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My first stop when I got to the complex was the bank of lockers right outside the garages. That was where the team kept their personal belongings during the workday. There were locks on each individual unit, but they were almost never used. It wasn’t like there was a tremendous risk for theft among the close-knit group. There was, however, risk of tampering, which I suppose was what I was planning on doing. Looking around to make sure no one was nearby watching, I went to Kelly’s locker and opened it. There was nothing inside, which meant she hadn’t yet gotten to work that morning.
I realized as I stood there staring into the empty locker that I hadn’t even bothered to ask her about the mysterious phone calls or the possibility she had someone else in her life before I kissed her. I just went for it. But she hadn’t resisted or said anything, so I could only assume either she wasn’t dating anyone, or it didn’t matter. I was hoping for the former, but I’d take the latter if stealing her away from someone meant having her for myself.
The bag of kettle-cooked potato chips I set inside was from my favorite company, and I added a container of mixed nuts, a couple of the pressed fruit bars Merry had discovered and become obsessed with in the last two months, and an assortment of four chocolate-covered sea salt caramels. She was always working so hard she rarely stopped to take a breath much less give herself a pick-me-up. The rest of us kept food and drinks scattered around so we could easily get to them during the day, but with the exception of lunch and the pastries she ate when I brought them in, I never saw her eat. I wanted to not only give her that nudge to take care of herself and make sure she had what she needed to keep going, but also let her know I was thinking about her.
My next stop was to my office. I had a coffee maker set up there, a throwback to the days when I spent more time in the office than I did now. But it came in handy now as I pulled out a bag of specialty coffee made from beans roasted right in town. Kelly drank more coffee than anyone I’d ever known. Maybe that explained why she didn’t eat. She showed up at work with a massive travel container of coffee and sipped on that throughout the day, so maybe she felt like she didn’t really need anything else.
By the time I got back to the garage, she was there. She gave me a knowing look and a little smile. I walked up to her with a cup of the coffee I brewed and handed it to her.
“Good morning,” said.
“Good morning. Thank you,” she said, accepting the cup and taking a sip. “This is delicious.”
For the rest of the day, Kelly moved around me carefully. It wasn’t like she was trying to avoid me or didn’t want to engage with me at all. Instead, it seemed more like she was just being cautious and making sure we were never alone together. I could understand that. But I wasn’t going to surprise her like that again. I wasn’t planning on jumping her in the garage or tossing her over my shoulder and bringing her to my office, as much as both appealed to me. I was going to let her think on everything a bit. She was definitely more reserved than she was the night we met. It wasn’t a bad thing, just a slightly different energy, one that was calmer and steadier.
That didn’t surprise me. I was sure I wasn’t exactly the same as I was the night we’d met, either. We’d grown and matured over the time we’d been apart, and she was older than me by a few years at least. I’d never asked her how old she was because it didn’t matter to me at all, but she’d confirmed she was a bit older the night we met. Now her confidence and maturity were even greater, and I was more impressed by her the longer I knew her.
Because of that, I wasn’t going to pressure her. Instead, I was going to court her. She deserved the attention and to feel like she was special. I wanted her to know I wasn’t just about getting her back in my bed. This was so much more than that. So, I’d keep sneaking her special snacks into her locker and bringing her coffee throughout the day. I’d find as many ways as I could to acknowledge her without getting overbearing, and if she smiled every time she looked my direction, so much the better. And if I was smiling, too… well, I was happy, damn it.
