Burning With Passion

Her mother needed her. Her father had to be found. As far as her family was concerned, this St Valentine’s Day had brought nothing but misery and despair. Caitlin hoped she could do more for her parents than she could do for herself. Her one-sided love-affair was definitely on skid-row, but if her parents’ marriage could be rescued, at least that would be something.

Her fingers flew over the keyboard. She re-read what she had typed on to the monitor, nodded her satisfaction, then switched on the laser printer and waited for the fateful page to roll out.

She was on her feet, ready to pick up the page and sign her name to it, when she heard her office door open. She glanced around automatically.

Her heart thudded with apprehension when she saw David enter and close the door behind him. She didn’t want another confrontation with him. What was over was over.

‘Caitlin...’

‘You’re supposed to be looking after your guests.’

The printer whirred. She turned back to it. David could say what he liked. She wasn’t going to let it affect her. The page that would put an end to everything between them rolled towards her.

‘We’ve gone into recess for twenty minutes to re-establish contact with reality,’ he stated, conveniently forgetting that he had ruled out a recess when she had suggested it. ‘We’re going to relook at what direction we’re all coming from,’ he went on, his voice coming closer and closer. He paused. ‘Caitlin, you were magnificent!’

An accolade indeed, coming from David, but it came too late. Caitlin steeled her heart against responding to him.

The phone rang.

David automatically picked it up. Slowly and deliberately, Caitlin signed her resignation.

‘It’s for you,’ he said, holding the receiver out to her.