Mark came to my cubicle just as I was closing the window on my browser. One look at his face and I could tell he wasn’t doing so hot. “Coffee?” I asked.
He nodded and I stood. We headed to the break room together.
“Shawna was over last night,” he began. “She said you’re going out tomorrow night.”
“Yes. Is that still okay with you?”
“Is what still okay?”
“If your sister-in-law and I hang out,” I prodded.
“Oh … yeah. Sure. Go for it.” He ran a restless hand over his short, dark curls. “I think it’s cool.”
“Great.” I knew there was more on his mind, but I didn’t want to push. “Should be fun. I’m looking forward to it.”
“So is she.” He reached for two single-serving coffee pods, while I took mugs from the shelf. “She’s also looking forward to Doug getting back. And popping the question.”
“Wow. Now that’s cool! Two weddings in your family in a year. Unless you’re planning a long engagement … ?”
He handed the first cup of coffee to me and I went to the fridge for half-and-half.
“It’s not going to happen, Eva.”
Mark’s tone was weighted with dejection, and when I turned to face him, his head was down.
I patted his shoulder. “Did you propose?”
“No. There’s no point. He was asking Shawna if she and Doug were planning on having kids right away, since she’s still in school part-time, and when she said they weren’t, he went into this lecture about how marriage is for couples ready for a family. Otherwise, it’s better to keep things simple. It’s the same crap I once shoveled to him.”
I rounded him and lightened my coffee. “Mark, you won’t know Steven’s answer until you ask him.”
“I’m scared,” he admitted, looking into his steaming mug. “I want more than we’ve got, but I don’t want to ruin what we have. If his answer is no and he thinks we want different things out of our relationship …”
“Cart before the horse, boss.”
“What if I can’t live with no?”
Ah … I could understand that. “Can you live with not knowing for sure either way?”
He shook his head.
“Then you have to tell him everything you’ve told me,” I said sternly.
His mouth quirked. “Sorry to keep dumping this on you. But you’re always great at giving me perspective.”
“You know what to do. You just want a kick in the ass to do it. I’m always up for ass-kicking.”
He smiled full on. “Let’s not work on the divorce attorney’s campaign today.”
“How about the airline instead?” I suggested. “I have some ideas.”
“All right, then. Let’s hit it.”
WE hard-charged through the morning, and I was energized by our progress. I wanted to keep Mark too occupied to worry. Work was a cure-all for me, and it quickly became clear that it was for him as well.
We’d just wrapped up for lunch and I had stopped by my desk to drop off my tablet when I saw the interoffice envelope on my desk. My pulse leaped with excitement and my hands shook slightly as I unwound the thin twine and let the note card inside slide out.
YOU’RE THE MAGIC.