I noticed the surprise on Deira's face, but I also noticed that she looked happy, maybe the happiest I'd ever seen her look.
After dropping them off, I drove home and went into my office. I sat at my desk, thinking over an idea that had been forming in my mind. I jotted down my thoughts and decided to sleep on it.
The next morning, a steaming cup of coffee in my hand, I looked over the notes from the night before, and decided it was a great idea. So, I took out my phone and called Deira.
"Hello?" she answered.
"Good morning, Deira," I said. "I was wondering if I could see you sometime today?"
She hesitated, and I quickly clarified.
"It's not about Makayla. I have something else I want to talk to you about. Something good."
"Something good?" she asked, and even though it was a question, her tone sounded warm and friendly. I felt like yesterday going so well had really thawed her attitude toward me.
"Okay, sure. Why don't we meet for lunch? There's a restaurant near my place that has a play space for kids."
"That sounds perfect," I agreed. She gave me the name, and we hung up.
A few hours later, we were eating sandwiches while Makayla played nearby. Makayla had already charmed us into promising we could get ice cream after we were done talking.
"So," Deira said, keeping one eye on Makayla as we chatted, "what did you want to talk about?"
"I was thinking about your job interview..." I started.
"Oh, please," she interrupted, "let's just never think about that day again."
"Well, the thing is, before we had that argument, before I knew that you were, you know,you, I actually had looked over your resume. You have a degree in media relations?"
I glanced at her, and she seemed surprised I was bringing it up.
"Yes, I do. It was a double major, with art. That's what I was interested in, doing something that made art more accessible to the general population. I thought about working for a museum in their publicity department, or possibly starting my own blog. Well, I mean, I had a blog for a while."
I didn't tell her that I had actually looked her up online, and had come across her blog and read every post. She was good at it.
"I don't think it would be a good idea for you to join the company as my assistant," I said.
"No, definitely not," she agreed.
"But we've had a lot of growth over the past few years, and we've expanded a lot, especially in the public arena. So, I was thinking there might be a place for you in one of those departments."
"A place for me?" she asked.
"Yes." I could tell she was trying to stay calm, but she perked up at the idea of a job related to her degree. "From looking at your resume," I continued, "I think there could be a good number of positions that might work for you."
She thought this over, and I could see the wheels turning. There was a small smile at the corner of her mouth.
"What kind of positions?" she finally asked.
"Well, we have a job opening on our copywriting team."
"You have a copywriting team?" she asked in surprise.
"Yes," I said, grinning. "It's part of the branding department."
"Oh, okay," she said. She nodded, but I wasn't seeing the spark I wanted to see.
"Or, we have something in our PR department..." Her eyes lit up.