Free My Sweet Valentine by Dairenna VonRavenstone Page A

came the distinctively male voice from the
other end.
    She allowed
herself a small grin as heat rose to her cheeks. Even after being
with him for ten years, he could still make her blush.
    “ I’ve
missed you too Greg,” she replied with a little giggle.
    “ I’ve got
some bad news, Amber,” Greg returned with a sigh.
    “ You
can’t make it back, can you?” Amber asked before he could
speak.
    The
disappointment must have been clear in her voice since Greg heaved
another sigh. Amber imagined him running his hand over his thick
dark hair.
    “ Well
it’s not looking good,” Greg affirmed softly.
    “ Oh,”
Amber stated.
    She was not
disappointed in him, it was not his fault that he worked hard and
became the head of his department. It was not his fault that he had
to travel to other headquarters to attend meetings every two
months. She did miss him though.
    “ If
Henderson agrees to the terms of the contract, I can finish up and
be there mid-day on the 14th. There might not be any special
surprises thought, but we’d be together,” Greg explained
quickly.
    “ That’s
all that matters,” Amber told him in a joyful voice.
    “ We can
always go back to the lake,” Greg suggested.
    Amber wondered
when he would finally suggest that. It had been a few years since
they had been back to the place where he proposed.
    “ That
would be perfect,” Amber agreed wholeheartedly.
    “ Good,
I’ll call once I know for sure if I can make it back,” Greg told
her.
    He was
ecstatic, she could tell by his voice. Amber was sure he was
thinking of what he could do with such a short time frame.
    “ All
right, I’ll talk to you then,” Amber returned with a broad grin,
knowing full well he could hear her smile in her voice.
    “ I love
you,” Greg uttered.
    “ I love
you too,” Amber said in reverence.
    Exchanging the
words of dedication never lost their appeal to them. The words
never lost their meaning, or their spark. Amber always felt the
familiar burst of emotion that made her warm all over when he said
those words.
    Dial tone came
over the line and with a sigh, Amber hung up the phone. She was
just putting the phone in its cradle when the doorbell rang. With a
little gasp of surprise she began running to the door, wondering
who would be visiting her without calling first. Her friends and
family always knew to call as Greg might not be there or she might
be at work. She did not have a set schedule at work but neither did
Greg. Somehow this worked better for them than if they had a set
time to leave and go to work.
    She made it to
the door and peaked out the peep hole. No one was there. Amber
unlocked the door and pulled it open to reveal her empty porch. A
burst of cold air refreshed her and she took a single step
outside.
    Something
crinkled under her foot and she looked down. She gaped at the dozen
red roses she almost stepped on and swooped down to scope the
flowers into her arms. She remained framed by the door as she
peered down the street to catch the delivery man before he ran off.
She saw no one on the street and because her neighbours had been
kind enough to shovel her sidewalk and drive-way, there were no
footprints in the snow.
    She frowned
lightly and stepped back into the house, locking the door behind
her before finally staring at the flowers again. A single white
card marred the red and she blinked at it before pulling it free
from the roses embrace. It read simply “To my sweet Valentine” in
exquisite gold script.
    Amber chuckled
lightly as she made her way to the kitchen. It seemed like Greg was
all ready making sure this Valentine’s Day was one she would not
forget. A chill came unbidden along her spine but she assumed it
was simply from the cold. Red roses only had one meaning after all
and she should not be concerned about them appearing on her front
step. Greg had been doing sweet little things for her since they
first met...
     
    Valentine’s
Day, 14 years prior:
     
    Amber pulled
her locker