Globetrotter Ingrid gets a fabulous fresh start when her job takes her to Melbourne, Australia. Here she meets wise and sweet Oliver, who makes her forget she doesn't have a heart.
This successful stability prompts Ingrid to accept an invitation to...
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March 2019
Ingrid looked away from her Thai noodles at her phone buzzing on the table. No emails during lunch, but this was a meeting request from Ian Brennan, the CEO, and if she didn't accept it now, it would get buried in her inbox later.
"What the hell?" Her eyebrows furrowed as she read the meeting details, and Pri's phone buzzed almost on cue. "Did you just get an actual, physical appointment from Ian, too?"
Pri dropped her fork and picked up her device. "I – " She frowned. "Yes. I didn't know he was in Melbourne."
"Neither did I."
"I wonder what this is all about."
Ingrid shrugged. "No clue. And it's an individual appointment, too."
"Shit." Pri bit her lip. "You reckon we're getting fired?"
An incredulous snort. "He better be giving us raises."
Even as she said it, though, Ingrid didn't believe it. Unease lingered bitter in her throat, making it difficult to swallow her next mouthful of noodles.
The rest of the day passed in a lead-lined blur, and Ingrid focused on dinner plans during the ride home on a packed tram. The oblivious bodies crowding her space and thoughts of cheesy pasta kept her from worrying about what tomorrow's encounter might have in store for her.
She stopped at her local grocery shop after she got off the train, to pick up wine and cat food. Momma and Maverick welcomed her with purrs of delight as soon as she walked through the door. It was the highlight of her day, every day, getting home to these loving creatures after long hours of replying to emails from people she didn't care about.
Well, that and her virtual dinner dates with Remi.
Ingrid fed the cats, powered up her laptop on the kitchen table and dashed into the bathroom for a quick shower. At eight PM sharp, in the midst of her pasta preparations, the video call from Remi popped up on her screen.
"Hey, baby!" he greeted, yawning.
She laughed, licking sauce off her finger. "Morning, sleeping beauty. Did you just get up?"
"Uh-huh," Remi grumbled, rubbing his face.
Ingrid frowned. "Wanna go back to sleep? We can totally still do this tomorrow."
"Nah, I wouldn't miss this for the world."
She rolled her eyes, smiling.
"Besides, I really do gotta wake my ass up."
He groaned, and the image blurred as he got up from bed, sans shirt. Ingrid turned to the pot on her stove while Remi settled in his own – well, actually, her – kitchen.
"What are you making tonight?" he asked her.
Ingrid brought the pot to the table, scooping its contents out on a plate. "Cheese and garlic carbonara."
