Remotely Love, page 22
Sam sat on the edge of the bed. “Wow! We missed each other because I came back to your room instead of down to breakfast, then we must have just missed each other when you went backstage. I….”
They both heard Hazel’s computer. It wasn’t a usual practice at FutureApp, but someone was calling her directly through SyncUp, and a loud ringing sounded through the house. She ran back to the office, sliding her chair back into position across the room.
Hazel answered Tamra’s call and was greeted with an apology. “Hey, sorry to call you like that. This can wait if you’re on break or busy. I thought you’d want to know about it right away. I just met with HR.”
“Thanks for calling! I want to know everything.”
“I figured. So it looks like there was a misunderstanding. I’ll go ahead and let you know; you have nothing to worry about. The incident is already closed.”
Hazel chewed her lip. “That’s a relief… Can I know more about it? It’s been an emotional rollercoaster since you mentioned the meeting.”
Tamra looked up to the right. “Since it was about you, I think I can tell you. I’d definitely be covering it if the investigation was still ongoing. Frankly, I’m also curious to hear from you.” She seemed to decide. “Someone reported you for being in an inappropriate relationship with Sam. That would be a concern since you’re both in Communications and you were both working on CARE. Remember, he even chose you for the CARE project, which looked like favoritism.”
Hazel kept her face as neutral as possible. “What evidence did they bring forward? Or was there any?”
“That’s where the meeting got weird. I was with our HR Partner, Kimberly, and someone else, I won’t say their name, and we were all talking through the investigation. Kimberly led the conversation and had her fill in the blanks to get me caught up. When she asked about what led her to believe you were in an inappropriate relationship, first, it was things she had overheard. I felt like, okay, this could be her reading into things or misinterpreting. There wasn’t much to stand on. But then she had pictures that were hard to refute, which leads to my question. You and Sam?!”
Hazel’s jaw dropped. “Wait, what pictures?”
“She had a picture of a phone. I’m guessing Sam’s phone, and you had texted him, and it showed it on the lock screen. He has you programmed as ‘Hazelberry.’ That was still not very solid, in my opinion, but the other picture was clearly of you two kissing on a stage.”
Hazel’s eyes popped. She remembered a flash of light while they were on stage in the empty auditorium but had interpreted it as seeing stars. “I… What? We were alone in there! We thought we were.”
Tamra hummed. “It was obvious the room was dark and empty. Anyway, she had just shared the photo when Kimberly paused the meeting. She returned in a few minutes and said the investigation was closed. You and Sam had disclosed years ago, and they had it on file. The other person was pissed. She said it wasn’t possible. Kimberly even had to ask her to be professional. But Hazel, why didn’t you tell me?”
“I um…” Hazel was not prepared for the question. She searched for a reason. “We have a rule that we don’t discuss our relationship at work. It’s cleaner to compartmentalize. Though, I guess now everything is out.” She shrugged.
Tamra was put out. “Well, I wish you had. Honestly, you two should not have been working on CARE together, and he should have never asked for you to join.” Tamra looked down at her keyboard. “Look, this didn’t come up, and the investigation is closed, but you absolutely can’t do that again.”
Hazel nodded emphatically. “I accept that. I totally understand. Hearing it out loud… we should have been aware of the optics. It will never happen again.”
Tamra’s demeanor changed like a switch. “Thank you. So, how do you do the long-distance thing?”
Hazel saw movement at the door. Sam was standing there, body framed with gray light streaming around him and a look of concern. Hazel chuckled, “The distance has been our biggest challenge. We recently started talking about moving in together. Nothing set in stone yet, but we’ll figure something out.” Sam’s face was sheer amusement. Hazel saw his cheek dimple out of the corner of her eye.
The meeting concluded and a sense of euphoria mixed with utter exhaustion coursed through Hazel as she stared at the screen. She turned her head toward Sam, disbelief etched on her face. “We did it. Everything worked out.”
Sam’s grin evolved into a shining smile, and a softness settled in his eyes. He reached his hand toward Hazel, and she rose from her chair to take it. She let out an oh of surprise as he twirled her into his arms. They started a slow sway. Sam whispered, “I guess now it’s just the question of moving in, eh?”
Hazel replied, “Sorry about that. I didn’t know what else to say to Tamra.”
“I hope you aren’t sorry. We don’t have to rush into anything, but I would be honored to share a home with you someday. We’ll have so many warm blankets.”
Hazel added, “We’ll have to install a shoe rack.” She pushed her hand against his shoulder to stop their dance. “I want to start… everything with you. Our life… but can we take a nap first?”
Sam laughed and answered by picking her up and carrying her to bed.
Epilogue
Hazel Rogers
What’s your day look like? 8:49am
Sam Pierce
I’ve got a meeting at 10 then a block of meetings from 2-5, including the preso on Quality Standards Grading Changes. You? 8:50am
Hazel Rogers
Onboarding class starts in 10 minutes, we lunch at 12:30, then end of day is at 4:30. I’ll be out by 5. That’ll be the rough schedule the next month. 8:50am
Hazel looked up at the knocking sound at the office door.
“If you’re starting in 10 minutes, it was high time I delivered your coffee.” Sam swept in gracefully, placing the coffee cup beside her keyboard and kissing her head. He exclaimed, “Your first Onboarding group as a Trainer starts in 9 minutes!”
Hazel suppressed a smile. “I know!”
“You’re going to do great. If you need anything, I’m a Chatter away.”
She reached for his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Thank you. I’ll be fine, there’s going to be a learning curve, but I’m so excited to be on it.”
Sam’s eyes crinkled, and a devious look crossed his face. “Your curves are always the most exciting.” He swept his hands down her sides.
Hazel swatted him away and dramatically cried, “Harassment in my workplace!” They both covered their mouths and looked from side to side as if having witnessed something salacious. “Remember, we’re on for dinner with Rosie and Nick tonight.”
“Oh, no chance of forgetting. The Cards Against Humanity grudge match rages on!” Sam shook his fist in the air for emphasis. “Okay, headed to the office.” Sam stepped toward the door.
Hazel scooted her chair back. “Aren’t you missing something?” They usually started the work day with a peck.
Sam was back to her in a single stride, leaning over so they were face to face. Hazel bathed in the deep brown and golden bands of Sam’s eyes for a second. He tilted her head back, ran his hand through her hair, and kissed her deeply.
Afterword
Dearest Reader,
Thank you for reading my book! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it (a real love-love situation).
If you’re curious about Sam’s perspective when meeting Hazel, I’ve written a bonus chapter just for you.
Check out Sam at the Summit here.
Happy Reading!
Acknowledgments
The experience of writing Remotely Love is something I’ll never forget. It’s my first novel, and I adored everything about writing it.
Thank you to Tim Thorn, my forever partner. You listened to me excitedly explain how the story was developing every night and encouraged me along the journey.
Heather Balcerek, Steve Cahill, and Tim Thorn were the best beta readers I could have ever hoped for. Your feedback helped shape this work into something I’m proud of. The sections you particularly enjoyed gave me confidence when I needed it. I can’t thank you enough.
My friend, Alyssa Westler, is a wellspring of support. You believed in me and this story before I even began writing it when it was a baby idea. Thank you for always seeing the success ahead.
To my many unnamed work-from-home friends around the world, you know who you are. The experiences we shared working and creating together are the finest I could dream of. I hope the remote shenanigans in this book made you smile.
About the Author
Lori writes in various genres, including romance, children's books, and anthologies.
She draws inspiration from her life, including working remotely at major corporations since 2012, trying to convince her children that they're lycanthropes on long summer afternoons, and her love of music and food.
Lori lives in Florida with her husband, Tim, and their three kiddos. She enjoys playing clarinet in the community band and preparing scrumptious vegetarian meals.
About the Illustrator
Heather Balcerek is a passionate creative and lover of books. While her design experience has been born out of necessity in her past roles, she eagerly learns new programs and tricks of the trade whenever she can. Whether she is drawing Zentangles or noodling around on ProCreate or designing in Canva, Heather puts all her love and energy into each piece. Aside from visual creativity, she also hosts the Connect the Dots podcast, which focuses on career development.
Heather lives in Clearwater, FL with her husband. Together they run the food and travel blog, It’s a Salty Life.
Connect with Heather
@msheatherbdot
@connectthedots_podcast
podpage.com/connect-the-dots/
@saltylifefft
itsasaltylife.com
Lori Thorn, Remotely Love
