Page 26 of Remembering You
“Must be. But, you know what else I noticed? The stamp that this was mailed in…” He slid the envelope in front of me onto my desk. “It’s weird because those are the exact stamps I buy for my office.” I gulped as I saw the novelty stamps with the little hammer on it. Oh, crap… I mean, of course he knew I was the one who sent it. That is, after all, our little game. But it didn’t occur to me that I was wasting resources here in his office.
“I bet lots of people use, uh, novelty tool stamps.”
“Hmm.” His smile relaxed my nerves and I released a breath, thankful that he wasn’t truly upset by this. “Pretty good, Marty. But not good enough.”
I pursed my lips. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Well, I guess I’ll just have to get down to the bottom of this mystery ten-dollar bill with the heart on it on my own.” He cleared his throat, then passed me a form. “In other news, I need you to fill this out for me. Name, address, social security number, etc. I gave you an advance on this week’s pay, but technically I can’t report your earnings to the government until you fill that out.”
I blinked up at him. “You paid me illegally?”
“No… yes… well, sort of. Technically I shouldn’t have issued you payment until I processed this form. But I’ll still be reporting your income for tax purposes.”
I grinned. “I never knew you were such a bad boy, Mr. Tripp.”
“Oh yeah. They call me the Al Capone of Maple Grove.”
I laughed at that. “I’ll fill it out now before I leave for the night.”
He waved a hand. “No, no. There’s no rush. Just bring it home and fill it out for me by Monday.” I nodded and tucked the form into my bag. “Besides,” he added, “We have plans tonight. I don’t want to be late.”
My eyes darted to his. “We do?”
“Don’t tell me you forgot about our Valentine’s Day night?”
“No!” Crap.Way to sound too eager, Marty, I thought to myself. “I mean, I didn’t forget. I … I thought you did.”
That charming smile widened, making my heart flutter. “How could anyone forget a date with you? Come on. Let me get you home so we both have time to get cleaned up before our seven o’clock reservation.”
My brows lifted. “A reservation?”
His smile dipped, dropping for a moment and his forehead tightened revealing lines that I hadn’t seen since Sunday night when he discovered Sheila with another man in the closet. “Yeah.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I have to confess something, though. I made the reservation weeks ago… back when I thought I’d be going to dinner with—”
“Sheila,” I finished the thought for him, then sent him a reassuring smile.
“I called around to see if I could get in anywhere else, but honestly? I want to take you to Jolie. It’s the best restaurant in Maple Grove. And almost everywhere else was booked unless you wanted yet another meal at Elsa’s.”
I laughed. “I love Elsa, but I’m not sure greasy eggs were what I had in mind for tonight.”
Jim whistled and shook his head. “Oh, boy. You better hope she never finds out you called her eggs greasy.”
I stood, tucking the crutches beneath my arms and made my way to the door. “Thank you for letting me know about the reservation. But, it doesn’t bother me. You two only just broke up a few days ago.” I paused as we exited the small office building, heading toward Jim’s car. “One thing,” I said. “I want to treat you to dinner tonight.”
Jim grunted, shaking his head. “Hell no.”
I shrugged, resuming my clunky walk toward his car, reaching the passenger side door and sliding the crutches into the back seat. “Then I’m not going.”
Jim’s jaw dropped, his hand resting on the car door which he had just opened for me. “You’re seriously going to let a dumped man go to his dinner reservation alone … on Valentine’s Day? That would mean I’d been dumped twice in one week? That’s just cruel.”
I bit my bottom lip through the smile spreading along my face. “Maybe I’m a cruel woman?”
Jim grinned and it was breathtaking. Knowing I’d been the one to cause it hit me somewhere deep down in a place I didn’t want to dwell on too much. “Why don’t we decide at the end of the night?” Jim asked.
“I don’t see what there is to decide. You picked me up out of the snow when I fell. Helped me get to the ER. Brought my bags to my apartment, upgraded me into a cabin. Bought my groceries. And got me a freaking temporary job. The least I can do is buy dinner for my own personal Maple Grove Hero, so don’t argue with me!”
“Jeez,” he whispered. “You’re bossy.”
“That’s right, I am. Don’t you forget it.” I also started classes next week and even though I was still going to work for him three days a week, Jim was being more than understanding. More than helpful. “I’m buying you dinner, Jim. End of story.”
