Ethan laughed, “It’s not that simple. I need to find a way to show her that I want to be with her because of how I feel about her and not because of money or opportunity or anything else. Otherwise, I’m going to lose her. But, I think I know what to do.”
“Well, spit it out, you’re feeding red meat to a woman who just had a heart attack, we don’t have much time to waste.”
“Did Amy ever tell you about the night we spent together in Chicago?”
“I don’t believe she did, she seems to have a habit of leaving out the good stories.” Vi leaned back in over the table, her eyes widening as she waited for Ethan to continue his story. “I’m all ears.
“Well, it was several years ago. I had just lost the only family member I’ve ever had, and I was a wreck. I hated myself and my lifestyle and everything I was doing with my life. Not knowing what to do, I called Amy. She dropped everything and flew to Chicago to be with me. I made her think I had been stood up for a charity function, but the truth was I just needed someone I could talk with.”
“Ohh yes, that I remember. When Amy got back, she was in a huff for nearly a month. She wouldn’t spill, but I had a feeling man troubles were to blame. From what Callie told me, you stood her up.”
Ethan laughed. “Nothing could be further from the truth. We had a wonderful night. I don’t know if you’d believe this, but I have a hard time opening up to people. That night, I bared my soul to her. I told Amy my every fear, my every worry. The thing is, within a few minutes she had gotten me to forget all about it. Just talking to her was one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life. Everything flowed so naturally. It felt like a dream.”
“So what does this have to do with proving to her that you love her?”
“At the end of the night, Amy kissed me. It was late, and we had been drinking all night, and, even though I knew she didn’t want anything serious, I kissed her back. The moment my lips touched hers, I felt like the earth had stopped spinning, and I had floated into orbit. I was ecstatic. After we kissed I asked her what would happen between us if I wanted to be more than just colleagues. She smiled at me and said that it would be a breach of contract. She said she had just the fix. She reached over to the coffee table. She grabbed a pen and a napkin, and she held eye contact with me as she wrote. If I close my eyes, I can still see the way the corner of her mouth curved up when she smiled. I can see her dimples and the mischievous look in her eye. She handed me the note and crossed her arms while I read it.” Ethan trailed off as he thought back to that night, losing his train of thought and forgetting everything but that look on Amy’s face.
Vi cleared her throat. “Well, what did it say? Stop being such a tease!”
Ethan laughed. “It said that there were some things you have to earn. Then she signed her name.”
“So what happened next?”
“She smiled and kissed me again, and then she fell asleep in my arms, right there on the couch. I knew she’d be embarrassed as hell in the morning when she realized that she had spent the night with me, so I laid there with her in my arms until the sun came up, and then I put a blanket over her, kissed her on the forehead, and left.”
“That’s it?”
“No. I wrote her a note, too.”
“Which said?”
“I said I would earn it, no matter how long it took. Amy doesn’t remember any of it. Hell, I’d believe that I’d dreamt the whole thing up if I didn’t still have her note.”
“You kept it?”
Ethan reached into his pocket and pulled the note out. “I’ve kept it with me every day since then. And I’ve treated it like a contract. I’ve done everything within my power to live up to it. I read it every morning when I wake up, and every night before I go to sleep.”
Vi smiled and leaned back. “I think you know just fine how to show her what she means to you.”
“I’ve just been waiting for the right time to tell her.”
“If I were you, I wouldn’t wait another minute. I’d tell her the next time she walks through that door.”
Ethan ran his fingers against the frayed edges of the napkin. He had studied it so many times, had pored over every little letter Amy had written on it. He had held it as a secret for years. When he realized that Amy didn’t even remember writing it, it became even more dear to him. “You know, Vi, that’s exactly what I’m going to do. But I’m going to need your help.”
“Why would you need my help?”