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I
look back up to him while I wait for an answer. 
    He reaches into his pocket and retrieves a small
object. When he opens his hand, it reveals my ring lying in his palm. The one I
had taken off at the bar last night. I hadn’t thought about it or even realized
it was missing.
    What does that tell you, Shannon?
    “I didn’t have a chance to give this back to you
this morning before you ran out.”
    “I didn’t run; I walked out,” I reply and stand up
to take the ring from him. I did run out, but I didn’t think it was that
obvious. Apparently, I'm wrong. When I reach to take the ring from his palm, he
gently grabs my hand. The ring between our hands is the only thing keeping us
from complete contact. 
    I look up at him. I’m standing now, but I still
have to look up a little to meet his eyes. I’m not a short person. I’m of
average height at 5’7 He must be about eight inches taller, putting him at
about 6’3. His shoulders are broad. His biceps and chest fill his dress shirt,
making creases where I can see his muscles underneath. 
    “It looked like you couldn’t get out of there
quick enough,” he says in a low steady tone.
    God, I wish he would stop looking at me the way he
does. I feel like I have knots in my stomach. This is not a feeling I’m used
to.
    I take the ring from his palm and toss it on my
desk. Looking back up, I say, “You didn’t answer the last part of my question.
How did you know where I would be?” 
    He takes a half of a step closer. I can feel his
breath on my face and I can smell his scent. He smells fresh and clean. Like he
just stepped out of a shower. 
    I like it.
    “Your business card fell out of your purse last
night. I didn’t know you would be here. I took a chance, and here you are.” The
way he responds comes off odd. Like it’s forced and he tensed slightly when he
said it. Plus my cards are zipped up in my wallet, so it’s a stretch that one
just fell out. I don’t question him or call him on it though.
    I hear commotion out front. It’s Luke’s voice. The
sound makes me want to break something.
    “Great,” I say sarcastically on a sigh. It’s just
what I need today. I grab the ring from my desk and step around the
intoxicating man in front of me and walk out of my office to the front. Luke
and Jenny are talking. He’s dressed in blue scrubs for work. 
    “What the hell are you doing here?” I ask him in a
harsh voice.
    I feel the stranger from last night coming to
stand behind me. I don’t know why he’s here, but it makes me feel warm again,
almost as if he is keeping me safe and protected. I ignore this and concentrate
on Luke. I don’t want to see him.
    Ever again!
    Luke walks up to me. He looks me in the eye as
he’s only about an inch taller than I am. “We need to talk,” he says and grabs
my arm at my elbow. 
    I snatch it out of his grasp, taking a step back.
The man standing behind me is so close I can feel his breath on the back of my
hair and I tense. He notices because he places his hand on my shoulder and it
immediately relaxes me.
    Luke looks at his hand on my shoulder then at the
man standing behind me. His eyes land back on mine.
    He’s angry.
    “Who the hell is he?” Luke asks.
    I ignore his question because I can, and because I
don’t know who he is, but at the same time, something inside me is glad he is
here. I take the ring from my hand and toss it to Luke. He catches it in his
right hand.
    “That’s yours. I don’t want it and I never want to
see you again! Now get out of here! We! Are! Done!”
    Jenny is still behind the front counter looking
uncomfortable, but doesn’t say anything. I doubt she has ever heard me raise my
voice. I’m not usually like this and I’ve never brought drama to work before. I
feel bad. Maybe I should have told her about yesterday, but we really don’t have
that kind of relationship. She tries to busy herself. I can only imagine what
this scene must look like.
    “Shut the fuck up,