Page 2 of Chasing the Dream

An awkward silence descended, and then he cleared his throat and picked up her resume from his desk. “So, what have you been up to these past nine years?”

Professionally, personally, or both? Before she could decide where to begin, he continued.

“I see you graduated from Michigan State with a degree in computer science.”

“Yes.”

“I would have gone there too if we hadn’t moved.”

She remembered how devastated Maria had been when her parents had said they were moving, but she’d had no idea how Gabe felt.

“You went to Northern Arizona University, right?” It wasn’t that she’d been keeping tabs on him, but naturally, Maria had mentioned him over the years.

He nodded. “Flagstaff wasn’t a bad place to go to school, but when I decided to start a graphic design company, I moved to Scottsdale. Anyway, tell me what your goal is.”

To have your beautiful babies. No! Wrong answer. “Well, I’d like to gain more experience in web design. The company I worked for previously was more heavily into print ads and social media. Maria mentioned that one of your web designers was going on maternity leave for a few months and thought I might be interested in filling in.”

“That works for me as long as you understand that I can’t guarantee you a job after the three months is up.”

She nodded. “I’m not looking to stay here. I just want the experience so, when I return to Michigan, I’ll be more qualified for the job I really want.”

He smiled, and it made her head swim. He’d always had a flirtatious smile, and as a teenager, she’d wanted to believe he’d reserved it just for her. She’d been so foolish back then. Still, he had the kind of smile that reached his eyes and created those sexy crinkles at the corners. How many women had been the recipients of that smile?

“Sounds like you have your life all planned out.”

“Not everything.” While she had a clear vision for her professional life, her personal life was still in a state of flux. She wondered if his was too.

About a month ago, Maria had mentioned that he was dating someone, and she was curious if he still was. Not that it was any of her business, but she figured a successful, handsome man like him would have plenty of dates.

“Do you have any questions before I take you down to human resources?”

She looked into his medium-blue eyes and tried to think of an intelligent question. The things she really wanted to know weren’t appropriate to ask, like had his hair always been that wavy and did he have more chest hair now? As a teen, he’d only had a small patch of hair between his pecs, but surely, he had more now.

“Morgan?”

“Oh. Sorry. Um…I don’t think so.”

With that, he stood, and her eyes tracked him as he rose to his full height. She guessed he was around six feet tall, give or take an inch or two. His physique didn’t look like it had changed much from the days when he’d played high school sports. She’d attended most of his football games in the fall and soccer games in the spring at Maria’s urging, although she hadn’t needed convincing. Maria had gone mostly to ogle the other hot players, while Morgan had discreetly kept an eye on Gabe.

She’d been so lost in her memories that he was almost to the door of his office before she stood up and joined him. He held it open and motioned for her to go out first, causing her to have to squeeze past him. She wondered if she felt warm from his proximity or if the dry heat was already getting to her. In any case, she decided that a shopping trip for some lighter-weight clothes was in order.

She followed him down the hallway, forcing herself to keep her gaze above his waist and not notice the way his dress pants stretched over his perfect derriere or his shirt across his broad shoulders.

When they passed through the section with all the cubicles, she was especially diligent, not wanting any of her new co-workers to notice her staring at him.

She’d had plenty of time to perfect this ruse when she was younger, hiding her feelings from him and everyone who knew them, especially Maria. Morgan still recalled a conversation they’d had when they were sophomores in high school and Gabe was a senior.

One of their mutual friends, Alicia, had admitted to having a crush on him and considered asking him out. Maria had begged her not to, insisting that it would be awkward for one of her friends to date her brother. Alicia hadn’t listened and had asked him to homecoming only to be turned down. She’d taken it hard, and afterward, she’d never spoken to Maria or Morgan again.

“I knew this would happen,” Maria had said. “Gabe and I made a pact that we’d never date each other’s friends because, if something goes wrong, it affects everybody.”

It was a lesson Morgan had heeded, and she’d kept her feelings for Gabe so well hidden that she could be around him in virtually any situation without giving herself away. Back then, she’d seen him strut around half-naked at the Matthews’ pool, and once he’d strolled out of the bathroom with only a towel wrapped around his waist. She’d also gone on vacations with his family and even slow-danced with him at a relative’s wedding. Still, she’d never spilled her secret to anyone.

When the Matthews had moved, she’d figured her crush would vanish with him. She’d gone on to date other guys, and even fallen in love once, but still, he lurked in the background, gone but not forgotten.

Over the past nine years, she’d traveled to Arizona a few times to visit Maria and her parents, but she’d barely seen Gabe. He’d either been too busy at work, out on a date, or with his friends. Now they were in the elevator, just the two of them, and she felt just like she had when they were kids.

She was older and wiser, though, and the stakes were even higher. She needed this job to advance her career and secure her future. She hadn’t come to Arizona for him, or even for Maria. She’d come for herself, and she wouldn’t allow herself to get swept up in memories of her high school crush. Besides, she doubted Gabe would ever reciprocate her feelings. He probably still thought of her as his sister’s best friend and nothing more.