Free All Work and No Play by Coleen Kwan

things and quietly left the office.
    Back home, she prowled her apartment, too restless to settle
at anything. She envisaged Giles sitting with Marcus, the CEO of FrogLeap , and all the hand-shaking and back-slapping that
would follow once Giles accepted the permanent position. Then, they would
probably go out for drinks and maybe dinner at a fancy
restaurant while they nutted out what Giles’s new role would be.
    Anna sighed. She was happy for Giles, and besides, there had
never been any future for the two of them. So why was she feeling so wistful
and letdown and goddamn sorry for herself? She hated this weakness and
indecision.
    Stung into activity, she changed into shorts and a tank top,
piled her hair up into a casual bun, and attacked her neglected housecleaning.
Several hours later, her home looked like something out of House & Garden , her muscles were aching, and she was a sweaty
mess.
    She was about to tromp off to the shower when someone
knocked on her front door. She was too tired to bother fixing her appearance,
so she went to the door, intending to be quite sharp if it was some doorknocker
wanting her to sign up with a new energy company.
    Instead, Giles stood on her doorstep, looking immaculately
smart-casual in narrow tan pants and a crisp blue shirt unbuttoned at the
throat and neatly rolled at the sleeves. In his hands was a bunch of bright
yellow and orange flowers. Eyes as vivid as a winter sky gazed down at her,
taking in her dishevelled appearance.
    Breathe , Anna
ordered herself. And chin up .
    Just because Giles was standing on her doorstep didn’t mean
she could jump to any conclusions. She wasn’t going to risk making a fool of
herself, not when she already felt so idiotic inside.
    “Hello,” she said coolly, and part of her admired the placidness
in her voice.
    “Hello.” His eyes narrowed on her flushed face. “Are you
ill? You look a bit...feverish.”
    She stifled the urge to smooth down her tangled hair. “I’m
not ill. I’m cleaning the house.”
    “Oh.” For a moment he looked nonplussed. “Uh, mind if I come
in?”
    The slight hesitation in his voice caused her heart to stop
for a second. Could Giles be nervous about visiting her? Not knowing what to
think, she mutely ushered him inside and led the way into her open plan
living-room-slash-kitchen.
    “Would you like to sit down?” She was proud of herself for
managing to sound so normal when inside she was seething with questions.
    Giles glanced about him, seemingly undecided, before he held
out the bunch of flowers towards her. “I bought these for you.”
    “Oh.” The bouquet of yellow ranunculus, lemon roses and
orange orchids was stunning. Taking the flowers, she held them to her nose in
an effort to hide her surprise and pleasure. “Thank you for... oh, a- tishoo !” She sneezed as a pinch of pollen tickled her nostrils.
    “Oh God. Don’t tell me you’re
allergic to flowers?” Giles shifted towards her, looking anxious and
disconcerted.
    “No, I just inhaled something.” Flustered, she hurried to
the sink where she quickly filled a vase with water and stuck the bunch of flowers
in it. She tore off a square of kitchen paper towel and surreptitiously blew
her nose. Heavens, what a complete wreck she must look by now, what with her
dirty clothes, sloppy hair, and pink nose.
    When she turned back to Giles, he was standing by the counter
that separated her compact kitchen from the rest of the room. His fingers
drummed on the counter, and his expression was wary.
    Despite everything, she couldn’t help drinking in the sight
of him. This was the first time in weeks she’d seen him for more than a brief
moment. He looked as good as ever, striking, handsome, confident .
The rays of the setting sun slanting through the windows cast a golden glow
over his chestnut hair and freshly shaven face. He took her breath away.
    “Congratulations,” she blurted out, desperate to break the
spell he had over her.
    His eyebrows