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He cooked pancakes and bacon, and they listened to the local classical radio station as he cooked.
“What are you thinking?” he asked as he set her plate in front of her.
“That I love it that we both like classical music. That we listen to the same station. That you could afford a fancy sound system, but we’re just listening to the radio in the kitchen and watching it snow.”
“That really makes you happy?” He sat down across from her.
“It really makes me happy.”
“Me too.” He passed the syrup to her.
It was a ridiculously wonderful day. The world was so silent under its blanket of snow. They went outside to shovel the walks, then came back in, drank cocoa, played cards, made love, danced, and talked for hours. Bill made some soup for dinner and they ate it while they watched Fred Astaire movies.
It was the most wonderful day Amanda had ever spent.
By early Sunday afternoon, even the side streets had been plowed, and Amanda knew she’d have to go home. She didn’t want to; she’d hoped it would never stop snowing, that they’d be alone together forever. But it had to end eventually, all things did.
On the way home, she said, “Bill, I have to say this, okay? I don’t know how this has to play out. It’s an awkward situation. I’d like us to be together, but if we can’t be then let’s just say good-bye right away and remember this as a wonderful moment.”
He looked troubled, but he was also nodding. “You’re right. It is awkward. I’ve never…”
“Let’s take some time to think about it.”
“Okay, yes. You’re right. I know you’re right.”
Before she got out of the car, she kissed his cheek. “I had a wonderful weekend. Thank you.”
“I did too.”
No promises to see each other at work, to call, to text or email. No promises. That’s the way it had to be until they worked out what all this meant.
Monday was a slow day. There’d been snow over half the country, and people were having a hard time getting to work. Unfortunately it gave Amanda too much time to think so she spent some of her down time studying the information on the Waikiki resort, imagining what it would be like to go there with Bill.
It was silly, she thought, even to imagine. Their situation was impossible. If she wasn’t his employee, she’d stand a better chance, but she wasn’t giving up a good job for the sake of what might have turned out to be a fling.
Except it wouldn’t have been a fling for her. She’d tried not to admit it, but she knew that she was in love with Bill. She probably had been since before they met. Their chats before and after conference calls had won her heart. If he’d been anyone but the CEO of Forlanie she’d have told him flat out that she loved him and wanted to spend the rest of her life with him.
She thought about almost nothing else for three days. Concentrating on work was nightmarish, and she was distracted enough that Sandy noticed and asked if there was something wrong.
“I’m just… I’m gnawing on a problem, Sandy.”
“Well, you’re going to have to gnaw on your own time,” she said. Amanda apologized. This was bad, it was affecting her work. She decided that she had to call it off.
After work, she went up to thirty-seven where the executive offices were, and asked to see Bill, but was told that he’d just left. She took the elevator back down to her floor, trying hard to breathe deeply and shake off the anxiety and sadness she was feeling. She didn’t want to end this, but she had to, and now she had to do it fast before she changed her mind.
She stepped off the elevator and ran smack into Bill.
“What? What are you doing down here?” she said. To her shock, he went down on one knee and caught hold of her hand.
“I’m losing my mind, Amanda. I’ve never felt more alone than when I went back home after I dropped you off. Everything in my home reminds me of you and my heart feels so empty without you there by my side.” He produced a ring box. “I love you. I’ve never loved anyone the way I love you and I need you to love me.”
He snapped open the box and people in the hallway gasped. She gasped. It was a huge diamond ring. “Bill… How can we?”
He stood and put the ring on her finger. “Mandy, this is my company. I can’t force you to love me but I can make the rules that will allow us to love each other.”
There were tears running down her face. “I guess I’ll have to trust that this can work because I love you too. I have been so miserable without you,” she told him as he pulled her into the fiercest hug she had ever been given. It felt as if he was trying to make them one person, and she found herself wanting that more than she had ever wanted anything in her life.
She didn’t even hear the applause that erupted around them.
