Chapter Eight

She got the first postcard one day after he left. It was postmarked Philadelphia and it was a picture of two Amish farmers that looks suspiciously like Dwight and his cousin.

When she looked closer - she realized that was exactly what it was. How he'd done it - she'd never know. Scribbled on the back were the words..."Pleased to beet you."

And it was almost like he was still there.

Almost.

On the day that was supposed to be her "wedding" she took a little drive. She had no real plan but it was no surprise to her that she ended up in a town about two hours away. She was pleased to find that Stamford was big enough to feel exciting and new and small enough to feel like home.

And as she sat in a small café there, idly doodling on the paper table cloth she started to make plans of her own.

The second card came four days after that. It was of the Great Barrier Reef. The message read…"Looks nice - right? Yeah. It's 42 degrees here today. I'm a total jackass."

A third and fourth told of all the people he'd met, all the places he'd seen and that he'd seemed to be enjoying himself, as much as possible.

There were four more postcards that each came one day apart, each one of a different location. One word was written on the back of each.

Wish

You

Were

Here

And as she tucked the last postcard in the frame of the mirror over her dresser, she knew what she had to do.

Five minutes later she called Mark and found out when his flight was returning and on that day her car makes its way to the airport as if it has a mind of its own. She gets there in plenty of time to nervously pace the international arrivals terminal, waiting for him to arrive.

Beyond exhausted and with not many more answers than he'd had when he left Jim shifts the bag on his shoulder and sighs. It seemed heavier now, and he thought again about the frivolous, not to mention insanely expensive, purchase he'd made, still half hoping he'd actually have the chance to give it to her someday. It didn't seem likely. Now that he'd taken the transfer he had just two days to pack up what was left of his life and move on.

It was surreal. He kept hoping for a sign but it seemed he wouldn't get one. It was time to move on, he guessed. He was contemplating exactly what that would mean when he saw her.

He blinks in surprise. She…looked…amazing. She was wearing a sundress, something simple but much different than her usual office attire. She wore a pair of pretty little sandals that were clicking against the tile as she paced back and forth. Her hand seems to be attached to her mouth as she picks at the cuticle on her thumb with her teeth.

He's never been happier to see anyone in his life.

Pam's back is to him and he takes a deep breath, deciding how he wanted to play this. Since she was the one obviously here to surprise him he decides a surprise of her own was in order.

Slowly and quietly and a thousand times more calmly than he actually feels, he makes his way over to her, coming to a stop beside her. He drops his bag to the ground with a soft thud and stands there, his gaze focused in the same direction as hers, towards the arrivals gates.

"You come here often?" He whispers, unable to keep the smile from crossing his face.

Her back stiffens at the sound of his voice. How could she have missed him? She'd been staring at the gates for over an hour. She waits a beat and doesn't turn to look at him before she nods "Every Saturday."

"Hmmm. No luggage?" He asks curiously.

"I like to travel light." She replies, smiling herself, still staring straight ahead.

"So. Are you here for business or pleasure?" He chuckles.

"Business is pleasure." She finally turns to face him - a huge grin blooming over her face.

He looks at her blankly and she gives him a look as if to tell him it should be obvious. "Small Businessman Magazine. Do you subscribe?"

"I used to. I think I've let it lapse." He gazes down at her adoringly.

She shakes her head in mock disgust. "Pity. You'll never get ahead with that kind of attitude."

They stand there for a half a minute, neither one of them saying a word. Until, finally, he whispers. "Hi."

"Hi." She whispers back, wringing her hands a bit. "Welcome home."

"Thanks." He doesn't bother to censor himself as he says. "You look incredible."

"Thanks." She blushes a deep shade of pink, giddy at the sound of his compliment.

"What are you doing here?" He hears himself ask, even though the answer was quite apparent.

"Um, Jim? I'm obviously trolling for tourists." She shakes her head at him.

"Of course." He laughs loudly. "Find anyone interesting?"

"Pickings are slim today." She sighs as she tilts her face up to his. "I'm about to give up and head out. Need a ride?"

He can see she's not ready to give him answers so he bends down to pick up his bag as he replies. "Sure."

xoxoxoxoxo

They ride to his house in silence. He's still waiting for her to tell him what exactly is going on here. Last thing he heard, she wanted to be alone.

She's said it loud and clear in countless ways and it had gotten to the point that he was only hurting himself by ignoring her.

Hurry up Pam. Say something. He's obviously not going to. "Is it really as beautiful as those postcards? Did you have a good time?" She finally manages as they roll to a stop in front of his house.

"It's amazing." You're amazing. The scent she is wearing is making it difficult for him to focus on her question. "And it was fun…well. As fun as it can be travelling a continent alone."

She nods at him and sits there in the driver's seat, staring straight ahead.

He finally can't take another minute. "Pam?" He says softly.

"Hmmm?" She turns to face him, nibbling on her bottom lip anxiously.

"Mind telling me what's going on?" He averts his eyes from hers. "I mean. It's not that I'm not glad to see you. Trust me. I am. It was nice to have someone waiting for me when I got home - especially you - but I don't really get what's going on." He looks at her hopefully. "Help me out here."

She had practiced this part in her mind a million times. She'd imagined saying it a million different ways. I'm sorry. I made a mistake. I'm pretty sure I'm in love with you too. I don't want you to leave, not without me. Still she's surprised at what actually comes out of her mouth.

"I want a do-over." She says almost too low for him to hear.

And he doesn't really hear her - at least he's not sure he's heard her correctly. "Excuse me?"

She looks at him exasperatedly. "A do-over. You know - like when you were little and playing a game - how if the dice fall off the side of the board and you get to roll again because the first time doesn't really count?"

He can't help chuckling at her. His laugh comes in a low rumble and his eyes begin to sparkle. She is perfect, is all he can think.

"I'm familiar with the term, Beesly."

She sighs with relief. "So you know what I'm saying then. We really screwed this up. We did the whole thing ass-backwards."

"Nice mouth." He gives her a scolding look. It is a nice mouth though. He thinks to himself, remembering the way it felt pressed against his. A really nice mouth.

He's roused from his thoughts when he hears her still talking.

"It was a lot to deal with Jim. One morning we're friends playing office pranks and that same night we're making out at your desk and having these intense conversations about how we feel about each other. Three days later it's all about how I feel about Roy and that I need to make a choice and it was way too much. Nothing was easy - it was all so complicated." She looks at him and sighs. "You need to understand. It totally freaked me out."

He looks at her and oddly enough for the first time sees this whole thing from her perspective. And he's incredibly ashamed of himself. Of course that would freak her out. It was freaking him out just by listening to her say it out loud.

"You're right." He whispers and stares at his lap. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. I just…" She takes a deep breath. "Can we try it again? Like…maybe take it a little slower?"

"Let me make sure I'm getting this. You're saying the zero to sixty 'I'm in love with you' was a tad too fast?"

"Pretty much." She laughs, beyond relieved that he understands.

"You're saying you want me to woo you?" He continues with a lopsided grin.

Her eyes widen with horror and a sick shiver runs up her spine. She throws up her hands and shakes them to try and rid herself of the feeling. "Oh my God. NO. That is just like something Dwight would say."

"I take it back." He says desperately.

"You better." She twists her mouth like she's tasted something awful. At the same time she's attacked with a fit of giggles.

"I take it back." He says again, laughing uncontrollably now.

When she finally catches her breath she looks over at him again. "You better start packing." She says softly. "You need to be in Stamford by Monday."

He's completely confused. Didn't she just say she wanted to start over? What the hell is she doing? "Wait - what? Pam? What are you saying? You honestly don't expect me to leave now."

"I absolutely do." She nudges his arm and motions for him to get out of the car. "It's a do-over. We kinda need to start from scratch." She smiles wider. "Well." She leans forward and gives him an incredibly quick kiss, and even though it's only about a split second long her face is flushing crimson as she pulls away. "Almost from scratch. C'mon. Get going."

"Pam…" He can't be more confused as he gets out of the car. Standing on the sidewalk, he reaches into the backseat for his luggage.

"Trust me Jim." She says with a wink, a thousand times more confidently than she feels.

As he watches her drive off he stares after her car, still completely perplexed. This is all new to him. She's obviously planned something and he feels completely in the dark.

He has no idea what's come over her but he can't say he doesn't like it.

One thing he knows for sure. Do-overs are few and far between as you get older. He smiles as he grabs his bag and makes his way into the house. Jim thinks of her words and appreciates that chances like this are rare. He'll be damned if he doesn't take this one.