An After-Hours Affair

He drew another blank and frowned.

Maybe she was in the conference room, or the ladies’ room. He told himself to wait it out, but his feet took him back across the outer office, down the hallway and into the conference room.

It was empty, and he couldn’t very well check the ladies’ room. So he headed back to the office, cooling his heels, gazing unseeingly at the familiar surroundings.

It was quiet, somehow too quiet. It felt like a weekend, and it took him a moment to realize it was because her computer was shut off. Her chair was neatly pushed into the desk. There wasn’t a single paper on her desktop, and the morning’s mail was piled haphazardly in her in-basket.

Was Jenny away?

Could she have missed a day’s work?

He ventured closer to her desk, spying a crisp white envelope in the center of the desk. His name was scrawled across it in Jenny’s handwriting.

Mitch picked it up, staring, getting an unsettled feeling in the pit of his stomach. She’d left him a note? Why didn’t she email, or text, or give him a call if she had to miss work?

He tore off the end of the envelope and slid out a single piece of paper.

Dear Mitch, it opened.

He read further through the letter, becoming more confused by the second. Jenny was gone?

He flipped over the sheet of paper, but there was no additional information on the back, no destination, no return date, no explanation of who was sick. Nothing.

He didn’t know whether to be mad or worried.

He retrieved his cell phone and dialed her number.

It rang through to voice mail.

“Jenny,” he said to the machine, struggling to keep his tone neutral. “It’s me. I’m confused. Call me as soon as you can, okay?”

He hung up, waiting a long moment, took a deep breath, then pressed the speed dial for Cole.

Cole answered right away. “Maddison here.”

“It’s Mitch.”

“Oh, hey, Mitch.” There was definitely something off in Cole’s tone. He knew something.

“I’m looking for Jenny,” said Mitch, giving his friend one chance to be straight with him.

“Really?” Cole asked. “She’s not at work?”

Mitch ran out of patience. “What the hell is going on?” he barked.

There was a long pause that only served to reinforce Mitch’s suspicions.

“What do you mean?” asked Cole, his tone still carefully neutral.

Mitch’s voice went to steel. “Where’s Jenny?”

“I don’t know.”

“Bull. Emily has to know.”

“She might,” Cole replied. “But she didn’t tell me.”

Okay, this just got weirder by the second. “Where’s Emily?”

“She’s at work.”

“So she’s not the one who’s sick? And she didn’t go to some friend’s place with Jenny?”

“No.” Cole didn’t elaborate.

“What did I miss?” Mitch demanded

“As far as I know, nothing.”

“As far as you know? What kind of an answer is that?”

Cole’s tone went back to normal. “They didn’t tell me so I wouldn’t have to lie to you. Something’s obviously up, but I haven’t a clue what it might be. Did you and Jenny fight? Did you do anything?”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know, see a girl in D.C.? Maybe somebody saw you and-”

“I did not see a girl in D.C.” Unless you counted the mental images of Jenny that followed him 24-7.

“Well, she took off for some reason,” said Cole.

Mitch paced across the office. “Find out what it is. Talk to Emily.”

Cole barked out a cold laugh. “You want me to compromise my relationship with my fiancee to help you?”

“Absolutely.”

“You really don’t know how these things work, do you?”

Mitch paused for a long second. “I’m learning,” he admitted.

Cole went silent. “Elaborate.”

Spill his guts? Own up to his feelings to Cole before he even told Jenny? “I don’t think so.”

“You want my help?”

Mitch punched the heel of his hand against the office wall. “Fine. There’s a lecture from Jeffrey on squandering chances echoing inside my head, an engagement ring sitting in my jacket pocket and I’m ready to tear this state apart looking for Jenny.”

“You bought an engagement ring?”

“Yes,” Mitch hissed.

“You want to marry Jenny?”

“Who else?”

“Well, I don’t know what the hell you did in D.C.”

“I accepted a job and bought a ring.”

Cole’s tone turned to surprise. “You took the job?”

“Where is she, Cole? Help me find her.”

The line was silent for long seconds. “Can I tell Emily you’re proposing?”

“No! It’s bad enough that you know before Jenny. You’re not telling her best friend.”

“I don’t know how else I’m going to-”

“Lie, cheat, steal. I don’t care.”

“You’re not asking much, are you?”

“I’d do it for you.”

Cole hesitated a beat. “Fine. I’ll talk to her tonight.”

“Now.”

“Tonight. Summon up a little patience. It’s not my fault it took you this long to make up your mind.”

“I didn’t-” Fine. Mitch would own that mistake. He should have realized he was in love days and days ago. If he had, if he hadn’t been such a stubborn idiot, he’d already be engaged to Jenny.

Assuming she’d have said yes.

Of course she’d have said yes.

He was sure of it.

Almost.

Jenny knew deep down inside that coming to Lake Angel had been the right decision. She was still nauseous in the morning, and it took her a good hour to get her stomach calmed down. People were bound to have noticed, especially Mitch.

He would have arrived back from D.C. yesterday. She’d kept her cell phone deliberately turned off. In her more optimistic moments, she was afraid he might try to call. But then pessimism would take over, and she was afraid he wouldn’t bother.

She told herself it was better not to know. And, if he did call, she’d probably break down and cry, confess everything, humiliate herself and back him into a corner where, heaven save them both, he might decide to try and do something noble.

She couldn’t live with that.

So the cell phone was staying off.

It was nearly ten in the morning. She’d managed a slice of toast and some orange juice earlier, taking great