Patty Salier - Non-Refundable Groom

With a stack of creditors’ letters in hand, Garrett went through the emotional trauma of the divorce. He realized that their marriage had meant nothing to her. He had meant nothing to her. She’d let him down, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t sustain a happy, satisfying marriage.

He remained at the apartment he’d shared with her, but every time he bumped into married neighbors, he was constantly reminded of how his marriage had failed.

He’d lucked out when he was given the singles-only building to manage by Stanley and learned that the tenants signed a two-year lease agreeing to live a singles life while at the complex.

The moment he had heard that an apartment might become available in a few months, he had quickly signed the two-year lease and paid Sam McGrath a fistful of money ahead of time to guarantee his spot.

He needed to be alone. He couldn’t imagine sharing his life again.

Garrett saw the plumber coming out of an apartment. He started down the hall toward him. As Garrett talked with the plumber, he realized how conflicted he now felt about moving into the singles-only building. Meeting beautiful, sexy, bold Elena Martin had totally jolted his world.

And, as he listened to the plumber, he kept glancing at his watch, wanting seven o’clock to roll around so he could be with Elena again.

At the office Elena nervously looked at the office wall clock. It was six forty-five. In fifteen minutes, Garrett would arrive to pick up his tie. She anxiously glanced at the extension phones on her desk and noted that Stanley’s line was still lit. Everyone in the office had left, except him.

She held Garrett’s tie in her hand, thinking of an excuse to leave before he arrived. She couldn’t risk Stanley’s seeing them together. Maybe she could set his tie on her desktop where he could find it. Why wasn’t she doing it? She knew why. Because she couldn’t wait to see him.

“Are you working late tonight, Elena?” Stanley called out, walking toward her partition.

She frantically jammed Garrett’s tie into her top drawer. “I have some paperwork to finish,” she replied, quickly shifting folders on her desk to look busy.

“One of these days I’ve got to cut down my late hours,” her boss said. “I go home almost every night with a headache and sometimes chest pain. I feel so tense sometimes.”

As he continued talking, her stomach churned. Garrett would be there in a few minutes. Stanley would immediately be suspicious. She wished she’d insisted that Garrett not come. But her attraction to him had taken over, and now she might pay for it.

“Don’t work too late, Elena,” Stanley went on. “You’ll wind up with ulcers like me.”

“I plan to leave in a few minutes,” she pushed out. Her eyes darted to the wall clock. Six fifty-five!

“Maybe I’ll wait and ride down in the elevator with you,” her employer said.

“Don’t do that,” she blurted. “I mean, you better go without me.” She grabbed a stack of files. “I forgot that I’ve got tons of filing to do, too.”

“Well, have a great evening,” he added.

The moment Stanley was gone, she grabbed Garrett’s tie out of the drawer and put it on top of her desk where he could easily find it. She was not going to take a chance like that with her boss again.

She waited a few minutes for Stanley to get into the elevator. Then she grabbed her bag, opened the front door and slammed straight into Garrett’s arms.

Her heart pounded wildly in her chest at the feel of his warm hands on her shoulders. “Did Stanley see you come up in the elevator?” she anxiously asked.

“No,” he replied. “And if he had, I planned to tell him that I came to see him. I wouldn’t do anything to mess up your opportunity for the promotion, Elena.”

His eyes held hers with a warmth and trust that made her melt inside. “I’ll get your tie,” she stammered.

At her desk, she was ultraconscious of his body so near hers. Her hand trembled a little as she handed him the tie.

“Are you sorry I came, Elena?” he asked as he took the tie.

“It was tense waiting for you,” she told him. She couldn’t tell him that she felt exhilarated being with him. Wouldn’t that bind her closer to him before she knew what he was looking for in a relationship?

He gently slipped the tie around her neck and drew her close to him. “I had to see you,” he admitted.

“I’m glad you’re here,” she heard herself say.

His gaze drifted to her lips, and she wanted him to kiss her more than anything. Then his mouth covered hers. When she felt his tongue touch hers, every vein in her body felt electrified. She lightly bit his bottom lip, and he moaned. Responding to his passion, she circled her arms around his neck and pressed her body tightly against his.

The ringing of the telephone suddenly brought her back to the office. She slipped free of his arms, handed him the tie and picked up the receiver. Her sister’s voice filled her ear.

“El, why are you still at the office?” Jan asked. “You always let me know when you’re working late.”

“Sorry, I forgot to call,” she told her, aware of Garrett’s fingers lightly touching her hair. “I had some things to finish up.”

“I received a card from the Marriage Connection,” her sister went on. “It’s got the name of the restaurant for your Saturday night date.”

She saw Garrett walk over to the window. She felt guilty talking to her sister about a date with another man when she wanted to be with him. How could she go out on a date with someone else when her heart ached to be with Garrett?

“Jan, I’ll talk to you later.” Then she hung up and picked up her bag. “I’ve got to go,” she said, avoiding his eyes because of the content of her sister’s call.

In the hallway she was relieved when the elevator immediately came, and there were a few people inside as she got in with him. She blindly stared at the floor numbers lighting up on the metal wall.

The elevator doors opened at the parking level. As she was about to say a quick good-night to him and hurry to her car, he touched her arm.

“Will you be okay getting home?” he asked.

His caring made her feel even more upset about that date. “I’ll be fine,” she told him and then got into her car.

As she drove out of the parking garage behind his car, she watched him head up the street. She fantasized about blowing her horn to stop him and inviting him to her apartment. She wanted to know all about him. She wanted to cook dinner for him. She wanted to cuddle on the sofa with him.

Instead, she turned on a jazz station on the radio. She had to take her mind off Garrett. She couldn’t be with him if he wasn’t looking for a lifetime relationship like she was. Maybe the Marriage Connection date wasn’t such a bad thing. Maybe meeting another man would steer her thoughts away from Garrett.

As she stopped for a red light, she heard him blow his horn and saw him wave as his car moved way ahead of hers up the street. She waved back and realized that no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t fight the growing inner connection she felt toward him.

As Garrett parked in front of Aunt Rosie’s house, he waved to the young woman leaving, who took care of his aunt’s needs from Monday through Friday. On Saturdays, a warm-hearted older woman came by.

Garrett unlocked the back kitchen door with his key. “Aunt Rosie, it’s me!” he announced, entering the Early-American-style kitchen. He could hear the voice of her favorite radio talk show host from the living room.

“I’m catching the end of my show, Garrett,” Aunt Rosie said. “Can you bring me a glass of grape juice?”

“You’re allergic to grapes,” he reminded her, pouring her a glass of orange juice instead. Though his aunt had lapses in memory and her eyesight was failing, she was as spunky as ever. As a widow with no children, she’d raised him since he was seven years old, when his parents gave her permanent custody due to their severe alcoholic drinking problem. Now that she was in her late seventies, he’d been caring for her by dropping by each day for a visit.