Read Online Secret Admirer by Gail Sattler - Free Book Online

somehow picked a low-quality tea bag this morning.
    Even though the tea wasn’t as dark as she normally liked it, Shannon tossed the bag into the trash and walked to her desk as quickly as she could without spilling anything or making it look as if she was rushing. Todd had spilled his coffee the same day he’d barged in front of Faye, and she didn’t want to do the same. She had been impressed that he’d immediately wiped up his mess. Whenever the other dispatchers slopped coffee onto the floor, they let it dry, and the janitors got it when they washed the floor at night. Mostly, she didn’t want anyone to notice her.
    Shannon’s stomach fluttered as she opened the drawer. The same as every other day for over two weeks, a little white note, fastened with a red ribbon tied to a chocolate kiss, lay in the center of her pencil tray. Keeping the note low so no one could see what she was doing, Shannon pulled the ribbon off and set the kiss aside.
    Dearest Shannon,
    When I think of you I don’t know where to begin
    Your magical voice is like a sweet violin.
    My heart beats with joy at the sound of your laughter,
    And your happy smile fills me with joy ever after.
    Your Secret Admirer
    Shannon smiled. The note was tender and sweet and oddly flattering, even though the poetry itself hadn’t improved. Today, though, something was different, but she couldn’t quite figure out what it was.
    She tucked the note into the envelope containing the other notes, unwrapped the kiss, and popped it into her mouth. While she savored the rich chocolate, Shannon turned her head toward the opening for the lunchroom. Any second now, Todd would be walking through the doorway.
    She hadn’t told him about the notes, but he’d promised to keep his ears open to any conversation concerning her. Of course, it was too early to hear anything. Once he arrived, she would simply remind him.
    Instead of Todd, Faye walked into the office. Shannon found herself strangely disappointed.
    She couldn’t stop thinking about Todd. Not only had she spent the evening with him, she’d actually enjoyed herself. In many ways, he was the same old Todd she’d known since she was a kid. Yet it was the first time she’d talked to him as a single man and not as her brother’s annoying friend.
    Then, when they were leaving, he’d acted so strange. Todd always radiated confidence and control; yet he was at a loss for words. He’d even stammered. She didn’t know what was going through his mind, but with Todd Sanders, it could have been anything. He couldn’t have realized how charming his momentary lapse had been, but it showed her a side of him she didn’t know existed. At the time, she’d almost been inclined to give him a hug, but since it was Todd, she’d erased the thought from her mind.
    â€œHi, Shan.”
    â€œGood morning, Faye. Is Todd in the lunchroom?”
    â€œNope. Haven’t seen him yet.”
    Shannon checked her watch. Most days they arrived about the same time. Today she’d come in a few minutes early to be sure she could read the Secret Admirer’s note in private. With the clock now showing ten minutes after Todd’s usual arrival time, a niggling worry started to prod Shannon. She rose and unlocked the filing cabinet so she could get his phone number out of his personnel file; but just as she touched the folder with his name on it, the familiar sound of Todd’s laughter echoed from the dispatch office.
    With a quick push, she closed the drawer and engaged the locking button, then walked to the dispatch office. She found Todd and one of the drivers in the small room, talking with someone she’d never seen before through the window opening into the drivers’ area. Bryan, Rick, and Gary were nowhere to be seen.
    â€œTodd? What time did you get here? I wanted to talk to you.”
    â€œAbout what?” When he turned to face her, he was