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INTRODUCTIONS

Driving five hours to DC didn’t sound like a long tiot out onto I-85 it felt inter After everything that had happened and everything that had changed this su out to see Hayden for the weekend

She hadn’t seen Brady since the night of his fund-raising gala She hadn’t expected to either They were even more on the do, thanks to Heather and Elliott’s interference It ht She hadn’t thought they could get muchHe had called only once, and that was to tell her that he was going to be too busy to talk the rest of the week She figured that meant she wasn’t supposed to call him either

Sandy Carmichael would have to be tucked away for the weekend, and Liz would have to try to enjoy herself She would have to be content knowing the man who loved her couldn’t contact her, and that she wouldn’t be able to see him until he could see her They were back at square one

It was as if they were starting all over again But now their eer, and so it hurt fifty thousand times more She couldn’t even think about it without her heart constricting, her sto up She had cried tooabout Brady, how he had stuck up for her, that he loved her, that he hadn’t told her, that they couldn’t be together She was determined not to cry on this trip

Liz pulled off of the interstate headed straight for don DC She and Hayden had decided that she would pick hiotten permission to take the rest of the weekend off He said even though they all technically had the weekends off, everyone still came in and worked extra hours because there was too much to do He had even asked not to be on call He certainly sounded like an overworked intern, but at least he was getting paid

She followed the directions on her GPS through town and turned off into a parking lot in front of Hayden’s building She cut the engine and sent hi him know that she was here She was a couple minutes early: Everyone she knew froinia had the worst drivers iinable, so she had built in some traffic tiht

Just cos to close up, Hayden ot out of the car She had dressed comfortably for the trip and wished now that she had put on so where everyone was in suits and heels without her own heels She thought about pulling a pair out of her bag, but decided it would look ridiculous paired with her teal cuffed shorts and loose white spaghetti strap top Her hair was down in waves, because there was no way she was straightening it in this huhtlot and into the glass building that Hayden worked in The lobby was ie, hard wooden desk A security guard stood on either side of the desk, and a receptionist sat answering phones in a very professional business suit and tie

"Hold, please," the man said into the phone, then looked up at Liz "Can I help you?"

"I’ her hands in front of her body She didn’t knohy she was so anxious She had known Hayden for two years They had worked together at the paper, and they had been friends the whole time So she’d had a small crush on him; that didn’t mean she had to freak herself out before she even saw him It was just Hayden

"I’ll let him know What’s your name?" he asked

She actually had to think about it before answering "Liz Dougherty," she said softly All suone by Sandy Carive her real na a button and holding the receiver to his ear "A Miss Liz Dougherty here for Hayden Great Thank you" He smiled up at Liz "He’s on his way Feel free to take a seat"

"Thank you," she said He was already switching back over to the other line to finish his conversation

Liz took a few steps away fro area She couldn’t get over hoeird it felt to be just Liz Dougherty again It was almost too easy to assume a new identity She felt lost in the deception and appeal of shrugging off the cares of her world, and now she was rebounding back to plain, average life It was a bit disorienting

"Liz," Hayden called, walking out through a side door and toward her with a big smile on his face Liz stood quickly and pulled her shorts down to a decent length

Hayden looked exactly how she remembered except he wasn’t in his norreen shirt and striped tie Hishis hands through it while working It was a bit shorter than she was used to He usually kept it long enough for the curls to start peeking out around his ears, but apparently the Hill had cleaned hireen color than normal as they reflected his attire

"Hey, Hayden," she said, walking to meet him halfway

"Good to see you Hoas the trip?" he asked, leaning forward and giving her a hug She wrapped her arms around him briefly and then they broke apart

"It was an easy drive," she told hilad to hear that Co to finish up and then I can introduce you around Sound good?"

Liz nodded "Sounds great"

Introductions How many of those had she had this suhed and tried not to think about Brady It was too complicated and would only frustrate her further

Hayden held the door for her as she walked into a long hallway He motioned her toward the elevator and scanned his security card The door dinged open and they walked inside He pressed the button for his floor and the elevator shot up

Liz stood there in silence, wondering what it was going to be like in his office She half expected it to be a ht be like Hayden--calm and controlled He was efficient, and while the university press was different from a press office, he had always run it so smoothly It had its s under wraps

What she found when they exited the elevator was much closer to ether and covered in monitors, computers, coffee cups, and hundreds of randoer hurry than was likely necessary; so around chatting with colleagues It should have been a terrifying sight, but it only excited her This hat she wanted in her life

"Co down the busy hallway He turned about halfway and stopped at a s desks He was possibly the tidiest person she knew She made a mental note to clean his office before he ca with Brady on top of Hayden’s desk at the paper ht

"Have a seat I have to copy this stuff and turn it in toa neat stack of papers off of his desk "I’ll be right back"

"All right," she said, sitting down in his chair She watched the general commotion in the office It reminded her of the school paper, but with a different kind of hierarchy She liked the huency She could fit in here

Liz turned back to Hayden’s desk and examined the area His Post-its were color-coordinated based on the topic he orking on, and that anized with her stories, but they kind of came out of stream of consciousness