He was sitting at his desk staring blankly at the report he needed to complete. The flowers would have been delivered by now. It was truly amazing to him how they had connected by running into each other in South Africa.
~*~Flashback~*~
He was bored with this year’s conference. That in itself was odd. He loved to learn new techniques and methods so these conferences were usually a gold mine. This year’s was just tedious and repetitive. It was a relief when the speaker announced an early end to the meetings.
At dinner that evening, he had been discussing an early departure when a familiar red head caught his eye. He watched her be seated and excused himself to ask if he could join her for dinner.
The talked for hours, not noticing the passing of the time until the staff started their closing activities. Deciding whether or not to join her the next day on the Forest Falls Nature Walk was easy. She was intelligent, beautiful and a great listener. They spent an easy day with each other and both were reluctant to give it up.
~~~
Returning home was bittersweet as it meant a return to their normal lives. He never believed she would agree to secret, secluded dates where no one would know who they were. Her acceptance of a clandestine relationship surprised and delighted him.
~*~End Flashback~*~
Tonight marked their fourth date since their return from South Africa. His attention was drawn back to his work when the doors slid open and young Mr. Palmer spoke.
“If you don’t need me Dr. Mallard, I’ll be leaving now.”
“That’s fine, Jimmy. I’m almost finished as well.” Ducky said.
As his assistant left, Ducky turned off his desk lamp. He was going to meet Jen for dinner and he refused to be late.
~The End~
~Calalily