Entwined With You

much was a girl supposed to take?
    “You ready for tomorrow?” Megumi queried, after she buzzed me through the glass doors.
    “Hell, yeah. My friend Shawna texted me this morning and she’s in.” I mustered a genuine smile. “I arranged for a club limo for us. You know … one of those that take you to all the VIP spots, cover included.”
    “What?” She couldn’t hide her excitement, but still had to ask, “How much is that?”
    “Nada. It’s a favor from a friend.”
    “Some favor.” Her grin made me happy, too. “This is going to be
awesome
! You’ll have to tell me the deets over lunch.”
    “You’re on. I expect you to dish about your lunch yesterday, too.”
    “Talk about mixed signals, right?” she complained. “ ‘We’re just having fun,’ but he shows his face at my work? I would never pop into a guy’s office for an impromptu lunch if we were just messing around.”
    “Men,” I huffed sympathetically, even as I acknowledged that I was grateful for the one who was
mine
.
    I went to my desk and got ready to start my workday. When I saw the framed photos of Gideon and me in my drawer, I was struck by the need to reach out to him. Ten minutes later, I’d asked Angus to place an order for black magic roses to be sent to Gideon’s office with the note:
You’ve got me under your spell.
I’m still thinking about you.
    Mark came to my cubicle just as I was closing the window on my browser. One look at his face and I could tell he wasn’t doing so hot. “Coffee?” I asked.
    He nodded and I stood. We headed to the break room together.
    “Shawna was over last night,” he began. “She said you’re going out tomorrow night.”
    “Yes. Is that still okay with you?”
    “Is what still okay?”
    “If your sister-in-law and I hang out,” I prodded.
    “Oh … yeah. Sure. Go for it.” He ran a restless hand over his short, dark curls. “I think it’s cool.”
    “Great.” I knew there was more on his mind, but I didn’t want to push. “Should be fun. I’m looking forward to it.”
    “So is she.” He reached for two single-serving coffee pods, while I took mugs from the shelf. “She’s also looking forward to Doug getting back. And popping the question.”
    “Wow. Now
that’s
cool! Two weddings in your family in a year. Unless you’re planning a long engagement … ?”
    He handed the first cup of coffee to me and I went to the fridge for half-and-half.
    “It’s not going to happen, Eva.”
    Mark’s tone was weighted with dejection, and when I turned to face him, his head was down.
    I patted his shoulder. “Did you propose?”
    “No. There’s no point. He was asking Shawna if she and Doug were planning on having kids right away, since she’s still in school part-time, and when she said they weren’t, he went into this lecture about how marriage is for couples ready for a family. Otherwise, it’s better to keep things simple. It’s the same crap I once shoveled to him.”
    I rounded him and lightened my coffee. “Mark, you won’t know Steven’s answer until you ask him.”
    “I’m scared,” he admitted, looking into his steaming mug. “I want more than we’ve got, but I don’t want to ruin what we have. If his answer is no and he thinks we want different things out of our relationship …”
    “Cart before the horse, boss.”
    “What if I can’t live with no?”
    Ah … I could understand that. “Can you live with not knowing for sure either way?”
    He shook his head.
    “Then you have to tell him everything you’ve told me,” I said sternly.
    His mouth quirked. “Sorry to keep dumping this on you. But you’re always great at giving me perspective.”
    “You know what to do. You just want a kick in the ass to do it. I’m always up for ass-kicking.”
    He smiled full on. “Let’s not work on the divorce attorney’s campaign today.”
    “How about the airline instead?” I suggested. “I have some ideas.”
    “All right, then. Let’s hit it.”
    W E hard-charged through the morning, and I was energized by our progress. I wanted to keep Mark too occupied to worry. Work was a cure-all for me, and it quickly became clear that it was for him as well.
    We’d just wrapped up for lunch and I had stopped by my desk to drop off my tablet when I saw the interoffice envelope on my desk. My pulse leaped with excitement and my hands shook slightly as I unwound the thin twine and let the note card inside slide out.
YOU’RE THE MAGIC.
YOU MAKE DREAMS