Page 41 of Forever Fascinating

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My lovely Date,

I am home, and apologize it took me so long to write back. One of my flights was delayed, and I didn’t get in until two in the morning. I had to report for duty at seven, so I grabbed sleep while I could.

Thank you so much for the photos and sharing them with me. I was so happy to see them in a separate email, just so I could share them with the team and keep this email all to myself. The photos were great… and I really liked the one of us dancing together. You looked like some mystical princess, and I feel so lucky to have danced with you.

I will never forget that.

I will also never forget how badly I got beat at batting cages. Next time, I think I’ll pick the competition, okay? I’d like to win occasionally and can bring more to the table than just my Skee-ball skills.

I’m sorry about the blister. Did you put something on it? Moleskin helps me and I keep a pack in my footlocker for emergencies. When you end up with sand in your shoes, it happens.

I never expected to see you at the airport either. I thought it was my mind playing tricks on me, imagining you were there… and I was so glad you were. I hated to say ‘goodbye’ or see you leave, but I really like our version of it because it doesn’t sound so final.

You looked beautiful – and always have each time I’ve seen you.

Let’s see, what else to talk about - that won’t get filtered by security…

Remember the pregnant woman at the wedding? Do you think you can get a photo of her from someone? Her husband is stationed here, and I know it would mean a lot to him. He asked about her this morning.

What kinds of things do you like? I thought I might send you something special from here. I don’t want to be too presumptive or forward, but I really enjoyed our time together.

I’m off to bed because I can barely keep my eyes open anymore. I’m exhausted and can use a full night’s sleep.

Until next time,

Matthew

CHAPTER10

JANA

She lookedup from her computer station at the office, filing a few papers and sorting through items, before heading back home. She had two new clients that were relocating to the area, and one house going up for sale soon. There was so much to do organizing tours of homes and finding a place that ‘fit’their needs.

The house going up for sale was a little bit of a different matter. She needed to do a walkthrough with the owner so they could work together for a quick sale.

She knew it was the simple things that helped when showing the home. Decluttering, removing personal affects, and making it where the person viewing the house could ‘see’themselves there.

Sometimes it was hard to walk through someone’s home, pointing out things that needed to ‘disappear’to make the sale – but usually after careful explanation, increasing the price a little, and making the whole process seamless… she will have earned a client for life and several others due to referrals.

Checking her phone when she got back to her car, Jana saw she had received an email from Matthew. Reading through it, she felt her heart skip a beat at his simply spoken words.

He called her beautiful – and said he thought so each time he’d seen her. The gorgeous man was going to make her a mindless mush-puddle of emotional goo at this rate. How could someone so incredibly handsome be actually interested in her? And the way he called her ‘his Date’?

Mush. Puddle. O. Goo.

Jana had been called many things in life – hard-headed, abrasive, arrogant, flighty, wild, playful-to-a-fault… but never a mystical princess, nor had she had someone so incredibly attractive interested in her.

Usually, it was the other way around, where she was talking to someone just so she wasn’t lonely… only to regret it later. Sometimes in moments… sometimes days later, butalwaysregretted, wishing she’d never taken a chance on them.

Guys could get pushy, or it was like they didn’t quite fit right together because of her personality. She was a flirt, liked to have fun, and thrived on carefree moments that stuck with her… but she was also lonely.

She certainly had been looking for her ‘guy’… and had dated different guys off and on for the last ten years.

Not one stood out.

Not one of them had made her think, ‘Well, maybe?’… or perhaps she should give them a try again? She would go out once, sometimes making an excuse to leave early or feigning illness, once texting her friend to come ‘save’her, and another time getting up from the table.

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