Page 53

Alana
Things get easier.
And even though I’m still aching in my chest most of the time, each day brings renewed promise. Maybe because it’s spring, and the flowers and rain help rejuvenate my spirit. I shudder to think how I’d feel going to work every day during winter after never seeing Kase and Liam again. My heart would’ve shriveled up and died by now.
But the people at work are nice enough, and the attention I get every day from the nice guys who work there at least remind me that I’m wanted. Too bad I’m not interested in any of them. I’m back to where I started before I met Kase—in need of no man. All about my career.
It’s a slow start to the career, too. Here I thought the world of banking would be exciting, but all I pretty much do is read reports, create reports, and enter numbers into spreadsheets. Hey, it’s what I wanted. I can’t complain, though at times I find myself wishing I could deal with the crazy, unpredictable-ness of caring for the little boy I miss. The little boy I love.
No, Alana, stop.
It was a chapter in your life, not the book. Life’s only beginning.
These are the mantras I tell myself every day in the hopes they’ll erase the deep-rooted pain I still feel. Who knew you could mourn the loss of such a small part of your life? Was my life that boring before, or…was Kase my soulmate who somehow got away? I want to believe that anyone who’s meant for you will eventually find their way back, like a carrier pigeon or a loyal pet lost out in the woods, but I’d never met anyone as tormented as Kase.
And I know I never will again.
Arriving at work, I greet the front desk and head straight for the café, picking up my French vanilla soy latte. The barista smiles at me. “Oh, hey,” she says brightly, like she finally knows me and I’m not just the new girl anymore. The other workers behind the counter stare at me, smiling, too.
I feel like Emma Stone in La La Land when she finally becomes the big-time actress and everyone on the production lot coffee shop is star struck in her presence.
Did I enter another reality?
I can’t put my finger on it. It’s like love and happiness have sprung. People chatter more than normal and even weirder, some of it’s directed at me. Or maybe I’m just caught in whatever’s infecting the office. But something’s going on. As I head to my cubicle, I see heads popping up like meerkats in the prairies of Africa.
“She’s coming.”
“That’s her.”
Whispering.
Stares.
Is it my birthday? I mean, it’s possible I’ve been so distracted that I forgot. No, not my birthday. Not for another month. Some sort of belated “Welcome to Thames Group” surprise, maybe?
That would be weird.
“Hey.” I smile at Brad, a cubicle guy who nods at me every morning, whose leering stare I can feel following my ass down the hallway every morning.
Today, he says, “No wonder.”
I slow down. “Excuse me?”
“No wonder you never give me the time of day.” He chuckles, nothing mean or vindictive, just a genuine realization. I have no clue what he or anyone’s talking about today. Then, he does this…his eyebrows waggle up and down and…gestures with them. If eyebrows could speak, his would say, “Over there. Look.”
Following his lead, I glance over to my cubicle and…
Oh, my…God…
Surprise, shock, and…utter thrill rise into my chest, my heart chakra spreading warmth and adrenaline all through my body. A little blonde boy with blue eyes pokes out the top of my cubicle. Is that…Liam? He hasn’t seen me yet, but someone’s obviously holding him on top of my desk and pointing over the edge, as if saying see her? See Alana?
Liam, if that’s him (I approach slowly…it is), ducks down and comes back up holding the biggest, most gorgeous pink and white roses I’ve ever seen in my life. He waves them and screeches like the happy boy that he is, and the moment his eyes connect with mine, recognition injects right through him and spreads like pure joy.
Around me, coworkers gather. Are they in on the surprise?
A fuzzy blue bunny pops up too and waggles around. My eyes fill with tears. “Buddy?”
Liam screeches and waves the flowers around so hard, petals start flying off. He bangs them on the edge of the cubicle right as a hand appears underneath him to control him. Around me, everyone giggles. I can only imagine who the puppeteer is behind this morning display. When I finally arrive at my cubicle, heart pounding like mad, I slow down and hold my arms out.