Chapter 4 3rd December - The day they can't stop thinking about each other
Grace barely slept again, but this morning the butterflies in her stomach were different. Light, fluttery, almost giddy. She lay there smiling at the ceiling before reaching for her phone to reread Luke’s messages from the night before. Every line warmed her. By the time she swung her legs out of bed, she felt almost buoyant.
I sent a nice man a goodnight message. I refuse to feel insecure. If it goes wrong, I can always block him.
She hummed through her routine until Sooty’s loud meowing reminded her she’d forgotten his breakfast.
“Sorry, Sooty,” she said, petting him as her phone buzzed. She grabbed it—then forced herself to breathe.
Don’t be needy. If it’s Luke, great. If not, that’s fine too.
It wasn’t Luke. It was a voice note from Lilith. She pressed play.
“I’d love to see your face when you realise this is from me and not Luke! Just checking in — has loverboy sent a sexy pic yet? Declared his undying attraction? Sent his bodyguard with his credit card to whisk you away? Message me back. Loves ya!”
Grace groaned.
Bloody Lilith. And damn it, she’s right — I was disappointed it wasn’t him. I’m in deep.
She finished getting ready, grabbed her bag, and headed out for another day at the office, trying not to check her phone every few minutes.
--
Luke woke before his alarm, restless and wired. He hit the treadmill to burn off the anxious energy, but after twenty minutes his phone buzzed and he snatched it up. He’d deny it to anyone, but he was becoming obsessed with checking for messages from Grace. The longer he went without one, the tighter his chest felt.
His phone buzzed again.
Tommy: Get to work ASAP. Leanne is causing mayhem with her filing (nails and paperwork). She needs to go. What about hiring your penpal who is making you smile?
Luke groaned.
Today is going to be hell. Tommy being an idiot, Leanne’s awful, and I barely slept.
Showered and dressed, he headed into the office and froze. Leanne sat with a thunderous expression, paperwork everywhere, while Tommy and a manager glared at her.
“What the actual fuck is going on?” Luke asked.
“Leanne didn’t take constructive criticism well,” Tommy smirked.
“Don’t start, Tommy,” Leanne snapped. “I knew where everything was. You’re just impatient.”
Before Luke could speak, they all started shouting. He zoned out almost immediately, his mind drifting to Grace.
I could be messaging her instead of dealing with this circus.
He snapped back and bellowed, “ENOUGH! Sit down. All of you.”
Silence fell. After a few minutes of probing, Luke had heard enough.
“Stop, all of you. Leanne, my office. Tommy, back to yours. You, business suite.” He issued the rapid fire of commands pointing at each of the idiots that had already managed to give him a headache that morning.
The firing was messy. Leanne argued every point despite complaints, CCTV evidence, and the chaos outside. But eventually, she was gone.
I need someone now. Should I message Grace first? Play it cool? Damn it, I can’t focus.
Tommy appeared just before lunch, grinning.
“I’ve been watching you all morning,” he said. “You’re falling for the mystery messenger. You keep staring into space. What does she do? Could she sort this mess out?”
“Leave it alone, Tommy,” Luke snapped.
Tommy only grinned wider and walked away whistling.
--
Grace had been at work for a couple of hours when she was called into the manager’s office. The moment she stepped inside, she knew. The company had taken a hit from a new budget store down the road. Middle management roles were being cut. She was made redundant and put on garden leave immediately.
She packed up her desk in a daze and went home. She sank onto the sofa, fired off a message to Lilith and stared at the wall.
To Lilith: They've let me go. I am jobless.
No reply — Lilith was working. Needing connection, Grace considered texting Luke. She wrote a message, deleted it. Wrote another, deleted it.
Just message him, you donut.
To Luke: How is your day going?
The reply came quickly.
Luke: Boy am I glad to hear from you. It's been a nightmare morning and I could really do with a distraction. Are you up for the challenge?
To Luke: Oh no! What's happened? I could do with a distraction too, so we'll help each other.
Luke: My secretary finally overstepped and I had to fire her. She left a mess behind. What's happened with you? You're too cute to be stressed.
Grace’s heart flipped.
To Luke: That sounds tricky. Do you have someone who can help short‑term? You don't even know what I look like!
Luke: No. I'm looking at CVs this afternoon if I can get my shit together. It doesn't matter what you look like. You're a nice person. And don't think you can ignore my question. What happened with you?
Grace sighed.
To Luke: I was made redundant this morning. Do you want my CV too?!
Luke: Do you just want the job? It would save me a whole lot of hassle. I'm sorry that happened to you.
Her stomach twisted.
Could I work for him? No. Absolutely not.
To Luke: I obviously couldn't do that. It's unethical! Can I do some day drinking again, bossy boss man?
There was a long pause and Grace panicked.
To Luke: Luke? Did I overstep? I'm sorry if I went too far.
Finally—
Luke: Sorry — my CFO was trying to get information out of me about why I'm smiling so much. I told him I was texting a normal, pretty woman and to fuck off. Day drinking is entirely permissible — you're safe at home and deserve it.
Grace’s cheeks warmed.
To Luke: Sorry — I overthink things. I'm getting a glass of wine. You should find a new secretary, boss man.
Luke: Yes Ma'am. I'll get right on it.
--
It was late when Luke finally got home and grabbed a beer. He’d found someone to interview tomorrow and finished most of his work, but his thoughts kept drifting to Grace.
Is she drunk or was it just one glass? Is she really okay? Can I get her a job somewhere? Should I even be thinking this? I barely know her.
He sat on the sofa, thumb hovering over his phone, then typed.
To Grace: I hope the rest of your day was restful. I thought about you a lot. It's no longer day drinking, but here's a picture of me trying to match you. Sweet dreams.
He froze the moment he hit send.
Why did you send her a picture?! At least it was only my beer in hand.
Her reply came quickly.
Grace: I've had a lovely day drowning my sorrows and thinking of you. Thank you for the photo. Here's one of my last glass of wine before bed. Sweet dreams.
Luke stared at her message, smiling like a fool.
A photo and her little hand.
You're in trouble, Lukey — you’ll fall for her soon. But at least you’ll have sweet dreams of her now.
