Chapter 21

Dawn was waiting for him when he got to Tony's. As he approached, she stood up and did a little toe-dance, causing her body to wriggle in a most fascinating way. When he was close enough, she launched herself at him with a little squeal, forcing him to catch her in midair. She wrapped her arms and legs about him and kissed him until even his hair was standing on end. She didn't want to let go, so he ended up setting her butt on the bench and prying gently until she reluctantly released him.

"Well!" Rob exclaimed. "I'm happy to see you, too." He took a seat on the bench opposite.

"Oh, Rob," she cooed, "It feels so good to know I'm coming home to you and Elaina tonight. You have no idea!"

"I might," he replied. "I get to come home to you and Elaina."

"That's right," she squealed happily. "I was in such a good mood when I got to work today. Everybody noticed and told me how happy they were to see me like that."

"I know," Rob said softly, suddenly seeing a way to introduce the fact that his company was working for hers. "Your boss told me."

"Huh?" Dawn responded in confusion. "When did you meet Mr. Harrison?"

"Today, at work," he admitted. "Dawn, remember the other day, when I got your business card back from Deidra?" She nodded silently. "That's the day I figured out that your company was the one I've been telling you about, the one that was so frustrating. I know I didn't give you any details, but it's a criminal investigation and I'm not supposed to talk about it. Anyway, when I figured that out, I knew I had a problem."

"What kind of problem would that be, Rob?" Dawn was acting very subdued.

"Conflict of interest," he admitted. "I needed to be certain there wasn't one. I mean, I'm dating one of the managers of the company my company is investigating. How couldn't there be a conflict of interest. At the very least, I would have had to take myself off the case. Worst case? We lose the client, and maybe I lose my job."

"So, why didn't you tell me?" she asked.

"Honestly? It kept slipping my mind," Rob lied. "There was nothing you could have done about it, and Bob didn't think there was a conflict anyway. Your department was already cleared, so you weren't involved. And ... I didn't want to cause you worry."

Dawn gave him a crooked smile. "I think that last thing was the real reason. That's okay, though. I understand."

Rob sighed with relief. "You have no idea how much I dreaded having to tell you that. It would have been worse if something came of it."

"How did you handle it?" she asked curiously.

"Remember I said I had a big meeting today?" She nodded. "That was with your boss. I spoke to him after the meeting. And guess what? He knew already knew who I was. It seems I made a big splash at your place on Valentine's Day."

Dawn laughed delightedly as she remembered the furor over the roses and the dress. Everyone had assumed that Rob had sent the dress, and she didn't think it would be smart to correct them. She hadn't known that Mr. Harrison paid attention to that sort of thing, so she hadn't thought to tone it down.

"What did he say?" she asked, still chuckling.

"He told me he was pleased to see you so happy," Rob replied, "And he told me to keep you happy. I told him I would."

Dawn had stopped laughing when he started, and she looking at him with her eyes wide open by the finish. "Really?" she squeaked.

"Really," he answered. "Then he said you were over the moon this morning when you got in, and he told me I should have seen it." Rob lowered his head and blushed at his remembered indiscretion. "I told him I did, and he figured it out right away. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be indiscreet."

He looked up to see Dawn fanning her flushed face. "Well, it's going to hard to face the old goat when I get back," she said breathily, "But I'm sure I'll survive. Maybe I can stay in my office for the rest of the afternoon."

"I don't think you'll get away with it today," Rob told her.

"Why not?" she asked, still fanning herself.

"We gave them some good news today," he replied. "They're probably going to call a meeting when you get back." Dawn sighed.

"Well, so be it, then," she said fatalistically. "I'll just have to face the old goat down."

"That's the spirit," Deidra said from the side. They both startled at her voice. "Calm down, people. It's just me. Look, you've been here a while. I left you alone because it looked important, but if you want to eat, you better order now or you won't have time. I'd suggest sandwiches."

They thanked her for her consideration and ordered roast beef sandwiches with all the trimmings and cokes for both. Deidra raised her brow at their choice of beverage but didn't ask questions.

Dawn was in the ladies' room when Deidra returned with their orders. Looking around, Deidra leaned over the table to whisper to Rob.

"What was that all about, before?" she asked.

"She said 'Yes, '" Rob answered smugly.

Deidra frowned at him for a moment, then her eyes popped when the light came on for her. "Oh, shit!" she said in a hushed voice. "Really?"

"Absolutely," Rob returned. He spotted Dawn coming back and smiled. Deidra spotted that and turned to her when she got there.

"You go, girl," she said, then she kissed Dawn's cheek.

Dawn sat down with a bemused expression as Deidra headed off. "What was that about?" Dawn asked.

"She saw your little dance and she wanted you to know she's happy for you," he replied.

"Oh, that's nice," Dawn said, touching her cheek.

They hurried through their sandwiches, taking swigs of soda to wash it down. Rob managed to finish his in the time left, as well the piece that Dawn couldn't handle. Rob dropped a couple of bills on the table to cover the meal and a tip, then hustled Dawn out. Since he'd been late getting out, he had plenty of time to walk back, but she needed to get to a taxi now to be on time.

"Love you," she whispered on his lips as they kissed. "See you tonight." Then she did that little dance again before getting in the waiting cab. Rob was glad his feet knew the way, because he didn't remember the walk back at all.

Bob was waiting in Rob's office for him when he arrived. They sat at the table and discussed what had taken place at the meeting. Bob expressed satisfaction with the finale, impressed with the way Rob had drawn the necessary information from the client.

"Bob, that wasn't on purpose," Rob said with a frown.

"Doesn't matter," Bob said. "That's the way the client will remember it. And that will add to the mystique. We'll be known as the company that gets results, even if we have to resort to magic." Bob chuckled. "Mr. Kerck was pleased, too. That counted for a lot.

"So, speaking of the client, how did your confession go?" he asked.

"They already knew," Rob answered in wonder.

"What? How could they know?" Bob asked.

Rob explained about Valentine's Day, leaving out the fact that the dress did not come from him, ending it by stating that Jeff knew his name from the initial meeting.

"Apparently they decided that as long as Dawn's department wasn't involved, they weren't going to say anything," Rob finished. "And since we didn't say anything, everyone assumed it was okay on our side." Rob laughed. "It's funny. The hardest thing I had to do today was to tell Dawn about it. She wasn't happy at first that I kept it from her."

Bob was silent for a bit, and Rob was just about to ask if there was anything else when he sighed. "What did Mr. Kerck have to say when you met with him later?" he asked. "I know I don't have the right to ask, but if you could tell me, it might ease my mind."

"He offered me a job," Rob said softly. He watched as Bob tensed up then relaxed all at once.

"So," Bob replied just as softly, "When do you leave?"

"I'm not," Rob answered. "I turned him down." Bob snapped his head up, looking at Rob with alarm. "This is where I belong. I can't run an office like you do, Bob. I'm happy right where I am."

"But, the money..." Bob stammered.

"It's not the money. It never has been," Rob replied. "It's the job. Okay, I wasn't comfortable when you put me in charge, but the job hasn't changed much, just the tools I have available to get the job done."

"What if he insists?" Bob asked.

"Let's burn that bridge when we cross it," Rob answered. Bob looked at him funny, then shook his head when he understood.

"He can be persuasive when he wants to be," Bob protested.

"And I'm still young enough to start over, okay?" Rob answered. "If that doesn't stop him, then I don't want to be here anyway. Burning bridges, remember?"

"Well, I'm glad you feel that way, that's for sure," Bob said. "You do what's best for you."

Their impromptu meeting ended with Bob in a better mood.

Rob had sat down, considering what to do next, when he suddenly remembered he was visiting his mother tomorrow. He logged onto the company's legal website and found printable versions of the forms he thought he might need. He emailed the useful ones to his home address, then he "borrowed" a travel printer and stuck it in his briefcase, along with some blank paper in a manila folder taken from his desk.

He looked around to see if there was anything else that needed his attention, then he left to go check on Jake. It had been at least an hour since the last time he'd stuck his nose in.

Rob gathered up his stuff at the end of the day, and shut everything down for the weekend, hitting the light switch with his elbow on the way out. He saw Brenda at Jessica's desk animatedly describing something with a flurry of hand gestures. He caught Jessica's eye on the way to the elevator and waved. She put on puppy-dog eyes and made like she was begging for rescue. He laughed and shook his head, laughing harder when she made a fist at him.

The Mustang was waiting at the curb when he came down. He could see Elaina was in the front passenger seat, but he didn't understand why the car seemed to be bouncing on its shocks. He could hear that the engine was off, so it couldn't be that. When he opened the door, he found out. Dawn was in the back seat, and she was still bubbly from earlier. He actually thought she was more subdued now than earlier, seeing as her butt wasn't leaving the seat. Elaina was watching her with a bemused smile. She turned to look at Rob.

"Has she been like this all day?" she asked wonderingly.

"The parts of it I know about, yes," Rob answered as he handed his briefcase to Dawn. "But I have to tell you, she's settled down some since lunch." He climbed in and shut the door.