Page 30 of A Reel Christmas in Romance
Jack got the emailfrom his boss Saturday morning, and rather than read it right away, he packed up his laptop and went to Marianne’s house. She deserved to see it the same time he did.
“Are you sure you’re ready? This could be the big decision,” he told her.
“Let’s see it,” she said.
Jack,
Nothing is official yet. You know the process – the Governor has to sign off on everything.
That said, you should know that your report made a huge impression, not only on me, but on the full Historical Preservation Committee. They voted yesterday to approve the Esmerelda Theater as a historical landmark, and to expedite the usual process so it can go in front of the governor in January.
You should be proud of the work you did, and if you are still on speaking terms with Marianne Carter, you have my blessing to share this news – and my praise – with her.
Speaking of that, she called me a week ago, and she told me a crazy story, and demanded that I tell her where to find you. She’s a persistent young woman, and after hearing her story, I gave in and told her.
I hope that she found you, and I hope that she forgave you. If you’ll forgive a little personal advice from your supervisor, you’ve been single too long, and this woman seems to be a perfect match for you, and reading between the lines of the note you sent me along with your report, you’ve already figured that out for yourself.
Anyway, that’s all I have to say. That, and good luck.
Amanda
Jack reread the email three times, and he couldn’t think of anything suitable to say. Marianne filled the silence for him. “What did you say to her in that note she’s talking about?” He still didn’t say anything; he just went into the Sent Mail folder and pulled up the note in question. Marianne read it, then turned to him. “You want to move here? To Romance? For me?”
Amanda had been right. It wasn’t difficult to read between the lines, was it? “You wanted to propose to me last week. I think that makes us even, doesn’t it?”
She tried to come up with a response, then shook her head and kissed him. After a few minutes, she let him up for air, and he could tell she was still trying to think of an answer. To save her the trouble, he kissed her back. It was all the answer either of them needed.
