hold on slightly longer than a formal good-bye would warrant. Her hand was warm in his; it fit perfectly.
“I’ll be sure to keep plenty of water on tap in case I have another computer failure.”
She caught a sneaking grin part his lips. She had made him smile. That was a good way to end the evening, right?
As she opened the door and led him out, she felt her throat tighten with disappointment. She watched him walk further and further from the house, realizing that her chance of seeing him again dwindled with every step.
Not if she could help it. They would see each other again. Somehow she knew that a greater force was orchestrating this, and she was prepared to go along with whatever it had in store.
Chapter 9
H aley filled rest of the evening with a couple hours of work, jotting down sticky-note reminders to pay late bills, and picking at leftover spaghetti her mom sent her home with the night before. The sky was pitch-black with hundreds of stars twinkling above when Haley returned to her office desk to tidy up some stray papers before heading to bed. Something out of place caught her eye, something tucked under the corner of the keyboard. A piece of pink paper with a note scribbled on it. She pulled it out from its hiding place.
Haley,
It was a pleasure seeing you today. I hope to see you again in the near future.
Marc
Her eyes widened with pleasure—a memento. The handwriting looked oddly familiar. Could it be? Bolting across the hall with the note in hand, Haley ran for her bedroom and hastily grabbed the pile of anonymous letters. Placing Marc’s letter next to the others, she rifled through the stack, comparing the script side by side. Sure enough, the similarities were striking. The curl at the end of the Ls, the roundness of the As. It couldn’t be… could it?
**
She flipped her eyes to the clock on her bedside table. Four hours and thirteen minutes had passed since seeing Marc. Haley lay wide-awake in bed waiting for sleep to take her. Tonight it wasn’t her usual sleepless state that buzzed her brain alert with a swarm of anxious thoughts. No, it wasn’t anxiety. It was something completely different.
Obsession.
A mental accounting of every detail of the evening. She couldn’t get Marc out of her mind. She knew it was crazy. She knew this had to be a case of utter desperation. But the letters, and now this note… this was fate. It had to be. The handwriting similarities were too coincidental. She wondered if Marc was thinking about her right now.
Turning over for the umpteenth time, Haley settled on a view of the window where the moon hovered bright against a clear night sky, its luminous beams squeezing out the lurking darkness. It was well after two o’clock, giving her a mere five hours of sleep before work the next day. Just enough to function.
Reaching under her pillow, Haley fluffed it up and sank into its downy comfort. Her thoughts unwound each tight concern—until she settled on the most prominent concern of the moment. Her mom. Her mom finding that letter.
Haley wondered if she was still awake. The woman barely slept, usually busying herself with house cleaning and baking into the wee hours of the morning. Haley always suspected that it was her way of coping with life as a widow. Haley needed to talk to her about everything that had been happening, but what would she say? That she’d been corresponding with a total stranger for the past two weeks via unmarked letters and now she suspected—with no real proof—that her secret admirer was the local computer guy? No, her mom would probably commit her.
Please fall asleep , she commanded herself.
It didn’t work.
Haley despised her thoughts. It was her thoughts that kept her awake tonight. Her mind bulged with anxiety about her empty love life, her approaching birthday that ticked away another year. Ticked away a chance at finding love, at having kids, at having hope for a fairy
“I’ll be sure to keep plenty of water on tap in case I have another computer failure.”
She caught a sneaking grin part his lips. She had made him smile. That was a good way to end the evening, right?
As she opened the door and led him out, she felt her throat tighten with disappointment. She watched him walk further and further from the house, realizing that her chance of seeing him again dwindled with every step.
Not if she could help it. They would see each other again. Somehow she knew that a greater force was orchestrating this, and she was prepared to go along with whatever it had in store.
Chapter 9
H aley filled rest of the evening with a couple hours of work, jotting down sticky-note reminders to pay late bills, and picking at leftover spaghetti her mom sent her home with the night before. The sky was pitch-black with hundreds of stars twinkling above when Haley returned to her office desk to tidy up some stray papers before heading to bed. Something out of place caught her eye, something tucked under the corner of the keyboard. A piece of pink paper with a note scribbled on it. She pulled it out from its hiding place.
Haley,
It was a pleasure seeing you today. I hope to see you again in the near future.
Marc
Her eyes widened with pleasure—a memento. The handwriting looked oddly familiar. Could it be? Bolting across the hall with the note in hand, Haley ran for her bedroom and hastily grabbed the pile of anonymous letters. Placing Marc’s letter next to the others, she rifled through the stack, comparing the script side by side. Sure enough, the similarities were striking. The curl at the end of the Ls, the roundness of the As. It couldn’t be… could it?
**
She flipped her eyes to the clock on her bedside table. Four hours and thirteen minutes had passed since seeing Marc. Haley lay wide-awake in bed waiting for sleep to take her. Tonight it wasn’t her usual sleepless state that buzzed her brain alert with a swarm of anxious thoughts. No, it wasn’t anxiety. It was something completely different.
Obsession.
A mental accounting of every detail of the evening. She couldn’t get Marc out of her mind. She knew it was crazy. She knew this had to be a case of utter desperation. But the letters, and now this note… this was fate. It had to be. The handwriting similarities were too coincidental. She wondered if Marc was thinking about her right now.
Turning over for the umpteenth time, Haley settled on a view of the window where the moon hovered bright against a clear night sky, its luminous beams squeezing out the lurking darkness. It was well after two o’clock, giving her a mere five hours of sleep before work the next day. Just enough to function.
Reaching under her pillow, Haley fluffed it up and sank into its downy comfort. Her thoughts unwound each tight concern—until she settled on the most prominent concern of the moment. Her mom. Her mom finding that letter.
Haley wondered if she was still awake. The woman barely slept, usually busying herself with house cleaning and baking into the wee hours of the morning. Haley always suspected that it was her way of coping with life as a widow. Haley needed to talk to her about everything that had been happening, but what would she say? That she’d been corresponding with a total stranger for the past two weeks via unmarked letters and now she suspected—with no real proof—that her secret admirer was the local computer guy? No, her mom would probably commit her.
Please fall asleep , she commanded herself.
It didn’t work.
Haley despised her thoughts. It was her thoughts that kept her awake tonight. Her mind bulged with anxiety about her empty love life, her approaching birthday that ticked away another year. Ticked away a chance at finding love, at having kids, at having hope for a fairy
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