Page 107 of Daddy, Sir

“We only talked for a minute, but I asked him about the reunion.” She paused, drawing things out, and then added, “Imighthave told him you’d be there.”

Jamie swallowed hard. “Oh yeah? What did he say?” If Sara Ann had tried to drag it out, teasing, Jamie might have driven over that minute to strangle her, but she didn’t.

“That he would try to get the night off, so he could be there. So, does that change your mind?”

Well, that was that. She obviously had to attend, if there was a chance of seeing him. And even if he didn’t make the party, just knowing he was in town gave her a good reason to go home.

But there was no reason to let Sara Ann know she still had a thing for him. She tried to sound cool and relaxed as she said, “I mean, we were best friends. It would be great to catch up.”

Her friend’s loud snort made it clear she wasn’t fooled. “I’m sure catching up is what you want to do.Yeah. Well, I’ll put you down as attending, and I’m guessing you won’t be bringing a plus one?”

“No, I’m single. I mean, um, it will just be me.”

“Great!” Sara Ann sounded overly excited and slightly amused, but in a more normal voice, she added, “And we’ve got some other events scheduled. We’re doing drinks on Friday for everyone to reconnect, and then a brunch on Sunday, just for the girls of our year.”

“I don’t know about those. Um, I’ll need to see what my schedule is like. I might have to work Friday, and it’s a long drive.”

“Oh,” clear disappointment rang in her tone. “Well, let me know. We’re raffling off some amazing gift baskets too.”

“As soon as I find out,” Jamie promised.

“Well, I can’t wait to see you. It’s been, what, three years?”

Jamie tried to do the math, but finally shook her head. “I can’t even remember honestly. It’s been a while though.” Three years sounded about right, but it could have been five. Time seemed to move at hyperspeed sometimes.

“We’ll definitely have a lot to catch up on then, girlfriend!”

“Absolutely. Can’t wait.” Jamie was eager to say her goodbyes, and hurried things along. It was a relief to get off the phone.

The over-the-top enthusiasm could be exhausting. It had been an asset in high school, when Sara Ann had been a cheerleader and class VP, and somehow her friend had maintained that upbeat energy through the years. But Jamie was approaching thirty, and these days it was a little overwhelming.

Besides… she had important things to think about. Her wardrobe was plain, blah, which was fine for a job that required business casual. It wasn’t fine for the reunion. And she wasn’t sure about attending the other events, she really did need to see about getting Friday off, but if there was any chance of spending time with Oliver, she was going to need clothes for the whole weekend.

Which meant shopping. A lot of shopping.

Jamie loved to shop, and she loved to buy new clothes, but she rarely had time for it anymore. Hours of strolling through the malls, trying things on, and going home with dozens of bags—those days were gone. Now she usually just pulled up one of her favorite clothing stores online, scrolled down the page, and clicked to add to cart.

It was efficient, but there wasn’t the same thrill. She hadn’t lied to Sara Ann though; things were always so hectic at work that she didn’t have a ton of free time. She had to make the best use of her off-hours. Anyway, shopping was less fun when allyour clothes had to fit into the narrow category of ‘acceptable in the office’.

For the first time in ages she had a good reason to shop, and it was absolutely mandatory that she get out there and find some cute clothes for the weekend.

Maybe whatever chemistry had been between them would be long gone. Maybe he was married with three kids. Maybe he was only in town for a week before getting shipped off to a desert somewhere, but if Oliver was going to see her for the first time in years, she would be looking her best.

At twenty-nine and thirty-two, that little age gap wasn’t going to matter in the slightest anymore, but there were so many other things that could. She knew the chances of anything happening were probably zero, but at the very least, she’d make him regret the fact that they’d never gotten together.

Getting Friday off took some maneuvering. She was going to miss an important meeting, and her boss wasn’t thrilled about it. “Sorry, it’s just my mom really hasn’t been feeling well, and I won’t be able to concentrate if I can’t go home and make sure she’s okay,” Jamie had explained.

It was a blatant lie, but she rarely used her PTO, so her boss couldn’t say much about it. He’d said all the appropriate consoling things, and looked annoyed the whole time he was saying them. It was so obvious that he wanted to push her to finish up all her work for the week before she left, but knew he’d look like a jerk if he did.

She let him flounder around for a minute or two, as he tried to find a way to work up to it, before smiling sweetly and saying, “Don’t worry, Max. I’ll make sure everything is done, and on your desk, before I leave Thursday night. I’m just waiting for the final cost estimates on the materials for the Pen-5 project, so I can finish putting together the report.”

The lines on his face smoothed. “Good, and you’ll brief everyone on the details?”

“Absolutely. The meeting will be fine without me,” she assured him. Not that she really cared how they managed. She hated her job. It was just a way to pay the bills, and if it hadn’t paid them so well, she would have left a while ago.

She poured all her energy into getting things done, even staying later on Wednesday to make sure the report was in order. Thursday, as promised, everyone had been briefed, and the file was on his desk when she left early to hit the mall.

She bought more than she would ever have time to wear, and her arms were aching from all the bags when she left, but she was satisfied that she’d covered all the bases, though it had meant enduring another hyper-excited call with Sara Ann to find out what the dress code was.

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