Web, have you hacked into my computer???
*~*~*~*~*~
She stepped into the cold, dark morning and took a deep cleansing breath. She’d give Levi his time to romp in the snow, but then he was going to have to keep up with her as she did some laps around the park. She had to do something to fight off the dread threatening to choke her and intended to run until she was too tired to care.
Several minutes later, she was enjoying the solitude of the park and the gradual brightening of the day. Her feet beat out a steady rhythm as her mind let go of the stresses the day promised. Levi ran beside her, his tail wagging, his breath visible in the chilled air.
It wasn’t until her 5th lap that she noticed the second set of footprints alongside hers. Holding tighter to Levi’s leash, she rounded the blind curve and stopped in her tracks, glancing around before bending and picking up the single red rose lying across the path. Bringing it to her nose, she took a deep breath, enjoying its deep fragrance and velvety softness. Levi’s exuberant leap jolted her out of her momentary distraction, knocking her backwards into a pair of strong arms. Scrambling away, her heart racing madly, she turned, surprised.
“Jack! What are you doing here?”
Giving her a half smile, he scrunched up his eyebrows. “Would you believe it if I told you this was a chance encounter?”
Sue’s hands settled on her hips as she drew in some air, her erratic breathing having nothing to do with the distance she had run. Pursing her lips she shook her head. “Try again.”
He motioned to the rose clutched in her hand, “Read the card.”
“Huh?” she asked, confused. “Oh!” she said, startled, not having yet connected the rose with Jack’s presence. When she saw his grimace at the realization, she hurriedly looked down, noticing for the first time the beautifully scripted gift card attached to the stem of the rose. Fingering the small tag, she noted her name before turning it over and reading “Be My Valentine.” Lifting her eyes to his, she searched for something to say but came up woefully short.
“Well,” he asked, beginning to feel more than awkward. “Sue? The question isn’t that hard. Yes or no?”
“Did Lucy call you this morning?” she finally questioned.
“Lucy? No, why? And that wasn’t an answer, it was a question.”
“So Lucy didn’t put you up to this?”
“No, Lucy did not put me up to this.”
“I saw you tell Tara and Bobby and several other people on various occasions that you weren’t going to be a part of the Valentine madness. What changed your mind?”
Jack shifted his stance, shoving his hands in his coat pocket, and observed her guarded expression. “Did you really think I’d announce to everyone that I was going to go along with one of Tara’s nutty whims? Bobby and Lucy would have both worn themselves out long before the big day ever arrived. I couldn’t do that to them,” he said with a small laugh. Seeing the slight thaw in her gaze, he stepped closer and shrugged, “Besides, I couldn’t stand the thought of someone else claiming you for their Valentine. It just didn’t sit well with me,” he finished, giving her one of his infamous, infuriating shrugs.
“Oh, so you don’t want me but you also don’t want somebody else to have me,” she surmised, disappointment snuffing out the small flame of hope that had flickered to life at his presence.
He drew a deep breath, his eyes locking with hers. “I never said I didn’t want you.”
Her breath caught at the combination of his intense stare and his words before a logical explanation flitted across her mind. “I didn’t mean want as in ‘want’, Jack. I meant as your Valentine.”
“Like I said, I never said I didn’t want you...as my Valentine or any other way. The card in your hand proves just the opposite. Why else would I get up before the sun is even up and sit in the freezing cold, just so I could catch a glimpse of you? I had to be sure I saw you first and that nobody else saw me before you did.”
“Oh,” Sue murmured, giving him a crestfallen look. “You aren’t the first male I’ve seen today. I guess you’ll have to talk with him before I can say yes to you with a clear conscience.”
“Really,” Jack asked, a knot forming in his stomach. “Did Polka Dot Boy get to you before me?”
Sue tried to hide her smile at Jack’s nickname for Jeremy Polk, an agent on another team. She’d heard through the grapevine that he wanted to be the first person she saw when making it in to work on Valentine’s Day. Evidently he’d heard the same rumor. “No,” she said, shaking her head. “You don’t need to talk to Jeremy.”
“Then who?”
“Levi,” she said seriously, turning to her dog. “His was the first male face I saw today.”
Rolling his eyes, he shifted his attention to the golden retriever. “Levi, would you mind it too terribly much if Sue was my Valentine today? We’ll let you tag along,” he added with a wink. “And if you’re not too disruptive, there will be some good snacks on the down low if you know what I mean.”
Levi pranced back a couple of steps before snorting and sitting down. He gave a couple of barks and looked between the two humans staring his way.
Jack gently touched Sue’s shoulder, gaining her attention. “Well? What did he say?”
“He said that would be fine. He really has no use for this particular holiday.”
“He said all that with two barks?”
“And a snort,” she said as if that made all the difference in the world.
“Of course, can’t forget the snort,” he laughed. “Come on,” he said, taking her arm in his, “it’s cold out here. The first thing on our agenda is a hot cup of coffee and I know just the place.”
Yeah!!!!! I'll be here after school!!!!! 
Restie
I'm so excited to see this here, flip! 
School is highly overrated, Flip! Get back soon please!!!
"
WAHOO!
to the QUEEN of Fuzzies!
Flips writing a story!!!
