Jackson“You look very nice, Mr. Weathers,” Mrs. Bales said, looking up from her desk as he passed. She paused typing a memo to smile at him. “Are you going on a date with that lovely Ms. Emma?”At the sound of Emma’s name, Jackson couldn’t help but smile. “No. Business dinner.”“Oh, that’s right. It’s Tuesday.” His secretary nodded and then stood up. “Let me fix your tie. It’s crooked.”Mrs. Bales hobbled around her desk, mumbling something about getting to the doctor for another look at her hips. She stood before her employer and fixed his tie for him. She smiled as she smoothed the dark silk of his tie.“There you go,” she said. “I sent the flowers to your house as instructed. I went with amaryllis because they mean, ‘worth beyond beauty.’”“Where did you learn that?” Jackson asked her.“I looked it up,” Mrs. Bales replied. “I do know how to use Google. I made sure that the flower meaning card got put in there too, so Emma will know as well.”“You’re going to make her think I’m rom
EmmaThe coffee pot hummed to life as she pressed the buttons. Jackson had the fanciest coffee machine she’d ever seen. It was a good thing she had worked in a coffee shop with a temperamental espresso machine, or she would have never been able to figure out how to work the dang thing.In just a few seconds, Emma had a cup of steaming coffee complete with foamed milk and just a dash of vanilla. It was heaven in a cup.She wrapped her hands around the mug and sat down at the table. She was a little more awake now, but still tired. It was a good thing she didn’t have to work today, or any day really, because she wasn’t sure she would make it to the end of the day without a nap.She sipped her coffee and sat in the sunshine pouring in through the big windows. She could understand why cats loved sunshine windows. They were decadent.The smell of roses caught her attention and she smiled. The entire living room was filled with different colors of the beautiful blossoms. She still couldn’t
Emma “Are you okay?” “What?” Emma stuttered, turning from the limo window and looking blankly at Jackson. “You’re distracted,” he told her. “I’ve asked you the same question three times and you haven’t said a word. You just sat there. Are you okay?” “Oh, I’m sorry,” Emma replied. She reached for his hand. “I’m just tired.” “Are you sick?” Jackson asked. “You look a little pale.” “I’m fine,” Emma told him. “It’s probably just a little bug. I’ll be fine.” A baby bug, she thought to herself. And I’ll be fine in about nine months. Emma thought about telling him about the positive pregnancy test, but decided to wait until she had it confirmed by a doctor. Her appointment was in a couple of days. She was still so early in her pregnancy that she didn’t want to get his hopes up yet. She didn’t want him to think about his business troubles tonight, either, so, she was waiting until the doctor confirmed what the pregnancy test told her. It was better for everyone that way. “Oh look, w
Emma“Did I surprise you?” Jackson asked. He reached over and took her hand, checking to make sure the ring fit her finger as they walked down the empty corridor toward their private entrance. It was strange not having to fight the crowds.“Yes,” she told him with a grin. “I didn’t see it coming at all. You did good.”He smiled, pleased with his success. He held her hand as they walked out of the stadium and directly into the limo. It took Emma a moment to realize just how quickly they’d gotten out of the stadium.Private parking at the stadium certainly had its perks. Emma was used to waiting for the stadium to clear, waiting in the aisles as everyone filed out of the stands and tried to remember where they parked. It usually took at least thirty minutes to get out of the parking lot due to the sheer volume of people.Because of Jackson, they were out of the stadium and on the highway in less than ten minutes. Emma didn’t even know that was possible until tonight. There were a lot of
JacksonThe rest of the work day went smooth as silk. Sales were up. Stocks were up. The investors were happy. The board of directors was happy. There was no talk of replacing him.Plus, he was taking Emma out to dinner tonight. He knew this amazing little sushi place that could fit them in a back corner where no one would bother them. He was going to eat sushi and laugh with Emma until he burst.Jackson’s day couldn’t be better.“Mrs. Bales, have a fabulous evening,” he called to his secretary as he left the office. The clock read just after five.“You too, Mr. Weathers,” Mrs. Bales called out after him. “I made those reservations you asked for. Everything is set, just like you requested.”Jackson turned and grinned at her. “Thank you.”“Of course, Mr. Weathers,” she replied. “Give my best to Emma.”He was going to give Mrs. Bales a raise. That’s how good of a day it was. He was going to give the whole damn company a raise if things continued this well. Sales were finally coming back
Emma “I can’t believe how good that was,” Emma said. She smiled at Jackson. “Thanks for changing our restaurant.” Stars flickered in the night sky as they left the Mexican food restaurant. Emma couldn’t believe she’d eaten as much food as she had. Morning sickness hadn’t kicked in yet, so food still tasted amazing. She hoped she could keep this good fortune through the rest of her pregnancy. “It was no problem,” Jackson assured her with a smile. “I’m just glad you like Mexican food.” “The tacos were so good,” Emma moaned. “The real salsa made the difference. I’ve only ever had Tex-Mex, and this was so much better.” Jackson grinned at her. “Next time, I’ll take you to Mexico. That’s the real stuff.” “Really?” Emma asked, pausing as she walked to the car. “Yes. It’s true. The real Mexican food is in Mexico,” Jackson replied with a laugh. The car unlocked as they approached, the headlights making the parking lot bright. “No, I mean, going to Mexico,” Emma said softly. She shrugge
Emma “You must be Emma. It’s so wonderful to meet you. You look just like your pictures in the magazines.” Emma stood at the door of Jackson’s apartment and suddenly wished very much that she didn’t have to do this. But, she didn’t really have much of a choice. This had to happen. “Yes, I’m Emma,” she said, forcing herself to smile as she opened the door a little wider. “Please come in. Your name is Becca, right?” “That’s me, Becca the wedding planner,” the woman chirped. Becca wasn’t much older than Emma, but was several inches shorter. She had beautiful blonde hair in beautiful wavy curls down her back. The woman looked like she just stepped out of a beauty salon. She wore a light pink dress that looked like 1950’s vintage. Her makeup was perfect. Her hair was perfect. Even though Emma wore nice slacks, a button-up dark blue silk shirt, and light makeup, she felt incredibly unprepared. Becca just looked so put together. “Now, I have some samples of other weddings so that I ca
Jackson Jackson woke feeling more rested than he had in months. He lay in bed for a moment, his eyes closed and body still, enjoying the lack of exhaustion. He wasn’t sure what had woken him, but it wasn’t his alarm. It wasn’t a need to move or a desire to get the day started. It was that he just wasn’t tired anymore. He peeked open one eye to see the world bathed in sunlight. It was strange that he’d slept so late. Usually, he was up and running by dawn. There was too much for him to do in the world to lay around sleeping all day. Yet, he had relaxed today. He looked over to see Emma curled up beside him. Her chest rose and fell with easy, deep breaths that told him she was still fast asleep. He smiled, watching her for a moment. When she was here, he felt at peace. There was no need to push for the next thing. He still wanted to excel, of course, but the need for better stopped when she was around. She was the best. He was content. It was a strange feeling. Usually, when he wo