Kirsten walked two blocks to her favorite deli. She was looking forward to a little time away from the office. She had been in meetings with her bosses all week to try to figure out a way to keep the satellite office from closing and some of the employees from being let go. With all her problem-solving skills, it was exasperating that they couldn’t come up with an alternative solution. She needed to find a way to increase their profits.
The smells of deli meats and cheeses and fresh-baked bread brought her mind back to the present. She was standing in line to order when she spotted Jordan sitting at a small table eating her lunch. Jordan seemed to be deep in thought; she never once looked her way.
Kirsten paid for her meal and took her tray to Jordan’s table. “May I join you for lunch?”
Jordan looked up and smiled. “Kirsten. What are you doing here?” She stood and opened her arms, and Kirsten gladly stepped into them. “Please have a seat.”
“Thank you. I didn’t have much in my refrigerator this morning to fix for my lunch, so I decided to eat out.”
“I’m glad to see you. How has your week been?”
Kirsten had just been thinking about Jordan that morning and chastising herself for how much she had missed her, even though it had only been a few days since they had gone to the beach together. “My week has been okay, but I seem to have too much time on my hands in the evening since I’ve finished physical therapy.”
Jordan laughed. “I’ve missed torturing you three nights a week,” she replied with a gleam in her eye. “You know, just because you don’t need physical therapy anymore doesn’t mean we can’t hang out once in a while.”
“I’d like that.” Kirsten looked down at her plate, then back up to Jordan. She nervously wiped her sweaty palms on her trousers. “Um, if you’re not busy on Friday night, would you like to come over? We can grill those steaks I promised you.”
“That sounds great. I won’t be off work until six that night. Would it be okay if I just came straight from the clinic?”
Kirsten let out a relieved breath. “Of course. I have a pool in my backyard, so why don’t you bring your suit, and we can take a dip after dinner.”
“Great. What can I bring?”
“How about a bottle of wine?”
“You got it. So, how’s work going?”
“Not very good right now. Remember when I told you about the possible layoffs? Well, none of us can seem to come up with a way to increase our profits in that office. I’m normally a pretty good problem solver, but I’m afraid this isn’t going to turn out the way I want it.”
“I’m sure if there was something that could be done, you would figure it out.”
“I appreciate your confidence in me.” Kirsten laughed. Jordan had a way of making her feel everything would be fine.
“Well, if you ever need someone to talk to, I’m your girl.”
Jordan’s smile nearly melted her heart. She’d lucked out when she’d crossed paths with her.
Jordan looked at her watch. “I’m sorry, Kirsten, but I need to run, or I’ll be late for my next patient.”
“Okay, I need to get back to work, too.” They stood, removed the trash from their table, and walked out the door. “So, I’ll see you on Friday?”
Jordan gave her a hug. “Definitely. Let me know if I can bring anything else.”
Kirsten had wrapped her arms around Jordan’s waist and was reluctant to let go. Jordan was the first to release the hold and gazed down at her. In a voice slightly above a whisper, Jordan said, “I really need to go. I’ll see you Friday night.”
“Bye, Jordan. Have a good day.”
“You, too.”
Kirsten stood for a few moments, watching Jordan take long strides in the direction of her clinic. She shook her head to pull her gaze away from Jordan and turned in the other direction to head back to her office.