Good Karma (15 page)

That’s what she wanted. A man who was as
crazy about her as Daniel was about Zach, and vice versa. For now,
though, she just wanted more Mark. More of those wicked kisses and
hushed whispers. More butterflies in her stomach. More fun. And her
gut told her Mark was the perfect man to bring her out of her shell
and show her that kind of fun. The kind that got a little sexy, a
little sweaty, and all kinds of exciting.

Now, here it was Monday morning, and she was
still struggling with her decision as she sifted through her
closet, looking for something special to wear.

As he hadpromised in Chicago, Daniel had
taken her shopping yesterday after lunch to liven up her wardrobe
and had seemed thoroughly impressed she hadn’t cowered at the
prospect...and thrilled when she had picked out a classy, colorful
outfit all on her own.

“This Mark fellow seems to be having a
positive effect on you,” Daniel had said as she paired a peach,
floral print blouse with cropped skinny jeans and light brown
gladiator sandals.

She had brushed off his comment with a
breezy, “Maybe I just think it’s time I add some color to my
wardrobe, like you said.”

“Whatever you say, honey.” Daniel had fallen
in step behind her, adding the top and jeans to the growing pile of
clothes they had gathered for her to try on.

Karma touched the sleeve of the blouse, which
now hung in her closet, along with a few hundred dollars of new
clothes and shoes. She had even bought two necklaces and several
new scarves, which Daniel had, of course, shown her how to tie and
wear.

Today’s importance loomed front and center in
Karma’s mind. Mark would return today, and he would expect an
answer.

She had weighed all her options, and in some
ways, she was no closer to having an answer now than she had been
Friday night, but in others, she was already with him, whatever
“with him” entailed. One thing she did know, though, was that she
wanted to look nice today, but not too nice. Not like she was
trying to catch his attention, and yet, that’s exactly what she
wanted.

She ended up dressing in cream-colored
slacks, a pale-pink, scoop-necked blouse that tapered at her waist,
and nude sandals with a wedged heel. She wrapped a long, gauzy,
dark pink and cream scarf around her neck so that the ends hung
down her front, and, for a change, she left her hair down and put
on makeup.

When she got to work, Nancy hardly recognized
her as she passed the reception desk.

“May I help you?—Karma? Is that you?” Nancy
gaped as she took in Karma’s new attire. “I thought you were a
guest. My goodness, don’t you look different. And so pretty. Did
you get your hair done?”

Karma giggled, feeling almost as scandalous
as she had in Chicago. “Yes, last weekend.” She lifted a hand to
her hair. “Daniel sort of gave me a makeover.”

“That boy sure knows how to make a woman
beautiful, doesn’t he?” Nancy winked. She knew Daniel from all the
times he’d come by for lunch. “Trying to catch Mark’s eye, are we?”
Nancy gave her a coy look.

“Oh…no.” Karma’s face heated as she
vehemently shook her head. “No, no. Just, uh…updating my look. This
is all Daniel, believe me. Well, I’ve gotta run.” She hurried
toward the stairs and up to her desk, afraid Nancy would see right
through her. Nancy was second only to Jolene when it came to office
gossip.

Mark arrived a few minutes past ten and
strolled around the corner down the hall wearing tan dress pants
and a black, V-neck sweater. Damn. Just,
dayum!
He looked
good in black.

Karma suddenly loved Monday mornings.

“Good morning, Karma,” he said with a purr of
innuendo.

“Good morning.” She busied her hands with a
pad of Post-It Notes.

Mark paused at her desk. “What an alluring color on
you.”

“Thank you,” she said, playing along. “It’s
new.”

“Of course it is.” He smiled then stepped
away from her counter. “I’m running late for a call.” He pointed
toward the conference room. “Would you mind grabbing me a cup of
coffee?” He leaned in conspiratorially. “One sugar, please.”

He certainly was in a good mood this morning,
and asking her to get his coffee felt like code for him wanting to
speak to her privately.

She scurried around the corner to the coffee
station, poured him a mug, and grabbed a sugar packet and a stir
stick. Wearing an eager grin, she practically floated to the
conference room. Getting him coffee was becoming one of her
favorite tasks, even though she’d only done so a few times.

She gently rapped her knuckles on the door as
she entered.

He sat back and gestured for her to set his
coffee down next to his tablet. “Thank you.” He took the sugar
packet and flicked it against his fingers. “And how are you this
morning?”

She forced herself not to stare at his chest,
outlined like a second skin by the thin cashmere. “Good. And
you?”

“Good.” He dipped his chin thoughtfully,
watching her as he poured the sugar in his coffee. An
uncomfortable, somewhat awkward silence followed. Then he looked
past her, out the conference room door. “Are you busy tonight?” He
spoke quietly as he met her gaze again.

“No.” She whispered the single syllable on an
exhale, feeling a hiccup of exhilaration rush through her.

He slid his hand inside his bag, which sat on
the table beside him, and pulled out a nondescript, plain envelope.
As he handed it to her, he said, “Open this when no one’s
around.”

Karma tucked it against her stomach, feeling
like they were plotting a coup. “Okay.”

He smiled and nodded toward his mug. “Thanks
again for the coffee. We’ll talk later.” He lifted the phone
receiver, politely dismissing her.

With the envelope burning holes in her hand,
she took her leave. Once back at her desk, hidden by the high
counter, she glanced around and unfastened the small metal clasp.
Inside was another envelope marked
Personal and Highly
Confidential
. This was like a treasure hunt or a game. She
looked around again to make sure she was still alone before pulling
the second envelope out of the first.

For Your Eyes Only, Karma
was written
in impeccable penmanship on the other side of the envelope, just
below the flap. She almost giggled. She had the feeling Mark
intentionally meant to play James Bond with his secret package.

Biting her bottom lip, she slid her finger
under the flap and snapped the adhesive closure, then pulled out a
folded, handwritten note on light blue, monogrammed stationery:

Dear Miss Mason,

Care to take a “journey” with me? I’ll pick
you up at 6:00 sharp tonight.

-M

P.S. I would be delighted to see you in
those black shoes you bought on Friday.

His cell number was written in meticulous
numerals along the bottom of the note with a request to RSVP her
acceptance.

Take a “journey” with him? What was with the
quotes? She looked back inside the envelope and saw a concert
ticket. When she pulled it out, she giggled. The rock band,
Journey, was playing at Deer Creek Music Center tonight. The show
started at seven o’clock.

Her heart fluttered.

She grabbed her phone from her purse and
typed out a text.
Yes. I’ll take a “journey” with you.

As soon as she hit send, she looked into the
conference room.

Mark was still on his call, but his attention
momentarily diverted toward his cell phone. He lifted it from the
table, smiled, and then began typing with one thumb. Then he set
his phone down. A second later, her phone pinged in her hand.

You honor me. Get ready for an adventure,
Miss Mason.

An adventure? Now they had gone from a
journey to an adventure? Karma’s curiosity rose. He sure was going
to flattering lengths to obtain her answer.

* * *

Karma thought five o’clock would never
come.

After rushing home, she hurried up the stairs
to her apartment, freshened up, then stood in her underwear,
staring at the racks of clothes in her closet, completely lost over
what to wear. She had all these new clothes and
still
felt
out of her depth.

Deer Creek was an outdoor music center, which
meant she could go casual if she wanted, but this was Mark she was
talking about. And tonight was special, so she wanted to look
nice.

She slipped into a new pair of dark denim
trousers with flared legs, tugged on a lightly fitted, dark grey
graphic tee Daniel had insisted she buy, wrapped a white scarf
around her neck, and stepped into the peep-toe black pumps Mark had
suggested she wear. Staring at her reflection in the full-length
mirror, she conceded that she looked pretty damn good. Who would
have thought she could put together an outfit like this? Heels with
denim and a T-shirt? She actually looked chic.

At six o’clock sharp, Mark arrived with a
firm knock.

She grabbed her purse and jacket then pulled
open the door.

Oh. My. God.

He looked incredible. And here she thought he
wore suits well. In a pair of dark blue, low-slung jeans and a navy
Henley, Mark looked…well…sizzling.

“Hi.” She felt her face heat, which it always
did around him.

“Hi.” He grinned and gave her the once-over,
his gaze briefly falling to her feet as if he wanted to ensure
she’d done as he asked. “You’re a vision.”

“Thank you,” she said quietly, lowering her
head and pulling in her shoulders.

“Are you ready?” He didn’t seem to notice her
sudden shyness.

She hung her jacket over her arm. “Yes.”

“You’ve got your ticket?”

“In my purse.” She glanced at her shoulder
bag as she stepped into the outer hall and locked the door behind
her.

“Have you eaten?” He followed her
downstairs.

She shook her head. “I didn’t have time.”

“Me neither. I had to run a quick errand
before coming over. You up for drive-thru?” He offered her an
apologetic glance as he opened the car’s passenger door. “Normally,
I would take you someplace nice, but if I do that, we’ll miss the
concert.”

“Drive-thru is fine.” She knew they were on a
timetable.

After zipping through a KFC for a pair of
grilled chicken sandwiches and coleslaw, they ate on the way to the
music center and arrived with twenty minutes to spare.

“What a great night.” Mark helped her out of
the car.

“It’s perfect.” The sun still hadn’t set,
there wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and while there was the hint of a
chill in the air, it was warm enough she didn’t have to put on her
jacket.

Mark opened the trunk and pulled out a folded
blanket. A price label was still stuck to the corner.

“Errand after work, huh?” She pulled off the
sticker.

He smiled and shrugged. “Lawn seating,” he
said. “Everything else was sold out, but the lawn sounded more
interesting, anyway.”

She looked at her shoes with their three-inch
heels.

When she peered back up at him, he seemed to
be contemplating her shoes, too. “If I have to, I’ll carry
you.”

She laughed. She couldn’t help herself. The
look on Mark’s face was priceless. A mix of guilt and playfulness.
He laughed with her, and she loved how, for just a few moments, his
guard completely fell. His whole face laughed, not just his mouth.
Cute crinkles broke at the outer corners of his eyes, and his
perfectly straight teeth gleamed.

“I like you like this.” She took the blanket
from him.

He lifted a bag filled with bottles of water
from the trunk.

“As opposed to…?” He slammed the lid shut and
nodded toward the gate.

They turned and weaved their way around the
other cars. “I don’t know.” She shrugged and spoke over her
shoulder as he came up behind her. “You’re usually so—”

“Charming? Debonair?”

She laughed. “Well, that too, but I was going
to say mysterious and professional.”

“Professional?” He said doubtfully, his tone
more serious. “You make me sound so boring.”

“Trust me, Mark, you’re anything but boring.”
No way in a hundred lifetimes could Mark ever be boring.

She scanned the lawn seating filling quickly
with concertgoers.

“Where do you want to sit?” He pointed to an
open area in the back. “How about there?”

She wasn’t sure how crowded the place would
get by the time Journey actually took the stage. Right now, with
the opening act performing, people were still milling around and
settling in. “Sure. That looks good.”

He took her hand and helped her up the slight
incline of the lawn then set down the bag and took the blanket.
After spreading it out, he sat down.

She settled in beside him.

She hadn’t been here in years, but it still
felt the same. There was something magical about this place. She
didn’t know if it was the fact that Deer Creek sat in the middle of
nowhere, with nothing but cornfields surrounding it, or if it was
because it
was
an outdoor venue, or if some other
unexplainable force made the place so appealing, but Deer Creek was
an almost mystical location.

“I haven’t been here in years,” she said,
hugging her knees as she lifted her face toward the sun.

“Bring back memories?”

She smiled. “Maybe a little, but it’s more
than that.”

“Like what?”

She turned toward him. “I don’t know. It’s
just…different here. Relaxing.” She recalled the last time she came
here and grinned privately.

“What?” Mark elbowed her impishly. “Tell
me.”

She took a deep breath and bit her bottom
lip. “The last time I came here was with a guy I didn’t even like.
At least not before that night.”

Mark’s eyes softened, but he watched her with
the attention of a hawk eyeing a field mouse, hanging on every
word.