I was blowing up my 360th balloon when Chuck ran into the office. “Jenny, hurry—he’s coming!”
I nodded, finishing the last one. My cheeks hurt so much from filling all those balloons, I probably couldn’t have answered anyway. I tied it off, shoved it in the office, and shut the door. With the blinds closed, Tom wouldn’t discover I’d pranked his new office until he opened the door. I chuckled to myself. A few weeks earlier he’d covered my entire cubicle with tinfoil. He had this coming.
The moment news got out that one of the art directors was leaving, Tom placed a claim on her soon-to-be-empty office. It couldn’t be seen from our boss Jillian’s suite, which was a plus, but unfortunately this meant you also never saw her coming. Tom was willing to take that chance. He was moving his files and bobblehead collection later that afternoon before the new art director starting the next day could nab the office.
I scooted over to the reception desk to pretend I was talking with Joy. She wasn’t as big a prankster as we were, but she enjoyed our antics, sometimes playing a supporting role as needed—so long as there was no threat to her clothing or carefully curled hair.
“Don’t you look cute today?” Her upper lip curled as she surveyed my yoga pants and t-shirt. Joy was nice, except when it came to fashion.
“I’ve been here since five this morning. I dressed for comfort, not style.”
“Isn’t that what you do every day?” Joy always dressed like she was on her way to a fashion show where audience members served as backup should a model faint from hunger and topple off the runway. Joy’s desk faced the modeling agency across the hall, and I think she was convinced they were going to spot her one day and plop her in a makeup ad. Why else would she wear so much of it? I used mascara and sometimes lipgloss if I could find it in my purse. That was a big if.
But she was correct. I dressed for comfort every day. When you’re shaped like an apple, there’s no use spending a fortune on clothing that won’t fit right anyway. Besides, I didn’t need fancy clothes—I had “such a pretty smile.” I’d heard that line dozens of times when people couldn’t think of anything else nice to say. Maybe that’s why I was joking around all the time—to show off my smile. No one ever said, “What a cute belly you have.” But it was my belly, so I loved it. I just needed to find a guy who felt the same way.
I did get lots of compliments on my hair, though. I was probably the only girl in the world with curly hair who didn’t wish it were straight. I loved my long, dark curls. I could thank the women on my mother’s side of the family for that. But they’d been turning out thick-figured women for generations, so they were responsible for that feature, too.
Footsteps sounded in the hall and I bit my lip. Joy was still chatting about hairspray—or maybe it was conditioner, I don’t know—when the door swung open. Tom walked in with a handsome sandy-haired guy. I got that instant tingle that hits when you realize, “Oh yeah, I could do this.”
I didn’t recognize him and figured he must be a client. I was so distracted I forgot about my prank. My prank! My heart quickened. After replacing Chuck’s hand sanitizer with lubricating jelly before an important meeting, I’d discovered clients usually didn’t have a sense of humor.
But I was safe this time. Tom wouldn’t bring the client into his new office—he hadn’t moved his stuff in yet. They’d probably go to the conference room. The balloon prank would have to wait a while. I took a deep breath to calm down. Sometimes I’d fall into a giggle fit, ruining a perfectly good gag. Once, I’d gotten Chaz to cover all the urinals with plastic wrap. But as Chuck headed for the bathroom, I started laughing so hard he knew something was up and quickly discovered the joke. And if Shelby ever sniffed out a prank in the works, it was best to call it off. The girl was incapable of telling a lie.
“Good morning, Tom,” I said.
Tom nodded at us, his thick black eyebrows scrunching together. That’s the face he made when he was trying to look all business-like. Which wasn’t often. “Hello, Jenny. Joy.”
Chuck wandered over to join the group. “Good morning, everyone.” A smile twitched at the corners of his mouth.
I looked at the ground. “Good morning.” My stomach twisted with giddy nerves, and not just because a major joke was waiting in the wings. The guy with Tom was so good-looking. Totally my type—you know, too hot to get. I suppose it was a nod to my self-esteem that I aimed high. Men were like cookies; why settle for the store brand cheapies your mom left on the counter when you knew there were fancy ones in a tin on the top shelf—even if they were hard to get? Those were the ones you really wanted.
Joy set the clipboard on the counter and stood, leaning forward for everyone to share the view of her fake boobs, like they were new babies everyone wanted to see. For twins, they were pretty big. I’m surprised she didn’t throw herself a boobie shower to celebrate the occasion. She probably had wallet-sized photos of them in her purse. Of course, it could be she was showing off her bra and not the girls. It only took a glimpse down her blouse to know that woman dropped some serious cash on lingerie. I suppose if I’d paid thousands for new breasts and lingerie, I’d put them on display as often as possible, too. Otherwise, why buy them?
Most of us were pretty sure Tom had an up-close and very personal look every day. The two of them always left for lunch within minutes of each other and returned around the same time, too. Never together, but pretty darn close. They never admitted to having any kind of relationship, though.
“Can you have your guest sign in, please?” Joy asked Tom, staring at him a beat or two longer than most people would.
“This isn’t my guest,” Tom said. “Everyone, this is Nolan, our new art director.”
Nolan looked at me and stuck out his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“You, too. I’m Jenny.” I shook his hand, excited by this turn of events. A new hot guy in the office! “I thought you weren’t starting until tomorrow?”
“No, today’s my first day,” Nolan said.
The staff started streaming into the office. My friend, Charlotte, took her seat in the cubicle next to mine, crossed her arms, and smiled. She could tell when a prank was brewing.
Soon, more and more employees milled around, waiting for whatever was about to go down—and to check out the new guy, no doubt.
Gerard, the office manager, bustled over from across the room. “Ah, Nolan. So nice to see you.” They shook hands, and I cringed, wondering what Gerard’s reaction would be to the prank about to unfold in front of the new hire.
“I’m sure Nolan would like to get settled in his office, don’t you think?” Tom asked Gerard.
“Of course,” Gerard said. “Follow me.” He headed for the room I’d just filled with balloons.
“Wait!” I hurried after them and stood in front of the door. “That’s Tom’s new office.” My heart was in my throat.
Gerard gave me a funny look. “Why would an art director’s office go to a junior executive?” He shook his head dismissively and gestured to the office. “It has an excellent view. I do hope you like it, Nolan.”
Nolan looked at me, clearly waiting for me to scoot my booty out of the way. I stepped aside. Chuck and Tom were laughing before Nolan even opened the door.
“You jerks,” I hissed, as Nolan turned the knob, revealing the shoulder-high barrage of balloons inside.
Nolan’s eyes bulged.
Gerard turned to face us. “Who did this?” A blue balloon floated past his feet. He stomped on it with a loud pop.
Everyone jumped, probably more from Gerard’s anger than the noise of the balloon.
Tom stuck his hands in his pockets while Chuck said, “Gee, I don’t know.”
I looked back at Joy, but she seemed as surprised as me. Guess she wasn’t in on this one.
Rolling my eyes, I held up a hand. “It was me. I was under the impression Tom was moving into this office, and I had a special greeting for him,” I said through clenched teeth. “I’m very sorry, Nolan. I’ll start cleaning this up right now.”
Nolan tried to hold back a laugh. “No problem. I haven’t seen a good prank in a long time. Not since high school.”
I groaned.
“No, it’s a good thing,” he corrected. “I like jokes.”
Red splotches bloomed on Gerard’s face. “This nonsense has to stop.”
“Jillian thinks joking boosts morale,” Tom said.
Chuck tapped the side of his head and nodded. “Creativity, too.”
Gerard’s shoulders drooped. He may be the office manager, but Jillian was the boss. If she liked jokes, the jokes would continue. Just so long as they weren’t on her. I’d been concocting several scenarios involving the signature line on her email, but that was just a fantasy. I’d probably have to settle for something involving sticky notes. Or something sticky. Like gelatin! I snapped my fingers. A Jell-O slip-and-slide out in the hall.
“Clean this up,” Gerard said to me.
I looked at Nolan. “Give me half an hour.”
“I’ll help,” Nolan said.
“I’ll return afterward to give you a proper tour.” Thankfully, Gerard left.
Nolan shrugged and looked around. “Anybody got any pins?”
“Of course.” Joy took out the briefcase from under her desk that held the remedy for any possible fashion emergency and walked over with it. “I have several types of pins. Safety pins, straight pins, hat pins, sewing needles.” She opened the case and set it on a desk in a nearby cubicle. “Help yourself.”
Nolan frowned. “I was hoping snakes would jump out, like from those cans of fake peanuts?”
“I’m not the office clown,” Joy said. “That title goes to Jenny.”
I planted my fists on my hips. “Hey, you brought in a cake frosted with mashed potatoes once.”
“Yeah, but that was just a little trick on April Fool’s Day when everybody plays jokes. You filled the entire break room with cups of water on a random Monday. That took three hours to clean up,” she said.
“It wasn’t random, it was your birthday, remember?”
“Even worse,” she said.
I crossed my arms. “Fine. No more jokes.”
Tom and Chuck laughed. “Yeah, right.”
I tipped my chin in the air. No one appreciated my efforts around here. Plus, I was embarrassed in front of Nolan. How many guys want to date the office clown? No one’s ever written an online dating profile stating: Jokers encouraged to respond. “I mean it. This is my last prank.”
Shelby joined the group and laughed. “No way. You love the attention too much. I bet there’s a court jester somewhere in your family tree.”
I was too upset to formulate a comeback. I was more than just the funny girl around here, wasn’t I?
While everyone laughed along with Shelby, Nolan handed me a pin. “Ready to make some noise?”
I took the pin and we went into his office. He looked around, smiling. “I’m impressed. This took a long time and a lot of lung power.”
“A few months ago, Tom tin-foiled my office, so I owed him. But clearly he knows me well. I was an easy set up.”
“I’m sorry to hear you won’t be pulling any more stunts. It would be fun to be on the receiving end of one for real.”
I popped a balloon. “Well, it’s not like I do this kind of thing all the time.” Maybe once a week… “And I suppose it’s time to knock it off. Jillian will lose her patience with us soon enough. Frankly, I’m glad she’s not here right now. I’m not sure how she’d take this one, especially if she had to listen to all this noise while nursing a hangover.” I popped a few more balloons. “That happens a few times a week.”
Nolan popped several more, too, as we worked our way into the room. “Where is she?”
“I’m not sure. She’s out a lot. That’s one good thing about working here.”
“That is a plus—an absent boss. Any other good things?”
I thought for a moment. It really was a great place to work. “We have a kick-ass holiday party. Sometimes, we have happy hour right here. People bring sleeping bags and spend the night.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. And we have a cake for everyone’s birthday. When Jillian’s feeling generous, she has catered lunches for us. But that usually corresponds with the status of her love life. Oh, and there’s constant wagering over anything, and we have an office lottery pool. So far it’s just me, Joy, and Chaz the janitor, but we’re always looking for new members. Hey, you never know, right?”
“Right. I’m in. Now, what are the bad things here? Be honest.”
I thought for a moment. “Gerard.” I wrinkled my nose. “He’s the bad thing about working here.”
He laughed. It was a deep hearty laugh, the kind you couldn’t hear often enough.
Pop, pop, pop went the balloons, like a room full of backfiring cars.
Nolan rubbed a balloon across the top of his hair, making it stand on end. “I always loved doing that.”
I copied him. “Should this be my new style?”
He cocked his head and tapped a finger against his nose. “It’s so wonderful, I’d save it for special occasions.”
I laughed and popped the balloon.
“So, you like it here?” Nolan asked.
“I do. Good people for the most part, lots of freedom to do your work. I don’t particularly enjoy working across the hall from a modeling agency. But there is a to-die-for bakery down the street, so that makes up for it. As you can see, I get there a few times a week.” I gestured to my not-so-svelte figure. I’d made peace with my weight a while ago, but couldn’t help cracking jokes about it before other people could beat me to it.
But I didn’t hear Nolan’s alluring laughter in response. People usually chuckled when I poked fun at my weight. He waggled his eyebrows instead. “You must take me to this bakery next time you go. I’ve been known to eat cake for dinner.” He grinned at me and popped another balloon.
Please stop being more perfect by the minute, I thought. “Let’s go later today. My treat to apologize for this.”
“I’d love to. But no need for an apology. You’re already getting me out of work. I owe you.”
We spent another ten minutes popping balloons until they were almost gone. Nolan grabbed a yellow one. “I’m going to keep this one. See how long it takes to run out of air.” He taped it onto the wall by his computer, then stepped back and looked at it. “It’s a tiny sun.” He stuck post-it notes around the perimeter of it like they were sunrays.
Handsome and creative. Swoon. “Oh!” My eyebrows shot up. “You’re going to want to see Joy about some new pens.” I grabbed one out of the penholder on his desk and handed it to him. “I glued the tops onto half of them, and I dipped the tips on the other half in clear nail polish so they won’t write.” I wrinkled my nose.
Nolan laughed and took one from me. Our fingers touched and a shock passed between us.
“Ow!” I said, shaking my hand.
“That was quite a spark,” Nolan said.
“I have that effect on all the boys,” I replied.
“I’m sure you do.”
Was the new guy a flirt? That could be fun. As long as I was his only target. Blushing, I reached for the mouse by his computer. “And let’s get the tape off this so it doesn’t block the laser. Poor Tristan in IT is not amused with us. Chuck does so many stupid things to my computer, and I never know how to fix it. Come to think of it, Tristan should be thanking us for job security.” I peeled the strip of tape off the bottom of the mouse.
Nolan crossed his arms and smiled. “Is that it?”
“Other than picking up the hundreds of balloon corpses, my job here is just about done.” I dropped to my hands and knees and scooped up the shriveled pieces of latex that lay like giant confetti around the office.
Nolan joined me. “So, what do you do at the agency?”
“Besides torment my coworkers as needed? I’m a copywriter.”
Sitting on the floor crossing his legs, he grinned. “Cool. We’ll be working together.” He looked like a little kid waiting for a story.
“There are three female copywriters here. I have a feeling there will be fights over who gets to work with you.” I snatched the last of the balloon fragments.
Nolan pulled over his garbage can. “I hope you win.”
His smile hit me square in the heart. I dumped the balloons and stood, brushing my hands together. “I have to go kill Tom and Chuck right now, but when I’m done disposing of their bodies, I’ll stop by for lunch. Noonish sound good?”
“Can’t wait.”
***
Tom and Chuck were smart enough to hide somewhere in the building pretending to work. I wished I hadn’t been so hasty to call off all future pranks. They really had one coming. But it was probably a good idea to play it cool for a while. Didn’t want Nolan to think I was a total loon.
I sat at my desk trying to work, but really I was killing time until lunch. I had never been so excited to go to Baker’s Bakery, and it had nothing to do with the desserts.
I reminded myself that Nolan was probably only looking for a friend. Guys gravitated to me all the time for friendship. Who wouldn’t want to hang out with a girl who drinks and eats without counting calories, plays jokes, and loves sports? Plus I wasn’t so gorgeous I’d scare off other girls from approaching if we were out together. I totally looked like “the friend.” Sometimes there would be an invitation to a wedding or company party, and the night would end with an apology from my date that I’d gotten the wrong idea. As if it were implied that my hottie guy wouldn’t want more from someone like me.
But still. There was always the little hope burning inside that maybe this time it’d be different. A girl’s gotta be positive, right?
I knocked on Nolan’s door right before noon, and he looked up.
“Is it time already? Excellent.” He rubbed his hands together and followed me out of his office. He stopped in front of the fish tank in the big reception area. “That’s the biggest goldfish I’ve ever seen. Is this a catch-your-own-sushi tank or something?”
“No, but you’ve come up with a fresh new concept for one of our clients.”
He scratched his head. “Why just one fish in this big tank?”
“That’s Jillian’s pet—big fish in a big pond. That’s how she likes to think of herself, that she’s worked hard to become the big name in the business that she is, much like she thinks this fish has grown and grown since she won it at a carnival when she was twelve.”
“Thinks?”
I lowered my voice. “She overfeeds it, and the new fish die all the time, so we have to secretly replace them.”
“That’s my job, actually,” Joy said behind them.
“The guys who clean the aquarium usually keep one this size in stock. But sometimes they can’t get over here right away and we have to scramble to keep her away from the tank, or move a whole bunch of stuff in front of it.” I blinked at him. “It is kind of crazy here, isn’t it?”
“It’s awesome,” he said with a smile.
We headed downstairs and walked outside into the warm spring sunshine.
“Where are you from?” he asked as we strolled along much more slowly than I usually hoof it down to Baker’s.
“Attleboro. And you?”
“Portland. I always wanted to live in Boston. I took a job at an agency across town two years ago, but I’ve had my eye on Dunner for a while.”
“You live nearby?”
“Twenty minutes on the subway. I might move when my lease is up. I’d like to find a place where I can have a cat.”
I almost squealed, but covered it with a cough. “I’ve got three cats.”
“Wow, three?”
“Yes. They’re so cute. They come in so many colors. How can you have just one?”
“Most women usually talk about shoes like that.”
“You can’t cuddle shoes.” Although I could picture Joy trying.
As we walked along, he didn’t mention a girlfriend, and I didn’t have the nerve to ask. Still, it was a good sign.
I stopped in front of the bakery. “Here we are. Your life will forever change when you walk through this door. Are you ready?”
“I hope so.” Nolan held the door for me. “Are we going to do it?”
I blinked at him. Lord, I hope so. “Do what?
“Just have dessert for lunch?”
“Oh, yes. Of course we are.” I walked inside. “Isn’t that the traditional way to celebrate a new job?”
“If it’s not, it should be. Wanna get a few things and share?”
“I like how you think. I can see why Jillian hired you.” And that’s not the only reason. Jillian only employed good-looking men like she wanted to have a supply on hand in case things didn’t work out with her boyfriend of the week. And if she wasn’t dating them, she was setting them up with her friends and family. Tristan, the poor IT guy, was dating Jillian’s cousin, Monique. Hell, even Gerard was handsome—until he opened his mouth and exposed you to his dour personality. He must not have said much during his interview.
We ordered a slice of almond brownie cheesecake, a giant magic cookie bar, and a piece of Boston cream pie.
“That’ll do it for me. What are you getting?” Nolan teased.
I laughed. “This is a good start.”
We grabbed two cartons of milk from the cooler and sat down by the window. It was a beautiful spring day. The sun shone in a robin-egg-blue sky, and the cherry trees lining the sidewalk were tinged with budding pink blossoms. So many people scurried past them, not even giving them a second look. But they made my heart feel light. It would be easy to fall in love on a day like today.
I barely remembered the feeling. I’d thought my college boyfriend, John, was the one. But a visit home to my family quickly ended our relationship. I considered my large Italian clan exuberant. He used the word boisterous. And that led to an argument about my humor, which suddenly wasn’t funny to him anymore. In the end, he said I was a fun party girl, but not one to settle down with.
I always regretted my bad aim. My boot missed his head by an inch.
Nolan paused with his fork in the air. “That didn’t sound like a cheesecake sigh.”
“I sighed?”
“You did. And not in a I’m-having-dessert-for-lunch way.”
I shook my head. “Sorry. I was just reliving this morning’s events,” I lied.
“Don’t worry about it. Popping balloons is always fun. Try this. It’ll put an end to your sighs for a week.” He pushed the cheesecake my way and I took a bite.
Oh, good golly. I gripped the table. I did my best take on that famous scene from When Harry Met Sally. “Yes, yes, yes!”
The girls behind the counter clapped. “I give that one an eight!” said one of them.
“We need to get you in a commercial for us,” said the other one.
“Sorry, that’s a little joke between me and the girls. I told you I come here often.” I kicked him playfully under the table.
“Ah, so you’re the funny writer at the agency,” Nolan said.
I rolled my eyes. “I have a faulty joke gene that doesn’t know when to quit.”
“I like it.”
I also had a broken blushing gene. I felt my cheeks blaze. “Thanks.”
“I don’t know why more people don’t eat dessert for meals.” He waved his fork in the air like he was conducting an orchestra.
“We need to make that an ad campaign. A little something we do pro bono,” I said.
“Get your just desserts—for lunch,” he said.
“You can have your cake—and eat it for dinner!”
“Cookies count as breakfast?”
I pointed my fork at him. “That could work. Maybe you won’t need a copywriter after all.”
“No, I’m going to request you for my first assignment.”
“I’d be honored.”
We clinked our milk bottles. This would be the start of a beautiful friendship. And likely nothing more. Guys like Nolan didn’t go for girls like me. You didn’t need any market research to know that.
After buying two chocolate chip cookies, we headed for the office.
Nolan stopped and looked at the cherry trees. “I love this time of year when the trees bloom and all the color comes back. Winter is just shades of white and gray. It can get depressing.”
I’d never heard a guy say anything about the cherry trees. If I had a diary, I’d be writing reams about this day. “I know. I’m a mess if I don’t take a trip down South during the winter. I usually go in February when I’ve forgotten what the color green looks like.”
He laughed. “I should try that. I get a little stir crazy in the winter, too. I never learned how to ski, I’m fairly certain there’s an age limit on sledding, and I’ve heard of adults getting arrested for starting snowball fights.”
“Maybe we can test that out this winter.”
He cocked his head and looked at me. “We should definitely do that.”
“Sure.” My heart did a little tap dance. I tried to sound cool. “But right now I’ve got an ad to work on. I should have some copy to go over with you tomorrow.”
He held the door open for me, and we took the elevator to the sixth floor where Dunner Advertising shared space with TK Models. His gaze drifted to the left where even the receptionist looked as if she could be on the cover of Glamour.
Yep, Nolan was going to be another buddy, but I supposed that was fine. Tom and Chuck were on my shit list after the morning’s events. I could always use another buddy. Especially one who liked sweets.
Jillian was in her office with Gerard when we returned. He was clearly in tattle mode, and I braced for a scathing lecture. But she must’ve spent the morning with her boyfriend because she merely waved when we walked in. Which was also good news, because it probably meant she didn’t have any designs on Nolan yet. She usually had her hottie of the moment she liked to flirt with, and currently it seemed to be Tom. Not that he’d acted on it as far as we knew. Who’d risk losing boobs like Joy’s? Seriously?
“Got any suggestions for lunch tomorrow?” Nolan asked. “My treat this time.”
“You mean besides dessert? There’s a fantastic Mexican place nearby.”
“Muy bien. Tomorrow at noon.” Nolan ducked into his office and I went to my cubicle and got nothing done for the rest of the day as I replayed our conversations in my head.
***
At the end of the day I lingered at my desk, ready to pop up when Nolan was leaving so we could walk out together. He stood and I grabbed my jacket and headed for the door, but then he sat down again. I groaned. I’d already committed to my exit, now I had to leave without him. I stuck my head in his office. “Bye, Nolan.”
“Hey, see you tomorrow, Jenny. Thanks for a great first day.” He bent his head and got back to whatever he was working on.
I’m being parked in the friend zone for sure. Otherwise, he would’ve jumped up and followed me out, right?
I went home and thought about going through my closet for something super cute. But why pretend to be something I wasn’t? Even if we started dating, a month from now I’d be back to wearing my comfy clothes. So wouldn’t dressing up to catch his eye be like false advertising? It went against my morals.
Still, the next morning I made sure to find my lipgloss. Donut glaze could bring about the same effect, but I was running late and didn’t have time to stop for baked goods.
Joy was already chatting up Nolan when I walked in, but he left her desk and came over to mine. Mentally, I did an end zone dance. Score one for the chubby girl. “I’m glad to see we didn’t scare you off.”
“You kidding? I was bummed to walk in my office and not find sticky notes everywhere.”
“We can’t spoil you every day,” I teased.
“Are we going to go over that toy campaign today? The Dandy Bear? I’m excited to start my first project. I want to get it over with so I can get that bear out of my office. The horrifying thing starts singing for no reason. Scares the crap out me. He’s possessed.”
I laughed. “I’m glad you’ve got him and not me. I’m finishing up the copy. We can work on it after lunch.”
“Please.”
Since I’d gotten nothing done the day before, I had to concentrate. I had ten possible taglines for the bear, and a few jingles if the client wanted to go that way. I still wasn’t certain this was not a joke assignment from Jillian, but I didn’t think she’d do that to the new guy. In between I still found time to sneak peeks at Nolan. At ten-thirty, I noticed he wasn’t in his office.
Joy must have spotted me looking for him. She picked up the phone and called. “He went across the hall.”
“To the modeling agency?”
“Yep.”
I swore and hung up. I needed to find out his relationship status at lunch. I doubted he was going to the modeling agency scouting talent for our new ad. It would feature a disturbing singing bear for toddlers that would probably plague kids with night terrors. Not even the hottest super-model could sell that.
***
Once we’d placed our orders and dug into the guacamole, I blurted out like I was twelve, “Do you have a girlfriend?”
His eyebrows rose. “No. Not since last year.”
“Oh.” I didn’t want to sound naggy and ask, “Then why were you at the modeling agency?” Besides, I knew why he was there—he was shopping for a girlfriend.
“Do you have a boyfriend?” he asked.
“No. I was dismissed by the last one in college and haven’t found a suitable replacement.”
“I see. Do you use a special selection process?”
“Yes, once a candidate makes it through the initial screening and bathing suit portion, then I require references and the official application.”
He laughed. “I’d like to see that some day.”
I almost choked on a chip. “Sure,” I mumbled. Some day. But why not now? I wondered. Or was he just teasing? I hoped not.
***
When we returned, Sara was filling in for Joy at the reception desk. Her glasses were off, and her hair was disheveled. She hurried out from behind the desk. “Thank God you’re here. That dang goldfish died and I don’t know who I’m supposed to call to get a new one.”
I could hear Jillian coming out of her office. “Quick give me your coffee cup,” I told Sara.
Sara handed me the mug that read: Grandma’s my name, spoilin’s my game. I dashed to the tank and scooped up the dead fish.
“Hey! My grandkids gave that to me.”
“I’m positive you have ten more Grandma mugs at home to replace this one. Now, if she asks about the fish, say it’s probably hiding. Or taking a nap. Call King Neptune’s and tell them to get over here with a new fish.” I sprinted to the bathroom and quickly flushed the fish down the toilet. I washed up and found Nolan waiting for me outside.
“Sara says they’re out of fish that size.”
“Wanna go shopping?”
***
The first pet store only had a pure white goldfish in the right size. “Maybe we can tell her it shed its old skin and this was underneath?” Nolan suggested.
“No, because then when that one dies we’ll need to find another white one, and those are probably harder to find than orange ones.”
“True.” Nolan wandered over to a cage where kittens were mewing and sticking out their paws. He squatted down and batted at the little paws with his finger.
Damn, someone should put out a calendar with hot men and kittens.
He scratched the cat’s head through the bars. “I’d like to get a black cat with a white tail. Have you ever seen that?”
“No. That would be neat. I want one that looks like the girl cat Pepe Le Pew is always chasing.”
“Ah, a very cool choice. Your kitty cat could be friends with mine.”
Was he purposely leading me down the road of pussycat jokes? I clapped my hands together. “We better hit more pet stores.”
He stood. “What happens if Jillian finds out the fish died?”
“I don’t know. Whoever was on watch when it kicked the bucket would probably get fired.”
“Really?”
“No, but she would do something dumb and irrational. She has this long, insipid story she loves to tell when she’s drunk about spending hours trying to win that thing at a fair, and her perseverance and all this other junk. She’d probably go into a wicked funk if she knew it died. We’d lose clients. People would get laid off. The place would close. First the Boston branch, then the others as people questioned our relevance.”
He smiled. “Insipid. I love that word. We’d better get going. I don’t want Dunner to shut down now that I’m finally working there.”
We hit two more pet stores before finding a ten-inch long fish that was gold except for a few small black spots on its tail.
“She might not notice,” I said. “These days she usually just glances at him.”
“Maybe you can switch this one with an all-gold one if we finally do track one down.”
“Let’s give it a try.”
***
Joy’s eyes almost popped out of her head when we returned. “That took long enough.”
“Yeah, well where were you when it went belly up?” I asked.
She crossed her arms without answering.
“Did she notice yet?” I asked.
“No, but she keeps walking by. I’m ready to throw up. Get it in there.”
“I’ve got to float the bag for fifteen minutes.”
“There’s no time for that,” Joy whispered. “Just put it in.”
I held back a laugh. There was certainly a joke in there involving her and Tom, but I wasn’t going to say it. I dumped in the fish and tossed the bag into the trash just as Jillian strolled by. “I was wondering where you two had gone,” she said to Nolan and me.
“We’re working on the Dandy Bear account together,” I said.
She waited for more.
Nolan cleared his throat. “And Jenny had this great idea to take the bear to the park and see how kids liked it. We wanted a little inspiration.”
“Really?” Jillian said, sending a whiff of martini my way.
“Yep.” I rocked back on my heels.
“What did the kids think?” Jillian asked.
Nolan and I shared a terrified look.
“They didn’t think it was creepy,” I said. “Not at all.” It was totally creepy with it’s too big eyes, steel gray fur, and grumpy old man voice. I’d been sleeping with my lights on since first seeing that bear, so I can’t imagine how it would affect a kid.
“There was lots of hugging,” Nolan said. “Of the bear. Lots of bear hugging.”
“So where is it?” Jillian asked.
“The bear?” I asked.
“Yes. The bear. You two just got back, right?”
“That’s true,” I said. “ But we lost it.” Lie. Dandy Bear was in Nolan’s office.
Her big brown eyes widened.
Nolan spoke up. “We thought it was lost. We looked everywhere for it. And then we saw a little kid leaving with it and what were we going to do? Grab it from him? Tackle him and take it?” Nolan turned up his hands as if that was the most ludicrous suggestion ever.
Oh, God. He could lie on the fly. He was truly my dream guy in every way.
“Isn’t that strange? I’ll make sure the client sends you a new one.” Jillian turned to her fish tank.
Nolan looked at me, his eyebrows knitted together in concern.
I gave him a reassuring thumbs-up.
“Come here Nolan, and let me tell you about this fish. It’s a special fish—symbolic in so many ways. I’ve had it for years. Decades, almost.”
“Really?” His voice sounded strangled.
I laughed and scooted back to my desk.
Half an hour later he walked by my cubicle and gestured for me to come into his office. He closed the door behind him and the two of us started laughing uncontrollably for at least five minutes.
He wiped a tear from his eye. “She noticed the black spot on its tail.”
I swore.
He wrapped his hand around my wrist. “No it’s all good. Because I told her…I told her…that fish get age spots.” He laughed, sucking in huge gulps of air. “And she believed me.”
I fell into him laughing and he wrapped his arm around my waist to help hold me up. God, did I want this man’s hands all over me.
We stopped laughing and stared at each other for a moment in are-we-going-to-kiss mode. Then Dandy Bear started singing about making friends and special memories.
We both jumped, breaking our embrace. “It’s not creepy?” Nolan whispered.
We started laughing again. I felt like I’d been working out, I was so hot and breathless from our giggle fest. My hair was falling out of its clip.
“But seriously, how are we going to sell that thing?” I asked.
He reached out and tucked a curl of hair behind my ear. “After what you pulled off today, I have total faith in you.”
***
We went out to lunch together for the rest of the week and spent long meetings in his office coming up with slogans for Dandy Bear: Did we say Dandy Bear? We meant Randy Bear.
“Handy Bear? Like an old bear who fixes things? Handy to have around? Maybe he comes with a tool?” I offered.
“Tool.” Nolan almost fell on the floor at the one. If we were in a laughing contest, I’m not sure which one of us would win. It seemed like we could go on and on.
And the fun wasn’t limited to the two of us. Tom and Chuck had a grand time at my expense, walking by and making kissy noises and leaving me school Valentines on my desk signed with dirty greetings like “Blow me….some more balloons.” They were all signed with “Nolan,” as if I’d believe they were really from him. I’d crumple them and toss them in the trash before Nolan could see.
The practical jokes didn’t stop there. Since I’d declared “no more jokes,” they’d been tormenting me all week long with prank phone calls and joke faxes. But I was determined to do nothing.
Friday afternoon, I was hoping for an invitation to get together with Nolan that weekend, but he only said, “You’re not taking the Randy Bear home are you?”
“No, no. I think I’d need to consult with an exorcist afterward. He’s all yours if you want him.”
“Oh, right now we have two. We can both take one home. Another perk about working here.” He winked at me. “See you Monday.”
So I went home and had dessert for dinner. Brownies don’t taste as good by yourself as they do eating them with a hot guy.
***
But the weekend wasn’t a total disappointment. Once a month my mother had a marathon cooking session, stocking the freezer with homemade sauce, manicotti, ravioli and other Italian delectables. My brother and I ate what didn’t fit in the fridge and took home what we couldn’t eat. Which was usually a lot. My mother liked shopping for bulk discounts. It was a good thing—she was happy, we were happy, my father was happy, the corner grocer was happy.
I showed up at six on Sunday, and I could smell the garlic and basil from the street. I dashed inside and my brother Tony was already sitting at the table, fork and knife in hand and a steaming plate of pasta in front of him. It would be the first of many helpings. He’d been hit with the family’s heft gene, too, but he wore it well at six-foot-four. He looked like a strong Italian boy whose mother fed him well. Which is exactly what he was.
“Jen, thought you might not be coming,” he said.
“If I don’t show up for the monthly meal, call the police and have them check on my welfare.”
“Jenny, there’s my beautiful girl.” My father hugged me until the air was sucked from my lungs and I squeaked.
He let go and I looked down. My father was the only man who’d ever called me beautiful.
“What? I can’t hug you anymore?” He turned to the kitchen. “Theresa, your daughter doesn’t want to show her father physical affection anymore.”
Mom ran out of the kitchen with a sauce-covered wooden spoon. “Jennifer Marie. Why would you do that to your father? We are a very demonstrative family. Do you know what this will do to him? Do you want to slowly kill your father? Do you?”
I sat at the table and dropped my head in my hands. “I still want to hug Dad. It’s just…I’m not beautiful. I’m cute—on a good day. But I’m okay with that.”
While Dad grumbled in protest, Mom crossed herself with the hand holding the spoon. Sauce splattered on the wall.
Tony held up his hand. “Don’t look at me, you’re my sister. I can’t say if you’re hot or not, that’s gross. But you’ve got a great personality.”
“Excellent, because guys are constantly huddled together at bars saying, ‘Hey, did you see the personality on that one? You shoulda seen the girl in Providence I hooked up with once. Boy, was she a conversationalist.’” I sighed. I hated being whiny like this. Normally I was fine with my appearance. “I’m sorry, there’s just this guy at work, and he’s gorgeous and so out of my league. I’m a little sensitive right now.”
“Hasn’t he noticed your wonderful personality?” Dad asked.
“Yeah, I can make him laugh and laugh, but nobody ever laughed a guy into bed.”
My mother crossed herself. “Jennifer Marie!”
“Sorry, Ma. But I am twenty-five, you know.”
She looked up at the ceiling and then sighed. “Take him some of my meatballs. Show him what a good cook you are.”
“But I can’t cook.”
“You could if you tried,” Mom said.
My brother grinned. “She did try. There’s still sauce on the ceiling in the kitchen from the ravioli incident.”
“Well, that’s how I got your father to marry me. My food is magic.” She said the word “magic” in a drawn out breathy voice.
“What?” Dad looked at her. “It wasn’t your food. I married you because I was scared what would happen if I didn’t.” He turned to me. “You’ve seen her brothers. They threatened to bet the crap out of me if I didn’t do right by her.” Dad punched a fist into the palm of his hand a few times.
Mom pushed his plate of spaghetti out of reach and wagged her spoon at him. More sauce went flying. “That’s not true.”
“That’s the way I remember it,” Dad said.
I rubbed my temples. You’re here for the food. You’re here for the food.
“Let me get this straight—I’m supposed to threaten to beat him up like Ma’s brothers did to you until he asks Jenny out?” Tony shrugged. “No problem. Anything for you, kiddo.”
“Please don’t beat him up,” I said. “He’s so pretty.”
“And so are you,” Dad said.
“You’re a lovely girl,” Mom agreed. “You have such a beautiful smile.”
I screamed.
Dad frowned. “That could be part of your problem, the screaming. Am I right, Teresa?”
I rubbed my temples. “I don’t always scream, I just hate that. Such a beautiful smile. It’s the consolation prize of compliments.”
Dad sat down next to me and put his arm around me. “Your gorgeous smile is just one of the great things you have. There are so many wonderful things about you, sweetheart, if God had made you any prettier or funnier or kinder than you are, it wouldn’t be fair to the other girls.”
I struggled to swallow. Every few years, remarkable words lined up in my father’s head and they marched out of his mouth in a perfect, beautiful row. “Thanks, Dad. Guess I need to find someone like you.”
“Ewww,” Tony said.
Dad ignored him and kissed my cheek. “The most gorgeous girls attract anyone—and usually for the wrong reasons.” He wrinkled his nose and waved his hand like he was shooing away a fly. “ But girls like you attract the best ones. Because they’re the ones who can see how special you are no matter what you look like.”
“Umm, thanks?” It’d be a few more years before his words lined up the right way again. Clearly, my thick skin had been earned spending time with my family.
“No problem, honey,” Dad said.
I smiled and nodded, but he was wrong. Nolan was one of the good ones, and he liked what he saw across the hall at work—beautiful, perfect models. I was good for a laugh. “You know what would make me feel better? Lasagna. And lots of it.”
My mother beamed. “I told you, my food is magic.”
***
After much protesting, I took a container of manicotti for Nolan. She made me swear on Nana’s grave that I would give it to him and see what happened. I wondered if Nana was aware of how often her name was invoked in family deception and bribes. She was going to be one angry ghost if she ever decided to make an appearance.
Monday morning, I headed for the break room to put the manicotti in the fridge. Tom and Chuck were leaning against the counter, laughing.
“It’s nine-fifteen. Time for a break already?” I asked.
“You’re going to want to sit down and take a break too when you hear this,” Tom said.
My heart sped up. “What?”
“Nolan had a lot of questions about you this weekend,” Tom said.
I did sit down. “Shut up.”
“It’s true….” Tom said.
“But…” Chuck interrupted.
“What? But what?” I asked.
“But what.” Chuck laughed. “That sounded like butt wipe.”
“Just tell me what,” I demanded.
“He was out with all these models. The ones from across the hall. But he was asking about you. Honest,” Tom said.
“Shut. Up.”
“I’m serious!” Tom said.
“You’re mean. Stop with the jokes already. I’ve stopped pranking you, can’t you stop pranking me?”
“You should go out with him,” Chuck said.
These jerks were setting me up to be embarrassed. “That would be fun for you to watch, wouldn’t it? You think I’m stupid? I would never ask Nolan out.” How embarrassing would that be? And I’d certainly ruin our friendship. I’d learned that the hard way before.
Chuck shrugged. “Like we said, he was asking about you. But from the looks of the girls he was with, I don’t think you’re Nolan’s type.”
The only kind of model I could ever be is for a squishy, friendly doll that giggles when you poke her belly. It’s true. I do giggle when poked in the belly. But still, for these two jerks to come right out and insult me like that? It was just wrong. “So you’re saying I’m not hot enough for Nolan?”
And of course, Nolan walked into the room. Thank you Gods of timing.
“Did I hear my name?” Nolan asked.
I tapped my finger against my nose. “I don’t think so. We were talking about Nolan Ryan. And how much we miss him in the game.”
“I don’t follow sports. Who is he?”
“Are you kidding?” I asked.
“No. I’m the one male on the planet who doesn’t like sports. Can’t play ‘em, don’t watch ‘em.”
So he does have a flaw, I thought.
“We were talking about all your lovely friends we met Saturday night,” Tom said.
Nolan opened the refrigerator. He did not look happy. “They’re my sister’s friends, really. They use me to pose as their boyfriend when guys hit on them.”
“Your sister?” I asked while Tom and Chuck both started laughing.
“Yeah, she models with the agency across the hall. She didn’t want me to mention it to anyone here. She thought Dunner might not use her in any ads because we’re related.”
“Your sister is a model. Huh.”
Tom and Chuck lost it. “You should have seen how upset Jenny was when she heard you were out with a bunch of models.”
“Shut. Up.” I used my best threatening voice, but I don’t think they heard me through their guffaws. They staggered out into the hall, leaving me alone with Nolan. Friend zone here we come, I thought.
“You saw those jokers out this weekend?” I asked. “Those crazy fellas?”
“Yeah, I guess they know some of my sister’s friends.”
“The models.” I sighed.
“I only caught the tail end of your conversation, but did you really say you’re not hot enough for me?”
What shade of red was I turning? “You hang out with drop-dead size zeros. I don’t think it’s the world’s biggest wrong assumption.”
“It’s possible they might drop dead. They never eat.”
“Definitely not dessert for lunch, that’s for sure.”
“Jenny, I’m attracted to you because you’re so different from them.”
My head spun. “Um…thanks? I certainly wouldn’t want to be compared to a model.” But wait. Attracted? I did hear that word, right? Not like contracted, as in a business relationship?
He did a face palm. “That came out wrong. Thank God you’re the copywriter. What I meant was, those women are boring. And they’re so skinny I want to start a charity to raise money to feed them.”
I couldn’t help but laugh.
“They must lose their sense of humor when they lose weight,” he said. “I suppose it’s hard to be happy when you’re starving all the time. They always look miserable. They never laugh at my jokes. They think I’m a giant goofball. ‘Portia’s silly brother,’ they call me.”
I waggled my eyebrows. “I have a goofball fetish, you know.”
He blushed. “Jenny, I’m very attracted to you. You’re like…a blooming cherry tree in winter. Am I ever not smiling when I’m around you?”
I didn’t even try to hold back my grin. “This is all good stuff. Keep going.”
“I’ve been taking things slow because I just started here. An instant office romance seemed like a bad idea.”
“Don’t worry about that,” Shelby said, walking into the room.
“Private conversation going on here,” I said.
“I was waiting in the hall to be sure I heard everything, so no, it’s not private anymore. But don’t worry about a relationship, Nolan. Joy and Tom have their secret little fling going on. Charlotte dated Tristan before she married someone else when he dumped her, and Jillian is constantly sleeping with men here, often right on the premises. I’d say you two are good to go. You’re already making all of us gag with how cute you are together.” She opened the fridge and looked in. “Ooh, manicotti.”
“Don’t touch that!” I said.
“Geez.” She grabbed a yogurt and left.
I turned to Nolan. “What were you saying about office romances? And was there something about my eyes?”
“That was coming. They’re beautiful and full of mischief. And as for the romance, I’m glad to hear it’s allowed. Possibly even encouraged here? But I also wanted time to be sure you felt the same way about me.”
I was waiting for the punch line, but he was serious. “I’m pretty sure all women feel that way about you. Except for the nasty models,” I said.
“They don’t. Trust me. Women might say they want guys with feelings and all that, but they really like manly men who know their sports and pick up hammers instead of paintbrushes. They’ll take farts over art, I’ve seen it time and again.” He set his hand on my arm. “Is it a wonder I’m single? I’m not doing this well. I like you, Jenny.”
“I like you, too. But I’m not going to change. I’m not going to lose thirty pounds and start wearing makeup and expensive clothes like Joy. This is what you get. I’m happy with myself, but most guys don’t want this. Not for the long run, anyway.” I wish had something else to offer him. Was it appropriate to talk about what I’d be willing to do in the bedroom? “Hang on.” I dashed to the fridge and grabbed the manicotti. “This is for you.”
His eyes bulged. “Did you make that? You can cook?”
“No. But my mom can. She makes this big meal once a month.”
“And I’d be invited if we were dating?”
“I think they’d abduct you and force you to come. So, yeah. My mom’s manicotti. One of the perks of dating me. If you want to.”
He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into an embrace. “I do. And I can thank all the guys before me for being too stupid to see how perfect and wonderful you are. Do you think I’ll pass all your screening tests?”
I jerked my thumb over my shoulder. “Shelby uses one for real. I’m more of an essay-question girl.”
“I’ll write the best one ever.”
We beamed at each other.
“Tom and Chuck suck,” I said. “They almost ruined this.”
“They told the truth. I was asking about you.”
“But they were laughing when they said it. It’s like they wanted me to think it was a joke. I wish I hadn’t called off all pranks. Although, there isn’t a big enough prank to make them pay,” I said.
Nolan drummed his fingers on the counter for a moment, then snapped them. “Yes, there is.”
By the time he’d finishing laying it all out, I was gripping my sides, laughing. “With time, you could be better at this than me.”
“I learned from the master.” He held up the manicotti. “Can I eat this now?”
***
We decided to wait a week to pull off the gag. It was the biggest one ever, with almost everyone in the office playing a part. I had to get Jillian in on it, and she was more than happy to help. I swear she spent three days pitching us ideas on how to fine-tune it. She put more effort into our plan than she did on the accounts for most of her clients.
That morning I waited in the hall, and Nolan went into the office. He called me on his phone and we left the connection open so I could hear what was going on inside—and so I could wait for my cue to come in with Chaz and Joy. We waited until right before noon to get things started.
“Dude, where have you been?” Chuck asked Nolan when he walked in. “We thought you and Jenny ran off or something, but Joy’s missing, too, and Chaz.”
“Seriously, where’s Joy?” Tom asked.
Before Nolan could answer, I heard Jillian in the background. “Can I have your attention please, everyone?” she called out to the office. The chatter in the room stopped.
“Gather round. I have very exciting news.”
That got everyone talking again.
“Why does she sound British?” Joy asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe she’s nervous?”
“Quiet please,” Jillian was saying to the group. “I know many of you took part in the office lottery pool this week. Raise your hand if you chipped in for the ticket.”
I chuckled as I stood in the hall. Joy hung on to Chaz’s arm to keep from falling over in laughter.
As we listened, I pictured everyone but Tom and Chuck raising their hand
“You guys didn’t say anything to them, did you?” I whispered.
“No, I promise,” Joy said.
“When you clean up after people you learn a lot of secrets, and I keep them all,” Chaz said. “So I know how to keep my mouth shut.”
Jillian’s voice came over the phone again. “Before this hits the media, they want to share their big news with us.”
“Come on, time to go in,” I whispered. Joy, Chaz and I entered the room with our giant check, facing backwards so the chumps could only imagine the amount. “We won the lottery!” I shouted.
Tom and Chuck’s faces went slack and pale.
Joy jumped up and down, barely able to contain herself, while Chaz blew kisses to the office staff.
Jillian started clapping. “How much? Tell us how much we won! Yes, I chipped in, too.”
Tom ran his hand down his face.
“How much? How much?” Everyone chanted.
Tom sank into a chair while Chuck leaned against the wall, hand over his stomach.
“Settle down, settle down,” I said. “We’re all going to share.” I flashed a look at Tom and Chuck. “Well, most of you.”
“There are forty-six workers here, and we decided it wouldn’t be fair to leave out the two workers who didn’t pitch in,” Joy said.
Tom slowly lifted his head. Color returned to Chuck’s cheeks.
“We’re going to divide the winnings equally among the forty-six of us,” Chaz said.
People screamed and clapped. A few cried. I was very impressed with the untapped pool of actors in the room. Tom and Chuck fist-pumped the air.
“I wanna quit. Can we quit?” Chuck looked around. “Who wants to quit with me? I’m gonna quit and buy a Porsche.”
Tom cupped his hands around his mouth. “How much? How much?”
The chanting started again. “How much? How much?”
I turned around the giant check and smiled wide.
People cheered as Chuck’s eyebrows scrunched together. “Twenty bucks? Why does that say twenty bucks? I thought we won the lottery?”
“We did! We won a $20 scratch off ticket,” I said.
Everyone started laughing, falling into each other.
Chaz clapped his hands together and pointed at Chuck. “You should see your face, man.”
Tom turned his hands up like “what the hell?” and looked at Joy. She playfully shrugged one shoulder.
I raised my voice. “And technically, since we bought thirty-two tickets to win it, you all owe twenty-six cents.”
That brought on more laughter from the group and more distraught looks from Chuck.
Tom narrowed his eyes and pointed at me. “You’re going to get it.”
I leaned into Nolan. “This one was his idea.”
That earned a round of applause and “well dones.”
I held out my hands to quiet everyone. “But I’d also like to announce that I’m officially back in the pranking game. And you can leave your twenty-six cents on my desk by the end of the day.”
As paper balls flew my way, I buried my head in Nolan’s chest, laughing. He tipped my chin up and looked at me. “It’s always going to be fun with you, isn’t it?”
“I promise,” I said, as people threw coins at us to pay their fee.
Nolan whistled to get everyone’s attention. “Jenny and I have to get back to work on our Dandy Bear campaign. I’ve just come up with a great idea.”
“Really?” I asked. “What is it?”
He grabbed me by the hand and led me to his office.
He closed the door behind us and pulled me to him. “This.” And he crushed his lips against mine. It was the most divine kiss, and it went on long enough for me to lose my breath.
Pulling back, he cupped my face in his hands and smiled. “You know what you forgot?” he asked.
“More manicotti?”
He laughed. “No. You.”
I looked at him, confused.
“When I asked you what was great about working here. You forgot to mention you.”
My lower lip wobbled. “You missed your calling as a copywriter.”
“Guess I’ve never been inspired before.” He gestured to the door. “Think anyone would miss us if we slipped out?”
“No.” I narrowed my eyes. “What do you have in mind?” My apartment wasn’t far away.
“The bakery and a piece of that cheesecake.”
“Where have you been all my life?” I asked.
He tugged on one of my curls. “Waiting to find someone perfect and funny and beautiful like you.”
Beautiful. I could picture the word being etched in my heart in gorgeous slow strokes of calligraphy. I blinked back tears and pressed my head against his chest. “Thanks for waiting,” I whispered.
Dandy Bear started singing.
I groaned, realizing I’d have to keep that darn bear forever to relive one of the best moments of my life.
Nolan cupped his hand to his ear. “I hear the brownies calling over the terrifying song of the beast. Let’s go.”
We sprinted out of the office. I noticed the fish was dead, but said nothing. Someone else was going to have to deal with it this time because I was too busy falling in love.
***