| Brian and his mom left the room while Michaela stayed behind to finish their paperwork. Down in the lobby Anne, Ashleigh, Dawn and Dorothy were waiting for Michaela to get done so they could get some lunch. They had all grown up in Colorado Springs and new everyone and everything that happened. They were in the middle of a conversation when they heard the elevator doors open. They looked to see if it was Michaela but instead they saw a little boy being chased by his mom.
Anne saw the little boy head her direction and grabbed him when he got close. She looked to see who the little boy was and saw it was Brian. �Thank you for catching him.� His mom said as she got to where they were. �You�re welcome Charlotte.� Anne said while she tickled Brian. �Charlotte how did he break his arm?� �He was trying to climb a tree to get a better look at some baby birds.� Just then the elevator doors opened and Michaela stepped out. She reached her friends and saw they were all gathered around Brian. �Charlotte have you met Michaela?� �Yes I have, she�s the one that took care of Brian, thanks again.� Michaela smiled as she saw Brian and Anne tickling each other. �It was nothing.� �We should get going.� Dorothy said looking at her watch. �I should be going too.� Charlotte said taking Brian�s hand. They all said their goodbyes and headed in their separate directions. On the way to the restaurant Ashleigh started to talk about the birthday party she was going to throw for her friend Abigail later that week. �Michaela you are coming right?� �I�m not sure. I mean I don�t know her.� �But you know us, and it will give you a chance to meet new people.� Dorothy said as they reached the restaurant. �Alright, I�ll be there.� The rest of week was pretty busy for them, especially for Michaela who also had to finish unpacking. Before she knew it the day of the party had arrived and she was actually looking forward to spending some time with her friends. It was her day off and she had finally finished unpacking. The only thing left to do was to move the desk she found in the barn into her office, but it was so big that she wasn�t going to be able to do it alone. She got dressed for the party and waited for Dorothy to pick her up since she didn�t know how to get to Ashleigh�s house. While she waited for Dorothy to arrive she decided to get some fresh air. She had recently discovered a bench under a tree in the front yard and it had become her favorite place to relax. She walked towards it and when she reached it she ran her fingers across it. Every time she had been out there it had always been dark. Now she could finally get a better look at the bench and her surroundings. She ran her hands across the bench and noticed a carving on the top part of it. It was in the middle and it was a carving of a heart with the initials M and S. As she ran her fingers along the carving her heart started to beat faster and she felt as if the carving had been made for her. Before she had any time to contemplate it Dorothy showed up. �Michaela are you ready to go?� �Yes, just let me get my bag.� Michaela turned to head back to the house when she spotted someone else with Dorothy. When she came out of the house she saw there was someone else with Dorothy. �Alright, I�m ready.� Dorothy realized that she hadn�t introduced Michaela to her companion. �Michaela, I�d like you to meet Byron Sully a dear friend of mine.� Michaela held her hand out and couldn�t help but blush when Sully took it in his to shake it. �It�s a pleasure to meet you.� �I prefer being called just Sully.� The party was great. Everyone was having a great time and Michaela got to meet new people. She met Hank and Jake both of whom were what appeared to be good friends with Sully, and she had also met Abigail. �So Michaela what do you think about Sully?� Anne asked with a smile. �I think he�s a nice guy.� Michaela responded unable to keep from blushing. 4 |