Here and Now. Michelle Monkou

better get the secrets back before you’re prosecuted for espionage.”

      Their fingers grazed each other. Yet he wanted to repeat the motion again. He wanted to feel her long fingers, warm and soft, sliding over his hand.

      “Chase! You shouldn’t have.”

      He looked at her face closely to see if, despite her words, she did like it. Her flat statement telling him that he shouldn’t have, matched her unwavering gaze, as in he really shouldn’t have. Of all the responses, this was not in the top list.

      A delicate gold charm bracelet with three charms dangled from her fingers where it lightly rested. Gold tiny loops formed the bracelet. He’d initially seen the piece at a Costa Rican jewelry shop while on vacation six months ago. When he’d stopped to admire it Laura came to mind because of her slight obsession with charms.

      “I do think it’s absolutely beautiful.” Laura sighed. “But…this is a bit much. First, seeing you. Working for you so unexpectedly. Now this.” She bit her lip, frowning deeply at the jewelry. She laid the bracelet on her palm and turned each charm flat against her palm.

      “I remembered how much you liked unicorns.” He saw the small nod when he mentioned the first charm. “And you wanted to go to Trinidad for their Carnival.” Her finger traced the distinctive shape of the small Caribbean island. “Do you recognize the third?”

      She stared down at the last charm. Her finger hovered above the tiny shape. Voices approached from down the hall. Classes had been dismissed and the halls filled with students and teachers. He didn’t have much time left.

      The third charm was a treasure chest. He looked at her face willing her to say something, anything. Could their childhood adventures with pirates, kidnapping and all out war resonate with her as it did with him? Or maybe it was the kiss that she demanded from him as ransom for his GI Joe action figure during one summer afternoon. She had shoved her girlish tendencies aside when she and Chase had played. When they were young, she had always declared herself to be the pirate.

      “I recognize it.”

      “Don’t give it back. It would mean a lot to me if you’d keep it.” He placed his hand under her open palm and gently closed her fingers over the bracelet.

      “I know that you’ve put a lot of thought into this. I also think that you knew I would be here. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have given it to me. I’m not sure where you are in your life or what problems may be plaguing you. But you can’t expect me to fill in the hole,” she remarked, her voice hardening.

      “I’m not trying to buy your affection. Friends wouldn’t do that to each other.”

      “Take it back.” Her voice shook slightly, but her eyes were clear of any tears. She pulled her hand from his and dropped the bracelet in his shirt pocket. “When I took a job here, it was because this was my goal after I got my physical therapist certificate. I’m here to work. I want nothing more from this. You’re now my boss, and I want nothing but an employee-boss relationship. Anything more or anything less and I’ll have to find another job.”

      After Laura had long disappeared down the hall and around the corner, Chase only had her lingering, gentle scent and the memory of touching her hand to keep him company.

      Chapter 2

      Laura didn’t go out of her way to avoid contact with Chase. She didn’t have to. She had full days of completing therapeutic massages and daily reports for each athlete. Three weeks after her start, she continued to feel that her decision to pursue physical therapy was the right move—even if she was working for Chase. Any free time or breaks were spent with her coworkers, getting to know them.

      Occasionally, she did catch a glimpse of Chase as he coached the track team on her way home. The main street narrowly snaked through the campus, linking several side roads into a network of roads. Laura had no problem driving at the posted low speed limit because it allowed her to see him at work unnoticed. She figured watching him was safer.

      From all the signs, Chase seemed to be honoring her wishes and leaving her alone. She still wanted to know how he knew that she’d be working there. What man walked around with a birthday gift for an ex-girlfriend waiting for the appropriate moment?

      One thing was clear, he’d thought about her. She’d never admit it to him, but he’d touched her very deeply with such a thoughtful gift. His act had rattled her defenses. She couldn’t deny the warm tingle that had seeped in between the cracks in her armor.

      Determined to keep Chase from invading her thoughts any further, she accepted her coworker’s invitation to go to happy hour at a local bar and then head to a club in downtown Atlanta. She couldn’t remember the last time that she’d gone dancing.

      She wanted to freshen up instead of going right after work. She raced home, mainly taking side roads to avoid most of the traffic. A half hour later, she’d showered and dressed. Satisfied with her makeup she fluffed her hair out after wearing her usual pony-tail. However, she wasn’t satisfied with her clothes. She looked bland.

      She selected gold coiled drop earrings. They dangled boldly from her ear lobes. The bronze-gold color mixture stood out against the silk black shirt with tiny gold threads.

      “What the heck am I doing?” she questioned the mirror. A yawn overcame her, to which she noisily succumbed. She peered into the mirror. “What a poor excuse for a party girl.”

      She hadn’t dated much since breaking up with Chase. Who could blame her? Rejection stung. Not only had Chase’s family told her that she wasn’t up to par, Chase grew increasingly critical of her. It all coincided with his meteoric rise on campus, then at the state championship.

      She slipped on a sensible pair of black flats. The wide shaped front made her feet look like square blocks. She frowned debating on what to do next.

      A car horn honked. A few seconds later, her cell phone rang.

      “Hey, Kasey.” Laura walked over to the living room and pulled back the curtains, spying her friend’s red Jeep below. “I’ll be right down.”

      “Hurry up,” Kasey yelled her response. She hit the annoying horn to punctuate the order.

      Laura grinned. Kasey was the most outgoing and happy person that she’d met on the job. Her stories of her crazy weekends left Laura feeling a bit envious. All she could talk about of her weekends were the cable movies she watched.

      She looked down at her feet once more. With an irritated grunt, she kicked off her shoes. “Darn it, life is too short.” She pulled out a three inch heeled pair of mules. Turning from one side to the other in front of the mirror, she gave a somewhat satisfied grunt. She glided her hands down the sides of her hips frowning at the inches that seemed to expand on a daily basis. Maybe the black jeans in a darkened room would help mute the imperfections.

      Another honk sounded. She flicked off the light switch and hurried out of her apartment.

      “Looking good. You know how to clean up.” Kasey grinned at her. Her loud perfume matched her loud voice and her equally loud personality.

      But it was all good. Laura returned her grin and settled in the car.

      “First stop is The Inner Circle,” Kasey announced.

      “Sounds very exclusive.” Laura worried that maybe she’d underdressed. Looking at her friend and comparing outfits, Laura imagined that she’d be the Pollyanna-type next to Kasey’s exposed assets.

      “Tonight the club’s only open to the staff, that’s about it. Most of the staff hangs out there before we go our separate ways. But there’s also a few other companies in the area that come to see who is our fresh meat. Can’t complain, though. We do the same with their people.” Kasey leaned over and squeezed her hand. “Can’t wait to show you off.”

      “Look, I’m only hanging out. Mainly because you insisted,” Laura protested. “I’m