Reunited

“Cheauseur!” Her boss called from the doorway, causing Simone to jump slightly and look up from her work.

“What can I do for you, Sir?” Simone asked, running a hand through her straight red hair.

“I just wanted to make sure you got my message yesterday,” he said, walking into the office and taking a seat across from her.

“I did,” she nodded. “Do you know how long I am going to be overseas?”

Her boss shook his head. “I won’t know much more for at least a week. I might know something by the time you go to Boston.”

Simone frowned. “Sir, I’m not going to Boston. You told me that I am going to Dallas and Miami before leaving for London.”

“I know, but plans have changed,” he informed her. Pulling a piece of paper from his suit jacket, he smiled and handed it to Simone. “This, Miss. Cheauseur, is your new agenda. You must follow it to a T. You’re the best international representative we’ve had in quite some time, so I expect there to be no problems.”

Simone nodded as she unfolded the papers. Her eyes skimmed her itinerary, taking in all of the changes and dates. “Sir, there is going to be one problem.”

“And what might that problem be, Miss. Cheauseur?”

“The day you have me going to Edmonton, again, is the same day that I have a doctor’s appointment.” Simone bit her lip, waiting for his reply.

He couldn’t fire her, since she had done nothing wrong. There was no time for him to find a replacement that would be able to do the job she had worked three months to perfect. Simone knew that she didn’t have time to change her appointment, either.

“I don’t suppose there is any way you could change your appointment.”

Simone shook her head. “Most other days are filled and if I wait until I get back, it would be pointless for me to go.”

“Do you think it would be possible to set up an appointment in Edmonton or one of the other cities you are going to?”

Simone frowned, thinking about whether or not she knew of any good doctors, who wouldn’t ask too many questions. “I have a friend in Edmonton he might know someone I could go see.”

“Well, find out if you can get in and let me know,” he told her, standing from the chair. He walked to the door and turned back to look at Simone. “Try to let me know by the end of the day, that way if I have to make adjustments I can do so.”

“Will do,” Simone smiled. She waited until the man had closed her door and started down the hall before she pulled out her mobile phone. She scrolled through her contacts and dialled a number into her office phone. While waiting for an answer, she looked down at her tentative schedule. Dates had been added and new destinations were included. She knew that travelling was part of the job, and she enjoyed it. She just wasn’t sure if leaving in two days was such a good idea after the past two days she had. Jordan would not be impressed in the least. She was about to turn to the next page filled with information when the ringing in her ear stopped.

“Hello?” A groggy, male voice came through the ear piece.

“Hi, is this Jordan?” She asked.

“Last time I checked,” the man yawned.

“Did I wake you?”

“I’d be lying if I said you hadn’t,” Jordan admitted.

“Sorry,” Simone muttered, embarrassed that she had forgotten about the time difference. “What time is it there?”

“In Martensville or in Edmonton?”

“Oh, right, you were travelling yesterday. How about in Martensville.”

“Well, it is 10 am here,” Jordan told her.

“What are you still doing in bed?” Simone asked. “I thought that it was earlier than that.”

Jordan laughed through the phone. “Nope, time difference between here and Pennsylvania is only an hour.”

“I’m so great at my job,” Simone mumbled. “Anyway, I have to travel to Edmonton again, but I have a scheduling conflict with an appointment I am supposed to have.”

“You’re telling me this because?”

“My boss suggested I find a way to go to a doctor while I’m in a different city, since I’m going to be travelling for awhile. The only place I could think of where I know someone who might recommend me to a good doctor was Edmonton, since I don’t actually know anyone in any other city that I am going to.”

“So, you’re asking me if there is a good doctor that I know of, who you would be able to make an appointment with while you are in Edmonton,” Jordan summarised.

“Basically,” Simone said, flipping through some papers on her desk.

“Well, the best doc I know is the one that works for the team, but I can ask a couple of friends and see if they know anyone.”

“That would be super awesome, but I need to know by 4:30 today.”

“Today? How come?”

“The boss needs to know if he should change my itinerary around or not,” she explained, finding the page she was looking for.

“Ok, I’ll ask around for an hour or so and then get back to you,” Jordan told her.

“Thanks so much, Jordan,” Simone smiled before hanging up the phone.

Looking toward her door, she noticed a man dressed in a dark blue suit with a white button down shirt. There was no tie around his neck, allowing for the first couple of buttons to be undone. It was obvious that he had been running his fingers through his blonde hair, which was damp. His blue eyes sparkled as he gave her a smile before he entered the office and sat down in the black chair that had been occupied by her boss just a short time before.

“What are you doing here?” Simone asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Just got out of practice and figured I’m hungry and you’re probably hungry, so why not stop by and see if you want to go get some lunch.”

“Oh, Jordan, I’d love to.”

“But?”

“Well, my lunch doesn’t start for another hour.”

“I have the rest of the day. I’ll just wait around until you can go.”

“Fine,” Simone said after a second of thought. “Just don’t bother me, okay?”

“It will be as if I’m not even here,” Jordan smiled.

“I bet it will,” Simone murmured. “While you’re here, there is something I need to tell you.”

“Is there something wrong?” Jordan’s smile turned into an expression of worry.

“No, no, there’s nothing wrong,” Simone shook her head. “Some stuff for work came up.” She paused, watching the expression on Jordan’s face relax. “I’m leaving in two days.”

“Cool, where are you going?”

“A few different places.”

“Oh, like where? Philly and Newark?

“Not quite,” Simone said, giving him a nervous look. “More like Boston, Dallas, Edmonton, Ottawa, New York, Miami and Raleigh before heading over to London, France, the Czech Republic and Germany.”

“How long are you going for?” Jordan asked with a frown. “That seems like a lot of places to be for a week.”

“Right, well, I’m going to Dallas in two days. I wasn’t supposed to go until next week, but the conference changed, so I’ll be there for two days.” Simone flipped through some pages. “After Dallas, I go to Edmonton. That’s for three days. Um, then I fly to Ottawa for one day, Boston for one day, New York for three days, Raleigh for a day, and Miami for two days.”

“That brings us to what day?”

“Uh, the Wednesday after next.”

“So, that is two weeks,” Jordan said thoughtfully. “Then you are going overseas?”

“Right,” Simone nodded.

“For how long?”

“Tentatively, it says one month,” Simone said, looking back at her papers.

“But it could be more, right?”

Simone nodded, taking in Jordan’s reaction to her news.

“That’s good,” Jordan’s voice was sad. His face was emotionless, while his eyes seemed hurt. “Did you just find out?”

“I got an email yesterday,” Simone admitted. “But the boss came in today and told me that things had changed. He gave me these,” She held up a small stack of paper that held her agenda for the next month and a half.

Jordan took them from her hand and began to read through them. “Why do you stay in New York and Edmonton for three days?”

“The conferences and meeting I have to go to are longer than the ones in other cities like Boston and Raleigh.”

“Is that why you are in Miami and Dallas longer?”

Simone nodded and started sorting the miscellaneous pages spread across her desk. She looked up when a knock came from her door. “Come in.”

The door opened, revealing her receptionist. “Miss. Cheauseur,” she started, but stopped when she noticed Jordan. “Sorry, I didn’t realise you were in a meeting.”

Simone chuckled lightly and shook her head. “He’s just visiting me before we head out for lunch. What was it you needed?”

“Um, well, your two o’clock appointment called. He can’t make it in to see you. His son has been up all night with the flu and his wife had something important happening at work, so she couldn’t stay home. He was wondering when he could reschedule. Oh, and you have a call on line three. A man named Jordan, he said it was important.”

Simone nodded and looked at the large calendar she kept on her desk. “I don’t suppose he can meet tomorrow, can he?”

“I’ll call him back and find out,” the receptionist smiled. “Is there a different day if he can’t?”

“The boss didn’t tell you that I am flying to Dallas Thursday did he?”

The receptionist shook her head. “How long are you gone for?”

“I could be gone for a month and a half or more,” Simone told her. “You will only have to work half days while I’m gone.”

The receptionist smiled before ducking out of the office.

Simone sighed and looked over at her phone. A red light was blinking, indicating someone was waiting on the line. “I don’t really want to answer that.”

“Then don’t,” Jordan said. “Grab your stuff and let’s go to lunch.”

“As much as I want to, this call is actually important,” Simone said.

“Can I answer it?” Jordan asked. “Or will I get you into trouble?”

“I don’t see how I could get into trouble, but I have to talk to him, so please don’t let him hang up.”

Jordan sent her a smirk before lifting the phone to his ear. “Hello?” he said once Simone had put him through.

“Uh, hi, I’m looking to speak to, um, Simone,” a male voice said.

“Could I ask who’s speaking?” Jordan asked in his most professional voice.

“My name is Jordan,” he replied.

“No last name?”

“Right, it’s Eberle,” he told Jordan. “I’m Jordan Eberle. Could I ask who I’m speaking to?”

“Well, lucky for you, my name is also Jordan, so you will never forget me,” Jordan sent Simone a wink as she rolled her eyes. “What is the reason you are contacting Simone?”

“She called earlier asking if I knew of any doctors she could visit in Edmonton,” Jordan Eberle explained. “I figured I should call with some information. Are you her boss?”

“No, as a matter of fact, I’m a friend of Simone’s. I was taking her to lunch when you called.”

“Oh, well am I able to talk to her?”

“Most certainly,” Jordan replied. “See you on the ice, Eberle.” Jordan covered the phone with his hand and gave Simone a curious look. “Why do you need to see a doctor in Edmonton?”

“My doctor’s appointment here falls on the same day that I fly to Edmonton, so I’m trying to find an alternative way to see a doctor.”

“Hmm, well hurry up on the phone,” Jordan said. “I’m starving.”

Simone rolled her eyes at the blonde man before taking the phone from his grasp and placing it to her ear.