The rest of the journey to the office was uneventful. No random strangers collided with me and I didn’t fall to the ground. The entire way, I did think of Henry, though. His easy smile seemed to stay with me even after he was gone from sight.
I secretly hoped he would run into me again.
The Winder Building sat regally on the corner of the street. Painted white, the second level wore wrought iron balconies that gave it an almost Southern charm. As much as I disliked the fact that I was unwillingly returning to my roots, I did like the building. It was from the time of the Civil War and radiated history.
I walked up to the heavy wooden door, took a deep breath, and stepped inside. I had been here a million times, yet I felt as nervous as my first time. It felt like stepping back seven years in my life to my very first day. I’d worked as an office assistant here for three years while I got my degree. I thought I would never be back except as a visitor.
“They told me you were coming, but I didn’t believe them,” a deep voice said from the security desk. I knew that voice, and I smiled as my eyes adjusted from the bright sunlight to the artificial lights.
“Gus?” I grinned as I walked over to the security desk. Gus was the biggest, kindest man I’d ever had the pleasure of working with. He had three daughters at home and he considered me his work daughter. He still sent me Christmas cards every year with a can of pepper-spray attached to keep me safe.
The chair groaned as Gus rose, and he hurried around the desk to give me a hug. He enveloped me in his large arms, wrapping me into a hug that was warm and soft. His crisp uniform pressed into my cheek.
“I guess I don’t need to show you my identification,” I said as he released me from his bear hug. The big man chuckled as he ran a hand over his bald head.
“I still can’t believe you’re here. I thought it had to be a mistake. Why are you back here? You’re supposed to be a senator or something by now. I was planning on voting for you for president next election.”
I chuckled, blushing slightly at his faith in me. “I thought so too. Apparently, the universe has other plans.”
“You mean your stepmother,” Gus corrected me, sitting back down in his chair. The rolling chair creaked with his weight as he began typing my information into the computer.
I raised my eyebrows at him.
“There’s no other reason you’d be back here,” Gus said. “She’s the only one with enough strings to pull to get you here and not have her name on it. I can guess who she has in her pocket. There’s not many who could pull this off without questions.”
“Gus, your talents are wasted as a security guard.”
He chuckled. “Nah. I just read too many of those crime mystery novels.” He tapped a couple of things on the computer, hit enter, and looked up. “You’re in the system again. I’ll have your badge ready when you come back down. Jaqui’s upstairs in her office. She’s got all your paperwork.”
“Jaqui has an office?” I asked, frowning slightly. When I had left, Jaqui worked on a table in a hallway. She’d been an assistant just like me. I was glad to hear she’d moved up in the organization. “Where?”
“Oh, that’s right.” Gus rolled his broad shoulders. He was large, but most of it was muscle, not fat. “She’s the head of the records department now. She’s in Beth’s old office. Second floor.”
“She claimed the good office?” I asked. “She must be important.”
Gus grinned at me. “She’s your new boss.”
“Oh.” I nodded. Jaqui was a year younger than me, but now she was my boss. I didn’t begrudge her the position, but it only added to how far this job was taking me from my goals. “Well, then I have the best boss in the building.”
“Only because you don’t work security.”
I grinned at him. “Obviously.”
I headed upstairs and to my new boss’s office. It still smelled the same here. Musty, but clean. The old building had weathered enough wars and time that it had an old, but peaceful scent. It felt like nothing had changed, even though I most certainly had.
I went to the far corner office. The door was open, spilling afternoon sunshine into the hallway. Jaqui sat at a small black desk, typing away at her computer and looking busy.
She was small with dark hair and beautiful dark eyes. She had the longest eyelashes I had ever seen on a person. Her beautiful dark olive skin glowed in the sunlight.
“Hey, I hear you get to tell me what to do now,” I said, stepping into her office.
Jaqui looked up at me and grinned. “I was wondering when you were going to get here,” she said, rising gracefully from her desk and coming to greet me. She gave me a warm hug.
“I took my time coming from the Senate offices,” I admitted.
“You should have taken longer,” Jaqui replied. I thought of how I could have stayed with Henry and gotten coffee. It was strange, but thinking of him made me smile. I wondered if he was going to remember to bring me lunch tomorrow. I hoped he would, but I doubted it.
“I didn’t want to be inconvenient for you. My stepmother, sure. But not you.”
“If I had my way, you would still be at the Senate offices.” She shook her head and motioned to a chair in front of her desk. “That’s where you belong. I can’t believe you’re back.”
I sat down on the chair and set my bag by my feet. “I was told you have some paperwork for me?”
Jaqui nodded as she returned to her own seat. “I do. For some strange reason, my boss informed me that you will be inputting all the new information on our trade deals into the computer. It’s something that we usually have an intern do, but you’ve been chosen. Who did you piss off?”
“My stepmother,” I informed her as Jaqui handed me a stack of paper. It was heavier than I remembered.
“Ah. That makes sense. I forgot about her. I’m sorry that she put you here.” A small smile filled her face. “But, I’m not sorry that you’re back. We all missed you.”
“I missed you guys,” I said, smoothing the paperwork and making it straight. “What exactly am I going to be doing? You said something about trade documents.”
“We have a bunch of new trade negotiations going on with Paradisa, and thus all the paperwork that goes with it. Their monarchs are going to arrive next month for the official trade treaty signing, but all the preliminary work is going on now. We’re backlogged with all of it. Paradisa has a lot of natural resources for being a small island country. You’re going to be scanning it all in.”
Great. I was going to scan documents all day. I was leaving work that I enjoyed and cared about to scan boring paperwork. It was salt on the wound.
“So my old job, then?” I replied, looking at the work forms in my hands. I could feel my future slipping away from me.
Jaqui nodded. “Yup.”
I sighed as Jaqui handed me a pen and then I started to fill out the paperwork.
Due to the complexities of government work, it took me hours to fill out all the paperwork despite having worked for this office before. I ate a lunch out of the vending machines, knowing that if I left, I might not come back. The forms were typical government bureaucracy at its best. The sun already crept ominously toward the horizon as I left the office and headed to the rich area of town.It was time to see my stepmother about today.It took a metro train and a bus to get to her house, but I made it there just as the sun crested the horizon. Long dark shadows filled the streets. It would be a long ride home into the city, but I knew my stepmother wasn’t going to have this conversation over the phone.My stepmother lived in a nice neighborhood with good schools and beautiful churches. The homes regularly went for well over six million, due to the proximity to downtown DC. It was a very affluent and politically important area.My father had never lived here. This was the house she bo
I wore my favorite dark gray slacks and cream colored silk top for my first day back at my old job. Just because I was going back in time didn’t mean I had to dress like it. Besides, wearing something that made me feel professional and attractive would at least make the day start out better.Gus greeted me warmly as I walked in the front door.“Good morning, Aria,” he said, smiling at me.“Good morning, Gus.”“If you get hungry later, the missus made banana bread. I’m happy to share.”I’d forgotten how good Mrs. Gus’s banana bread was. It was almost reason enough to come work here on its own. Today was already a better day than yesterday.“That sounds great. Thank you.”He just grinned and waved me on to the stairs so I could go up and start my work.I stopped by Jaqui’s office and said hello. She showed me where I was working and gave me the password to the WiFi in the building.“Here’s your work space,” Jaqui said, bringing me to a small office on the top floor. It was already warme
He grinned and it lit up the room. My stomach fluttered and I could feel a blush heat my cheeks. How in the world was I going to make it through an entire meal feeling this flustered? It felt like a first date.I was suddenly really glad I had worn my favorite work outfit. It was close enough to first date clothing that I didn’t feel under-dressed. I at least knew that I looked good today.He offered me his arm and I felt like a true lady as he escorted me out of the building.“Have her back in two hours, young man!” Gus called out after us, his arms crossed and expression grumpy. I loved him for it.A lovely spring day awaited us outside. I’d been cooped up in my office scanning documents and hadn’t realized how beautiful it was out. The sun was warm, contrasting the cool breeze that threatened rain later.Henry pulled out a ball-cap with a large blue R embroidered on it and pulled it down over his hair. He looked almost like a different person with it on, but he at least had the sun
“Do you want to eat outside?” Henry asked as we waited. “It’s warm today, but we can eat inside if it’s too cold.”“Outside is wonderful. It’s been so warm. It feels like a shame not to enjoy the nice weather.”He nodded and picked up the tray with our sandwiches and deftly carried it out to the patio. We sat under an umbrella, but still in the sunshine. The slight breeze was just cool enough I was glad I wore long sleeves. Summer was on its way, but not here yet.He balanced the tray on one hand and carefully settled the plates on the table.“You must have done this before,” I teased him as he settled into his chair. He frowned slightly and I pointed to the plates. “The plates. Were you a waiter?”He chuckled. “No, just lots of watching others. And natural grace, of course.”I giggled as he winked at me. “Natural grace, huh? Just like how you ran into me was graceful?”“If you were paying attention, you would have noticed that it was a perfect tackle. My coach would have been proud,”
I led the way to the famous monuments, walking along the streets of Washington DC, hand in hand. I tried not to focus on how his very touch heated my entire being. I kept sneaking glances over at him as we walked, unsure if this was really happening.“Where are we going?” he asked as we skirted around a group of tourists. He smiled as he said it, his steps confident and matching mine. I got the feeling he didn’t care where we were actually going, as long as it was with me.I definitely felt the same way.“I thought I’d show you the Reflecting Pool,” I replied. It wasn’t far from the restaurant, and it was always beautiful. We just had to walk south in almost in a straight line and we’d hit a lot of the famous tourist sights along the way.“That sounds wonderful,” he replied, squeezing my hand. I liked that he hadn’t let go of it, even though it was making my heart beat in funny patterns. I never wanted him to let go.We walked along, making comfortable small talk. I played tour guide,
I could feel his smile against my lips when we both pulled back long enough to breathe. Despite barely moving, I was breathless.“Wow,” I whispered, not sure of what else to say. The sun shone brighter. The sky was bluer. Even the tourists walking past seemed to smile more.His hand was still in my hair, holding me close to him. I never wanted him to let me go. I wanted to stay right here with him. Or anywhere with him, really. I just wanted him.He grinned and leaned back over and kissed me again. The second was just as powerful as the first, except I was ready for it this time. My hands went to his chest, feeling the firm muscles under his shirt as I moved my hands under his jacket.I wanted more. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the thrill of kissing under the trees in the sunshine. It was something out of a love story my mother used to read to me.“We have to get you back,” he whispered between kisses.I knew he was right. My two hours had to be up by now, but I didn’t want to go back
Friday couldn’t come fast enough.I’d done a little more digging on Henry Prescott in preparation for our date. He was a good rugby player, but not considered one of the best. There was very little else in the way of information about him. It seemed that Paradisians weren’t big into social media advertising everything about them. What I could find matched everything I did know about him. He was more legit than most men I dated, even if he was known for rugby rather than anything else.I was excited that he wanted to share that with me for our date tonight.I went to work each morning that week with a smile on my face. Luckily, the backlog of documents held out for the entire week. I gleefully scanned each one into the system, even though I knew that every sheet of paper scanned brought me closer to having something my stepmother would want.That was a bridge I would cross when I came to it. Until then, I was going to enjoy being able to message her that I had nothing of interest. It w
The car drove up to RFK Stadium. There were more people about than I expected, considering that rugby wasn’t a terribly popular sport in the US. I was surprised we were even at a stadium this big. Henry hopped out first and offered me his hand to help me out. I took it, more to hold his hand than from actual need of assistance. He then pulled on a nondescript light blue cap, hiding his hair. I wondered if he would take it off once the sun set, but I didn’t mind. He was one of those rare individuals that actually looked good in a baseball cap.“Who’s playing?” I asked, looking around. “There’s a lot of people here.”“It’s a rather big game,” Henry explained. “New Zealand All Blacks vs Ireland. It’s a big match. Both are considered very good.”“The All Blacks?” I asked, wondering about the name. It seemed like a strange choice.“Yes,” Henry nodded. “Their uniforms are all black. Back in the early days, the teams were called for their colors. The English team was known as The Colours for