Disasters and Daydreams

"Lucy-did you hear?"

I smiled up at Rhonda. She hovered like a bee around the coffee pot, as though it contained the sweet nectar of gossip on which she seemed to feed.

"Did I hear what?" I asked automatically, although I confess I was less concerned with office scandals than I was with topping off my mug.

"Layton Scott asked Mr. Finkleman for your phone extension," she said.

I whirled around to ask if she were kidding, and promptly tripped. I can't figure out what I tripped over; it was a tile floor, for goodness' sake. Yet I certainly did trip, whatever the cause, and splashed hot coffee all down my front.

Layton Scott, of Christian Legal Defense fame; Layton Scott, who had his picture in the paper every other week; Layton Scott, who was really, really, really handsome--he had asked for my extension? It defied the laws of nature. After all, Layton was definitely a romantic hero.

I don't believe in class distinctions or castes or anything like that, but I do believe in literary traditions almost as strongly as I believe in true love. Sadly, I'm not really cut out to be a romantic heroine. I'm a real person, of average looks and average brains, accident-prone rather than adventure-prone. It seemed a curse. After reading a handful of novels as a girl I learned a simple fact: romance doesn't happen to non-romantic heroines.

That said, it was more than a little shocking to have a genuine romantic hero wish to call me. It's unfortunate that I learned about it whilst holding hot liquid.

"Why?" I asked, incredulously scrubbing at the coffee stain. Lowly office assistants like me should get lost in the sea of faces in a big office; they shouldn't attract stupendous lawyers just walking through.

Rhonda quirked up an eyebrow as she handed me more napkins. "Apparently," she replied, "he noticed you when he came in for the meeting with Mr. Finkleman. He noticed you," she said, leaning closer to relate the really juicy part, "at the copier."

I stayed within five feet of my desk the rest of the day.