The Heart Of Moss

Chapter 4

While Mikayla did not believe in the concept of Valentine's Day, as she thought that there should not be just one day for couples to express their love, she would not have minded if she had someone to surprise her with flowers on her desk.

She had been conversing with Mrs. Clemons about a particular document when her iPhone rang. It was Damien.

"Why aren't you at your desk?" he grumbled.

"Good morning to you too," Mikayla replied dryly, once again noting that his manners often left much to be desired, "I'm by Mrs. Clemon's cubicle, getting something clarified."

"See me when you're finished," he said, and hung up without waiting for a reply.

Mikayla quickly completed what she was doing, then headed back to her office to pick up her notepad and a pen. Knocking on his door, Mikayla waited for him to invite her in before stepping into the room, "You wanted to see me Mr. Arnauld?"

Damien motioned for her to sit down, "I didn't get the chance to ask how you're liking it here so far. Any problems?"

"A bit overwhelming, if I'm being completely honest. But Mrs. Clemons has been so accommodating in helping me to get familiar with the internal workings of the office." Mikayla replied.

"Good," he said with a satisfied nod.

The feedback that he had gotten from those in the office who interacted with Mikayla had been very positive overall. All claimed her to be a very polite, smart and driven young woman, who was an absolute pleasure to work with. So much so, that his Chief Human Resources Officer had been threatening to steal her from him.

"Not a chance," Damien had unintentionally roared at the man who had clearly been joking.

Realising that he had not said anything for quite some time, Damien quickly refocused his thoughts and got down to business.

"The reason I called you, Mikayla, is that I need you to attend a club opening with me this Friday. Mr. Rossi is someone that I have been doing business with for many years, so to turn down his invitation would be a bit rude. It's somewhat of a professional meeting as well, so your presence is requested. I will email you all the details, and you can arrange for my driver to pick you up and drop you off, just give him the address." Damien spoke, as he signed some documents, not looking up at Mikayla.

Mikayla replied, "Should I walk with something to take notes?"

He smiled slightly at this. She was as much of a workaholic as he was, "That's not necessary, you can always use the voice recorder on your phone and transcribe anything important."

She nodded, her eyes noticing the poinsettia arrangement that was placed behind him on one of the shelves. It was then that Mikayla realised that even her boss had received flowers.

Damien noted where her eyes were and said, "A Valentine's gift from the lovely Mrs. Clemons. I suppose you noticed it seems to be a big deal around here."

"Yea," Mikayla sighed, as she looked down at her hands that were fiddling with her pen and notepad, "it seems like my desk is the only non-flowered one," she bit her lip, not meaning to say that last part out loud.

Slowly looking up, she saw that Damien had stopped working on the papers before him. His eyes were firmly fixed on her, watching her intently. There was a look that flashed across his aquamarine eyes that she could not really explain, perhaps it was pity.

Clearing her throat, Mikayla broke the silence, "Will that be all sir?"

"For now." Damien said, his eyes focused once again on the papers in front of him.

Mikayla, realising that she was dismissed, got up and headed back to her office, where she continued to work. She had messaged Hannah to ask her if it would be okay to spend the night at her apartment this Friday, seeing as there was no way that she could get home to Northampton and be back to meet Damien in time.

She spent her lunch hour alone, eating her sandwich in the lunch room, as everyone else went out to eat with their significant other. After using the washroom, Mikayla returned to her office to find a beautiful yet simple bouquet of Anemones on her desk.

Her eyes opened in shock as she quickly rushed to her desk and looked to see if there was any note attached to it. She found one located under the square vase; a miniature card that simply said, "I hope you like them mon petit oiseau des îles."

Mikayla smiled as she translated the French phrase, while wondering who had sent the flowers and card. It was not signed, and a part of her thought, or rather wished, that it was from Damien.

The French words translated into "my little island bird" and since Damien was from France, her brain automatically linked the flowers to him. However, she highly doubted that they were from him, it was just wishful thinking on her part.

Perhaps it was Mrs. Clemons. The kind lady had probably taken pity on her and had wanted to get her something to brighten her day, not wanting her to feel left out. Mikayla would ask her when she returned from lunch.

Mikayla smiled as her finger slowly traced the stem of one of the flowers, the anemone was a cheerful and lively flower. It was not a traditional Valentine's Day choice. To her knowledge, the plant was known to symbolise protection, and was a great way to subtly tell a person how much you cared.

An hour later, Mrs. Clemons returned. She knocked gently on Mikayla's open door and entered, bringing her a piece of chocolate cake, saying "Happy Valentine's Day my dear."

Standing up, Mikayla thanked her for the gift, "How thoughtful! Does that mean you did not send me these beautiful flowers then?" she indicated to the arrangement on her desk.

Shaking her head, "I'm afraid not, looks like you have a secret admirer," the elderly woman teased as she left the office with a big smile on her face.

Mikayla pondered over a multitude of questions as her brows creased in deep concentration. Either way, she could not help the small smile that remained plastered on her face for the rest of the day.