She reluctantly dragged her gaze from his and glanced down at her hands folded neatly in her lap. In that instant, as brief as it was, Stephanie recognized the truth. She was falling in love with Jonas Lockwood, and she was falling hard. Up to this point in their nonrelationship, she had considered him an intriguing challenge. Jan, Maureen and the others had piqued her interest in their domineering, arrogant employer. The trip to Paris, and their time at the fountain in the park had added to her curiosity. She’d glimpsed the man buried deep inside the gruff exterior, and had been enthralled. Now she was caught, hook, line and sinker.
Long after they’d returned from dinner and the finished bookcase stood in the corner of her living room, Stephanie recalled the look they’d exchanged in the car on the way to the restaurant. Briefly she wondered if Jonas had recognized it for what it was. Certainly the evening had been altered because of that glance. Before that instant in the car they had been teasing each other and joking, but from the moment they entered the restaurant, they had immersed themselves in serious conversation. Jonas wanted to know everything about her. And Stephanie talked for hours. She told him about growing up in Colville, and what living in the country had meant to a gawky, young girl. When he asked how she happened to move to Minneapolis, Stephanie explained that her godparents lived nearby, and had encouraged her to move into the area. There were other relatives close by as well, and there were precious few secretarial positions in the eastern part of Washington State.
It wasn’t until their plates were cleared away and the waiter delivered two fortune cookies that Stephanie realized that while she’d been telling him her life story, Jonas had revealed little about himself. She felt guilty about dominating the conversation, but when she mentioned it, Jonas brushed her concern aside, telling her there was plenty of time for her to get to know him better. For hours afterward, Stephanie was on a natural high, exhilarated and happy. She enjoyed talking to Jonas, and for the first time since Paris, they were at ease with each other.
When Stephanie arrived at work the following morning, there was a message on her desk from Jan. The note asked Stephanie to join her and the others in the cafeteria on their coffee break. All morning, Stephanie toyed with the idea of telling her friends about the evening she’d spent with Jonas, but finally decided against it. The night had been so special that she wanted to wrap the feelings she’d experienced with Jonas around herself and keep them private.
At midmorning, she found the four gathered around the same table by the window that they’d occupied earlier in the week. Again, her coffee was waiting for her.
“Morning.”
“You’re late,” Jan scolded, glancing at her watch. “We’ve got a lot of ground to cover.”
“We do?” Stephanie glanced around the table at her friends and wondered if the Geneva peace talks held more somber, serious faces.
“It’s your move with Mr. Lockwood,” Maureen explained. “And we’ve been up half the night discussing the best way for you to approach him.”
“I see.” Stephanie took a sip of her coffee to hide an amused grin.
“Subtlety is the key,” Barbara inserted. “It’s imperative that he doesn’t know that you’ve planned this next chance meeting.”
“Would it be so wrong to let him know I’m interested?” Stephanie let her gaze fall to the table so that her friends couldn’t read her expression.
“That comes later,” Toni told her. “This next step is the all-important one.”
“I see.” Stephanie didn’t, but she doubted that her lack of understanding concerned her friends. “So what’s the next move?”
“That’s the problem—we can’t decide,” Jan explained. “We seem to be at a standstill.”
“It’s a toss-up between four different ideas.”
One from each romantic, Stephanie reasoned.
“I thought you could wait until Old Stone Face has left her guard post for the day, and then make up an excuse to go to his office—any excuse would do—for that matter, I could give you one,” Jan said eagerly. “You’re on his turf, where he’s most comfortable. Of course, you’ll need to find a way to get close to him. You know, bend over the desk so your heads meet and your fingers accidentally brush against his. From there, everything will work out great.”
“But I don’t like that idea,” Maureen muttered, slowly shaking her head. “Besides, Mr. Lockwood’s too intelligent not to see through that ploy.’’
“George Potter is always taking one thing or another up to Jonas’s office. I could volunteer to do it for him; I’m sure he wouldn’t mind,” Stephanie said, defending Jan’s idea.
“Yes, but from everything I’ve read, it’d be better if we forced his hand.”
“Force his hand? What do you mean?” Stephanie glanced at Maureen.
“Let him see you with another man.”
“But that’s already happened, with disastrous results,” Jan argued. “Besides, where are we going to come up with another man?”
“My husband’s brother is available.”
“Ladies, please,” Stephanie cried, raising both hands to squelch that plan. “I’ve got to agree with any scheme you come up with, and that one is most definitely a no.”