Disclaimer: This story is based on SSD. However, all the characters belong to the superbly talented Martha Williamson; I'm just borrowing them to play with for a bit.
If you recognise any dialogue it's because it was written by her for the show. No copyrights infringement intended.
Thanks to my editor and great friend Rhonda Leighton Wronski for her continue support and love.
I do not give permission for my work to be copied by AI for any purpose.
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Trust the Timing – Chapter 1
Oliver O'Toole woke up and looked at his wife still sleeping… contentedly! Her long, glossy beautiful red hair was wrapped around her body. He wished he could gather her into his arms and love her in the morning, but he knew better. Holly was not a morning person. He made that mistake only once and lesson learned; leave her alone in the morning or else! He got up and as usual; he started straightening up, as there were clothes strewn all over the room. Their lovemaking was definitely wild, but he felt a touch of sadness as he collected the clothes. It seemed that sex was the only thing still holding their marriage together. The only time Holly seemed content was when she was sleeping. She didn't seem to care about anything anymore. No matter what he suggested she could do to fill her days, she did exactly the opposite or nothing at all. Her insatiable desire to have endless fun was almost disturbing… she seemed to be trapped in the mindset of a 16 year old.
Oliver leisurely started his normal morning routine, knowing he had the house to himself. He was going to make himself a cup of coffee, but the coffee machine often woke Holly up with its hissing noise. He decided to skip it today and leave for work a few minutes early. He'd have to buy his coffee at the coffee cart this morning. He remembered the heated words he exchanged last Friday with Andrea Schmekle, his supervisor. Andrea definitely had a superiority complex. Unless she was yelling at someone or putting someone down, she was not happy. Actually, he doubted Andrea was ever happy.
Shane McInerney wasn't looking forward to transitioning from the DLO in Washington DC to the DLO in Denver. She was going to miss the little bit she saw of Steve. The relationship was hard enough with them both in the same city. She could only imagine how much harder it would be with them at opposite ends of the country. As it was, he was hardly ever in DC, but when he was in town, they were inseparable. Recently though, those occasions had gotten rarer because he had been away a lot more. Maybe this transfer was a sign she needed to move on with her life. She'd see him at the Independence Day holiday coming up in a little over a month. She told him last time they spoke she was being transferred to Denver. She cried bitterly on the phone while talking with him, but he had been very supportive, telling her he'd come to see her as often as he could. She just hoped she'd survive until then.
Shane was looking at the man taking all the time in the world to order a cup of coffee. She just couldn't wait anymore.
"Excuse me; can I put my order through while you're reminiscing? I will even pay for yours." The man looked at her, first a little confused, and then he stepped back and let her do it, since he wasn't actually enjoying his experience. "Be my guest!" He said, and smiled at her.
Shane gasped. She found herself looking into the most beautiful blue eyes she had ever come across. Then her eyes, traitorously, gazed at his mouth and she nearly choked. "Ahhh… yes… right! It's my first day at my new job and I don't want to be late."
"Well, at least you're employed, huh?" He said, looking at the hordes of young people sitting around, browsing through their tech devices. Shane put the order through for both of them, turned back to him and said,
"Well, most of these people are actually employed. They're just working from home."
He gave her a puzzled look. "So somebody pays them… for this?" He said pointing in the direction of the people hanging around the cart.
"Theoretically?!"
He asked, and she exclaimed exactly at the same time. They looked at each other and they both laughed, enjoying the impromptu connection and organic camaraderie.
The coffee orders were ready. They lingered, looking into each other's eyes for a few seconds longer than necessary. Then they said goodbye and departed in opposite directions. They turned one last time, looked at each other, nodded and then left.
Andrea looked at Shane McInerney's file and said matter of factely,
"Yes, the DLO! We have it here, too." Shane was getting frustrated with this obnoxious woman who didn't listen.
"Yes, but it is Direct Line Operations, not the dead… something!"
"You will be trained by Oliver O'Toole." She said, completely ignoring Shane. Then she loudly barked out his name, looking in the direction just opposite of Shane. Shane followed her eyes and nearly choked on her coffee! Her eyes landed on the man from the coffee cart. "You!" He said, piercing her with his gorgeous blue eyes. Andrea left and Shane walked towards Mr. Gorgeous.
In the office, Oliver introduced his team. "Rita, Norman, our troops have increased. This is… this is…"
"I'm Shane McInerney."
Oliver looked at her and smirked, enjoying this chance to tease his new employee. "Shane? No! That won't do. I can't work with somebody called Shane. Norman, explain why, please."
The dude behind the other desk got up and started telling her about some old movie. Then the pretty brunette piped up in a dramatic voice, "Shane, come back Shane."
Shane noticed Mr. Gorgeous was trying really hard not to burst into laughter. He walked right up to her, stopped mere inches from her face and with a smirk, he said, "Therefore, I'm going to call you… ummm… Sheryl!"
He turned and walked away as if the conversation was over. Shane was not sure if they were all laughing at her or whether it was only Mr. Gorgeous having fun at her expense. She decided to go with it.
"Well, I'm only here temporarily." Mr. Gorgeous continued and he was on a roll, "How good of you to realise this great truth so early on in life."
"What I mean is, this is a mistake. I don't belong here."
"Well, a merry-mix-up maybe. But a mistake? We shall see."
Oliver was really enjoying this little moment of levity. He could tell they all baffled this beautiful woman, but it was clear she was up to the task. She was spunky! The short interaction they had earlier at the coffee cart nearly left him in a puddle on the ground. Within a few seconds of meeting her, there was enough chemistry between them to burn down Norman's lab. He was going to have to be very careful. He was starved for good company, good conversation and good banter. It didn't help that the woman was just stunningly beautiful.
The day passed quickly with Shane adding value to the team's work as they researched their assignment for the day.
It was Monday evening and Holly had yoga. She usually didn't get home until after 8. So, Oliver decided to join his team at the postal bar for a drink. They started discussing the challenges they were having tracking down their current letter recipient. Shane suggested they follow their footsteps through Washington Park to see if that would lead them to a better result. Oliver was the only one who was hesitant, but once he saw how enthusiastic the other 3 were, he agreed to go along with the idea.
The next day marked the start of a tumultuous month for Shane, as she was torn between loving her new job one day and hating it the next. She even quit once, but Oliver went after her and brought her back. She had a chance to transfer to Direct Line Operations, but she realised she couldn't, as her heart was already taken by her quirky new colleagues. She already loved them.
As for Oliver, he was becoming her best friend. They danced together one evening at the Postal bar and Shane knew the two of them had tons of chemistry. She also suspected his marriage was struggling a little. She met Holly briefly when she came into the office one day. The woman looked bored and treated Oliver with a touch of irritation. Shane was not impressed with her. Shane concluded that she and Oliver needed to be very careful regarding their hearts as they were both in vulnerable positions. It was obvious they enjoyed each other's company and got a lot out of their interactions. It didn't help that she found him drop dead gorgeous.
Oliver was responsible for handing out the Independence Day Picnic invitations to his team. The Denver main branch usually hired out a private country club for the day about 40 minutes outside of Denver. The employees and their families could play tennis and golf, go fishing, swim in the lake or swimming pools or simply lounge around on beach chairs and read books under the beautiful trees scattered around the manicured lawns. The day would end with a movie on the outdoor screen and a massive fireworks display. It was a wonderful day for those who attended it.
Shane was bringing Steve, who was coming to Denver for the weekend. Rita was bringing Bob, her boyfriend. Norman was bringing his mom and dad and Oliver was bringing Holly. The day dawned bright and beautiful.
They all met at the country club. Introductions were made and immediately after, they scattered to enjoy their preferred activities. Norman and his parents went fishing. Rita and Bob decided to play a tennis match. Rita had been the under 15 champion in high school 3 years in a row. She loved the sport and she was still very good at it. Oliver had several books with him, so he sat under a tree and settled in for the day. Steve went in search of a bar. Holly wanted to swim in the pool. Once she realised Oliver was not going to move from his chair and his books, she went off to the pool by herself. Shane sat next to Oliver with, grabbed a book of her own and waited for Steve, who hadn't come back yet.
"What are you reading, Ms. McInerney?"
Shane looked up from the book and showed it to him, "Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. It's one of my favourites and I try to read it every few years. I just love it. Are you familiar with it?"
"Of course. I read it once, as it's one of those classics you need to tick off your list. It's not one of my favourites, though. Don't you find it a bit depressing?" "It's a timeless love story, one of impossible love. I always feel so sad for both Heathcliff and Catherine."
"I find it kind of strange. It seems every character is so flawed. There are no good guys in the story." Oliver looked into the distance and continued. "The cruelty of the men in general and the capriciousness of the women…" He said the last bit with such emphasis it took Shane by surprise.
He continued. "I think I prefer Jane Eyre from the Brontë Sisters."
"You do? Now that's a depressing book! Why do you like it?" She asked, mystified.
"Well, I like Rochester." He chuckled. "A man of action!" He flexed his biceps for emphasis. "But I also feel for him… trapped in a bad marriage." Again, he looked into the distance. Then he looked at her and gave her a sad smile that spoke volumes without a single word.
Shane's heart broke for him, as she knew exactly what he meant. "How are you, Oliver, really?"
He looked at her again, his sad smile still in place. "Well, we all make choices in life, Ms. McInerney. We have to live with them."
Before Shane could offer her opinion on that sensitive subject, Holly returned from the swimming pool and sat there, sulking and fidgeting, but doing nothing.
"Would you like a book to read, Holly?" Shane offered her the bag with a few options.
"What have you got?" She asked.
Shane lifted out a couple, and showed them to her. "Jane Austin, Charles Dickens and Shakespeare."
Holly laughed, but it was hollow, no merriment in it whatsoever. "What do you have against American authors?"
"Nothing! I have quite a few books by American authors, but I didn't bring any with me today." At that moment, Steve was heading back towards them, but he was on a phone call as he walked. He finished the conversation and said to Shane, "I'm sorry, Shane, but we need to leave. A situation has developed in DC and I have to catch a plane that's waiting for me at the military base airport. I have no time to waste… sorry!"
Shane's jaw dropped. "But Steve, you only arrived last night…"
"I know, I'm so sorry… but… you know the drill."
"Well, you go. I'm going to stay here." Shane said, with a final angry nod.
At that, Holly stood up and asked, "Mr. Marek, could you please drop me at home? I'm… I have a headache and need to go home."
Oliver looked at her, surprised. "Holly, you didn't mention you were unwell." "Well, I didn't want to worry you. You stay here. Mr. Marek will drop me off." She picked up her bag and started heading towards Steve.
He looked at Shane, apologetically. "I'm sorry. See you on Labour Day weekend?"
She crossed her arms and gave him an annoyed look. "Yep!" was her short answer. She then picked up her book again and pretended to read. Steve stood there for a second looking indecisive but eventually he nodded and turned to Holly. "Let's go then."
Both Oliver and Shane restarted reading their books, but neither of them turned a page for a long time. Eventually Shane put her book down and said, "Would you like to go for a walk, Oliver?"
"Yes, thank you Ms. McInerney. I think it will be very beneficial for us."
The country club was located between a lake and the forest going up the Rockies. It truly was a most beautiful location.
"So, what are you reading, Oliver?"
"I'm reading Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo."
"Ooooh, you're lucky Holly didn't ask you for your options."
They both laughed. Then Oliver said. "Actually, she likes all things French. She wouldn't have minded my option, although I doubt very much she's ever read it."
"What causes you to say that?"
"Oh well, in her own words, she doesn't like anything old. She says classic is another word for old and dead."
"Oh wow!" Shane cleared her throat and asked. "If you don't mind me asking Oliver, how did you two meet?"
"Up in the mountains. She lost control of her car and I rescued her. It all happened very fast."
"What happened fast?"
"Everything!" He sighed. Shane decided to drop the Holly subject. They started talking about their love for the classics, how they enjoyed Shakespeare's comedies and tragedies. They then talked about travelling. They realised they wanted to see the same places in the world.
"We have more in common than I thought possible, Mr. O'Toole." She teased him.
"And I didn't realise you had such good taste in literature, Ms. McInerney." They both laughed.
They decided to hit some golf balls on a mini-golf course. They were both terrible at it. They laughed so much at how inept they were at that sport. They realised it was a lot harder than it looked.
They then moved on to archery. Shane was pleasantly surprised at how good she was at hitting the target, while Oliver was aiming too high and sinking the arrows into the dirt bank behind the target.
After the archery, they joined Norman and his parents at the lake for a spot of fishing. The two of them got into a boat and rowed off to the middle of the lake. Oliver proved to be a very patient fisherman. His patience was rewarded when he caught 3 trout (which he threw back). Shane proved to be just too fidgety to attract any fish with her line.
After they were done with all their activities, they declared an overall tie between them. They recognized their different strengths and realized they complemented each other in pretty much everything they did.
Towards the beginning of the evening, they returned to the main picnic area. A barbecue dinner was being served and there was a movie starting. It was Meg Ryan & Tom Hanks starring in "You've Got Mail". They both loved that movie and didn't mind watching it again, even if it were for the hundredth time. Dinner was good. They were starving after their afternoon of fun packed activities. They sat on a picnic blanket next to each other, passing bits of food between them to try, while laughing and enjoying themselves more than they had expected.
Then it was finally time for the fireworks. It was splendid.
Shane shivered at one point because the temperature had dropped considerably. Oliver noticed. He took his jacket off and put it around her shoulders. As he was doing that, their eyes locked for a few seconds. They both gasped and took a step back from each other, as awareness hit them that something significant was happening between them.
At the end of the night, Oliver took Shane home since Steve had taken her car back to her house. While they were in the car, she looked at him and said, "I didn't think I was going to enjoy my day, but I loved it actually."
He smiled, "I must admit, my day was very pleasurable … and it was because of… you."
She looked at him teasingly. "Well, I never imagined my very proper section leader could be so much fun."
They both laughed. "Thank you, Oliver."
"My pleasure, Ms. McInerney."
He cleared his throat and said, "Ms. McInerney, I hope you don't mind if I tell you something. I think you deserve better than a man who drops you as soon as he can in favour of taking on another work assignment."
She nodded agreeing with him. "Thank you, Oliver. In the same vein, I hope you don't mind if I tell you I think you deserve a woman who will not drop you at all."
He looked so sad, but nodded. "It's too late for me, Ms. McInerney, but it's not for you."
They arrived at her place. Oliver took her hand and kissed it on the spur of the moment. She blushed and looked at him, stunned. He looked mortified as he realised what he had done. She recovered quickly and smiled into his beautiful blue eyes.
"Thank you, Oliver, and good night."
"Good night, Ms. McInerney!"
