Danielle was deep into Photoshopping the photo of Samuel and her. It had been rather odd at first, working with a picture of herself and the guy who sent her heart into overdrive. After a while, though, she had gotten into adding background images and fonts, and it had become just another cover. For the most part. Every now and then, she’d take a moment to relive that kiss.

She hadn’t heard from Samuel since he’d walked her to her door Saturday. She hadn’t exactly been encouraging. She wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t come back.

She checked her phone again. No texts.

She could text him, of course, but, again, her mother had trained her well. If you want the boy, you have to let him pursue you. Chasing is built into their DNA. If there’s no chase, there will be no chance for a relationship.

She’d thought her mother was ridiculously old-fashioned until her stepfather, a psychologist, had reluctantly agreed with her. Their situation was a little different because they’d dated in high school, but he agreed that he’d never once stayed with a girl who pursued him.

So Danielle sat on her hands and waited. Samuel seemed like an old-fashioned kind of guy, so it didn’t seem odd to follow her mother’s code with him.

She glanced up with a smile on her face when someone knocked on the door. It was time for Samuel to show up so they could go to lunch.

It wasn’t Samuel at her door.

It was Joey.

She hadn’t been sick all morning. In fact, she was thinking that maybe she’d gotten over whatever it was that she had. But seeing Joey standing in her doorway had her gauging how quickly she could get to the trashcan.

“Hey Danielle,” he said.

She didn’t answer.

“I just wanted to bring by your birthday present.”

“Birthday present?” She scowled at him.

“Yeah. I had gotten this for you and thought I’d drop it by.”

He set a blue gift bag on her desk.

“My birthday was last week.”

“I couldn’t remember exactly when it was.”

Danielle folded her arms. The home pregnancy test had been inconclusive – a complete waste of time and money. I pray that I’m not pregnant. If I am… and the father of my child doesn’t even know when my birthday is… She reined in her thoughts. “I can’t accept it.” She put her attention back on her computer. She stared at it, unseeing. Joey had interrupted her whole chain of creativity.

“Okay,” he shifted his feet. “I’ll just leave it anyway, since I bought it special for you. Do you want to get something to eat?”

She looked back up at him. “No. Joey. I do not want to get something to eat with you. I want you to leave and never come back.”

“Surely, you don’t mean that. We go way back.”

“We may go way back, but we aren’t going forward.”

“Can’t we at least be friends?” He gave her that smile that he used when he was trying to be charming.

“I don’t want to be your friend. I don’t want you in my life.”

He held up a hand. “Okay. Don’t get all riled up.”

She shook her head. She wasn’t riled up. She was just feeling quite firm on not wanting Joey anywhere near her.

She pointed to the door. “Go.”

“Alright,” he said, backing out.

As she watched him leave, she saw him pass Samuel in the open lobby. She still felt nauseated, but she could tell it was different. It really was from seeing her ex.

“Who was that?” Samuel glanced over his shoulder. “Never mind. That was your ex, wasn’t it?”

“Is it that bad that you can tell?”

“You look like you’re going to be sick.”

“I just might.”

“What’s this?” Samuel pointed to the bag Joey had left on her desk.

Danielle rolled her eyes. “I don’t know. He said it was a birthday present.”

“A little late for that.”

“I know. Right?”

“What is it?” He peeked inside.

“I don’t know. I told him I didn’t want it.”

“Mind if I look?”

“You can have it.”

“I doubt that.” He pulled out a robe.

Danielle groaned. “Seriously? He brought me a robe? Here.” She held out her hand and took the thin robe in her hands. “Old Navy,” she said, checking the tag.

Samuel scoffed. “You don’t wear Old Navy.”

She laughed. And in that moment, it was determined. Her moratorium was over. She was crushing hard on Samuel Johnson and could no longer punish him just because he came into her life after Joey was in it. He’d known her all of one week and already he knew more about her than her ex-boyfriend ever did.

“I’m glad you’re here.” She handed the robe back to Samuel.

He stuffed it back in the gift bag. “Why? So I can get rid of this thing? What would you like me to do with it?”

She shrugged, a smile playing about her lips. “Trash can is back here.”

He balled up the bag and deftly tossed it in.

“Good shot.”

“I’m more than just a pretty face for your novel covers,” he said.

Danielle laughed.

“When do I get to see?”

She minimized the cover she was working on and pulled the photo before sliding the computer around so he could see. “Here’s the photo I picked.”

“Wow,” he breathed.

“Here are the other pictures.” She scrolled through the photos.

“Can I get a copy of those?”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I’ve never been in a photo shoot before. And I’ve definitely never been photographed while kissing. It’s kinda… um…”

Danielle smiled. “I know. It’s hard to describe, huh?”

“That’s an understatement.”

She sent copies of the pictures – the dozen or so that she’d picked out to keep herself - to his cell phone. “There you go.”

His phone chimed. “Thanks. Let me know when I can see the cover.”

“I will. Even if this author doesn’t want it, I’ll definitely be able to sell it.”

“I’m glad I could help out.”

“I’ve never been on a cover either. It’s weird.”

“Does this author sell a lot?”

Danielle shrugged. “Moderate. Not a name you would recognize, but she does okay.”

“Just curious how many people will see us.”

“Women all over the world will be swooning over our cover.”

He laughed. “You’re feeling better today?”

“Yeah,” she blew her bangs out of her eyes with a sigh of relief. “I think I may be over what it was I had.”

He raised an eyebrow, but didn’t say anything. He sat in the chair on the other side of her desk and stretched his long legs out. Then he grinned at her.

She grinned back, and a little shiver traveled down to her toes. Her hands trembled a little, so she put them in her lap. “What?” She asked.

“I love watching you work.”

She lowered her eyes. She lifted her fingers to the keyboard, then put them back in her lap and looked up at him. “I don’t think I can work with you watching me.”

“We could… do something else.”

His words sent her thoughts down a very naughty path. Very bad. She replayed the kiss they had shared on Saturday. “Like what?”

He glanced at his watch. “We could get some lunch.”

Relief and disappointment washed over her. “Okay.”

“You might want to bring your coat,” he nodded toward her coat hanging on the coat rack. “The temperature’s dropping today.”

“Really?” Her face brightened. “Maybe it’ll snow.”

He laughed. “Not likely, love. This is Houston.”

As she reached for her coat, the bottom fell out of her stomach. Love? Surely she heard him wrong. He took her coat and helped her into it.

Pulling her hair from the collar and letting it fall down her back, she smiled into his eyes. He was looking at her now with an intensity she hadn’t seen with him before. She licked her lips.

“You’re beautiful,” he ran his thumb beneath her chin and she trembled. She longed to feel his lips on hers again.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out. “It’s Dr. Neal.”

“That was quick,” he took a step back, but kept his eyes on hers while she talked.

Danielle listened to the nurse, thanked her, then put the phone back in her pocket.

“I’m pregnant.”