“I thought that was for me,” I asked.
Jason shrugged. “You waited too long. I figured it was fair game.” He finished the muffin and wiped his mouth before folding his hands across his stomach. “I spoke with Dr. Howell this morning and he told me that you haven’t completed Mr. Frazier’s discharge paperwork. That they were still waiting on a forwarding address. That you hadn’t updated him on Mr. Frazier’s placement. I told Dr. Howell you were out ‘sick’ yesterday but you’d update the file today.” Jason gave me a piercing look. “I also told Dr. Howell that you are my best employee and that not completing necessary paperwork wasn’t your style. So I figured I’d ask you what was going on. Because you’re not acting like yourself. At all.”
“Oh, is there a meeting going on that I didn’t know about?” Tess asked, poking her head around the door. I had never been more relieved to see my co-worker.
“Muffins? Jason, you haven’t brought me any,” she scolded, coming into my office and standing by the door with her arms crossed over her chest.
“I’m buttering up Imogen so she’ll take on another new case. Think it’ll work?” Jason joked.
Tess giggled. “Our Im is a do-gooder. Of course she’ll take it. No muffins required. So you should give them all to me.”
“Hey, I need convincing. I want all the muffins.” I glared at Tess who smirked.
“Girls, girls, there’s enough muffins to go around.” Jason paused. “Why does it feel like we’ve entered into uncomfortable sexual harassment territory?”
Tess and I laughed.
Jason got to his feet. “Okay, Imogen, please update Mr. Frazier’s paperwork and go talk to Dr. Howell. This is your priority this morning.”
“Got it,” I remarked a little sullenly, not looking forward to that conversation. Mostly because I had no idea what I was going to tell him.
After Jason left Tess sat down and crossed her legs. “Spill it.”
I gave her a look of confusion. “What am I spilling?”
“You’re wearing a shirt with cleavage. You never show off the goods. And you’re smiling. Really smiling. It’s weird.”
I looked down at the file in hands in an effort to hide my face. “Maybe I’m just in a good mood.”
Tess pointed at me. “See. That’s what I’m talking about. You’re never in a good mood!”
“Sheesh, you make me sound like a pain in the ass,” I muttered.
“And you kind of are. But that’s just you. So I’m not sure what’s going on to make you look all rosy and stuff, but you’re going to spill it now.” Tess leaned forward and folded her hands in front of her. “Pretty, please. Tell me.” She batted her eyelashes for good measure.
“It’s really nothing—”
“It’s a guy,” Tess announced. I flushed.
“Yep, it’s a guy. I can tell. Who is it? Stop being so damn coy, Im!” Tess pouted.
“I can be happy without it being about a guy, you know,” I said, flipping through the meaningless paperwork in front of me.
“Sure you can, but that look.” She pointed at my face. “That one right there is because of a man. And I want to know who he is.”
I shrugged. “Yeah, okay, so there’s a man,” I admitted, knowing that if I didn’t toss her a bone she’d never leave me alone.
Tess squealed. “Who is it?”
“Someone from my past. Someone I never thought I’d see again,” I told her.
“Oh, juicy! A second chance romance! Those are my favorite!” Tess clapped her hands together. “You’re being very stingy with the details,” she scolded.
“It’s new, Tess. I want to keep it to myself for a little while,” I said with a smile.
Tess grinned. “I get it. That’s fine. But once the bloom has faded, I want to know all about it.”
I thought about Yoss kissing me last night. About waking up beside him this morning.
I didn’t think the bloom would ever fade.
It had been growing stronger for a long, long time.
“Sure, Tess. When the bloom has faded.”
“Yoss! Are you here? I bought a couple of bags of Hershey’s Kisses, just for you.”
I never took lunch off the premises, but today I couldn’t make myself stay. I had tried calling the house a few times but no one answered. I didn’t really expect Yoss to pick up the phone, but I tried anyway.
I went by to see Dr. Howell, but he was dealing with a patient most of the morning.
I started to fill out the updated paperwork in Yoss’s file.
I never got very far.
Because I was antsy.
So around noon I told Jason I was going home for lunch and quickly made my escape before he could interrogate me over my deviation from norm.
I made a stop at the grocery store on my way and picked up a couple of sandwiches and a few bags of Yoss’s favorite candy. Hershey’s Kisses.
“Hello? You here?”
I dropped my keys and the grocery bag with the candy on the coffee table before walking into the kitchen. Yoss had obviously been cleaning. I had never seen the place so spotless.