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She looked out the window, waiting for Jason to come back for the rest of the boards while she thought about who else to share the news with. Her boss, sure, but he’d left for the day. She’d seen him walk past.
She had a date tonight and she could tell him, she supposed. But that wouldn’t be satisfying. He wouldn’t know how much work she’d put into the grant and how much it would mean to her career and to research into health-care spending in general.
Before she could think too much about it, she dialed his number and was relieved when her call went to voice mail. “Hey, Nick. It’s Marsie. We had a date tonight. I’m going to have to cancel. Something has come up at work that I need to take care of before Monday.”
She felt a slight pang for her white lie, but her excitement at opening the attached documents more than made up for any guilt. When she got to share the news, it would be with someone who knew enough to appreciate it.
For a brief moment, she missed Richard. Not the actual man, but going home to someone to share news with over a glass of wine. Maybe climb into bed together and celebrate that way.
She sighed. Sex wasn’t going to happen tonight, unless maybe she went on her date and was forward, but that thought dampened her enthusiasm.
Work was better. The documents might not be due until May 15, but she was going to get started on them tonight.
In the back of her mind, she wondered why she wasn’t as excited as she thought she would be. This grant, and the research it would make possible, could cement her career. Not to mention its possible impact on health-care policy was huge. She should be running up and down the hallways, screaming the news.
Or, at least, doing as close to that as she was comfortable with.
Of course, a part of her had expected to get this grant. She knew her application was on point, and she’d worked her tail off to make sure each and every t in the application had been crossed and every i dotted. She’d checked the js, too.
She’d be excited later. After she finished the forms, getting this far in the grant process would feel more real then. And when it felt real, she’d holler with joy.
Or pour herself a glass of champagne to celebrate.
With one last look at the truck parked under her office window, Marsie turned back to her email and got to work.
* * *
THE REST OF the office building was dark when Jason stood and admired the project he’d been working on. He probably could have waited until Monday to finish Jim’s desk instead of staying until dark o’clock on a Friday night, but he didn’t have a date tonight—or anywhere else to be other than home—and he was going to get a great deal of satisfaction from Jim coming in on Monday morning and finding the many alterations he’d asked to be made to his desk done.
Plus, it looked damn good, if Jason could say so himself. The only reason he could see where he’d broken the desk apart and added space and height to accommodate Jim’s special wheelchair was that the paint hadn’t dried yet. By the time Jim rolled into the office on Monday morning, the desk would look like it had been made that way.
Puzzles. Most of his job was general fixing things and overseeing contractors who were fixing the things he couldn’t, but every once in a while he got to do something like this desk. And then his job went from interesting to awesome and rewarding.
He flipped off the light and walked down the dark hallway. If someone asked, he’d say how it felt good to be able to do something to make Jim’s work life easier, blah, blah, being good to people. But, really, Jason was just proud of the job he’d done.
He stopped at the elevator, then noticed light shining from an office a little farther down the hall. He didn’t even have to guess which office it was. He’d walked from that door to the elevators enough to know the feel of the distance at a glance. Marsie was still here.
Any desire he had to head home disappeared, and he walked down the hall toward her.
“Hey,” he said, sticking his head into her office. “What are you doing here so late on a Friday night?”
“Oh!” When she twirled around in her chair and caught sight of him, her face was lit with joy. “I’m so glad to see you. I have the best news.”
