Page 16 of Wrong Number

Me: Wait, no. The glasses are hideous. You are gorgeous.

Me: I can’t wait to see you in a couple of days, sweetheart.

Tana: Me too.

Me: I’m about to do something terribly shocking. Don’t freak out.

Me: My very first emoji.

Me: <3

Tana sent a ten-second video clip of herself fanning her face as she looked absolutely shocked, which dissolved into a grinning giggle, blowing me a kiss.

Good grief, I was already so in love with this girl it was like a deep, warm pressure inside me at all times. It was weird. And it felt amazing.

CHAPTER EIGHT

* Tana *

Tuesday was a regular day at work, except I felt like I had a little secret every time I checked my phone. I didn’t want to become one of those girls who was attached to it at all times, so I forced myself to only check every hour, or when there were no clients in sight for a moment.

Maria, our eyeglasses specialist who was going to help patients choose frames and fit their new glasses when they arrived, was the one who shot the video yesterday of my fingers typing. She didn’t actually start work for a few weeks because we were still getting things sorted out, but she dropped in often to pitch in.

When I told her that I was trying to cheer someone up who was having a rough day, she had instantly laughed, flashing me a wink.

I’d never been in a relationship before. It was amusing to see how much it seemed to entertain those around me. Megan sent me a text every day now to ask how it was going.

Now that Maria knew why I was taking funny photos wearing strange glasses, she stopped trying to show me the nicest ones that came in, and instead showed me the goofiest.

I assumed that Tyler must be having a busy morning since he didn’t send me a text until noon. When it arrived, it was a photo of wood screws lined up in a meandering trail like ants toward a hammer, laid out on a hardwood floor.

I felt my face stretch into a giant grin. Tyler was actually making art for me. He had artistic friends, but he had never once mentioned anything creative of his own. The thought of him taking the time to make an arrangement just to make me laugh filled my heart with another wave of intense emotion.

“Good news, I assume?”

My gaze snapped up to see my boss, Dr. Tony Brannigan chuckling at me. Flipping the phone over and putting it away guiltily, I knew he didn’t really mind.

Tony smiled warmly, always an expert at putting people at ease. No wonder so many of our clients were elderly people. He made all the time in the world for them, listening as much to their stories about their grandchildren as he did to their vision problems.

That was one of the reasons he was expanding his practice so that he could sell glasses directly. When a few of our patients had complained about the prices these days, he found out that two of the local so-called ‘eyewear specialists’ also specialized in charging exorbitant prices to the elderly.

Tony was having none of that, so now we were going to offer eyewear at extremely reasonable prices, and he hired Maria to make sure they were happy with their selections.

If I were to picture my ideal father, it would have been him. Even though he was probably in his late fifties, his boyish grin and enthusiasm to see every single person who walked in the door, made him an incredible boss.

Ignoring his question, I changed the subject immediately.

“Mrs. Humphrey’s daughter called, and they’re coming in about ten minutes late. So you can either skimp on your lunch break, or I could ask the next appointment to delay a bit.”

He waved his hand at me as if I were crazy. “Don’t worry about it, I’ll shorten my lunch. A sandwich and a walk around the block isn’t that exciting.”

He looked around the reception area to see everything spotless, as usual. I’d been given free rein to decorate and arrange things however I saw fit. Keeping things looking fresh from month to month was a delightful little project.

“Thanks for keeping it tidy out here, even with all of the new boxes and setup,” he smiled.

“No problem. Once I mention what we’re up to, people don’t mind the chaos at all. Most of them are pretty excited to get new glasses.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Tana, are you talking up the sales area before we even announce it?”

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