Chapter 6
I ’d been at meetings all morning, and when I returned to my office, on my desk waited a single red rose and a pink envelope containing a pale-pink card with little red hearts on it.
Inside, it read:
To Evelyn,
Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Work would be boring,
If it wasn’t for you.
The message was typed up rather than handwritten; the card must have been an online order. The Moonpig logo on its back cover confirmed my assumption. I was fairly sure I knew who was behind it, but such advance planning wasn’t something I’d have expected from the sender.
‘Adam, can you come in for a second?’ I called out from the threshold of my office.
He was already on his feet, putting on a puffer hi-vis jacket, ready to leave for site. After hanging the jacket back on his chair, he obediently followed me in, like a schoolboy going into the principal’s office to be disciplined.
‘What’s this?’ I asked, holding up the envelope and its contents.
He shrugged. ‘It looks like a Valentine’s Day card to me.’
‘Did you put it on my desk?’
‘How do you know it wasn’t David? ’
‘Because he doesn’t misspell my name.’
‘I didn’t misspell your name! Let me see—’
I held the card behind my back so that he couldn’t snatch it from my hand. ‘Ha, got you!’
‘You tricked me,’ he said, though he didn’t sound annoyed but rather amused.
‘Your rhymes aren’t too bad, but not quite Shakespearean.’
‘I wasn’t aspiring to be Shakespeare, more like Jay-Z.’
‘I think Jay-Z could do better too.’
‘Can you please stop crushing my ego – or what’s left of it?’
‘I take it the rose was also from you?’
‘No, that’s from Joel; he bought one for all the women in the office. Did he not get you guys one last year?’
‘No.’
Adam tried to brush it off, saying, ‘It must be down to this midlife crisis and the divorce he’s going through… Perhaps he’s trying to make amends with all the women around him. What have you done with it?’
‘I put it in the bin.’
He followed my gaze to the small mesh bin in the back corner then shook his head. ‘See, this is exactly why I didn’t get you flowers. I thought they’d end up there.’
‘Then why did you get me a card? I can just chuck that in there too.’
‘But a card isn’t a living, breathing creature,’ he said. ‘You’ve technically just slaughtered that flower.’
‘It was already dying. Or do you mean chopping it out from a garden doesn’t count as ending its life?’
He frowned. ‘I hadn’t thought of that.’
‘You see, that’s the problem, you never think… But for future reference, I don’t do Valentine’s Day.’
‘You’re kidding me,’ he exclaimed. For a second, I thought his loud voice might draw some unwanted attention from outside, but no one looked in at us. ‘It’s one of the most romantic days of the year – why not?’
‘Because it’s way too commercialised. ’
‘Says the commercial manager, boys and girls,’ he announced to an imaginary audience, crossing his arms.
‘You keep forgetting I’m not a commercial manager yet.’
‘You’re so hung up on formalities. You’re already doing the job. Even I know this, and I’ve only been here for three months.’
‘Anyway, you can go now,’ I said, sitting down in my chair, but he still didn’t move.
‘I’ll take you out tonight.’
‘No you won’t.’
‘Why not?’
‘Because I said no.’
He exhaled loudly. ‘You’re more difficult than I thought.’
Adam left the room just as David returned. They exchanged glances in passing, then David closed the door and took his seat. I caught him looking at the card still in my hand, but he didn’t say a word. He was a good observer like me, and sooner or later, he’d also notice the flower in the bin. I quickly put the card in my bag and returned to my laptop.
We’d been working in silence for a while when fast fingers stopped flying over the keyboard. I could sense him watching me even before he spoke.
‘Any plans for Valentine’s Day?’
‘Nope,’ I replied, raising my head. I too had stopped typing. ‘It’s not a special day for me.’
‘Really?’ he asked, raising his eyebrows and leaning forward, almost crossing over onto my side.
From his voice, I could tell he was referring to the card Adam had given me. I smiled – it had been a good move to hide it in my bag instead of throwing it away. David must have thought the card carried some special meaning to me.
‘If someone’s in love, then there’s 365 days in the year to prove that, not just one day,’ I said. ‘Also, every couple has their own anniversaries to celebrate, don’t they?’
‘I hold similar views. So is that what you do with your partner – celebrate anniversaries? ’
‘Are you asking me if I’m in a relationship?’
David’s mouth fell open, then he quickly closed it. Again, my forwardness had shocked a man, just like it had done to Dennis Leaman. It was great to watch.
‘You’re right. It’s none of my business,’ he said when he found his voice at last. Then he quickly retreated, moving his eyes back to his screen.
It would have been childish of me to try to force him back out of his shell. I watched him start hitting the keyboard again, with more force than before, then I too returned to my work.
I was partly pleased and partly upset with how this short exchange had gone. Pleased because David had shown clear signs of being interested in me. Upset because had I handled it differently, I could have steered the conversation to find out whether he had any plans for the evening, and that would have told me whether he was seeing someone.
Though my questions seemed to have been answered when David received a text a minute after four. He quickly typed back something and shortly afterwards left the office.
David had never left the office before five o’clock, except for a business meeting. I was certain he didn’t have one scheduled, as I had access to his calendar. Secretly, I hoped he had a dental appointment to hurry to, but who was I kidding? David may have told the truth and felt the same way about Valentine’s Day as me; however, it must have been important to whomever he’d rushed off to see.