Page 34 of Meet Me at Midnight

ThunderStruck: I was thinking more in terms of the behind-the-back thing, but I guess I should give you something too, to make it a fair exchange. What do you want?

ElizaBeth: I’m not sure… What are my options?

ThunderStruck: You want multiple choice?

ElizaBeth: It’s always the easiest part of the test.

ThunderStruck: All right. A. I take you out to dinner. B. I take you out to dinner. C. I take you out to dinner.

ElizaBeth: D. None of the above.

ThunderStruck: A nice dinner.

ElizaBeth: You and I both know I need to keep my spy status on the DL. Dinner would mean showing my face.

ThunderStruck: But what if I want to see your face?

ElizaBeth: Sorry, Beau, but that’s not an option.

ThunderStruck: I think it should be. I want to meet my Midnight Mystery Woman.

HisMidnight Mystery Woman. Sigh.

If only he knew who I was and this were real.

It’s a sad thought and one that spurs me to tell him what I know instead of prolonging this conversation that’s twisting my heart up into a hundred tiny knots.

It’s making me feel hopeful this could be more than an exchange of work intel, and I’m not so sure that’s a good thing.

ElizaBeth: Seth convinced Madeline to have a late lunch with him this afternoon after a lot of sweet talking. It was the same ol’ song and dance routine he used with Laura, but this time, it worked. I don’t know if he got anywhere at lunch, as they did not invite me to attend a meal, as you so graciously just did.

ThunderStruck: The gracious offer is still there.

ElizaBeth: And I wish I could take it. But I can’t. Goodnight, Beau.

ThunderStruck: Wait… That’s it?

ElizaBeth: Yep. That’s it. I need to get to bed. You know, to work in the morning.

ThunderStruck: You think we should accidentally meet in the break room? Say around 9:30 a.m.?

ElizaBeth: LOL. No, I do not.

ThunderStruck: Still worried about your whistleblower status?

More like, worried about you realizing that your Mystery Woman isn’t a mystery at all. And downright terrified over what your reaction would be if you found out.

ElizaBeth: Something like that. Night, Beau.

ThunderStruck: Sleep well, Mystery Woman.

In my dreams, Mystery Woman is replaced by June, and Beau doesn’t just tell me to sleep well tonight, buteverynight.

Too bad my dreams have never been much of a glimpse into the future. If they had, Beau and I would have been together a long time ago.

Every week, I have a check-in meeting with my team to discuss the various accounts we’re running. But as of a few weeks ago when the Midnight campaign was added to our already overfilled plate, all things Hughes International have become our biggest priority.

And today’s meeting showcases that tenfold. It’s all we’ve been discussing since we stepped through the conference room door.

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