I looked at the time on my computer. Three more minutes in hell and then straight into heaven, namely Joshua's arms.

The wheels on Dustin's chair squeaked as he poked his face around the divider. "Kate and I are going to try out that new Italian place on the corner."

"That sounds fun. So things are going well?"

Dustin shrugged but then his smile showed it all. "Yeah. Things are good." His smile turned into a stiff straight line. "Ugh, here she comes," he muttered before rolling back to his desk.

Irene click-clacked past my cubicle. She'd gone on a huge tirade about a mistake on one of the pie charts I'd made for her. Apparently, I'd flipped the numbers, giving the office a negative balance for the month. The entire office watched in horror as she berated me. I just sat with my hand on the desk drawer, ready to clean out my belongings. After calling me every name from the professional bully's handbook, she clacked out of the cubicle so hard, her heels left little moon shaped crescents in the floor. But she never fired me. I almost wished she had.

I'd felt extra stupid about the mistake and scolded myself for letting my head get so clouded with thoughts of Joshua. I was losing focus at work. But then I'd pulled out the file with Irene's original data and discovered that she had made the mistake. Not me. I decided to let her know.

I grabbed the file with her reversed numbers, stood up from my chair and followed her sharp steps with some of my own. "Excuse me, Irene."

Irene stopped. I couldn't hear the frustrated sigh, but I could definitely see it as her bony shoulders lifted and fell. She spun around. "What is it, Rebecca? I'm on my way out."

After the ugly scene in my cubicle, curious faces turned our direction. I had no doubt Dustin was craning his neck to hear the conversation just past his cubicle. "Uh, I just wanted to point out something on your numbers." I opened the manila folder and pointed to the numbers I'd taken the time to highlight. "If you'll notice here and here, you had the numbers backwards on your data sheet. I created the charts directly from your numbers."

Her nostrils were wider than usual, and I could have sworn her perfume grew stronger, almost like the scent of an angry beast trying to warn off enemies. She plucked the folder from my hand and turned sharply on her heels. She marched toward the elevator without a word. Not even the glimmer of an apology.

"My god, she is the worst person on the planet," Dustin muttered from behind the partition.

The elevator dinged. Irene shot a sideways glance my direction. I waved politely with a grin. A grin that grew into a smile when Joshua stepped out of the elevator. Irene froze and gave him a disapproving scowl as he walked past her. Joshua nodded and smiled back at her.

He walked toward me. Irene had disappeared into the elevator by the time he reached me. "I think I just had a run in with Cruella."

I took his hand. "Could you sense the villainy as you walked past? Wait until you hear about my day. She really took herself to the top of the awful people chart today. I just need to get my stuff." I led him back to my cubicle, but Dustin's chair shot out to block our path.

Dustin raised a brow. "Uh huh, so this is who has you so distracted."

Joshua stuck out his hand. "How do you do? I'm Josh, and you must be Rebecca's friend, Dustin."

Dustin had to work hard to not smile. "Yes, that's right. And, as her friend, I like to make sure she's keeping good company."

"O.K., Dad," I said. "We're off to the county fair. I'll bring you back a bag of cotton candy. Pink or blue?"

"Blue," Dustin said, temporarily breaking out of his severe dad impersonation.

"Hey, I see you're a Led Zeppelin fan." Joshua took note of the framed concert ticket and flyer Dustin had purchased on Ebay. "Jimmy Page is a god to me. I met him once. I mean I was in a crowd, but I was just five feet from him and we made eye contact so I considered that meeting him."

Dustin sat forward and his eyes lit up. "Yeah? Shit, I'd give anything just to stand in the same room with the guy." Joshua had already won him over. "Favorite song?" he blurted.

"Going to California. After Stairway, of course."

Dustin looked at me and nodded. "I'm jealous as hell but I approve."

I laughed as I swept past into my cubicle to grab my purse.

I took hold of Joshua's hand. "Good night, Dustin."

"Don't forget my cotton candy. Josh, take good care of her otherwise you'll be talking to me. And it won't just be about the Zeppelin."

"You got it."

We got to the elevator and walked inside. Joshua pulled me instantly into his arms. "I have fucking missed you, Rebel."

"It's only been three days."

"Three days too long," he said just before his mouth covered mine.