Fifteen Years, Then A Photo

surprised. "Is eve

" I lied, moving

is voice dropping to a low, suggestive purr

away from

y. I get it. I' ve been working a lot. Let' s have a date night tomorrow. J

e,"

"Great. I have a sur

ll," I said, thinking of t

"Oh yeah? Is it my

' d forgotten. Sent a text from a meeting in Tokyo. 'Happy bday, babe

aid. "Just

kiss me. I turned my head,

ck, looking a little hurt. "

to his steady breathing beside me. This was a performance n

, holding the car door open for me

ew deal, a difficult board member, a rival company' s failure.

thing on the passenger side floor caug

' s

d away. I didn' t pick it

more. You don' t argue with a ghos

d on a cliff overlooking the ocean, the waves c

d be the place w

a nearby table gasped. "Oh

ous nod, the tech k

gency." He stood a few feet away, his

to me, his face a mask of regret. "Something' s come up at th

" I

ops. Don' t you move, okay? Order us a

dreamily. "He' s so dedicated.

ead of engineering. He was talking to Jami. The "serv

r. I told the valet I

t I didn' t know about, was in the

were rig

e on a date with the

pearances. Be there in 10. W

p. I have a sur

aring a red lace teddy. On the nightstand beh

eed to throw up. The perfectly cooked scallops I

, looking pleased with himself. "All

the muscles in m

d, seeing my pale face.

I managed to say. "Ma

ing. "I' m going to have a word with th

on' t," I said

thinking about what you said. About my birthday. I k

, so hollow, hung in

to you," he said, his vo

eddy. The Tiffany box. The

d out of my chair and ran for the bathroom, b