The Relationship Business
written by:
PennLady

The Relationship Business © 2010 All Rights Reserved

Author's Note: Here is my Valentine's Day story, better late than never. This is a sequel to Unexpected Gifts, although it stands on its own. Many thanks to my beta readers.

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January 6

"Sir, I'm flattered, but...I really don't know if I'm right for this position." Val squirmed in his seat and resisted the urge to run a hand through his hair.

"Oh, don't worry, Val." Mr. K gave him a reassuring smile. "I think you'll be great."

"I'd hate to leave you in the lurch, though."

"You won't." The older man shook his head. "The rush is over so we can all take it easy for a while. I admit, this means you don't get much of a vacation, since your busy day is less than two months off, but I think you're up to it. As for next year, we have a lot of time to prepare and you could probably come back if we needed you."

Val was silent for a minute. He had to be honest. "Sir, in all seriousness, I think I'm completely wrong for this. Things with Halley should prove that."

Mr. K chuckled but not without sympathy. "I am sorry about that. On the other hand, you and Vicki handled things all right."

Val flushed with embarrassment. "You knew? About me and Vicki?"

Now his boss gave a deep belly laugh. "Oh, Val, my boy. Remember who you're talking to. Naughty, indeed." He chuckled some more and stroked his white beard.

"Ah." Val cleared his throat. "Yes, I, um..." He tried to get himself together. "But again, sir, I'd think that just shows that anything dealing with relationships is not my strong point."

"We often don't know our strong points until we're tested on the weak ones." Mr. K was still smiling, but his tone was businesslike. "I can't force you, of course, and I admit I hate to break up my team. On the other hand, it might do you and Halley a bit of good to, ah, have a little space."

Like a galaxy's worth, Val thought. "I know. Sorry."

"Plus," his boss—soon to be ex-boss, Val realized—continued, "we really are in a bind. Cathe had to leave suddenly and there's not much time to find a replacement. Look, why don't you just try it this one time? Get us through to the end of February, then we can evaluate everything. If you don't like it, perhaps you can just hold the fort until we find someone else."

Val made one last attempt. "What about Don? He and Jeanette are doing great; they're so much better at the love thing than I am."

"Sorry." Mr. K shook his head. "Don and Jeanette are going on their honeymoon. We need someone to start now. Like I said, I realize it means a shortened vacation for you. I have to say, Val, I'd consider it a personal favor."

Val sighed. How could he say no? "Sure, sir."

x-x-x-x

"You?" Halley gaped. "They picked you?"

"Yeah. They did. Mr. K asked me himself." Val tried to stay calm as he packed his stuff.

"Amazing." She shook her head, her hair drifting in dark waves around her shoulders. "This is like putting a dog in charge of building a rocket ship. What the hell do you know about love?"

"I know plenty." He flashed her a cocky grin to hide his hurt. "I must or they wouldn't have asked me."

Halley snorted. "You know about lust, not love. Two completely different things."

"But not unrelated," he countered. He threw the last few items in his bag and yanked on the zipper, so anxious to leave that he broke it. Muttering in frustration, he turned to Halley and took a deep breath. "Look, I know what you think happened, but..."

"What I think happened?" Halley's face was a mix of incredulity and hurt. "You couldn't stay with me for three months! I hang out with the girls for a day and come back to find you rolling in the loft with the seasonal help!"

Val flushed. There had been no excuse for that when it happened, but she'd misunderstood and had never let him explain. "Halley..."

"Bye, Val." She turned and took a step toward the door. "Good luck. I'll be curious to see who replaces you."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." He spoke to the empty space where she'd been standing.

Maybe she's right. Maybe anyone else but me should do this. He sighed and shouldered his bag.

"Hey, Val!"

He turned to see Don jogging up to him, Jeanette a few steps behind. She smiled and waved; Val waved back.

"Hey, congratulations!" Don grinned at him. "Off already?"

"Yep." Val nodded. "Figured there was no sense in putting it off, and from what I've heard, the new place is already under the gun."

"I can't believe you're going to be the boss over there." Don shook his head. "Weren't you always the one who said you didn't want to be the boss, so there was someone else to blame when things went wrong?"

"Well, things change." Val shrugged. "I could do with a change of scenery and, hey, it can't hurt to try being in charge for a while. Might be nice to have people call me 'sir' for a change."

"Hi, Val." Jeanette came up and Don's arm snaked around her shoulders. Val wondered if Don even knew he'd done it.

"Hi, cutie." Val winked and Jeanette just shook her head.

"You're an incorrigible flirt," she informed him.

"With ladies as pretty as you, who can blame me?"

Jeanette was pretty, he had to admit, if not his type. Then again, he thought, he'd never locked himself down to any one "type." He'd thought that Halley might have been his final type but it appeared he'd been wrong about that.

"She's mine, Val." Don hugged Jeanette closer. "Flirt all you want, it doesn't bother me."

"Well, then it's no fun." Val shook his head in mock disappointment.

"So, you're really going into the relationship business?" Jeanette cocked her head. "It could get messy."

"No, it's relationships that are messy, not business," Val corrected. "I'm just there to help, you know; keep the mess to a minimum, I guess. Besides, I'm probably just a temp when it gets down to it. Mr. K said they need someone now, so I don't mind helping out, but after the rush they'll get down to hiring someone else."

"Well, good luck, Val." Jeanette pushed her blonde hair back behind her ears and stepped up to give him a hug. "I'm sure you'll do great."

"I'm sure I will, too." Val reached down to give Jeanette's tush a friendly squeeze, but she was wise to him and slapped his hand away. "Can't blame a guy for trying," he said with a sigh.

"Take it easy, Val." Don stuck out a hand and Val took it, amazed at Don's confidence. He wasn't fazed in the least at Val making his moves on Jeanette. After he shook Don's hand and watched them walk away, he made a mental note to keep in touch with them. They were the most stable couple he knew, and might be a good place to start if he had any questions.

What's to question? he asked himself with a scoff. You just get two compatible people in a room, sprinkle a little pixie dust or something, and then it all falls into place. All this stuff about 'romance;' it's overrated.

x-x-x-x

January 7

Val walked into the office and stared. "Whoa."

He wasn't sure what he'd expected. Lots of pink hearts, maybe. Or lace. Or teddy bears. His predecessor had been a woman, after all, so he thought there might be a more feminine touch to things. He couldn't have been more wrong.

There was a large, semi-circular desk, on which sat three computer terminals. The wall to his right was a huge screen made up of smaller screens and reminded Val of the briefing wall in Leverage. Behind the desk the wall was floor-to-ceiling smoked glass. The wall to his left and the wall behind him were a deep, cherry red wood. A plush carpet the color of dark wine covered the floor. The formality of the room made him self-conscious; he was in jeans and a black dress shirt and wondered if he should have worn a tie.

"Oh, my goodness, you're early, sir! I'm so sorry, we're nearly ready for you but not quite."

Val jumped, turned around and found himself face-to-face...well, chest-to-face with a bright-eyed woman with red-blonde hair and a cheerful, heart-shaped face.

"Oh, it's fine. I, ah...I didn't..." Way to make a forceful, boss-type impression, Val thought.

"I know it's a bit confusing at first. My name is Tina, sir. I'll be your personal assistant, at least to start. If you find you'd rather work with someone else, well, that's fine, but I thought we should keep things running as close to usual as possible."

"Absolutely." Val was lost already. "I mean, yes. I know this is short notice so it's probably best if we don't introduce too many changes."

Tina beamed. "Excellent, sir. Come, let me show you your desk. The system is simple once you know it but it can seem tricky when you first start."

Val followed as Tina took brisk steps across the carpet. He wondered that she didn't sink into it in her heels, soft as it was. He was feeling better, though; he could handle computers. He wasn't as good as Blix, but if someone could walk him through it, and he wrote a few notes, he was sure he'd pick it up soon enough.

"So," he asked, "how long have you been here?"

She laughed, a cheery sound that Val decided was pleasant enough, and fitting for the operation. "I'm not sure I could count that long." Tina gestured to the chair and Val sat down, feeling like he was in someone else's place. "It seems like I've never done anything else."

"You must know it all, then." Val smiled at her and she blushed. "Now I know where to go when I have questions." He felt more comfortable, with a woman to flirt with. He eased back in the chair. "How does this puppy work?"

"I can just get you started with the basics." Tina hit the power button on each of the three machines in efficient sequence. Monitors flashed on and Val chuckled to himself at the hearts and flowers that danced across the screen. "For more detail, you'll need to talk to Chac."

"Jacques?"

"No, Chac." She pronounced it like shock. She glanced at her watch. "He should be here soon, he's quite punctual. Now, what we have here is really just a spreadsheet."

Val's confidence seeped away as Tina outlined the "basics" of their system. He was lost after the first two minutes. He'd thought it was just a matter of finding people with things in common and making sure they got together. Maybe a nudge here or there to make sure they did, in fact, speak to each other to get things rolling.

He'd been sorely mistaken, Val realized. It was much more complicated than that, and as he had when Mr. K had first suggested the job, Val felt underqualified to an extreme degree.

Tina must have sensed it, and laughed again. "Oh, sir, please don't be so worried. Everyone has that look on their face when they first see this." She paused and looked serious for a moment. "Now, sir, if I may...well, you don't have much background in this area, do you?"

Val's defenses kicked in on instinct. "I may not have been involved in this exact type of operation, but..." He groped for words. "I do have experience in making people happy, and that's what this is really all about, isn't it?"

She considered before replying. "Well, I suppose that's one way of looking at it." There was a sharp rap on the door. "Oh, that will be Chac." There was another rap.

"Sir, I believe..." Tina cleared her throat and Val looked at her. "It is your office, sir."

"What?" Val blinked. "Oh, right. Right." He raised his voice. "Come in, please." He gave Tina one of his best looks, mixing some sheepishness in with a sexy smile. "Sorry. Still getting used to being in charge."

Tina nodded, unaffected. "Of course, sir."

Val mused for a moment on whether he wanted to risk another workplace romance, but snapped out of it as a dark-skinned man in a flawlessly tailored suit approached. He held a leather folder and when they shook hands, Val found the slender fingers belied the strength of the man's hands.

"Hello, sir. I am Chac. I look forward to assisting you."

"Nice to meet you, Chac." Val was careful to imitate the man's pronunciation. "I'm...you can call me Val."

"Si, sir." Chac gave a brief nod.

Val gave him a puzzled look. "No, I mean, call me 'Val' instead of 'sir.'"

Chac looked so appalled Val had to bite back a laugh. The man gave himself a slight shake as though to right himself. "I don't believe that would be appropriate, sir."

"Oh, Chac, would you relax for once?" Tina sighed and turned an apologetic face to Val. "Your predecessor, Miss Cathe, she was more formal, sir. Val. It will take some time to change the atmosphere."

"Let's get started, then." Val gave Tina a wink and a grin that he hoped communicated more confidence than he felt. "Not much time until the big day."

x-x-x-x

January 10

Halley brooded over a cup of coffee while Vicki and Jeanette kept her company.

"I can't believe it." Halley shook her head. "How could they put him in charge of that? The man knows nothing about love, unless it's 'love 'em and leave 'em.'"

"Could be worse." Vicki flicked her hair back and sipped her double cappuccino. "They could have put Blix in charge."

"Blix?" Jeanette laughed and Halley had to join in. "Oh, no, I don't think so. He's too shy."

"Shy?" Vicky cocked her head. "You think Blix is shy?"

Jeannette looked puzzled. "Sure. Don't you think so?"

Vicky and Halley exchanged a look. "We've worked with him for a while," Halley said. "We tend to think he's pretty anti-social. Don't get me wrong, he's a great worker and all. He'd just rather type on a computer than talk to a person."

"I don't know. I've talked to him. He's sweet." Jeanette tapped a finger on her cup.

Halley let out a low whistle. "You've talked to him? Wow. He usually freezes up talking to women, including us, and we've known him for ages."

"Well, anyway," Vicki interjected, "it all just goes to show that yes, there are worse choices than Val for the job."

"Maybe." Halley's expression darkened again. "I'm still not convinced."

This time Jeanette and Vicki traded glances. "He's not such a bad guy," Jeanette offered. She felt like she was on thin ice; she hadn't known them all that long and didn't mean to be giving opinions where she shouldn't. She wondered, though, if maybe she had a different perspective than the rest of them, since she was new.

"I never said he was a bad guy," Halley pointed out. "It's just...I don't see, after the way he's been, that they can put him in charge of all this stuff. I was his longest relationship and we didn't last three months! How is someone like that supposed to bring people together, and keep them together?"

"Maybe this is sort of a test," Vicky suggested. "Maybe they're trying to see what he really thinks. I mean, guys play the field for lots of different reasons. Could be Val's so used to it he doesn't see any other way. This might open his eyes."

Halley nodded, her expression glum, and stared at her now-cold coffee. "I guess. Not that it's any good now."

They were quiet for a moment and then Jeanette reached to change the subject. "Have you heard about Martha and Toni? They're thinking of opening a dancing school. Wouldn't that be fun? I've always wanted to learn ballroom dancing."

Halley perked up at that, and the three chatted for a few more minutes before Halley said she had to go. She walked off and Vicki and Jeanette stared after her.

Vicki sighed. "She has it bad."

Jeanette nodded. "Looks like it. So...what happened? Between her and Val, I mean?"

"Well." Vicki puffed out a breath and tapped a long red fingernail on her lip as she thought about her answer.

At first, Jeanette had been intimidated by Vicki. The taller woman wore her light brown hair in a chic bob, with edges so straight they looked like they might cut you if you touched them. She had a model-perfect face, with high cheekbones and almond-shaped eyes, and walked with a regal air. Jeanette had been polite, but it hadn't taken long for Vicki's mischievous nature to come through, and since then the two women had grown close.

"Halley was surprised when Val went for her," Vicki said. "I mean, you know how Val is—he flirts with everyone, so of course he'd flirted with Halley. She didn't care for it. She was professional, always, but was careful to keep a distance. Then I don't know what changed, but Val went after her in a serious way right around when Don met you."

"So he liked her? For real?" Jeanette was curious.

"He likes us all 'for real,' but I know what you mean." Vicki laughed. "Yes, I think he liked her in a serious way. She took a chance, and Halley hardly ever takes chances. Like, once every seventy-some years she'll take a chance. It looked like it might work, too."

"But it didn't," Jeanette observed.

"No, unfortunately, it didn't." Vicki sighed. "It didn't last very long at all. About three months. We all put in a tough week, and went on vacation—they even went together—and it seemed good when we got back. Then one day, she walked in on Val and this woman and...it wasn't pretty."

"That's too bad."

"It is, and the worst part is, Halley's still got it for him." Vicki shook her head.

"I thought so." Jeanette gave a rueful smile. "But I wasn't sure if I was reading things correctly so I just kept my mouth shut."

"A wise policy. You'll go far." Vicki chuckled. "See, Val and I had a thing a while ago, but it was okay. We both knew it was just fun. It's tough on Halley because like I said, she still cares for him. She's not a 'fun' kind of woman when it comes to things like that. And if he wasn't such a jerk, he'd admit he cares for her, too."

"It did seem like he was in a hurry to get out of here."

"A sure sign of guilt where Val's concerned. If he feels guilty, or apologetic, he am-scrays at the first opportunity. He will apologize, or make it right, when he's ready, but that can take a while. So he leaves."

"Wow." Jeanette laughed. "He must have had truckloads of guilt if he took that job."

"Yeah." Vicki sighed. "Makes me wonder if we'll be waiting for the apology this time next year."

x-x-x-x

January 11

Val was starting to panic. He had been fighting a desire to make any excuse under the sun not to come in the office, but since he was the boss, he couldn't do that.

I've only been here three days! He took a deep breath. Delegate. He'd have to delegate. In fact, he could start that today. Val felt the panic recede.

He turned back to the mirror and combed his hair. It was dark and curly, like his mother's, and he'd learned that women liked that kind-of-messy look with hair like his. Halley had, he recalled. She had loved running her fingers through his hair, and he had to admit, he'd liked it. He frowned.

He had liked it when Halley did it, but the odd thing was, he'd never cared much before that. Sure, women had teased and complimented him on his hair, had played with it and run their hands through. He'd let them do it for the attention, and for the fun they seemed to have. Only with Halley had he enjoyed it as well.

There was a beep at his waist and he pulled the phone out. Tina had given it to him, saying it was the easiest way to keep in touch. And boy, did she keep in touch. Val didn't think so much as fifteen minutes had passed since he'd arrived that she hadn't sent him a message. He poked at the buttons and found her text: Exec staff mtg in 30 m. Pls be prompt.

Val nodded, impressed with her efficiency. After one last look in the mirror, he decided he was ready. Ready as I'll ever be.

He found his way to the office with no problem today using the tunnels, and was pleased. His quarters were in the same complex as the office and he could walk outside, or through the underground tunnel system. Or as he thought of it, The Labyrinth. Tina had taken him through it, and confident in his abilities he'd used it the next morning, and had promptly gotten lost.

He'd called Tina, too baffled to be embarrassed. She'd arrived within ten minutes, nodded hello and begun discussing the day's schedule, making no mention of his trouble. She was smooth, Val thought. She knew how to keep a day flowing even when it started out rough, and Val rapidly came to appreciate that quality.

Val thought ahead to the meeting as he sipped the coffee Tina had left on his desk. She was something, he thought, and couldn't imagine why he'd want anyone else as a PA. He could also feel his resolve to avoid workplace relationships fading when she was around. Focus, he told himself.

"Sir?" Tina knocked and poked her head in. "If you're ready, everyone's assembled in the conference room."

"Sure." Val stood up and tossed her a smile, hoping it hid his nervousness. "Let's meet the crew."

"Now, everyone's been doing this for awhile," Tina said as they walked down the hall, "but it never hurts to review everything. Plus, you should get an overview, at least, especially since we're on such a compressed schedule now."

"Sounds good." Val was relieved to know that his staff had the basics covered; it likely meant he only needed to supervise. Just sign a few papers, give a few authorizations, and it should all work out, he thought. "I'm looking forward to meeting them and then I guess I can just stay out of the way."

"Oh, no, sir." Tina looked at him in surprise. "Everyone will be very hands-on, including you." She smiled. "You'll get the hang of it in no time, I'm sure."

"Any problems I should know about?" Val decided to change the subject.

"Hmmm." Tina pursed her lips into a kissable pout. Val noticed it, but in an objective way, and wondered at himself. Then he caught up with Tina as she spoke. "Well, there's always some little frictions, I guess, but nothing too serious. June and Rhodi will just never get along, but everyone puts it aside for the big day."

Before Val could ask anything else, she knocked on the door of the conference room and then opened it and gestured for Val to go through. Murmurs ceased as everyone looked up to take stock of the new boss. After a moment, he realized they were waiting for him to speak.

"Ah, well." He cleared his throat. "Hi. I'm Val, and I'm the new boss. I can't say I'm not a little nervous, but Tina here tells me you all know your jobs. I'm here to learn and to help. So...let's get started."

"Si, sir." Val looked over and saw Chac standing to one side. "If I may."

"Please."

Chac gestured a blond-haired man with a cherubic face who sat to Val's right. "This is Ross, who runs the Department of Introductions."

"Nice to meet you, sir," Ross said.

Val nodded in greeting. He'd been over the list of departments with Tina, and he'd been shocked. He knew from his former position that it often took more people than one would expect to get the job done, but he had to admit he'd been guilty of that thinking with his new position. Ross and his department were a perfect example. Who would have thought, Val wondered, that someone had to be in charge of introducing people.

Chac was speaking again and Val forced himself to keep up.

Next Chac introduced a tall, broad-shouldered man named Lem. Val shook his hand and was relieved to get it back in one piece. Lem had a booming voice, broad gestures and made no secret of his own sensuality. Val watched as Lem turned his attentions to a statuesque woman who sat next to him. She gave him a cold look and turned away.

"Sir, this is Miss Diana," Chac told him. "She is in charge of virtue."

Val gave her a smile to rival Lem's, and although he thought he detected a thaw in her manner, it was slight.

The next two women were introduced as June and Rhodi, and Val felt the tension between them despite the friendly smiles they both gave him. June, like Diana, had chiseled, aquiline features framed by dark hair. Rhodi had sleek blonde hair hanging past her shoulders. Her eyes were a vibrant blue in contrast to the others' chocolate brown.

"Nice to meet you, Val." Her voice was the definition of sultry.

"Likewise." Val gave what he hoped was a suave grin and nod. Her presence rivaled that of Lem's, though she didn't share his outgoing personality. Confident as he was, Val decided he had to be careful around his new employees. They'd been at this far longer than he had, and he had the feeling that as in any office, there were politics at play.

There were a few more introductions, and Val hoped his surprise didn't show. Wouldn't do for the person in charge of the operation to look shocked. He kept his expression neutral, nodding as Chac finished. Val shook the hand of the last person at the table, a man named Harry who Val thought was in charge of something involving families, before taking his own seat.

"Well, it's good to meet you all." Val looked around the table and nodded. "I know we're on a deadline here, and I'm new, but that's all the more reason for me to be brought up to speed. I'm sure we all want everything to go as smoothly as it usually does."

That brought a laugh from an exotic-looking woman named Izzy, which in turn elicited angry glares from Rhodi and June. Val glanced from one woman to the other; Tina had said the two didn't get along, but it appeared they had a common dislike in this case.

Have to deal with it sooner or later, he thought, and plunged in. "Is there a problem?"

"No, sir." Izzy's voice was silky. "It's just that, well, things never really run smoothly." Her laugh made all the men at the table clear their throats and shift in their chairs.

"She has a point," Harry said.

Val turned to him. "How so?"

There was quiet around the table until Diana began, "Love is messy."

"As it should be." Lem grinned. Izzy laughed with him but others just shook their heads, although Val saw a few smiles.

"What I mean is," Diana continued, with a glare at Lem, "is that things just never go as planned. It's bad enough to try to manage the problems during the course of the year, and on special days like Christmas, or a person's birthday, but for this day..." She shook her head.

Val was still puzzled, so June continued.

"People are looking for perfection," she told Val. Many around the table gave world-weary nods. "Whether it's perfection in their mate, or themselves, or how feelings are expressed. And perfection, of course, is difficult if not impossible to achieve."

"Not for everyone." Izzy's voice was a purr and Val felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up as her eyes raked over him.

"Yes, well." Val coughed. "I guess we'll just have to aim for as smooth as possible, then. So, ah, what's the first step?"

"That's for you to decide, sir. Val." Tina spoke up first. "I'm sure everyone has their information ready, but every year the priorities have to be reassessed."

"Of course." Val nodded. He hoped the fear rushing through his system wasn't visible on his face. So much for delegation.

x-x-x-x

Halley turned over on her bed, something she'd been doing all night. She tried to blame it on the post-dinner coffee she'd had with Martha and Toni, but that wasn't it.

I can't believe I'm still thinking about him. She huffed out a breath and flopped onto her back.

What was the problem, she wondered. We tried. It just didn't work. Happens all the time. That wasn't enough of an answer. Because she had wanted it to work, she thought with a sigh.

Val had been a whole different person in the time they'd dated...been a couple...whatever. He hadn't stopped his flirting, but it had changed. He'd been lighter with it, perhaps. Whatever he'd done, Halley had thought he was serious about her, and for a while, his actions had shown it. Whenever he'd flirted with Martha, or even Jeanette, he'd laughed it off almost immediately and come back to her for a hug, or a kiss.

He hugged and kissed that woman in the loft, she reminded herself. Anger rose up in her, but so did some sorrow. She had wanted to believe him, but he'd never given an explanation, and the woman she'd caught him with hadn't seemed the least concerned. Together, their reactions had added up to one thing: Val had cheated on her.

"But why?" She stared at the ceiling. "What did I do wrong? Did I give him too much space? Did I press him? I tried to just...take it as it came." She dragged a hand over her face. Perhaps she should have been more proactive, but she just hadn't been sure at the time.

One thing she had to admit, if only to herself in the middle of the night, was that she missed Val. He'd made her laugh, he'd laughed with her, and damn, his body had made hers feel good.

Almost against her will, she remembered that night in the loft.

x-x-x-x

Back in the loft...

"Like it?"

Halley turned around, her mouth open in surprise for a minute before she snapped it shut. There was a blanket with a picnic laid out, and candles placed in various corners filled the loft with soft, warm light. Val held out a hand as she climbed up the last step.

"You did this?" Halley stared at him, then looked around again.

He laughed and her stomach flipped at the sound. "Don't sound so surprised."

"I just...didn't expect something like this."

"You have a really bad impression of me, don't you?" Val tugged her over to the picnic blanket. "I'm sorry for that."

Halley was lost for words as they sat down, and blushed in guilty embarrassment. "It's not that, Val. I just...I don't know. You like to play the field, and I don't."

He nodded. "I understand. And yeah, I like to flirt and goof around. But it doesn't mean I can't be serious."

"You can be serious?" Halley raised an eyebrow and tried to distance herself a little with sarcasm.

"Of course I can." Val's dark eyes stared into her golden brown ones. "Do you think I do this for everyone?"

"I wouldn't know."

He paused, then nodded. "Fair enough."

"Look, Val, why are we here? Why did you ask me here?" She dropped her eyes but raised them again, determined not to be cowed.

"Because I wanted to. I wanted to be with you." He stretched out on the blanket, propping himself up on one elbow. "Is that another surprise?"

"Well, yes." Halley tried not to be distracted by him. He looked good, wrapped in snug blue jeans and a flannel shirt. Dark curls hung almost down to mischievous brown eyes; she'd often thought those eyes were mocking her, but right now they were serious. It's not like I ever denied he had a nice body, she thought. Val's next question jerked her out of her thoughts.

"Why?"

She paused. "I don't know. Maybe because we've never had a conversation that lasted longer than three minutes? Because any time we talk, it's really just you hitting on me and me saying no?"

"Really?" Val frowned.

"What's my favorite movie?" She crossed her arms over her chest.

"I don't know."

"The Shop around the Corner with Jimmy Stewart. What's my favorite color?"

"Blue."

"No, you're just guessing. It's green."

He sighed. "So because I don't know your favorite things, I'm a jerk?"

"No!" She made frustrated noise and stood up to pace the room. "Because you never even asked me about them, you're a jerk! You've never had a serious conversation with me, but then suddenly you ask me up here?" She waved an arm around to encompass the romantic setting. "And I'm supposed to just fall into your arms?"

"Not right away." Val sighed and sat up. "You know, this works both ways, Halley."

"What do you mean?"

"You haven't exactly been approachable." He raised a hand as she opened her mouth to protest. "I'm not insulting you, for God's sake, I'm just observing. Every time I say hello to you, you all but bite my head off. No one else seems to be upset. So I flirt, so what? Have I ever done anything to you? Insulted you? Anything?"

"Well...no, but..."

"Why won't you give me a chance, then? Why do think I can't be serious?"

"Because...I don't know. Because I've never seen you be serious." Halley bit her lip. Because no one's ever been serious about me. God, that sounds so pathetic.

"Look, Halley." Val came over and put his hand on her shoulders. "Please, sit down. Let's eat and talk. I got a bottle of wine; Chardonnay. It's what Martha said you liked."

"You asked Martha about me?" For a moment, Halley felt like a teenager and blushed at asking such a silly question.

"How else would I know that you like Greek pasta salad?" He flashed that grin that Halley had all too often wished would be meant just for her. "Or that you like mint chocolate chip ice cream?"

Halley relented and smiled back, then let sat down. There was the promised salad, more Greek side dishes, gourmet rolls and after, the ice cream. Deciding she had to give Val a chance after his efforts, she forced herself to put aside her previous feelings about him.

To her great surprise, she found...she liked him. He asked her about herself, and she told him things she hadn't shared with anyone. She hadn't felt close to anyone in a long time, but with Val she had no hesitation in talking about anything. He shared himself with her as well. They talked about music, movies, how they'd come into their jobs.

Halley sighed as she finished her ice cream. "How come you were never this nice to me before?"

Val chuckled. "You never gave me the chance."

"I guess not." She smiled at him. "I'm sorry."

"It's all right. You can make it up to me."

"I can? How?" She felt her stomach twist in pleasant apprehension.

"A kiss."

"A kiss?" She swallowed.

"Yes. A kiss."

"O...okay."

Val chuckled as he knelt down in front of her and took her hands to pull her up to her knees. "Relax, Halley. It won't hurt."

"I—"

"Halley, hush." Val smiled and kissed her.

Oh wow. Halley relaxed and leaned into Val and the kiss. His arms were warm and strong around her, and she liked it. He didn't pressure, didn't rush anything. After a few minutes, she let the last of the tension go and slid her arms around him.

When Val pulled away, she had to bite back a whimper of protest. He chuckled. "That wasn't so bad, now, was it?"

"No." Halley blushed and looked down. "I was kind of nervous."

"Feeling more relaxed now?" Val tunneled one hand in her hair and she shivered as he massaged her scalp.

"I...think so."

"Good." Val flashed the smile that so often had made her roll her eyes. Now it made her anxious with anticipation. "Let's try it again."

Her eyes widened as he grinned and pulled her down onto the blanket so that she lay half on top of him. Then she couldn't help it and laughed when he moved to kiss her again. This time she relaxed and returned the kiss. He coaxed her lips apart and another shiver went through her as his tongue met hers. She had just begun to let herself go and stop thinking when Val broke the kiss.

"What?" Do I really sound that breathless? Halley stared at him.

"Do you know how good you feel?" Val's voice was dark and all she could do was shake her head. "I have been waiting and waiting to see how you feel..." He slid his hands under her shirt and she felt goosebumps race over her skin. He smiled. "And of course I wanted to know how you tasted..."

Halley gasped again and her eyes widened as he moved in for another kiss. She snapped her eyes shut as though he might stop if she didn't.

"No, no, this isn't quite right."

Halley didn't time to ask what he meant before he had rolled to his side and reversed their positions, so that his leg lay over hers. She felt the weight of him holding her down and didn't mind at all.

"There. That's better." Val smiled at her. "Isn't it?"

She gave a nervous laugh. "I think so."

Val laughed, but it was reassuring, not mocking. "Oh, Halley. You really do need to relax." To help her along, he stroked her side. His hand moved under her shirt, from just under breasts to her waist. "How's that?"

"I...it feels nice." She swallowed and blushed, furious with herself. I'm a grown woman, for heaven's sake! I've done this before! Just not with Val... That, she realized, was the problem. She was willing to believe, at least for the moment, that Val was interested in more than just the one proverbial thing. However, he had quite the amount of experience and she, well, didn't.

"Nice?" Val raised an eyebrow. "I must be slipping."

"No...it's not...I mean..." She huffed out a breath. "It's me. I haven't...I don't..."

Val stilled his hand. "What is it, Halley? You can tell me. I won't laugh, I swear. I won't do anything but listen."

She bit her lip and shifted under him, missing his soft grunt of surprise as her leg brushed against his erection. When she realized what she felt against her leg, she blushed again, then cleared her throat.

"Okay. Look, you've had more than a few lovers, according to what I hear. I haven't."

"All right. So?"

"So...I don't know. Okay, yes I do. I can't...compare to them. To the other women you've been with."

His surprise seemed genuine when she met his eyes. "That's what you're worried about? Really?"

"Well...yes." Having said it, she felt like an idiot.

"Oh, Halley." Val chuckled and pressed his lips to her forehead, and resumed stroking her side. "You've got it wrong. They can't compare to you."

"Really?" She closed her eyes, lulled by the touch of his warm hand against her skin.

"You know...I know I have a reputation." Val started to drop soft kisses on her face. "But it's really more other people than me. A little flirting, a little joking and next thing you know..." He moved to her neck and she tilted her head to allow him easier access.

"Yes?" She forced the word out of a dry throat.

"People talk, even if there's nothing to talk about, and then the next thing you know, people think I'm the incarnation of Don Juan or something." He nipped at her earlobe and she dug her nails into his arm.

"So your reputation is just...a figment of someone's imagination?" Halley began to wish that they could hurry things along.

He laughed again and the sound slid over her like his touch; there were more goosebumps. "Well, I can't say there isn't a bit of truth at the root of it, but, Halley." He propped himself up on one arm and traced her cheek with his free hand. "I wouldn't do anything to hurt you. I don't hurt people."

"Okay. That's good." What do I want him to say? I'm so confused. Halley didn't know what to say next. Val was being honest with her, and that was good, but it didn't feel like enough. Something was missing, but she couldn't say what.

"Is it?" Val kissed her again, long and slow. "It doesn't seem like it."

"What do you want from me? From this? Us?" Halley stared at him. "Your reputation may be a little exaggerated, but I don't want to be the next notch on the bedpost."

"Halley." He sighed and rested his forehead against hers. "Believe it or not, I don't do notches on bedposts. When I'm with someone, I'm with them. The only way I can show you that is to be with you, and for that you have to trust me."

"Oh."

"Can you trust me, Halley? Will you?"

"I want to." She reached up and drew some fingers through his dark curls. He closed his eyes and leaned into the touch. "It's just, you know, I've had a couple of bad experiences and then you have this...alleged reputation." She smiled.

"True." He smiled back. "I know. I'm supposed to say things like, 'If I said you had a beautiful body, would you hold it against me?'"

Halley rolled her eyes. "Oh, that's terrible." She couldn't stop a laugh.

"It is, but..." Val kissed her again, this time with more seriousness and Halley found she was breathless when he stopped. "It's a valid question."

Halley laughed again and returned his next kiss. "Why don't you ask me and see what happens?"

Val grinned. "I have to distract you first. You're too prepared to answer now."

"What do y—"

She couldn't finish the question as Val found her lips again with an urgency she hadn't felt in him before. One hand slid under her shoulders and the other down to her waist, holding her in place. Since the place was against his body, which felt warm and strong against hers, she didn't mind at all. Halley moved a hand under Val's shirt and he groaned when she made contact.

Intrigued, she freed her other hand to join the first, running them over his back and then, giving into a devilish urge, down over his ass. Val made a noise much like a growl and moved to his knees. Halley stared at him with wide eyes as he stripped off his shirt, then squeaked in surprise when he did the same to her.

"Now." Val leaned over, forcing her back to the floor. Anticipation made her stomach feel full of butterflies and she watched as he undid her bra and pushed it off her shoulders. "If I said you had a beautiful body—and you do..." He met her eyes and then dropped his head to rub his cheek against the soft skin of her breasts.

Halley was paralyzed, her breathing shallow. She was torn between embarrassment and excitement.

"Would you hold it against me?" Val kissed the crook of her neck.

"What?" Halley couldn't think.

Val chuckled and raised a hand to cup one full breast, running his thumb over the tip. It hardened immediately; Halley breathed in sharply at the unexpected contact. He repeated the question.

"Oh, well." Halley closed her eyes and swallowed. "Yes."

Val looked relieved. "Good."

Good doesn't begin to describe it, Halley thought as she and Val managed to shuffle off the rest of their clothes. When at last they were touching with nothing between them, she dropped her head against his chest and tried to even out her breathing.

"Halley." Val nudged her chin up so she would look at him. "Are you all right? We don't have to do this. We can stop anytime. I promise."

"It's just unexpected. I didn't think you'd do anything like this. I wasn't even sure I'd come up here until I did."

"I'm glad you did."

"Me, too."

"So...do you want to stop?" Val looked, she thought, nervous.

"No, I don't."

"I was serious earlier, Halley. I'm not looking for just one night with you. I like you and I think if you give me a chance, you'll like me, too."

"Val, if I didn't like you at least a little, we'd hardly be in this situation." Halley arched an eyebrow at him.

"Good point." He nodded. "Let's see if I can make you like me more than a little."

Halley succumbed to his kisses and touches; she wanted to reciprocate but wasn't sure how.

"Later." Val said before he took her breast in his mouth. "Next time."

"Okay." That was all Halley could get out before Val drove all thoughts out of her head.

He was intense in his attentions, but never aggressive. Halley couldn't remember the last time—not that there had been many times to start with—that someone had coaxed all these sensations from her body. She could do little but react, and when Val used his hand to bring her to her first orgasm, she could only hold on to his shoulders and ride out the waves of pleasure.

Afterwards, they lay in the loft with the candles flickering down to their bases.

"Never did that before." Val's voice was laced with sleep and satisfaction.

"Did what?"

"Made love in the loft." He pulled her closer and kissed her cheek. "I swear to God, this wasn't my plan, Halley. I just wanted to get you somewhere alone, somewhere we could talk without anyone coming by. This was the only place I could think of."

"It was a good idea." She smiled at him.

"It was." He sighed. "I wish we could stay here but I think that might be tempting fate. How about coming back to my place, beautiful?"

"All right." Halley stretched and laughed at Val's open admiration for the view. "We can always come back, right? It'll be...our place. Rick and Ilsa had Paris; we'll have the loft."

x-x-x-x

And that worked real well until I found him with someone else up there. Halley flopped over and punched her pillow and tried to force herself to sleep.

She fell into a fitful doze and at last into a semblance of sleep until morning. She was up early, and her eyes felt gritty, but she got up anyway. Not like lying here is going to help anything.

A shower helped a little, and dressing in her favorite sweater lifted her mood a bit more. She got some breakfast, then decided to go for a walk. Maybe later she'd go for a run, but a morning walk was a good way to start the day, she thought. A little music, a little exercise; she was sure it would boost her mood. She almost believed it.

It was a nice day, if a bit chilly, but she didn't mind. She focused on her music, refusing to think about anything else, and almost bumped into someone on the path.

"Oh, wow, sorry." She pulled her earbuds out. "I'm really sorry. I wasn't paying attention." She would have said more but couldn't. The man in front of her made her speechless, and she wasn't sure if that was a good thing.

"No, I'm sorry. It was my fault." He grinned and held out a hand. "My name's Mel."

"Oh, nice to meet you. I'm Halley." She raised her own hand, which he took and instead of shaking it, brought it to his lips for a kiss. Halley felt her stomach churn as he did and his eyes never left hers.

"Pleased to meet you, lovely Halley." His eyes roamed over her body.

She wanted to make a cutting remark, but had a feeling he wouldn't care. This guy, Mel, looked way too sure of himself.

"Well, sorry again." She took a step to the side and he mirrored her. "Look, I've really got to get back. Excuse me."

"Leaving so soon? We've just met."

"Yes, I know, but like I said. I have to get back." Halley stepped to the other side and was once again met by Mel.

"Let me walk with you, please." He grinned at her and she felt her defenses melt a little. "I'm new here. First day on the job."

"Job?" Halley was puzzled. "Oh. Oh. You must be Val's replacement." Saying it made her realize that Val might, in fact, stay at his new job. She wasn't sure how she felt about that.

Mel nodded. "That's right. And if I'd known how attractive my co-workers would be, I'd have shown up sooner."

"You're a smooth one." Halley smiled and shook her head. "We'll all have to watch our step around you, won't we?"

"I'll be good, I promise." Mel let his eyes wander over her again. "I think." Then he laughed. "Come, lovely Halley. Take me to your leader."

x-x-x-x

January 15

A knock on his door yanked Val out of his current computer file, and he was profoundly grateful. "Come in."

A gorgeous, exotic woman with long, shiny black hair and mischievous eyes to match entered. "Hello, sir. Val, if I may. I'm Izzy. We met at the staff meeting."

"Of course." Val gave her a pleasant smile, which he hoped masked his fatigue. "Can I help you?"

"That's what I was going to ask." Her full, sensual lips quirked up in a smile.

Val's mouth went dry. Had he not noticed how beautiful, how sexual this woman was before? Her hair slid over her shoulders, moving with her curves. Nice curves, Val thought. Her breasts were round and full, her waist trim and her hips swayed from side to side and gave a man many ideas.

He swallowed, or tried to. "Sorry?" He'd thought he was detached enough to be confident around any woman, but it was clear Izzy was not just any woman.

Izzy sauntered around his desk, dragging a finger along the top before stopping in front of his chair. She hoisted herself up onto his desk in a smooth, fluid movement and crossed her legs. Her long, shapely legs, Val noted. They'd keep a man...happily confined, he was sure.

"Well, I realize this must be very stressful for you," she began, and her voice was smooth as honey, although perhaps not quite so sweet. "And I thought I might offer some help in...relaxing."

"I'm good."

Val reminded himself that office relationships never worked out. Just look at me and Halley. Thinking of Halley had the odd effect of eliminating some of his fear of Izzy. However, she was a formidable presence and he decided to watch his step.

"No, you're not." Izzy's voice was a reprimand wrapped in a purr. "We all know how stressful things are this time of year. Doubly so for you, I'm sure, with so little previous experience."

Val jumped as he felt her foot on his thigh, and inching upwards. "Ah, yes, well, I appreciate the concern, but I'm catching on. A little rough right now, but..." Her foot found his crotch and his eyes bulged as she began to rub her toes against the sudden bulge his pants.

"But?" she prompted, continuing to move her foot.

"But, ah..." Val snapped back to himself enough to push his chair out of her reach. "But I'm pretty busy so the relaxing will just have to wait a while."

Distance was no barrier; Val found himself with a lapful of sultry, sexy woman. She leaned forward, her breasts pressing against his shirt and leaving little doubt of how they might feel under his hands.

"If you don't make time," Izzy told him, "then sometimes the important things get lost." She nudged her hips against him and he froze, not sure what to do.

"Look, Izzy, you are absolutely gorgeous and..." Val shifted and couldn't stifle a groan as he rubbed against her body. He took a deep breath and kept going. "And I'm immensely flattered, but..."

"Izzy!"

The woman in his lap sighed and rolled her eyes, but instead of getting up, only turned half around towards the door. "Yes, Rhodi, can I help you?"

The blonde woman at the door stared daggers at the woman in Val's lap. "You can get your ass back to work, that's what you can do."

Val had a bad feeling about this. He cleared his throat. "Ladies. Excuse me." He put his hands on Izzy's waist and forced himself to ignore the feel of her hot, silky skin as he pushed her off and stood up. Izzy let out a small noise of surprise, and Val took fleeting satisfaction in it.

"Yes, Rhodi, what can I do for you?" Val gave her a friendly smile, which was to say the least, not returned.

"Never mind, I came at a bad time." Her eyes sparked with anger.

Izzy laughed and walked to the door, swaying her hips in a motion that entranced Val for a moment, until Rhodi's chilly "ahem" brought him back to the present.

"Rhodi, I dare say the only thing bad about your timing is that I got here first." Izzy gave her a smile, but it was laced with a challenge.

The other woman opened her mouth to speak when Tina came in. "Oh, excuse me. Rhodi, if you would, I believe Chac would like to consult with you. Izzy, I took a few messages for you that need your attention."

Val managed to keep from gaping as Tina maneuvered everyone as though the tension in the room was not thick enough to cut. Rhodi asked, in an even if not friendly voice, where she might find Chac. Izzy took the messages that Tina held out and with a final wink at Val, left the office.

Words would not suffice, Val decided once the other women had left. He went over to Tina and dropped to his knees. "I love you."

She laughed and gave him a playful smack on the shoulder as he stood. When she was finished, she sighed and shook her head.

"What?" Val hoped he hadn't offended her. He'd just been so relieved to have avoided bloodshed in the office.

"You don't love me." She arched an eyebrow at him.

"Well, not yet..." He winked.

"One day you'll want to say that for real," she told him. "We all will. The best to hope for is that we don't miss our chance."

Val was silent, considering her words, until she reminded him of the tightening schedule.

x-x-x-x

January 17

Halley finished her workout and blotted her face with a towel. She grinned at Martha as the other woman kept moving, adding a few dance moves before stopping and turning off the music.

"Thanks, Martha. You do the best workouts."

"We aim to please." Martha grinned and they headed to the locker room. "Can't have any of us fall down on the cardio workouts."

"No kidding. It's too easy to get out of shape in the off-season." Halley held the door open for her friend.

"So, you seen the new guy?" Martha went over and began to strip out of her damp workout clothes. "Hubba hubba."

Halley laughed. "You mean Mel? Yeah, he's not too hard on the eyes."

"Oh, baby." Martha fanned herself. "That's an understatement."

"Better make that a cold shower," Halley teased.

"What about you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Come on, Halley. The man is fine, and he watches you a lot."

"He does?" Halley shrugged. "Well, that's okay then, I guess."

They were quiet as they adjusted the water in their respective shower cubicles, then Martha raised her voice to be heard.

"How's Val doing at the new place?"

"Okay, I guess." Halley was once again annoyed at the fluttery feeling in her stomach as she thought of Val. "I haven't really heard. You might want to ask Don, or Blix. It must be okay or we'd have heard or he'd come back, right?"

"I guess."

They completed the showers in silence and toweled off before returning to the lockers.

Halley left the towel on her hair as she dressed. She pulled on jeans and a sweater and looked over at Martha. A small wave of envy spiked up as she watched Martha slip into a black pencil skirt and green silk blouse, which picked up her hazel eyes and emphasized the light coffee color of her skin.

"Martha, I wish I had your sense of style. That color is so great on you." Halley sighed. "I could never pick out an outfit like that."

"Sure you could." Martha laughed. "You just don't spend enough time looking. On the other hand..." She paused and tapped a red, tapered nail against straight white teeth, then shrugged. "You must be doing something right. Like I said, the new guy can't stop looking at you."

Halley made a dismissive sound and smiled, then picked up her bag as they walked out. She said good bye to Martha and headed back to her own place. So Mel couldn't stop looking at her? She smiled to herself as she tossed her clothes in the hamper.

That's not the worst thing.

x-x-x-x

January 24

Val was ready to tear his hair out. He looked up at Tina.

"I don't get it. We're three weeks out and I feel like I haven't slept for three days and won't for another four. Before I had this job, four weeks was more than enough time to figure out what to do. I don't get it."

"Oh, Val, don't worry so much." Tina pushed her hair back. "Before this, if you planned anything, it was just for one person, right?" He nodded and she went on. "But even then, anything extra special would require extra planning. Think of this as doing extra planning for a lot of people."

"Why can't they do the planning themselves?" Val shoved himself up and away from his desk. "Why does this whole relationship thing have to be so...so damn complicated?" He whirled to face her. "How hard is it, really, to talk? To buy some chocolates? Huh?"

Tina looked away and pursed her lips. Val dropped into his chair. He'd learned that when Tina made that particular face, she was going to be direct. He hated that.

"You know, Val...sir, rumor has it that you were quite the, ah, expert on romantic things before taking this position."

He rolled his eyes. "God save me from my reputation. I wasn't that bad, you know."

"I'm sure not." Tina gave an enigmatic smile. "It seems to me, though, if you don't mind me being frank, that perhaps..."

"Perhaps what?"

"Perhaps you find all this stressful not just because it's new but because...it's hitting a little close to home?"

"What are you talking about?"

Tina sighed and dropped her hands in her lap. "Again, Val, I don't mean to gossip, but: word got out that you were involved with someone, and then it didn't work out. That's often difficult for people to deal with, especially at this time of year. So let me ask you—how hard is it, really, to talk?"

"It's not...I didn't..." Val dropped his head on his desk. "I never should have taken this job. What the hell was I thinking?"

"I don't know. I wasn't there."

Val looked up with a half-hearted glare, but Tina's face was the picture of innocence. She's such a smart liar. She was a step ahead of him, and he had the feeling she always would be. On the other hand, he also suspected she was a step ahead of everyone, and that was a little comfort.

"You're a...you really know how to take the wind out of a guy's sails, you know that?" Val propped his chin in his hand and looked at her.

The corners of her mouth twitched. "Well, you asked and it was an honest answer. Besides, we don't have time for you to be feeling sorry for yourself."

"No, I guess not." Val sighed and scrubbed his face with his hands. "Okay. Let's start over."

Tina was quiet for a moment, tapping her fingers against her notebook. Val watched her with narrowed eyes.

"What?"

She looked up, startled. "What what?"

Val sighed. "When you do the tapping thing, you're planning something. Like you're going to teach me a lesson. Makes me feel like I'm in first grade again."

"Do I really?" She shook her head and laughed. "Well, this is different from your previous job, you must admit. And most of us come from a sort of background in the field. You didn't. Since we're in a pinch here, I'm trying to think of the most efficient way to both bring you up to speed and get things accomplished."

"I'm not sure if I've been insulted." Val leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling. "But, even if I have been, I don't mind, because you're right."

"You're learning fast, don't get me wrong. It's just that when you're in the business of relationships, things get..." Tina waved her hands in front of her as though trying to encompass a cloud. "Messy."

"Tell me about it." Val kept his eyes on the ceiling and started counting the tiles. Messy didn't begin to cover how he felt about things with Halley. Even the fact that he was still thinking about it, months after the fact, was messing with him, if not messy per se. I sit here every day, surrounded by women so beautiful it should be illegal, and all I can think about is her. Not that Halley wasn't pretty, he allowed; in fact, he'd thought she was gorgeous. That sleek brown hair and those tawny eyes...

Yeah, well, she's the one who broke it off, he reminded himself. Never let me explain, wouldn't even give me the chance to try. So she can just...

"Come on, Val. Let's take a break and try something else."

He looked at Tina, suspicious. "What?"

"Let's try the real world approach."

Alarms went off in his head. "I'm not sure I'm ready for that."

"It'll be an observation trip. Come on."

Val shrugged and got up to follow her. She led him outside, and then through a maze of pathways he knew he'd never remember, and soon they were walking by a park. It was chilly, but he guessed the weather was warmer than usual from the number of people walking around, and commented on it to Tina.

Tina nodded. "Sometimes you just have to get out to avoid cabin fever." She scanned the area and Val wondered if they were supposed to meet someone. "Ah, there's our man." She gestured at a bench, on which sat a young man in jeans and a ski jacket, but no hat or gloves. His hands were stuffed in his pockets, and the breeze flicked through his sandy blond hair.

"Our man?" Val looked the man on the bench and then back to Tina. What do you mean?"

"Come on, you'll see."

Val and Tina walked towards the bench but kept their distance. To his surprise, he saw someone from the office. "Tina, isn't that...Ross?"

"It is." She lowered her voice. "Watch."

Ross jogged over and dropped onto the bench, laughing as he did. "Whew. Didn't think I'd make that last basket. Not that I mind buying lunch but those guys—" He jerked his head toward a basketball court where a pickup game was still going. "—would use up a week's pay."

The man on the bench gave a half-hearted smile and nodded, staring at the ground in front of him.

"Hey, I'm Ross." He held out a hand.

"What? Oh. Hi. I'm Brad." The other man gripped Ross' hand for a firm shake.

"You look like a man with something on his mind," Ross observed. "A woman, right?"

Brad chuffed out a breath. "Is it ever anything else?"

Ross laughed with him. "They do make things interesting. So what is it? Christmas present not big enough? No, wait; she's expecting the mother of all Valentine's Day celebrations."

"No." Brad shook his head. "Well, not from me, anyway."

"No? You not big on the day?"

"No. I mean, I don't mind it but...nah, never mind. It's stupid." He glanced over at Ross. "And I don't know why I'd talk to a stranger about it, anyway. What are you, some sort of shrink?"

Ross laughed. "Not hardly. Just been down a few roads and recognized a fellow traveler is all."

"She doesn't even know me. I mean, she knows me, but doesn't notice me, I guess." Brad decided to talk, Val noticed. Ross was pretty slick.

Val listened with interest but kept his distance. He turned to Tina to ask a question, but she shook her head, put a finger over her lips and indicated he should keep quiet.

"You work at a big office?" Ross asked.

"Kind of. Not that big but big enough." Brad shrugged. "It's just...she's always so confident. Always kind of flirting, but not in a mean way or anything. She even tried flirting with me, but I'm no good at that. I think she thinks I don't like her."

"Hmmm. Well, that's not so bad." Ross stretched his legs out. "I mean, you know each other, so that's half the battle, right? No awkward introductions to worry about?"

Brad scoffed. "I'm awkward at everything. It's a mess." Then he sighed. "I'd give her the best Valentine's Day ever, if she wanted it, but I can't even ask her to lunch."

"So what's her name?"

"Anna." Brad seemed to linger on the name.

He's already in love with her, Val realized. So what's the problem?

"Hey, I know an Anna." Ross slapped his hand on the bench. "What's your Anna look like?"

"Oh, about five-five, curly blonde hair, green eyes." Brad shrugged. "She's a data analyst."

"No way." Ross stared at him. "Is it Anna Chatham, by any chance?"

"Does he really know her?" Val murmured to Tina. She gave him a look, shook her head and poked him in the ribs.

Brad goggled. "Yeah. You know her?"

"Small world, huh?" Ross shook his head. "Listen. I know Anna pretty well, and I also know that she puts up a bit of a front. She is friendly, don't get me wrong, but all the flirting...she does it to keep a distance, you know? If you went right up to her, and asked her out, with no teasing, no double entendres, she'd be all over you." Ross cleared his throat. "Figuratively speaking, of course."

"You think so?" Brad was doubtful.

"I do, and here's another hint." Ross leaned over as though drawing the other man into a conspiracy. "She's been dying to go to the aquarium."

"So you're saying I should go up and ask her on a date...to go see fish?"

Ross grinned. "Yes."

Doubt faded as Brad thought about it and nodded. "All right. Hey, yeah. That's a great idea. I think they even have a special deal for Valentine's Day. We can go and check it out and then we'll have something to talk about over dinner." He smiled.

"Excellent idea." Ross nodded and stood. "Good luck, and tell her Ross said hi."

Tina tugged on Val's arm and they walked back to the office.

"So, you see?" she asked as they settled on either side of his desk. "You see what we do?"

"We help shy people?"

Tina gave him a sharp look and he felt bad.

"In that one instance, yes, we helped a shy person." Her tone had a little frost to it and Val's best smile failed to thaw it. "Do you not see this, really? Because if you don't, Val, you shouldn't be here. We'd be better off on our own."

He was taken back by her blunt assessment. Echoes of Halley's accusations when he took the job raced through his mind. Could he really not to do it? No, he thought. No, he was capable, he just needed to focus.

"Okay, Tina, you're right. I haven't been looking at this the right way. Please, in all seriousness, tell me. I want to do this and I want to do it right." He laid his hands on his desk and hoped she believed him.

She nodded. "All right."

x-x-x-x

February 1

Halley picked at a salad as she read a book and ate her lunch. It was too cold to be outside, but she had found a sunny table by a window. I can almost pretend it's spring, she thought.

"Excuse me. Is this seat taken?"

Halley jumped at the unexpected voice and looked up to find Mel smiling down at her. "Um, no. Help yourself."

"Thanks." He relaxed into the chair. "I couldn't leave a lovely lady like you all alone here."

"That's sweet." Halley smiled at the compliment and found she didn't mind as his eyes took their time looking her over. It had been a while since any guy had looked at her like that. Not that it got the same reaction as when Val had, but...She shook her head. "So, Mel, how are you settling in?"

"Oh, no problems at all. Everyone is very helpful. Very...friendly."

She swallowed as the look on his face became a bit more intense. "I'm glad to hear it. We all try to help each other out." Do I really sound that nervous? she wondered.

"All right, Halley, I'm no good at beating around the bush." He leaned forward in his seat and although her instinct was to lean back, his ice blue eyes held her in place. "You're a beautiful woman, lovely Halley, and I'd like to get to know you more...intimately."

"Oh. Um. Oh." Her voice cracked a little on the last syllable. "That's...thank you." She had a feeling Lem would be good at anything involving intimacy.

"So, shall we go somewhere a bit more private? Somewhere we can talk, alone?" He stroked her hand and tingles shot up her arm.

Halley was quiet for a minute, then a sizzle of resolve went through her. What woman in her right mind turns down the chance to get to know a guy like this?

"Sure, Mel. I'd like that."

x-x-x-x

February 4

Val stared at the phone. He wanted help, but it felt like admitting defeat. On the other hand, he had ten days to go and despite all the work he'd been doing, and Tina's patience, he felt like he'd never make it. He wondered on a daily basis whether Tina had been right, whether he should leave and let the professionals handle it.

You're a professional now, bucko, he reminded himself. Don't take the cowards way out.

No, he decided. Better to ask for help and get the job done, then try to brave it and do it wrong. Leaving a job undone, throwing work onto his colleagues—that had never been his style. He was about to dial when there was a knock at the door.

"Come in." He prayed it was Tina. Ever since his encounter with Izzy, he'd been leery of seeing her again. She was gorgeous, but she was so much...woman.

"Good morning, Val." Rhodi smiled at him from the doorway.

He started to relax, but something in her eyes kept him on guard. "Good morning, Rhodi. Come on in. What can I do for you?"

She slinked across the room and into a chair. The slit in her skirt went to the top of her thigh and Val held his breath, wondering what would happen if she shifted her legs. He jerked his eyes up, but it was no better. Her breasts were displayed to her advantage, and had he not been behind a desk, to his own disadvantage. The smile playing over her lips warned Val that she might be there for more than just a chat.

"You're looking a bit stressed, Val. Perhaps I could help? A massage, maybe?" The sultry voice washed through him.

"Ah, no, no thanks. Appreciate the offer, but I'm fine."

"You don't look fine." She gave a throaty laugh. "Well, you do, but you know what I mean."

He wondered if he was glowing red. "Yes, I do. Um, thanks. Now, is there something you wanted?"

"Oh, always." She stood and came around the desk. Val would have pushed his chair away but she went behind him, trapping him between the desk and the chair. "But I've learned to prioritize," she told him.

"I see." Val closed his eyes and tried to focus. It was difficult when her hair smelled of honeysuckle, and the floral scent of it suffused his body. He could imagine how that lovely blonde hair would look spilled out over a pillow, or hanging over her shoulders, trailing over her breast and to the top of her tight, pink...

"Okay." He tore himself out of the fantasy, feeling as though he was cheating on someone. "So what's the priority?"

"I want a promotion." Rhodi's voice was firm, a contrast to the softness of her skin, of her breasts, which pushed up against his shoulder and made all the blood in his body rush south.

"A promo...a promotion?" Surprise beat back arousal. "What?"

"I'm bored." Rhodi slid around and into his lap before he could protest. "I want a change. I think we need to shake things up around here."

"Now? With less than two weeks to go?" Val stared at her, incredulous. "Rhodi, I have too much going on just trying to keep things running. I can't go switching people around."

"Oh, I like the sound of that." She shifted in his lap and he bit back a groan, then another as she ran her fingers along the vee of her shirt collar. "I like...working with new people."

Val watched, entranced, as the slim finger ran along the material, then just over the valley between what had to be two of the most perfect breasts ever made, and then up the other side. He followed it as she drew it up along her neck and along her jaw, laid it over her pink bow of a mouth.

God. Val fought for a semblance of control. I am way overmatched here.

"Ah, Rhodi, I really, really think this is something better discussed in a couple of weeks." He dared to put his hands on her waist, as he had with Izzy, and started to move her when the door opened. "Oh, God, not again," he whispered.

"Sleeping your way to the top, Rhodi?"

Val saw June in the doorway and wondered if his day could get any worse. Still, he tried to smooth things over. "No, no. I know what it looks like, but Rhodi was just going." He started to lift her up and she resisted for a moment, flicking a malicious smile towards June. Then glided off his lap and stood up, straightening her clothes.

"Relax, June. You're only mad that I got here first."

June seethed. "We do not have time for this right now, and if you weren't such a self-centered b—"

"Okay, ladies, if that's all?" Val drew himself up to the desk and held on as though it was a shield. "We're all busy, I know, and we'd better get cracking."

Rhodi tossed him a sultry smile and swayed her hips as she left. June took a deep breath and gave Val a smile. He almost did a double take at the change that came over her; her cold features relaxed and her brown eyes had a soft look. Oh, no. That's not good. She's about to do the same thing as Rhodi.

June strode over to the desk, as sure and confident in her walk as Rhodi had been lascivious in hers. "I imagine I know what Rhodi told you. She wants a promotion. Well, so do I."

"I told her, I don't think it's a good idea to mess around right now." Val winced at his choice of words.

June laughed, a softer yet no less sexy sound than her predecessor. "She tends to think it's always a good idea to 'mess around,' so to speak. But in all seriousness, I agree with you."

"You do?"

"Yes, there's far too much going on right now to worry about promotions, demotions, transfers, and all of that."

"Right." Val nodded but was wary. He had a feeling there was a catch.

"There's plenty of time for that afterwards." Her voice was a purr on the last word.

"Right." Val stood up. "You know, June, you're right. I'll have to check everything when we're over the hump. But if you'll excuse me, I have a call to make."

June looked surprised, but stood. "Certainly. Please, feel free to ask me..."

"I will. Thanks." Val escorted her to the door.

Confused, June left.

Val dove for his phone and hit speed dial. "Blix? You have got to help me."

x-x-x-x

February 6

"It's open." Val didn't even look up at the sound of a knock on the door anymore. Partly he was used to it, partly he didn't have time. He'd been applying himself almost every waking hour to the new job, going to Tina without hesitation whenever he had a question. If she couldn't answer, she'd direct him to whoever could.

"Hey, Val. Some setup you have here."

Val turned at the voice and a tidal wave of relief washed over him. "Blix!" He stood and walked over, and shook his friend's hand. "Am I glad to see you!"

"Don't see why." Blix looked around, then saw the wall screens and the terminals on Val's desk. His green eyes, behind his glasses, grew wide. "Oh, man...you have...oh, wow."

Val stifled a laugh. It was second nature to tease Blix about his affection for technology, but on occasion one might go too far. It was hard to know where Blix drew the line at teasing versus insults, and Val had no desire to offend the one person he thought could help him.

He tried but he couldn't resist. "Blix, man, don't drool on the carpet."

"Sorry. But man, this is just too cool."

Val sighed and gestured for Blix to follow him to the desk. "Look, I know this probably looks like tech heaven to you, but it's purgatory, at best, for me. I'm trying like crazy to get up to speed but I don't know..." He shook his head.

"What?" asked Blix. He shook his head in a futile attempt to get his messy reddish-brown hair out of his eyes. "Hitting some glitches? Bugs in the programs?"

"No, it's not that. It's..." Val tried to think. He was getting better, he knew he was; Tina had told him so, and if she said it, there had to be something to it. He'd know her long enough to know she didn't dole out fake compliments. Still, there was something he was missing; a fact, or a link, a piece of the puzzle that was just beyond his reach.

He tried to explain it to Blix and felt as though he'd botched it. "I just keep thinking that whatever's missing, if I find it, I'll be fine, you know? But right now, with it missing, I'm just kind of...floundering."

"Okay. I can see that." Blix nodded and dropped his bag on the floor by the desk. "I've been like that with some different programs and games. It's like all the instructions are there but until you see them in action, it's just theory. Once you can link the theory to the application, it all fits and it's like you knew it all along."

Val stared at him. "That's it. When did you get so philosophical?"

Blix shrugged and stared at the monitors. "I'm not a total geek. I read."

"I bet you do. So, can you help me?"

Blix grinned and wiggled his fingers. "Let me at it."

Val stepped back and let Blix have the chair, unable to prevent a small laugh when he saw how happy his friend was. He took the opportunity to ask Tina for coffee and then to drop into one of the leather occasional chairs that faced the desk.

"Here you go, Val." Tina brought his coffee.

"Thanks. You're an angel." The compliment was sincere; he'd given up trying to hit on her. For one thing, she was the most resistant woman he'd met on that count. For another, Rhodi and June, not to mention Izzy, had him petrified of getting involved with any of the women at the office.

"Tina, this is my friend, Blix. Uber-geek, and indispensible in times of crisis."

She looked at her watch. "We're not in a crisis yet. We have another week."

Val tried to laugh through a tight throat. "Ah, Blix? Blix?" It took one more try before his friend looked up, owlish eyes blinking behind the glasses. "Blix, this is Tina, my PA."

"Hi." Blix nodded and looked at Val. "This is...this program gives a whole new meaning to relational databases. It's incredible."

"It is, indeed," Tina agreed.

Val was relieved that she wasn't put off by Blix's manner. When it came to women, Blix seemed to be the opposite of Val. He never made any move towards or away from them, because he didn't register them as, well, women.

"So, what's the problem?" Blix asked.

"I don't know." Tina turned to Val. "What is the problem? I thought you were doing rather well."

"Thanks, but there's just something I'm missing." He shook his head. "I hoped Blix might be able to tell me. He's so good with computers."

"All right. If you'll excuse me, I need to go check on a few things."

"You bet. Thanks again for the coffee." Val smiled at her and was rewarded with one in return. Blix stared for a moment, then went back to the computers. Val watched him with narrowed eyes.

"What did you think of Tina?"

"Hmmm?" Blix didn't look up.

"Tina. The gorgeous woman who just left the room. What did you think of her?" Val rolled his eyes.

"Oh. She seems nice."

"'Nice?' Good God, man. She's one of the most gorgeous women out there." He sighed and stared out the window. "Not as pretty as Halley, though."

"I guess. The new guy thinks she's pretty hot."

Val started, not realizing he'd spoken aloud. Blix's words took a minute to process. "What? New guy? What new guy? Who's hot?"

Blix gave a small shrug. "Mel, the new guy who came in to your spot. Tall guy. He's been spending a lot of time with Halley. Saw him at the gym once and he was saying how pretty she was."

"You were at the gym?"

"Computer system went down. I fixed it."

"Of course." Val wondered why he'd ever thought Blix might visit a gym to work out. "Wait. You don't gossip. How could you know what he thinks of Halley? Or how much time they spend together?"

Blix fixed him with a bland look. "I may not talk. Doesn't mean I don't listen. Besides, it's hard for me to miss when they're together all the time."

"All the..."

"So what?" Blix went back to the computers, tapping away. "I mean, you guys weren't together, right?"

"What? No. I mean, I don't know. I mean..." He shook his head and sighed. For a while, he was silent, thinking of nothing in particular and listening to Blix punch keys and mutter to himself. He was so deep in thought that it wasn't until Blix shouted his name that he reacted.

"What? What is it?" Val looked up.

"I've been all over your system and it's working fine." Blix stretched. "I don't know what you want me to do."

"But..." Val was flummoxed. "But something's not working. I'm doing something wrong."

"Okay, just show me what."

Val came over and stared at the screen. "Well, look, like here and here." He pointed at two cells on the screen. "It says they match. But when I try to put them together, it's like magnets repelling."

"Oh." Blix scratched his chin, then ran a hand through his hair. "I dunno."

"'I dunno?' You're the computer whiz and the best you can come up with is 'I dunno?" Val glared at him.

"Look, Val. I came, I checked it out. It works. I don't know what more you want."

"I want to know why that doesn't work!" Val slammed a hand on the desk in frustration. "They match on all the important things but whenever I click click 'Go,' I get a rejection message. It should work! Come in!" He barked the last as someone knocked.

"I'm sorry, is this a bad time?" Izzy gave a sultry smile as she stepped in. Engrossed in his computer problems, Val barely noticed.

"Actually, Izzy, it is. I'm sorry. Can you tell Tina what you need? Or set up a time to meet with me later?"

"Sure. But who's your friend?" She glided across the room, her eyes focused on Blix. "Hi, I'm Izzy."

Silence. Val looked at Blix, immobile as a deer in headlights except for his bobbing Adam's apple. He realized his friend was paralyzed with fear and almost laughed.

"Izzy, this is Blix. Blix, this is Izzy." He waved his hand from one to the other.

"Hello, Blix. New on the job?" She came to his chair and leaned over; he couldn't avoid staring at her breasts as he held them at eye level.

"I...ah...just helping...um..."

"Izzy, please. I'm having some computer problems and I asked Blix to help. Later, okay?" A random thought struck him. "Say, where's Lem these days? He missed the last staff meeting."

She sighed in mock disappointment. "All right. And Lem took a little personal time. Now, don't worry." Izzy placed a slim finger over Val's lips and his mouth went dry despite his distractions. "He's got everything under control. He's never let us down, and I'll remind him about the next meeting."

"Yeah, thanks."

Izzy waved as she exited. Val looked down at Blix, then whacked him on the back. "Breathe, man."

"Jesus." Blix gasped for air. "She's...oh, my God."

"Yeah, her and all the others," Val muttered, staring at the screen as though he could rearrange the letters into the answer he sought.

"Others?" Blix shot out of the chair. "I have to go."

"What? Come on, man, it's not that bad. And I want you to tell me about Halley and..."

"Sorry. Ask her yourself. Gotta run." Blix grabbed his bag and started for the door but Val snagged his arm.

"Blix, what's up with the program? That's why you came, right?"

"Ah, yeah. There's nothing wrong." He edged away but Val kept hold of his arm. "Sorry, Val. I've been over it and the program is functioning properly. If those two blocks don't match, they don't match."

"All right, thanks." Val sighed and let go. "Listen, say hi to...everyone for me, okay?"

"You bet." Blix was gone in a flash.

"What am I missing?" Val wondered aloud.

x-x-x-x

February 9

Halley hummed as she walked over to meet Mel. He'd suggested a hike and it sounded like a great idea. She'd been inside all week attending planning meetings. The busy season was months away, but the more they could plan and organize ahead of time, the easier things would be later.

She slowed down as she passed the gazebo. Her cheeks flushed as she remembered spending some time with Val there. Some very pleasurable time. I can't believe he got me to do that. When anyone could have walked by!

Well, not anyone, she consoled herself. It had been late, after midnight, so the chances of anyone finding them while they'd been...busy...had been slim.

Even so...Halley swallowed as she remembered how Val had led her there as though on a mission. He'd stared at her with a hungry look that whole night, and when he'd at last gotten her in the gazebo, he'd kissed her as though he hadn't seen her for days.

"You are so beautiful," he'd said in between his hungry, passionate kisses. "I wish I'd asked you up to the loft sooner."

She'd only been able to nod in reply, speechless as his skilled hands roamed her body. His hands had skimmed her sides, then come up to stroke her breasts, then cupped her bottom and pulled her against him. She'd felt every inch of his desire and clung to him, hoping he could feel hers.

I wasn't the only one who clung to him, she thought and her mood turned dark. Lots of clinging went on the loft that night I found him with her...whoever she was.

Picking up her pace, she went away from the gazebo at almost a jog. The worst part, she thought, was that until she'd caught him, Val had been terrific. They talked a lot, found out they had music and movies in common. He'd been sympathetic and understanding when she talked about her estrangement from her parents, and never tried to downplay or dismiss her feelings.

She'd felt comfortable with him, and had fallen into the rhythm of their relationship with surprising ease. Then...she'd found him. Rolling in the hay, in the most literal fashion, with some woman.

Vicki and the others had tried to convince her to at least let Val explain, but she wouldn't have any of it. Leopards and spots, Halley had told them, and after a time they'd left it alone. Val had tried to apologize, but she'd refused to listen. What was the point, she'd thought?

"Ah, lovely Halley!"

She jerked herself out of her thoughts at the sound of Mel's booming voice. "Oh. Hi, Mel."

He quirked an eyebrow at her. "All I get is an 'oh, hi?'"

"Sorry. Just...lost in thought." She shrugged.

"Well, put those thoughts out of your head, pretty lady. We have a beautiful day before us, and we should enjoy it!" He spread his arms as though to display it to her.

"You're right." Halley forced a smile and took the hand he held out. It was a gorgeous day, she thought, and she'd be damned if she'd let thoughts of him ruin it.

They walked for a while, with Mel making random comments and keeping up an easy conversation, requiring little of Halley other than the occasional nod and noise of agreement. When he mentioned Valentine's Day, she stopped.

"What?"

"Well, I'd hoped that perhaps we could do something that day. Or night." He gave her a suggestive wink. "Whichever you'd prefer."

"Thanks, Mel, but...I'm not much for Valentine's Day."

"What? That day of all days?" He placed a hand over his heart, and Halley thought for a moment he was genuinely shocked by her answer. Then she decided he must be teasing.

"It's just another day, really. Truth is, Mel, I broke up with someone a while ago and so romantic days like that aren't high on my list of favorite things."

"Oh, my dear Halley." Mel stood in front of her and she was struck by how he oozed sex and sex appeal. "We can't have that."

She stared up at him, lost for a moment in the cool blue eyes. He put his hands on her shoulders and she felt their warmth through her whole body.

"You are much too pretty to give up on romance."

"I haven't given up on it. I'm just not in the mood."

"Well, you're lucky then." He flashed a smile that made her knees melt just a little despite her efforts to resist. "I am an expert at getting a person in the mood." He slid an arm around her shoulder and resumed their walk.

"Oh." Halley swallowed in a dry throat and wondered if she should bother resisting him anymore.

x-x-x-x

February 11

There were three days to go and Val was close to tearing his hair out. Not only did he still not understand what was wrong with his matches on the program, he'd heard through the grapevine that Halley and Mel were getting close. Closer. Whichever it was, it was driving him nuts.

"She should have been mine," he said to the empty office. "If she'd only let me apologize..." He sighed. No use dwelling on it. He decided to focus all his efforts on the matching question. Now it was a personal challenge and he never backed down from a challenge.

"Val, you should take a break." Tina came in and perched on the edge of his desk.

"Later. I'm close. Really. I've almost got it."

She laid a hand on his arm. "Val, please. Take a break."

"What? Oh, okay." He sat back and sighed. "Problems anywhere?"

"No. Ross' load is slowing down, and Chac has everything organized, as he always does. Even Rhodi and June and Izzy are too busy to argue with each other."

"Thank God for that."

"How about you? You're looking a bit stressed."

"I'm so close." He shrugged and held his hands out in a gesture of helplessness. "I don't know what I'm missing."

Tina was quiet and he let her think, knowing she had something to say and would when she was ready. Why she hadn't been put in charge of the whole operation was beyond him. Tina handled everything with unflappable aplomb and Val thought she'd be perfect. Yet she appeared satisfied with her role, and when he'd once broached the subject with her, she'd looked appalled at the idea.

"Val, did you ever stop to consider that perhaps you're looking for the wrong thing? Or looking too hard?"

He went to answer but stopped, giving her question the consideration it deserved. In his previous position, whenever there'd been a problem, he'd been able to solve it. This time, the answer eluded him and it was frustrating.

"Maybe," he said. "But I don't know what else to do except keep looking."

"You need to maybe look from another perspective. You may be too close."

"Maybe." He sighed. "Any ideas?"

"Well, let's look." Tina pulled over the second chair he'd had brought in so that she didn't have to stand every time he needed help. "Let's take this group here." She selected five names from each of two columns. "I'm sure we can match some in this batch."

"Okay." Val rubbed his face. "So, this first guy, for example. He's into sports and outdoor activities. This woman—" he pointed to another cell "—likes hiking and swimming. I figured they'd be good together, but the system rejects them."

"Did you look further into it?" Tina asked.

"Well, some. They had similar interests in books, and movies. It seemed like enough to get the ball rolling."

Tina clicked the mouse. "See here? She's kind of introverted and likes to plan her outings. Notice that hiking and especially swimming are, or can be, solitary activities. He's much more outgoing, and according to these notes, can in fact be kind of overbearing."

"Oh. All right, I can see where that's not going to work." Val felt like an idiot.

"Yet this woman here, although not an athlete, is adventurous and loves to try new things. Let's try." Tina highlighted the cells, clicked and a red heart with "OK!" in the middle appeared on the screen. She smiled. "Excellent. That should work out well. You try the next one."

"Okay. So the first woman is a little bit of a loner, and...no, no, wait." Val clicked and studied the text bubble that popped up. "Ah, she's shy. That's why she does things like swimming. So if she's shy, we need..." He scanned the other list and found a name. "A guy like this. One who's a bit extroverted but not too much so. Comfortable with the idea of being alone with someone else. Here goes." He highlighted, clicked, and barely resisted a fist pump when he got his approval.

Tina laughed. "You're getting it! Ok, let's move on." She switched screens. "Now, these are established couples who have some problems. Let's try to help them solve them."

As before, Tina did the first one, pointing out how the woman was dropping hints as opposed to addressing the problem directly.

"Now, partly this is a gender issue," she told Val. "Not to generalize, but women often do avoid confrontation and, oh my, given her history I'm not surprised. But communication is key. She's afraid of how he'll react, but also frustrated that he hasn't picked up on what she's said."

"So we need to get her to be clear and him to respond, right?"

"Exactly." Tina nodded. "Some people would even suggest she write a letter, but I think she'll really have to confront him face-to-face. That won't happen, though, without some help."

"Hey, isn't this Harry's area?" Val asked. "He looks after families, and communication could be a problem for a family."

"Excellent." Tina beamed. "Yes, this should be referred to Harry."

A few more and she decided he was ready to move on again. "Ah. An unfortunately common situation here."

"What's that?" Val felt his second wind coming on. He was ready to attack any problem.

Tina sat back and sighed. "He caught his girlfriend in what appeared to be a compromising position. She apologized, and they're still together, but it's grudging and will fall apart soon. Pity, because otherwise they're high on the compatibility charts."

"Oh." Val wondered if she'd picked this one on purpose. Surely it was common, but to have it be so similar to what had happened between him and Halley couldn't be coincidence. "Yeah, that's bad."

"So what should we do?"

"We should make him sit down and listen to what she has to say. What a jerk."

"He was hurt. It's understandable." Tina patted his hand. "Come on, let's focus. Once you see this, I think you'll have it down. They need to talk, that's the first thing. Who should go first?"

"Does it matter?" He crossed his arms over his chest.

"Well, no, it doesn't, but I think we're going to have to force the issue," Tina said. "He was wrong for misinterpreting, she was wrong for not making him listen. Blame is not the point. Fixing it is."

"Maybe they should break up."

"What!" Tina looked shocked.

"Well, I'm just saying. It's an option."

"Not here. It's not what we do." Tina was firm. "Our job is to help people get together, not fall apart."

"All right, all right." Val studied the information as it appeared on screen. "So it was an office party. A drunk co-worker got overly amorous. Oh." He blinked as some pictures came on the screen. To him, it was obvious the woman was trying to get away from her drunken friend, but...he tilted his head. If he was seeing things from the same vantage point as the boyfriend, misinterpretation wasn't implausible.

"Okay. He needs to apologize. It's obvious she's still upset and has done what she can. If he doesn't apologize and listen, then he'll lose her."

"But why, Val?" Tina grasped his hand. "Why can't he lose her?"

"Because..." It clicked. "Because he'll be worse off without her. She balances him, and he balances her. They work together. Because even though he's angry, her happiness is important to him. More than his own." Another click. "He can't be happy if she isn't, and vice versa."

"Yes!" Tina smiled, and to his surprise, kissed him on the lips. "You've got it!"

"Oh, not you, too!" Val leaned back, his heart racing. "Please, with Izzy and Rhodi and..." He stopped as Tina laughed to the point of tears. "What?"

"Oh, Val. You're so sweet." She wiped her eyes. "I like you to bits, but honey: No."

"Hallelujah." He grinned; he'd never been so happy to be rejected. "Now, let's get this done. I have things to do."

x-x-x-x

February 14

Valentine's Day rolled around, and Halley put on a brave face. In truth, none of her friends were involved with anyone, aside from Don and Jeanette, so it wasn't too bad. With Don and Jeanette on their honeymoon, she was spared seeing any demonstrations of sappy love and devotion. She'd considered wearing black as a sort of protest, then decided she was being silly.

She found Martha, Vicki and the others in turn. The women had decided on a day of romantic comedies, but Halley didn't think she had the heart for it. Dash and Blix were playing computer games, and she had no interest in that either.

It crossed her mind that Mel had talked about doing something, and she found herself disappointed that he'd never said anything more about it. Not that she wanted to do much, and she wasn't even sure she wanted to do it with Mel.

"It's ridiculous," she said to herself. "He's gorgeous. Like mouth-watering, cover-model gorgeous and I..." I keep thinking of Val. She groaned and pulled at her hair. "Okay, this is crazy. Me talking out loud to myself is crazy but...dammit, he made me happy."

"You made me happy, too, Halley."

"Jesus!" She jumped and spun around. "You scared me, you idiot! What the hell are you doing here?"

"My job." Val smiled but stayed where he was, not wanting to spook her.

"Your job? I thought you had a new job."

"There's overlap." The smile faded and Halley was surprised. Val's usual confidence wasn't there.

"So what are you doing here?" Halley stuffed her hands in her pockets.

"I came to see you, and to apologize. It's not what you think, or thought." He took a step towards her.

She held her ground. "Then what was it?"

"I don't know; bad timing, I guess. It doesn't matter. I'm sorry."

Halley debated, then sighed. "I'm sorry, too, Val. I should have let you explain. I was just surprised and...scared."

"I'm sorry for that, too."

"So what was it? I'll listen now, I promise."

"Can we walk?" He took her hand when she nodded and was relieved when she didn't remove it.

"Okay, it sounds stupid, but I'd gone up to the loft again because I was looking for...I don't know. Inspiration. I wanted to do something for your birthday and couldn't think of anything."

"Oh. That's sweet." Guilt formed a ball in Haley's stomach.

"So while I was there, someone from Planning came looking for me. I called back and she came up. She hadn't seen the loft and thought it was neat and we got to talking. Then she stood up to go and slipped and I grabbed her and I slipped and...I don't know. That's when you found us."

"Oh." Halley wasn't sure what to say. From anyone else, it would sound like a lame excuse, but the one thing she'd learned about Val in their three months together was that he didn't lie.

"Halley?"

"Well then." She cleared her throat. "Looks like I owe you the apology. I'm really sorry, Val."

"It's okay. I can understand. I'm sorry I didn't try harder to make you listen. I think we were both victims of our own fears, you know? You were afraid I'd cheat and I was afraid you'd leave."

"You were?" That was news.

"Oh yeah." He nodded and ran his thumb over the back of her hand, making her skin tingle. "I knew you were the one for me, Halley. I know how that sounds, but it's true."

"Wow." Halley tried to smile and blink back tears. "Guess that job of yours has worked some changes."

"It has. I mean it." He stopped and put his hands on her shoulders. "Halley, I want you to be happy. Preferably, I want to be the one to make you happy. If not, well, then...it won't be easy but I'll let you go to whoever will."

She was silent for a few minutes, as the heat from his hands rocketed through her. Then she smiled. "You're not getting off that easy, Val."

"But I'll be getting off?" He raised an eyebrow and she couldn't help but laugh.

"If you're good, maybe."

"Oh, I will be better than good, sweetheart." He caught her up and kissed her, hard. After a moment's surprise, she responded in kind. "Come on, over here." His voice was rough.

"What?" She had to run to keep up. "Oh, Val, no. Not here. It's outside. It's cold." She stared at him, then at the gazebo.

"Not that cold. And I stashed a blanket." He kissed her again and slid off his own jacket, then hers. "Come on, Halley." He nipped at her neck and she gasped. "The quicker we do this, the quicker we can use body heat to warm up."

"All right. But you better be serious about that blanket." She worked on the buttons of his shirt as he worked on pulling her sweater off and they laughed as they got in each other's way.

Val was better than his word; there was a comforter and a blanket. Before Halley knew it, they were laying on the former and covered by the latter. Any fears of discovery flew from her head as his hands and mouth explored her body.

"You are so gorgeous." Val grazed his teeth along her shoulder and she shivered, clutching at his shoulders. "I missed you, you know."

"I missed you, too. Oh." She dropped her head back as he flicked his tongue over nipple and then closed his mouth over it. The heat of his mouth contrasted with the cool air and her body tingled with excitement. When she caught her breath, she pushed him down. "Okay, my turn."

She smiled to herself as Val fought to remain still under her touch. She ran her fingernails over his chest, skimming the muscles and his nipples and making him hiss in a breath. When her hand closed over his hard shaft, he stopped her from stroking for a moment, letting go only when he had evened his breathing out.

She kissed him as she stroked him, then pulled away to take him in her mouth. He tried to grab her again, but she caught his hand and shook her head. "Mmm-mmm," she hummed with a smile, making his eyes widen before he dropped his head back. When she chuckled at his reaction, he sat up.

"That is not fair, not by a long shot." He pulled her up to kiss her again and rolled so that she was partly pinned under him. His hands slid down her body to the wet heat between her legs and it was his turn to laugh as she moaned at his touch.

"Val..." She couldn't say anything else as she came, shocks of pleasure radiating out from her center as he continued stroking.

"I should have apologized a long time ago," he said. "Then neither of us would have had to wait so long for this." With a gentle kiss, he shifted his position so that he was over her.

Halley smiled and wrapped her legs around him. When he slid inside, she arched her hips to meet him. "So, are we happy now?" she asked with a breathless laugh.

"Not as happy as we're going to be." Val found her lips again and gave her just a moment before he thrust his tongue inside her mouth, trying to taste as much of her as he could. Despite his best efforts, he found himself moving faster, his climax approaching faster than he wanted.

Halley wrapped her long, strong legs around him and urged him on with her hips, her hands roaming over his back and pulling him closer. He lowered his head to her shoulder as he couldn't hold back any longer, driving his body against hers and whispering her name. They stayed like that, together, until Val moved to her side and held her against him.

After she could think again, Halley looked up at him. "Well, I'm pretty happy. How about you?"

He chuckled. "Ecstatic."

x-x-x-x

February 21

"Oh, Val, you're sure you won't stay?" Tina was dismayed. "I know it was rough to start with but it all worked out so well."

"It worked out splendidly." Val smiled and hugged Halley to him. "It also showed me that I could not have done it without everyone's help and that I'm not cut out to be the boss of this operation."

"Well, at least we have a lot of time to find a replacement." Tina sighed.

"From what Val tells me, you're the obvious choice." Halley smiled; she and Tina had hit it off right away.

"Me? Oh, no." Tina shook her head, eyes wide. "I'm much better in a support role."

"You sure?" Val cocked his head. "I think you're the real boss here anyway."

"Thanks, but no. We'll find someone."

Val gave a wry smile. "You have plenty of options. Rhodi, June and Izzy made no bones about wanting a promotion."

"No bones at all?" Tina's wicked smile belied the innocence in her voice.

Val cleared his throat. Tina and Halley traded glances and burst out laughing.

"And on that note," Val cut in, "I think we'll head home. Thanks for everything, Tina. I couldn't have done it without you." He held out a hand.

Tina rolled her eyes. "Men." She stepped over and hugged him, then Halley. "Good luck, both of you. Keep in touch."

They promised to do so and left. Tina sighed and looked around the office.

"Well, that worked out better than we'd expected." Chac stepped in, brushing imaginary lint from his immaculate suit.

"It did." Tina nodded in satisfaction. "I'm pleased."

"You're sorry to see him go?" Chac looked at her, curious.

"Oh, of course, he was sweet and fun. But we knew he wasn't going to stay on. That wasn't why we got him sent over."

"Si, that's true." Chac nodded, then shrugged. "But, that is business, yes?"