The Incident

She turned to take a seat when a door opened. The sound caught her attention, and before she could sit down, she heard laughter.

"No, sir. I will make sure that doesn't happen," she heard a male voice say.

"It better not," a second male voice said with a loud chuckle.

As the voices turned to people, Lacey's knees went weak. She saw him look her way, and the moment their eyes met he stopped dead in his tracks.

"Lacey?" he said as he headed her way, the agency's Director, a two-star Army general, in tow.

"Sir? If this woman is here to be your new administrative assistant, I'd ask you to strongly consider hiring her."

"Well now," the older man with graying hair said with a laugh. "That's high praise."

He stuck his hand out and said, "I'm Charles Kennedy."

Stunned, Lacey stuck hers out, too, and when she did, he gave it a short-but-polite squeeze and let go.

"You two know each other I take it," the Director said as he let go of her hand.

"We do, sir," Joel told him without taking his eyes of of the very attractive woman who looked even more beautiful than he'd remembered.

"Is someone going to introduce me?" he asked, a smile on his face.

"Yes, sir. This is...."

Lacey realized she'd never told him her name and said, "Lacey Graham...sir."

Joel was only slightly embarrassed and recovered quickly.

"We uh, we only recently...got acquainted."

"All right. Well then, why don't you step into my office, Ms. Graham, and I'll be right with you."

"Yes. Yes...sir," she replied, adding on the formality she'd never used before meeting him. At least not in that way.

As she walked toward the large door she heard Joel say, "Lacey?"

She turned and saw him smiling at her.

"Good luck."

He winked, and for just a moment, she had that same twinge she'd felt before only stronger. She offered a nervous, "Thank you," then continued inside.

As she waited she told herself that seeing him was the last thing she needed and tried her best to focus on the upcoming interview. Joel proved very distracting, but she managed to keep things in perspective during the 15-minute interview that was really more of a chat to get to know her.

The subject of family came up, and when she explained about the loss of her husband and son, the Director said, "I am so very sorry."

He pointed to a photo on his desk then said, "I lost my wife, Beth, to breast cancer five years ago. I can't even imagine losing a child, too."

His words were sincere, and from there on out she felt at home and breezed through the rest of the of the rather informal interview.

"I have to tell you I'm very impressed," the Director told her as they stood up. "I've interviewed a dozen candidates, and none of them felt right."

Lacey very much wanted to ask, "Do I...feel right?" but the innuendo kept her from doing so.

He answered her unasked question, though, when he asked, "When could you start?" as he opened his office door for her.

Harriet matter-of-factly congratulated her, too, then informed her she'd need to go back to HR to complete even more paperwork, be badged, etc.

As she left the building an hour later she was very surprised that the first thought she had was wanting to tell Joel her good news. She sat in her car then pulled out her phone, but she didn't call him. Instead, she decided to send him a text.

"Joel. Thank you for your recommendation. I just wanted to let you know I was hired and will be starting the day after tomorrow."

She sat there for a moment, and when the 'twinge' came back and swept over her entire body, she added some more.

"I also wanted to tell you that I would love to have dinner with you sometime."

Perhaps it was the euphoria of the moment, but she couldn't stop herself from adding a heart emoji before hitting 'send.'

She started the car, but before as she reached for the shifter her phone rang.

She smiled when she saw the number.

"Well, hello!"

"Hello yourself, Ms. Executive Assistant to the Director."

She didn't remind him it was 'Administrative' assistant, she just thanked him.

"Is tonight too early?" she heard him say.

That twinge turned into a flush and warmed her in a way she hadn't felt in ages.

"Um...no. That would actually be...quite nice."

"Wonderful! If you'll be kind enough to text me your address I'll pick up around, say...seven?"

"I will, and seven sounds perfect if you'll let me know what to wear."

She could tell he was smiling when he said, "Nothing formal so other than that...surprise me."

"Hmmm. Okay."

"Lacey? Congratulations. You deserve this."

"Thank you, Joel. And thank you for...believing in me."

"I do believe in you," he told her in a way that made her heart skip a beat.

"That makes me very happy," she replied in that sweet tone of voice she hadn't used in a very long time.

"See you soon?" he more said than asked.

"Yes. See you soon."

When she hung up, it seemed like the whole world felt right again. It wasn't that the past had been erased or that the hurt was gone. It was more that she'd been given the opportunity to try again, and she felt like she could finally do that without feeling like she was betraying the man who'd loved her so dearly.

Joel would never be another Paul, but he gave her hope that she might one day find that special man she believed had to be out there. But no sooner did she think that when she realized no one would ever be Paul, either.

For the first time she asked herself why Joel couldn't be that special man, and also for the first time she didn't tell herself it was because he was so much younger than her. That could wait. For now she just wanted to bask in these wonderful feelings for a little while. The new job, a date with a handsome, albeit younger man, and the hope of a brighter future.

By the time she was getting ready for her date with Joel some of the same thoughts returned. She'd showered and had her hair in rollers as she stood in front of a full length mirror in nothing but a bra and panties as she took a long, hard look at herself.

One of the few good things to come from being a...widow...a word she didn't care at all for was having had the time to take care of herself. Even when she was feeling her worst Lacey ate right and spent several hours a week on the Peloton bike Paul bought for them just before he died. She would join in with an instructor and just let it rip as she drove herself as hard as she could.

Initially, that was for 15 minutes. Now she could ride all out, off and on, for a full hour. She always got an endorphin rush when she was done, and as she turned left and right, she got another rush from the realization that other than the faint stretch marks she bore, she looked better now than she had when she was 25.

Feeling confident, she chose a very pretty, form-fitting navy-blue, ribbed sweater with a scoop neck that just barely prevented anyone from seeing cleavage. She held it up against a short black skirt and thought they were perfect together. The skirt was short for a woman over 40, but not so short that it would look like she was trying to be 19 again.

When she looked at herself again after brushing out her hair and getting dressed, she thought she looked rather nice.

Lacey pulled on a pair of three-inch black heels then added some silver earrings and a matching necklace and smiled.

As happy as she'd been with the way she looked it was Joel's reaction when she let him in a few minutes later that made her heart skip another beat.

"Just...wow!" he told her when he arrived right on time.

"This is okay?" she asked as she watched him looking her up and down.

"Um...yeah!" he replied, his eyes finally meeting hers again. "You look stunning."

"Thank you," she told him, that sweet voice returning. "And you look quite nice yourself."

Joel wore a nice looking jacket over a button-down shirt with a pair of Dockers and some shoes that went well with everything else, and she was right. He did look very nice. So nice that several young women were checking him out at the restaurant that evening.

He thanked her, as well, then smiled as he said, "I was trying hard to impress a beautiful woman."

"Oh. Do I know her?" Lacey asked playfully.

"Yes. I believe you do, and I'm hoping to get to know her as well as you do," Joel told her in a way that made her entire body tingle.

"She's a lucky girl."

"No. I'm the lucky one," he insisted before asking her if she was ready to go.

He was so sincere in the way he said it that Lacey told herself she didn't care how old he was. All that mattered to her was who he was, and so far, she was very impressed.

As they walked to his car he kept up the banter.

"It's funny, but I sort of just...ran into her the other day."

"Oh, my. Is she all right?" Lacey asked as though she were very concerned.

He looked her up and down again then said, "She looks fine to me."

He opened her door then added, "Beautiful, actually."

When he got in, a wave of panic hit her. She looked over at him, saw how young he was again, and as he closed the door she asked, "Joel? What are we doing?"

"Falling," he told her, picking up on how she was feeling although he wasn't quite sure why she was feeling so nervous. He assumed it was possibly due to her having been married before and perhaps not having dated much since his passing.

Lacey didn't pick up on what he was saying at all and replied with, "What?"

"Falling. And it doesn't hurt."

"I...I'm confused."

"That's okay. I've already fallen, so I'll be able to catch you when you do, too."

She sat there for several seconds trying to puzzle out what he meant, and then it hit her. It hit her so hard and so fast it made her laugh. When she did, she covered her mouth but looked his way.

Her laugh was so genuine it made him start, and in a second they were roaring.

"Stop!" she gasped. "My mascara!"

Joel had a pack of tissues in the compartment between the seats and offered it to her.

As she took it she said, "I haven't laughed like that in...."

He knew what she was about to say and stopped her by gently taking her hand.

"I love when you laugh."

She couldn't remember the last time she'd been kissed, but at that moment she wanted him to kiss more than anything else. She pulled out a tissue, dabbed an eye then said, "I hope you meant what you said."

"About?" Joel asked, now the confused party.

"Catching me."

She glanced his way again and smiled.

He smiled back and squeezed her hand before saying, "I'll always be there to catch you, Lacey."

"Promise?" she asked.

Joel nodded, then to her very pleasant surprise, he leaned her way. Without hesitation she did the same, and when their lips met, she knew she was falling, too.

"You okay?" he asked when the kiss ended.

"I am," she told him, her voice soft and warm.

"So...you're not upset about...the incident?" he asked very quietly, their lips just inches apart.

"Uh-uh. Best thing that ever happened to me," she replied just as softly, momentarily unaware of the two other best things that had once been a part of her life.

"Good. Because I plan on being a part of your life from now on."

"I'm not upset about that, either," she whispered before leaning closer and kissing him.

As tongues touched then flicked and entangled, Lacey wanted this moment to last forever. Unknown to her, Joel was thinking the very same thing, and neither of them had any idea that it would.

18 months later

******

"How about John Paul?"

"His beautiful, very pregnant wife thought for a moment then said, "Too...Pope-like."

Joel did an exaggerated facepalm and shook his head.

"Duh."

They'd been looking at popular boy names which wasn't surprising for a married couple expecting their first child together. What had been a huge surprise was Lacey's new husband suggesting they use her late husband's name in honor of his memory.

"If that's too painful, I understand," he told her.

He reached for her hand when he saw her tear up and apologized.

"No. I...I'm not sad. I'm just...amazed," she told him. "I really didn't believe I would ever find someone who loved me like he did."

She looked into his eyes, blinked hers twice, then smiled.

"Then one day you...ran into me."

"Ah, yes. The Incident."

"Uh-huh. Best day of my life," she told him.

"Mine, too."

Joel leaned over and kissed her softly and told her again how much he loved her.

"And I love you," she said back to him.

They discussed several other names and settled on one that risen to the top ten on the 2024 baby list of most popular names for boys. Neither had ever known anyone with that name, but over the next few days it grew on them, and just two months later, Sebastian Paul Dixon was born.

As his mother held him close her handsome husband leaned down and kissed his son the forehead before kissing his wife. All she could think of was how much things had changed in the last two years.

She'd married a man she adored; a handsome, much-younger man. Surprisingly, the age issue never came up except as an occasional joke between them. She had a job she loved, and now she had another son to love, raise, and care for.

For his part, Joel's quantum decryption and encryption program worked. It worked so well that he'd already made over $20 million with more contracts in the works. They'd moved into a custom-built home the likes of which Lacey had never even dreamed of, and while it wasn't important to her, it was just one more part of the fairytale life she was now living.

Joel's parents now owned their home outright and were even driving a new car. His father had proudly told his son he didn't need a car, so Joel just had it delivered one day when he and his wife were there visiting. It wasn't a car but rather a Ford F150, the truck his dad had always dreamed of having but could never afford.

Meagan had just flown to France to start at one of the world's most prestigious culinary schools in the world. Her brother had also assured her he would help her start her own restaurant when she graduated, and she'd been so excited that she couldn't stop crying.

"Honey?" she asked as Joel stood up. "How would you feel about me maybe not going back to work?"

He knew she loved her job, but as he saw the look on his wife's face and the way she looked at their son, he understand why she was asking.

"Anything that makes you happy, sweetheart," he said before kissing her again.

"Well, you make me happy."

She smiled as she cooed a little to her newborn then said, "And so does this amazing little boy."

"Then it's settled," Joel told her.

"Honey?" she asked again as she looked up at him.

"Yes?"

"I can't tell you how happy I am that you um, ran into me that day."

He chuckled then bent down as if to talk with his little boy.

"Sebastian? The reason you're here is due to something your mom and I call...The Incident. One day, when you're a little older, I'll tell you about. But I want you to know I did not hit your mother's car."

"What? You did, too!" Lacey playfully accused. "The mirror. It was all...wonky."

"Okay. I did bend the mirror back a little. But if that hadn't happened, we wouldn't be here together right now. Trust me on that."

The new mom and dad held one another, their little boy between them, and both of them recalled that moment that changed their lives forever. The Incident.