* * *
Pulling away from Michaela's, Jason wore a huge smile. His curiosity about the paragon who had been managing his business affairs for the past eleven months was now satisfied, and he felt only a slight twinge of guilt for his deception. He knew where Evan lived, but had needed an excuse to knock on her door. His start-up software company had reached the stage where he would someday need a full-time assistant. His aim in checking Michaela out in person was to try and persuade her to come and work for him. He had been impressed by her professionalism, promptness, accuracy, and ability to deal with anything he threw her way.
Frowning, he realized there was now a problem with his plan. He had been expecting to find an older woman - maybe in her fifties, kids gone, needing a part-time job she could do at home. When he had opened the door, he had been speechless, but then, she had been as well. Something had happened in that moment - something he was going to have to think about. He wanted to know more about her - like why was a beautiful young woman hiding away in a bungalow out in the country? Her skills were impressive and she could easily double her income by working as an administrative assistant in a large firm somewhere. Hiring her to work full time for him would mean he could get to know her, but dating an employee was on his list of things he just wouldn't do, on principle.
There was something very appealing about her almost-pixie face, and the dimples that had popped out when she smiled as he was leaving. Her shiny black hair had been pulled back in a ponytail, wisps falling around ears and neck, and brown eyes sparkling as though she knew a huge secret she was just dying to tell someone. Her height and weight were average, and she wore a blue and gold plaid long-sleeved shirt with blue jeans - a true country girl.
When she was pointing out directions, he had quickly noticed that she had no rings on her fingers. Having been a police officer for a few years, taking in details in a very rapid manner was second nature to him. So how to get to know her? He thought about it as he drove down the road, knowing he had to call on Evan in case he was on speaking terms with Michaela, they compared notes, and he got busted. Maybe Evan could give him a little information that would help with his quest. Grinning to himself, he drove into Evan's yard.
* * *
Glancing at the clock, Michaela realized she was five minutes late getting into her office, and this time she just muttered, so what? She turned on the computer. First task of the day was to check for email messages and faxes. They usually both yielded enough assignments to keep her busy all day, but today a surprise awaited her. It was an email message from one of her clients, advising her that he was hiring a full time secretary and would no longer require her services effective the end of the current week. He went on to say how much he had appreciated all of her help, and should she need references, to feel free to use his name.
She emailed him back, congratulating him on the growth of his business, and thanking him for giving her the opportunity to work with him. Smiling broadly, Michaela dove into her tasks, happy to know that her workload was going to become much more manageable. Maybe she'd even be able to swing a night out, if her friends were still talking to her.
When five o'clock came, she left the office, grabbed a notepad and pen, poured a glass of wine, and sat down in the living room. Since her chat with the egg at breakfast, she had decided it was time to take action in the lack-of-a-husband department. And talking to an egg is pretty pathetic. Maybe I should get a cat. At least then I'd be talking to an animate object.
At the top of the page, she wrote 'Where To Find A Good Man'. Underneath she began listing the possible hangouts for likely candidates - library, church, grocery store, bars, charity events, fairs, new car lots, blind dates, Internet - the list contained anything that came to mind. Next step was the elimination process. Church was deleted, as she hadn't attended one in years, preferring to adhere to spiritual rather than religious beliefs and practices. Bars didn't merit consideration, nor did car lots and Internet. Blind dates came close to being eliminated, and she soon realized only libraries, grocery stores and charity events were of interest.
Switching the order, she started a new line with grocery stores at the top. Underneath she began writing out what to look for while on her hunt. Check the cart - if it has baby food or diapers, he's out. If he's wearing a wedding ring, he's out. If his cart is full of junk food, he's also out. However, if his cart contains healthy food in single-serving sizes, 'accidentally' bump into him and ask him to reach something high up on a shelf.
Next item on the list -libraries. She hadn't been to one in years, so she would have to sign up, get a card and a membership, and begin checking out books. Whether she read all of them or not was a different matter. If a likely subject is spotted, check first for a ring. If none is evident, stroll by and check out what he's reading. If it's on pregnancy and childbirth, keep going. If it's all about sports, ditto. She had no intention of spending the rest of her life with a sports addict.
As she was working on her lists and sipping her wine, the image of the morning's caller kept creeping into her thoughts. He was just as she imagined her husband to be - tall, handsome, well dressed, polite - but now gone. Except for the fact that he drove a silver SUV, she knew zero about him. If she had known her neighbor Evan better, maybe she could have pried a little information out of him.
Putting away her lists, she went to the kitchen to find something to eat. Tomorrow was another day.
Back to the beginning!
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