."
He held the door for her and hailed a cab for her outside.
"Have a nice afternoon gorgeous".
"Thank you".
The film festival was amazing, and Jennifer saw several films in their entirety and clips of others. She had enough information to write a really nice article, so she headed back to her hotel to do just that.
She stopped at a local restaurant and got a to-go order, and then headed to the hotel.
Elliott was in the lobby again, and held the door open for her.
"Hi, have a nice time?"
"I did, thank you".
"So, I was wondering, have you been to Australia before?"
"I haven't, actually."
"Well, I am by no means a native. But I have lived here for the better part of 5 years. And I would be happy to show you the sights, if you would like. We can top it off with dinner. How does tomorrow sound?"
"That sounds lovely, thank you".
He rode in the elevator with her and insisted on being the one who carried her dinner up to her suite.
She let them into her room and he brought her dinner in and set it down on the table.
"I suppose I should ask you if you are available. I don't want to step on anyone's toes".
"I was recently involved with someone but we have ended our relationship at the moment".
"Great. His loss, my gain".
He leaned forward and kissed her cheek.
"So what time do I need to be ready tomorrow?"
"Why don't we start with dinner, and then we can plan out the rest?"
"That's fine with me. Shall I meet you downstairs in the lobby?"
"Sure. How about 6?"
"6 it is".
He placed his hands on her shoulders and looked deep into her eyes.
"Do you have any major plans for the evening?"
"Oh, no. My back is hurting so I'll probably just take a bath and head to bed".
"Well, if you need anything just call the front desk and tell them Elliott sent you".
"Thank you".
He kissed her cheek again and then left.
Jennifer climbed into bed and ate her dinner, and was just about to take a hot bath when there was a knock at the door.
She went to open it.
"HI, Mr. Manning sent this to you, with his compliments. A complimentary full body massage".
"Mr. Manning?"
"Elliott".
"Ahh yes. Come on in".
"If you want to go put on a robe or something, I will set up the table and get everything ready".
"Certainly".
She went to the bathroom and changed into her robe and then came back out.
For the next hour, she had the most glorious deep tissue body massage.
After it was over, he gave her a bottle of water.
"Water only for the rest of the day, and make sure to do some stretches if you feel a tightness".
"Thank you so much".
She climbed off the table and went and put her pajamas on while he packed up the table and his supplies.
After he left, she climbed into bed and grabbed her laptop and started writing her article about the film festival.
She worked for a couple hours and then called it a night.
She was flipping through the channels when she caught an entertainment news type program.
"Businessman Jonathan Hart had a new lady on his arm this weekend in Tokyo when he stepped out for an evening fundraiser. Our sources tell us that the gorgeous lady on his arm is Nikki Stefanos, heiress of the Stefanos Oil Corporation".
Suddenly, Jennifer didn't feel guilty about having dinner with Elliott.