Now, if only Dan would agree to her plan, her world couldn’t look rosier. Unfortunately, he’d been vague about his decision. She wasn’t sure what she had to do to convince him.

He laughed at something Marla said, and despite the crowded ballroom, his voice rose above the noise. It wasn’t that he was so loud, just that he was so distinctive. At least to her.

Everything about him was unique. His attitude, his honesty, his style. She didn’t want to lose him, and that was her biggest fear. If he didn’t agree to their quarterly liaisons, what would she do? Say goodbye and never look back? How could she? On the other hand, how could she agree to a committed relationship when her career had to be her number one priority?

New Dawn was only one account, and it had swallowed up a year of her life. She couldn’t count the nights she’d worked past midnight. She hadn’t ever taken a full weekend off, not even during the holidays. How could she give him time where there was none?

Shawn, looking gorgeous in a dark gray Versace suit, joined Marla and Dan. He put his arm around Marla and they kissed briefly. He smiled at her, she smiled back, and even from this distance it was clear the two of them were in love.

They, too, had met this week. Marla had told her this afternoon that Shawn had asked her to accompany him on a trip to Montana, and that she’d accepted. While Jessica was happy for her, she wasn’t certain that the two of them would work out. Sure, he seemed perfect, he seemed to care deeply for her, and Jessica felt certain that in his heart Shawn believed they were meant for each other. But how could they know? It was crazy for anyone to think that, after a few wild, exceptional days, love could happen. Real love. Not lust, but love.

Her gaze moved back to Dan. How could he know? It didn’t make sense, it wasn’t logical, and it wasn’t even smart.

Love was hard enough when all the circumstances were perfect. Her mother’s best friend had been married over forty years, then found out her husband was having an affair. Their divorce had been a nightmare of bitterness and acrimony.

Jessica’s aunt had been madly in love with an artist and had left her own career as a chemical engineer to follow him to Costa Rica. A year later, he’d spent all her savings and dumped her for a nineteen-year-old swimsuit model.

Sipping her martini, she headed toward the threesome, even though she should be schmoozing with the heavyweights all around her. At the very least she should be making nice to her boss.

“Hey, it’s the woman of the year!” Marla said, grinning broadly. “Is it true?”

“What?” Jessica asked, her gaze skittering from Marla to Dan and back again.

“That you’re going to be the new executive V.P. at Geller and Patrick?”

“Maybe. We’re talking.”

“Cool.”

Jessica smiled. “If I do, that’ll mean a hefty promotion for you.”

Marla’s grin flattened and her gaze moved away. Shawn tightened his hold on her, which she acknowledged with a nod. No way this was going to be good news.

“The thing is, Jessica…” Marla cleared her throat. “The thing is, I’m not sure I’m going to come back to work. After my vacation, I mean. Not that I wouldn’t love to work with you again, but I might be, you know, moving. To Montana. With Shawn.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. It’s kind of sudden and all, but see, he’s been planning this for a long time, and there’s this ranch for sale. It’s like his dream place, and there’s no guarantee anything better would come along, so he’s thinking that he might, well, take it.”

“And you’ll take him.”

Marla nodded, looking horribly guilty. “I’m positive no one better is going to come along.” She kissed her guy.

“I don’t want to move without her,” Shawn said. “I’m crazy in love, and I want to start our new life away from all this madness.”

Jessica leaned over and kissed Marla on the cheek. “I’m happy for you.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

Marla’s grin lit up her face. “What about you and Dan? Are you two an official item?”

Dan laughed. “No, more of an unofficial item. Your soon-to-be ex-boss has some intriguing ideas about the future that I’ve decided to look into.”

Jessica swung around to look at him. Was this really his answer? “Seriously?”

He nodded. “Seriously.”

She felt giddy with relief. “That’s wonderful.”

He walked closer to her, slipped his arm around her waist and kissed her on the lips, then he moved his mouth close to her ear. “It doesn’t change how I feel,” he whispered. “I love you. I want to marry you. But I can wait. At least for a little while.”

She closed her eyes, wishing she could be more like Marla, but she wasn’t. She was Jessica. Dull, obsessive, workaholic Jessica. She simply couldn’t be another way.

A Real Man Would Do

These Things For His Girl

Call her the next day.

Always laugh at her jokes.

Tell her (truthfully) that he can’t wait to see her again.

Offer her a back rub without asking for one in return.

Call her just to say you were thinking about her.

Slow dance with her (not only on a dance floor).

Bring her flowers for no reason.

Tell her something about you that no one else knows.

Remind her that you still think she’s beautiful.

Never stop trying to impress her.

Tell her you love her.

Give her great big hugs for no reason.

Source: Bernard, Laura “How Men Could Win!”

http://www.angelfire.com/me/laurabernard/

19

DAN THOUGHT about letting his answering machine get the call; he was late for his mother’s and he had serious penance to pay. His cat, the one he’d foolishly saved from a life on the streets, had not simply peed in her shoes, she’d left other…interesting…gifts in assorted drawers and cubbyholes. The mouse had been particularly odiferous, but the lizard had been the single biggest surprise. It had been a week since he’d taken the devil cat back, but his mother was still quite testy.

On the other hand, the phone call might be something important. He slammed his front door and dashed across the wooden floor to the phone, picking it up seconds before the machine would have kicked in.

“Dan, here.”

Nothing. No breathing. Odd.

“Hello?”

“Hi.”

Oh, shit. Dan stumbled back to his chair and sat down carefully. She wasn’t supposed to be on the phone. They weren’t supposed to talk for at least a month. Her rules. “Are you all right, Jess?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“Oh. Well, that’s good.”

She cleared her throat.

He wondered where she was. He could go look at the caller ID but he didn’t. Given that it was only seven-thirty, she was undoubtedly still at the office.

“How are you?” she asked.

He had to smile. The woman was hideous at small talk. “I’m fine, Jessica. I’m great.”

“Super. I’m glad.”

He decided to wait. Something had to be going on for her to break the rules. It could be that she’d decided that the whole quarterly sexathon was a foolish notion. During the long week since they’d said goodbye, she could have come to her senses, realized that he was nothing but a nutcase.

On the other hand, maybe, like him, she’d realized that three months was an incredibly long time to wait. That the only time they had was now. That love could, indeed, happen in an instant.

“I took the job at Geller,” she said finally.

“Fantastic. Tell me all about it.”

“I want to, but not on the phone.”

“Oh.” His stomach sank. So it was the former, not the latter. She wanted to end it.

“No, oh, no, don’t think that.”

He frowned. “What?”

“Everything’s still a go. It’s just that, well, I miss you.”

He grinned. Big-time. “That’s excellent. I’ve missed you, too.”