Page 71 of It's Not PMS, It's You

I felt peace.

I opened my eyes and stared into the cascading water, still relaxed.

I continued to listen to the fountain, feeling more relaxed than I have felt in years.

It was like I’d had a glass of wine or two.

My buzz had come back.

All that in a few minutes?

“This crap really works,” I whispered to myself.

I nodded and stood, glancing over at the light in my office, not feeling motivated to do anything, which was new for me.

Then I did something I hadn’t done in years.

I decided to go to bed without finishing everything on my to-do list.

I was tempted to start feeling guilty, but then Nick’s words popped into my head.

Don’t feel guilty for taking time for yourself.

I would try to take his advice, but I just couldn’t help feeling that I was going to pay for this the next day.

Chapter Fifteen

RUTH

Surprisingly, last night was the best night of sleep I’d had in a long time. Was it the pasta or the wine or the quiet time I had spent by the fountain before I went to bed? I had no idea, but it was amazing and perfect. Well, except for one little problem.

The dream I’d had about Nick.

Okay, maybe “dream” wasn’t the correct word.

Fantasy.

Much more accurate.

It started with me flashing him again, and everything just spiraled out of control from there.

I did everything I could to not let my thoughts drift back to Nick as I lay in the dark last night. Every time he popped into my head I would try to focus on something else. I even tried counting sheep, but the sheep suddenly turned into deer who were eating grapes, which reminded me of wine, which led my thoughts right back to the dinner with Nick.

It was a complete failure.

That’s why I’d come up with the plan to avoid Nick all morning. How could I look him in the eyes after I had let him do all those things to me in my dream?

Impossible.

Little did I know it would also be impossible to avoid him since I had to go to the kitchen to get my four cups of morning coffee. He would be able to see me very clearly through the kitchen window each time I did so. And keeping the french doors closed on such a beautiful day would’ve been conspicuous. The only thing I could do was try to maintain a low profile and keep any type of conversation with him short and to the point.

And avoid eye contact, if possible.

I had to admit I was very excited that today would be the day that they would begin installing my gazebo. According to Nick, the gazebo had already been customized and fabricated offsite. All they had to do was put the custom pieces together, almost like a puzzle.

In a couple of days, my gazebo would be ready to use and all I would have to do was add the furniture that I had already purchased and that was in my garage. I couldn’t wait to use it for the first time and could even envision myself occasionally working with my laptop out there.

After my morning croissant and coffee, I was busy at work.