WINNIE

The rest of October was a blur of gray rainy days and work.  I just did my job as the banquet coordinator’s assistant and tried to forget about both Shawn and Philip.  Shawn was my past; I didn’t want to revisit it.  And Philip? He was an unattainable dream, the ideal man – handsome, rich, smart, and kind.  I decided Jenna must have been mistaken when she thought Philip liked me.

Besides, even if he did like me once, he told Shawn that our relationship was as co-workers, nothing more.

I was a firm believer in taking people at their word.

And none of his actions had shown the slightest partiality towards me.

And it wasn’t as if I could text him, telling him that I was no longer engaged.  That would be too weird, given our history, particularly since he had gone out of his way to speak to Shawn and give us a wedding gift.

So what could I so?

I could make videos. 

In a month, I made ten videos and my Pretty City Gals channel gained two hundred more followers.

I also googled Philip Nilsson nearly every night and learned more about the hotel industry and Nilsson Worldwide.  What did a Vice President of Business Development actually do?  What were the most recent Nilsson hotels?  Where were they located?  I was fascinated to learn that Nilsson’s annual report was easily accessible online.  I read press releases and business growth plans.

I told myself that I was just being a good employee, learning more about my employer, but the truth was, I wanted to know more about Philip and the life he lived.

And every time I saw his name in print or his face in a photo at a ground-breaking ceremony or a charity event, it made me happy.

* * *

PHILIP

AFTER SPEAKING WITH my father, I went to London and to Paris.  After that, I was in Hong Kong and Buenos Aires.  I felt like I went to a million meetings and answered a million emails.  Normally, I enjoyed my fast-paced life, but not now. Something was missing.

At night, in the quiet of my various hotel rooms, I refreshed the Pretty City Gal YouTube channel page multiple times to see if there were any new videos of Winnie.

Every time I saw her beautiful face, it was like an arrow to my heart.

She didn’t mention her upcoming wedding in her videos, but I knew it was getting closer.  In September she had said she was getting married in six weeks, which meant early November.

By the end of October, I couldn’t lie to myself any longer.  I didn’t want her to be happy with Shawn.

I wanted her to be happy with me.

I booked a flight to San Antonio and said my first prayer in a long time.

Dear God.  I know I’ve been blessed more than most people, and I don’t want to bother you.  But if it is thy will, please let me have Winnie in my life.  I think I’ll be better for her than Shawn, and if she is mine, I will cherish her the rest of my life.

Oh, and if there are any sins you want me to get rid of, just say the word.

Amen.

* * *

WINNIE

ON THE MONDAY AFTER Halloween, I was taking down the black and orange streamers in the banquet coordinator’s sitting room, when I heard someone clear his throat and say, “Hi, Winnie.”

I recognized his voice.  It was Philip.

Don’t get excited, don’t get excited, I told myself as I turned around.

I wanted to be so cool and collected, but he was standing there, carrying a bouquet of red roses.  No baby’s breath.

I almost fainted.

He stepped forward.  “Are you all right?”

“Are those roses for me?”

“Yes.”

He handed them to me, and I admired them for a moment with my head tilted down, trying to regain my poise.  “They’re beautiful.”

“Not as beautiful as you,” he said quietly.

I gasped and looked at him closely.  Did that mean what I hoped it meant?

He said quickly, “I know this is sudden.  I know you’re planning to marry Shawn in a few days.  But I couldn’t live my life without at least trying to change your mind.  There is so much I like about you, Winnie.  I want to get to know you better, and although I know it’s bad timing and you’re already committed to someone else, I had to say something.

“But if you don’t want me, I won’t be a jerk.  I’ll walk away and wish you the best with all my heart.”

It was a lot to take in.  I said, “Wow.”

He said, “Do I have a chance or is it too late?”

I nodded.  “I’m not going to marry Shawn.”

“You’re not?”  His face brightened as if I had just given him the world.  “What?  When did this happen?”

I said, “I broke up with him a few weeks ago.  I wanted to tell you, but I wasn’t even certain you liked me!”

He reached out and took my hands in his.  “If you only knew how hard it was not to tell you how I felt before.”

My heart raced.  “When did you first know that you liked me?”

“Oh, darling,” he said.  “I liked you from the first time I saw you.”

Darling?  I liked that so much better than Babe.

I sighed happily, and he leaned forward as if he was going to kiss me, but he hesitated, looking me in the eye.

I nodded and lifted my chin to meet him half way.

And then our lips touched.

It was a sweet, perfect moment.

Our first kiss, and from the smile in his eyes as he pulled back, I knew it wouldn’t be our last.

We were both smiling at each other when Bernice walked into the room.  “Winnie,” she began.  “Did you –”  Belatedly, she realized that I was busy and that the man holding my hands was Philip Nilsson.

“Oooh, excuse me,” she said.

“Hello Bernice,” Philip said smoothly.  “Am I saying your name correctly?”

“Yes, sir.”

“I need to borrow your assistant for a few hours.  Is that all right with you?”

Bernice smiled.  “Yes, sir.  Take all the time you need.”