The Quest for Epic

Chapter Thirty Eight

Monday came by and I believed it would be as normal as Mondays went. Needless to say, I was exceptionally wrong. It was lunch hour and Noah and Mr. Stinson had gone out for lunch together. I still wasn't exactly sure of what had happened between them but I guessed it wasn't as serious as I initially believed it to be, seeing as they were still embarking on father-son lunch dates.

I had lunch with Rosie in the cafeteria. She was still gushing over how well her engagement party went and how she hoped her wedding would go on as smoothly and made me swear on the life of my unborn children that I would fly back for it. I almost choked on my ham and cheese sandwich but I assured her that I would indeed make it back for her wedding.

Done with lunch with about forty minutes to spare, I made my way back up and settled into my desk, crossing my legs underneath my desk as I booted up my computer. My office space was empty; Elena had resumed work but had not returned from lunch. It was the perfect time for relationship-related research.

Once my computer was up and running, I opened a tab on my browser and typed into the Google search engine 'What to get for a boyfriend's birthday'.

Yup, Noah's birthday was on Wednesday and I was so excited to spend his birthday with him. It would be the first of many, I hoped. However, I was stuck in a rut. What could I get for someone I had been dating for just two weeks but of whom I was sure he was the love of my life? And who was also incredibly wealthy.

I had already been secretly planning him a surprise birthday party. I didn't know a lot of Noah's friends, his best friend lived back in New York but I knew a couple here in town he had told me about or introduced me to. There was Boz; the closest to me who I believed would help me set up a kick ass party for him. We already had things in motion; I had gone to this trendy party shop and gotten all sorts of decorations which were currently hidden in the basement of Noah's house. To make things a little more exciting and to appeal to Noah's inner geek, it would be a Star Wars themed party. Secret invitations had already gone out, Boz was bringing the booze and I would take care of the snacks. Our plans were fool-proof, I still had Noah's house key and Maya and I would sneak in and start decorating during my lunch break and finish up while Boz took Noah out for some drinks after work. I was so excited about it all and of course the look on Noah's face when he would catch sight of me in my Princess Leia costume.

Obviously, all of this would take out a huge chunk off my intern's salary but I was more than happy to do it. Noah had done a lot for me and I was glad to go all out for him. There was the party but I still wanted to get him a gift I knew he would love, which is where the Google search came in. I scrolled through a couple of pages, until I came upon something I knew Noah would absolutely love. Race-car driving!

Noah loved cars and could go on and on about them, especially the classics. He had a red Ferrari covered up in his garage which he never drove because he loved his Mustang so much. It was a perfect idea. I had just finished ordering up tickets for Saturday at a race track on the outskirts of town, a huge goofy smile on my face when I heard the clickety-click of some high heeled shoes walk into the office.

I was too busy grinning at my computer to look up, automatically assuming it was Elena. However, the fragrance of the designer perfume registered in my brain with a sinking feeling the same time her summery, evil voice did.

"Hello Ellie"

I looked up in shock. Long blonde hair flowing out to her waist, perfectly tanned skin and legs for days encased in a short black dress. Her green eyes bore down on me and her pink glossy lips were curled up in a smirk.

I closed my eyes, shook my head and opened them again. Yup, Shannon was real and still there standing right in front of me. It hadn't been a figment of my imagination, as much as I wished it was.