“Anything in particular you’re looking for?”
“My niece is fourteen. What do teens like these days?”
Ester pulled the hidden advertisement out from under her keyboard and flipped rapidly until she came to the page she was looking for. She turned it toward her boss. “I get one for my daughter every year, and she loves it.” Ester pointed to a box of sample perfumes. “You get thirteen of the most sought-after fragrances, all designer, and the best part is they get a full-size bottle of their choice, all for sixty-five dollars.”
Renee took the paper out of Ester’s hands, almost as if she couldn’t believe what she’d been told. Sure enough, the fine print said the same thing. “Is it worth it?”
“So worth it.”
Renee made a mental note to get one for Ester. She knew she was a single parent, and Renee tried to do what she could to help. “What else?” she asked. Ester continued to flip and point out what the hot items of the season were.
“I’ll text you a list, Ms. Wallace.”
“Thank you, Ester.” Renee asked her to email the attorneys whose clients had missed their necessary payments for the month, and once she did, she could go for the day. “Have a happy Thanksgiving,” she said before disappearing into her office.
She sat at her desk and texted Brooklyn. Do I brave the traffic and leave now?
Brooklyn Hewett: Bowie says there’s an accident and to wait.
Of course, there is.
Renee pushed her phone aside and shook the mouse on her desk to wake up her computer. She had depositions to go over in a custody dispute, briefs to write for the tiny humans she was a guardian ad litem for, and she needed to read through a stepparent adoption case, but the only thing she wanted to focus on was her solitaire game. She clicked “New” and watched as the computer laid out the board for her, groaning when multiple red cards in a row flipped over. Renee preferred a mix; it was easier to build a sequence that way. As tempted as she was to click “New” and get another board, she accepted the challenge and started moving her mouse from one spot to another.
Halfway through her game, Ester came on the intercom and told her boss she was leaving and to have a fun time shopping, and then there was a knock at her door. She closed the application, pulled up a random file, and acted as if she were knee deep in reading. “Come in.”
She hadn’t bothered to look to see who walked in, figuring it was Donna or someone who needed something from her. Out of her peripheral, she saw something move and turned her head slightly to catch a glimpse. What she saw had her moving her chair around so she could face forward. Someone stood at the front of her desk with a large bouquet of roses.
“You can set those down,” she said as she stood up to reach for the small white card that contrasted with evergreen and lush red of the partially opened rosebuds.
The person holding the vase lowered it, and as he did, Renee’s eyes went wide, and her mouth dropped open. “Theo,” she said breathlessly. He barely had time to set the flowers down before she was in his arms. His hand rested softly on her lower back, and his other went around her shoulders. Theo brought Renee into his embrace and tilted his head as her hands encased his neck. They looked at each other, both smiling before closing the gap. The kiss started off soft. A small brush of the lips until Theo pulled her forcefully against him and let out a slight growl. Her breath left her body in a quick gasp, and then his tongue plunged into her mouth. Once their lips parted from each other’s, she cupped his face with her hands and tried to slow her breathing. “I thought you couldn’t make it to Thanksgiving.”
“I can’t,” he said, and her exuberant demeanor changed instantly. He touched her chin lightly and said, “I changed my flight plans so I could have a brief layover. I only have a few minutes before I have to be back to the airport.”
“You didn’t have to do that, but I really appreciate it.”
“I wanted to see you before I flew to Japan. I wish I didn’t have to go.”
“Me too,” she said as she took him by his hand and led him to the couch in her office. She fixed him a drink and then took the spot next to him. She kicked off her heels and brought her legs up onto the sofa.
“Do you want me to massage your feet?” he asked her.
“No, I want to lean my head on your shoulder and absorb as much of you as I can.”