Non-Refundable Groom

She frantically jammed Garrett’s tie into her top drawer. “I have some paperwork to finish,” she replied, quickly shifting folders on her desk to look busy.

“One of these days I’ve got to cut down my late hours,” her boss said. “I go home almost every night with a headache and sometimes chest pain. I feel so tense sometimes.”

As he continued talking, her stomach churned. Garrett would be there in a few minutes. Stanley would immediately be suspicious. She wished she’d insisted that Garrett not come. But her attraction to him had taken over, and now she might pay for it.

“Don’t work too late, Elena,” Stanley went on. “You’ll wind up with ulcers like me.”

“I plan to leave in a few minutes,” she pushed out. Her eyes darted to the wall clock. Six fifty-five!

“Maybe I’ll wait and ride down in the elevator with you,” her employer said.

“Don’t do that,” she blurted. “I mean, you better go without me.” She grabbed a stack of files. “I forgot that I’ve got tons of filing to do, too.”

“Well, have a great evening,” he added.

The moment Stanley was gone, she grabbed Garrett’s tie out of the drawer and put it on top of her desk where he could easily find it. She was not going to take a chance like that with her boss again.

She waited a few minutes for Stanley to get into the elevator. Then she grabbed her bag, opened the front door and slammed straight into Garrett’s arms.

Her heart pounded wildly in her chest at the feel of his warm hands on her shoulders. “Did Stanley see you come up in the elevator?” she anxiously asked.

“No,” he replied. “And if he had, I planned to tell him that I came to see him. I wouldn’t do anything to mess up your opportunity for the promotion, Elena.”

His eyes held hers with a warmth and trust that made her melt inside. “I’ll get your tie,” she stammered.

At her desk, she was ultraconscious of his body so near hers. Her hand trembled a little as she handed him the tie.

“Are you sorry I came, Elena?” he asked as he took the tie.

“It was tense waiting for you,” she told him. She couldn’t tell him that she felt exhilarated being with him. Wouldn’t that bind her closer to him before she knew what he was looking for in a relationship?

He gently slipped the tie around her neck and drew her close to him. “I had to see you,” he admitted.

“I’m glad you’re here,” she heard herself say.

His gaze drifted to her lips, and she wanted him to kiss her more than anything. Then his mouth covered hers. When she felt his tongue touch hers, every vein in her body felt electrified. She lightly bit his bottom lip, and he moaned. Responding to his passion, she circled her arms around his neck and pressed her body tightly against his.

The ringing of the telephone suddenly brought her back to the office. She slipped free of his arms, handed him the tie and picked up the receiver. Her sister’s voice filled her ear.

“El, why are you still at the office?” Jan asked. “You always let me know when you’re working late.”

“Sorry, I forgot to call,” she told her, aware of Garrett’s fingers lightly touching her hair. “I had some things to finish up.”

“I received a card from the Marriage Connection,” her sister went on. “It’s got the name of the restaurant for your Saturday night date.”

She saw Garrett walk over to the window. She felt guilty talking to her sister about a date with another man when she wanted to be with him. How could she go out on a date with someone else when her heart ached to be with Garrett?

“Jan, I’ll talk to you later.” Then she hung up and picked up her bag. “I’ve got to go,” she said, avoiding his eyes because of the content of her sister’s call.

In the hallway she was relieved when the elevator immediately came, and there were a few people inside as she got in with him. She blindly stared at the floor numbers lighting up on the metal wall.

The elevator doors opened at the parking level. As she was about to say a quick good-night to him and hurry to her car, he touched her arm.

“Will you be okay getting home?” he asked.

His caring made her feel even more upset about that date. “I’ll be fine,” she told him and then got into her car.

As she drove out of the parking garage behind his car, she watched him head up the street. She fantasized about blowing her horn to stop him and inviting him to her apartment. She wanted to know all about him. She wanted to cook dinner for him. She wanted to cuddle on the sofa with him.

Instead, she turned on a jazz station on the radio. She had to take her mind off Garrett. She couldn’t be with him if he wasn’t looking for a lifetime relationship like she was. Maybe the Marriage Connection date wasn’t such a bad thing. Maybe meeting another man would steer her thoughts away from Garrett.

As she stopped for a red light, she heard him blow his horn and saw him wave as his car moved way ahead of hers up the street. She waved back and realized that no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t fight the growing inner connection she felt toward him.

As Garrett parked in front of Aunt Rosie’s house, he waved to the young woman leaving, who took care of his aunt’s needs from Monday through Friday. On Saturdays, a warm-hearted older woman came by.

Garrett unlocked the back kitchen door with his key. “Aunt Rosie, it’s me!” he announced, entering the Early-American-style kitchen. He could hear the voice of her favorite radio talk show host from the living room.

“I’m catching the end of my show, Garrett,” Aunt Rosie said. “Can you bring me a glass of grape juice?”

“You’re allergic to grapes,” he reminded her, pouring her a glass of orange juice instead. Though his aunt had lapses in memory and her eyesight was failing, she was as spunky as ever. As a widow with no children, she’d raised him since he was seven years old, when his parents gave her permanent custody due to their severe alcoholic drinking problem. Now that she was in her late seventies, he’d been caring for her by dropping by each day for a visit.

For the first time since his divorce, Garrett felt a pang of loneliness being at Aunt Rosie’s house. He wished Elena was with him. Knowing how family oriented she was, he was sure she’d enjoy his aunt. He quickly shed the thought. He knew he could never introduce Elena to his aunt. He couldn’t take the chance of getting that close to her. And he couldn’t tell his aunt about her. Talking about Elena would mean that he envisioned her as the permanent woman in his life. Everything inside of him resisted making solid plans like that for himself again, knowing how easily his future with the woman he loved could be shattered.

When Garrett walked into the living room to give his aunt the orange juice, she immediately waved him to sit down and be quiet. He knew she didn’t want him interrupting the remainder of the radio show.

He waited as she listened closely to every word of the host.

Aunt Rosie flipped off the radio. “Garrett, I got you a date for this Saturday night.”

“With who?” He grinned, not taking her seriously. “Michelle Pfeiffer?”

“Ha, ha, very funny,” she said. “Since you’re not looking for a girlfriend yourself, I’ve decided to do it for you.” She pointed to the coffee table. “Hand me that sheet of paper over there.”

He felt the urge to tell her about Elena, but he didn’t want her thinking he was serious with anyone. “What’s your plan for me, Aunt Rosie?”

“I heard about a dating service on the radio,” she replied. “It’s called the something connection. I can’t read the print too well, but the service chooses an ideal woman to match the man’s personality. I paid the fee and sent a personality profile on you.”

“You’re joking,” he said.

“You need to sign this form,” she said, handing it to him.

Garrett reluctantly looked at the paper. “This is the second sheet to the agreement. Where’s the first page?”

“It’s around here someplace,” she replied, sifting unsuccessfully through a stack of old newspapers on the floor. “I think page one gave the name of the dating service and a couple of rules I can’t remember.”

The idea of being with a woman other than Elena was making him more nervous by the second. “Aunt Rosie, you’re wonderful for thinking about me, but—”

She stuck a pen in his hand. “You need to date a woman who’s compatible with you,” she went on. “You made a big mistake with that con lady you married.”