Running Wild

Peonies

A week passed from the lunch on the patio and Tobias’ farm mystery was none closer to being solved. Following the only lead Lila had, she had sent the footprint photographs from the fence line to a top Wildlife Biologist in the country. Anxiously awaiting the results, Lila grabbed a ball off the corner of her desk and tossed it up in the air, catching it again. She did this at work when she was thinking, and everyone knew not to disturb her. She ran through all the hints and tips from the farm, her daily conversations with Tobias, and thumbing through all the photos she had printed. She caught the ball one last time and then leaned on her desk, closing her eyes thoughtfully.

The phone on the corner of her desk rang and she answered it without even opening her eyes. “Detective Himmel here.”

“Hello, Detective Himmel. I’ve looked at the prints you have sent me.” Lila sat up as she heard Dr. Thomas on the other end of the phone. “I’ve sent my findings to your email.”

“Oh, Dr. Thomas! Thank you,” her shoulders relaxed, happy to get a lead. She opened her emails and opened the documents from Dr. Thomas.

“Well... don’t thank me just yet. I’m sorry to say that your prints match no known species of mammals in your particular part of the state. However, your theory about a bear may be your answer. If you say it was scaling or breaking down a fence, it’s possible that the rear right foot slipped slightly causing the elongated appearance of the print.” Lila sat back in her chair and let out a quiet exasperated sigh, rubbing her eyes. “I’m sorry I could be of more help to you, Detective.”

“No, thank you Doctor. That was helpful. I’ll be sure to reach out to the victims and let them know.” Lila closed the email, disappointed, but grateful.

“Very good.”

“Thank you for all your time and effort, Dr. Thomas. I appreciate your help!”

“You’re welcome. Good luck.”

As she set down the phone to the receiver, Lila heard the subtle squeak coming from the wheels on Drew’s chair and she looked up to meet his gaze.

“Not the answer you wanted, I take it?”

“No. She said that it does not belong to any known species of mammal in our part of the state. The most probable answer would be a bear’s foot slipping slightly and elongating the print.” Both Drew and Jacob looked as disappointed as she did.

“You still don’t think it was a bear, do you?” Jacob asked after a moment of silence between the three of them. Lila wasn’t entirely sure how to answer.

“I don’t know... But what I do know is that whatever this is, is returning to a known source of food. I think I'm going to have to spend some nights the farm to see if I can get my answer.”

“Ooooh! Getting' cozy with the employerrrr!” Drew mocked with a sing-songy tone as he shuffled back to his desk, nearly missing a playful punch from Lila.

“It’s not like that!”

“Sure, it’s not. Neither is a private lunch for two with a private chef...” Jacob took a sip of his coffee, hiding his smirk and wriggling his eyebrows at her. Lila narrowed her eyes, smiling back, and then chucked her ball at his stomach. He sputtered with surprise and she laughed. She stood up and grabbed her phone, gun and badge from her desk drawer.

She had to admit that it was a bit odd working for Tobias. He had been very attentive and texting her each day. But he was being an absolute gentleman and had assured her that his only intention was to make sure she was happy working for him. ‘...by texting and calling every day,’ she thought. Her phone buzzed. “Speak of the devil,” she whispered to herself.

Tobias: Good evening, Lila. Are you free this evening?

Lila: Unfortunately, no. I’m on duty tonight. Is everything all right?

Tobias: Everything is fine, thank you. How about tomorrow evening?

‘Well, he’s being quite cryptic,’ she thought, glancing at the time: just a couple of hours left before the long weekend.

Lila: I’m off the next three days. No plans for tomorrow as far as I can remember. Why do you ask?

Tobias: I was wondering if you might attend an event with me tomorrow night?

Lila’s fingers hovered over the screen as she made her way to the break room to make some coffee. Her heart skipped a beat. Leaning against the counter while it brewed, she lifter her phone and responded.

Lila: What kind of event?

Tobias: A charity gala.

Lila paused, weighing her options. She knew that she had some sort of draw to this mysterious man with those spectacular amber eyes. She felt it the moment they met: some unspeakable draw. But as of right now, she was still working for him. Was it wise to cross business with pleasure? Even if it was her day off... She scoffed, shaking her head gently. She was getting too much into her head.

Lila: Tobias?

Tobias: Yes?

Lila: What are your thoughts on mixing business with pleasure?

There was no immediate appearance of the typing bubble like she had grown accustomed to texting with him. She grabbed her coffee and sat down at the break room table, eagerly looking at her phone as she tucked some loose hair behind her ears. A thought arose.

Lila: Or are you asking me on a date?

Lila waited her whole break for a response, but never got one. Hopefully, she hadn’t crossed a line and he was just getting ready for work or something. She finished her coffee, tossed the mug in the sink and headed back to her desk, feeling confused and worried.

---

After her shift had ended, she hopped into her truck and headed home. She was still lost in thought as she drove. There was still no response to her text. ‘Am I reading too much into this?’

As she parked her truck, walked to the elevator and up to her apartment, she could hear her bed calling her name. She chuckled lightly as she fumbled with the keys to open the door. Night shift was still so hard for her to get used to. She had hoped that her shifts would have switched by now, but hopefully soon, once she had trained Jacob well enough to manage by himself. She closed the door behind her, set her keys in a tray on the table by the door, dropped her uniform bag on the ground and started unbraiding her hair as she headed to the kitchen. She was making a bee line to the fridge, when she caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of her eye.

Her hand landed on her chest seeing a huge bouquet of peonies and greens and a large box on the island counter with a card atop of it, her name on the front. She grabbed the card and opened it to see a simple message:

Yes, I would like to ask you as a date. - Tobias

Her stomach flipped and her cheeks flush. No guy had ever done something like this for her before. With her curiosity piqued, she set the card on the counter, smelling the flowers and opening the box. Inside, she found an exquisite navy blue gown with beaded designs and sequin accents. Her jaw dropped and reached out to pick it up, handling it like glass. “It’s so beautiful,” she said as she felt the material. Over-whelmed with gratitude and feeling so cared for, she spun around and snatched up her phone, calling Tobias.

“Good morning, Lila. I--”

“Tobias... they’re beautiful! You remembered my favorite flower and favorite color and I cannot thank you enough,” her eyes brimmed with tears; her mind was made up. “I’d love to go as your date!”

There was a pause on the other end of the phone. “That’s fantastic news, Lila. I’m glad you liked them.”

Lila walked back over to the dress and took it from the box, holding her phone between her ear and shoulder. It was ground length with a slight train, a long slit up one side and a scooped neckline with small straps that would fall just off the shoulders. “You really didn’t need to go to all the trouble...”

“No trouble at all, Lila. There’s just something about you...” she smiled lightly, he felt it too!

“That’s very sweet of you. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I’ll pick you up around six tonight?”

“Perfect. I’ll be ready,” she grinned.

“Can’t wait. See you then.”

The call ended and Lila headed to her room while delicately holding the dress in her hands. She hung it, running her hands along the detailed gems and sequins and then stripped down, climbing into bed. She admired the dress as she slowly drifted off to sleep.

---

Upon waking up, Lila turned off her alarm clock and texted Amelia about what was going on. She left her phone on the nightstand and headed to the bathroom to brush out her hair and shower. Lila was both excited and terribly nervous about the date with Tobias. She had always been told to not mix business with pleasure, but he did seem genuine. Plus, the flowers and the gown showed that he was really trying. It wasn’t headed for a one-night stand to just be tossed aside later.

“Oh, my, god!”

Lila snapped back to reality hearing a voice in the other room. She chuckled, realizing Mil must have let herself in with her spare key. She turned off the shower, wrapped up in a towel and walked to the door of her room. She leaned against the doorframe and watched as her friend was scrounging around in her room. “Oh my god, Lils! We only have a few hours to get you ready!” She kept digging through Lila’s things.

“Well, hello to you, too.” Lila grinned, amused by her friend’s antics. Millie spun around to look at Lila, both annoyed and excited. Lila chuckled at her frustrated glance.

“Okay. How was I supposed to respond to your text? ‘Okay, cool. Have fun sis!’? Yeah, right! You need my help!”

“I just didn’t expect you to get here so quickly,” Lila admitted. She walked over to the bed and brushed out the rest of her waist-length hair.

“I was just down the street getting coffee. I ran.” Lila laughed.

“Fair enough. So, what are you doing to me today?” Lila crossed her legs and leaned back, propped up on her hands against the bed.

Mil placed her hands on her hips looking like she was about to give Lila a talking to, but her eyes caught sight of the dress hanging from the closet door. Her jaw dropped much like Lila’s did when she opened the box and first saw it. Lila blushed lightly and Millie smirked.

“Get dressed! We’re going to the salon! I’m not doing your hair if you’re going to be seen in that!” She walked over and snapped a few pictures of the dress and then shoved Lila playfully towards the dresser. Lila laughed, rolled her eyes, pulled on some yoga pants and pulled a crop top over her head. Over the years, she had learned it was better to just go with Mil’s flow than to fight it. No one could win that battle. And if they did, they should probably just purpose on the spot to her. They grabbed her stuff and headed out the door, down the elevator and to the salon a block away.

As soon as they got there, Amelia starts blabbing about what’s going on to Lila’s usual stylist and he spun Lila in the chair to face the mirror, giving her a ‘knowing’ smile, placing his hand on a c****d out hip.

“Tsk, darling! It's been too damn long. And now you’re dating some pretty little rich boy? Amelia, lemme see that dress!” Sydney was an expert in haircut, coloring and styling, and Lila kept coming back because they treated her like a little sister and she secretly adored it. Amelia ran over as soon as she was asked, holding out her phone so Sydney could see. They gasped, pressed a hand to their chest and then smiled slyly. “Okay girl. I got you. You just relax that pretty lil’ head of yours and I'll have you done up in no time!”

Lila closed her eyes and relaxed, not only because she was instructed to do so, but because it felt amazing having someone else do her hair. She heard Sydney and Millie go on about the cute guys working at the coffee shop down the way as Sydney started to cut, style, curl, pin and spray her hair with hair spray.

Sometime later, Sydney removed the cape, spun her to face the mirror and announced, “Okay, sweetie. We’re all done here.”

Lila opened her eyes to see her hair beautifully waved, in a half-up do with little glittery accents woven in. She smiled brightly, admiring their work in the mirror and jumped up to give them an affectionate squeeze. “You’ve outdone yourself, Sydney. Thank you!”

“You have a good time tonight. Don’t do anything that I wouldn’t do!” Sydney winked and the girls laughed as they paid and walked out. It was now time for Lila to get home, eat, get dress and get ready to go.

“We’ll do your makeup after some lunch,” Mil said, as if reading Lila’s mind. They smiled and headed back up to the apartment.

---

Taking a quick look in the mirror, Lila admired how well the dress fit her. She wasn’t sure how he knew her size, but she was simply in love with the dress. Millie stood behind her, fumbling to get the clasp into place and then she stepped back to look at Lila, tears brimming in her eyes.

“Oh, Mils....”

“No, stop! I get to cry! You look absolutely amazing and I've NEVER seen you this dressed up,” Millie informed her. Lila threw up her hands in mock surrender. A sharp trio of knocks on the front door startled both of them. Lila looked at the clock: 18:00; right on time.

Millie practically tripped over herself running to the door. She paused by the door, as if composing herself, and then opened the door as Lila grabbed her pea coat from the hall closet. Amelia looked disappointed when she said it wasn’t Tobias. Lila giggled. “Good evening, Luke. Good to see you again. This is my best friend, Amelia.”

He nodded to Mil, acknowledging her. “You as well, Miss Lila. Good evening, Amelia. Mr. Schmidt is waiting for you in the car, Miss Lila. Come out whenever you’re ready.”

Lila grabbed a couple more things and put them into her small clutch bag and hugged Amelia goodbye. “Have fun! Let loose!” Amelia advised.

“Ha, I'll try. Lock up when you leave?”

“I always do. Love ya sis.”

“Love you too. Thank you for all your help.” Lila hugged her once more and headed to the elevator with Luke. Lila smiled lightly at him as the decent in the elevator and through the lobby was silent. He opened the door for her and she stepped out into the cool, Spring evening air. Her eyes lit up as she spotted the car Tobias is in this time: a Rolls Royce Phantom.

Luke opened the back door and Lila spotted Tobias in the back seat wearing a navy blue suit to match her dress. He beamed at her as she slid into the back seat and Luke got up front to drive them. Lila can’t help but look like a kid in a candy store, running her hands along the detailed, purple leather on the doors and glancing up to see the shimmering ceiling lights on and looking like the night sky.

“Good evening, Lila. You look beautiful.”

“Oh, thank you,” she smiled to him. “Thanks again for the dress, it fits amazingly well!”

“You’re welcome. I look forward to seeing it out from under your coat at the gala,” he winked, his voice hushed so only she could hear him. She shivered lightly and went back to admiring the car. Lila’s dad had always wanted a Royce, he would have loved to see her get into the car of his dreams. Lila felt Tobias watching her every move and she turned to look at him.

“So... How many cars do you own? Should I expect a different one every time I see you?” she teased. He laughed and poured them two glasses of champagne.

“No. This is a company car. I own the truck and a commuter car. I don’t care for flaunting the company’s money on personal items, like my father did.” Lila took the glass from him as he passed it to her, their hands brushing gently... it was an electric feeling. She quickly took a sip; secretly thankful for it: hopefully it would calm her nerves before they got to the gala. It was refreshing to see someone in his status not flaunting money, though. She’d never know what to do with that kind of money. She would rather be comfortable and debt free than that rich.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Drink up,” he winked. “We’ll be there soon.”

Within just a couple of minutes, Lila looked up and saw that the Gala was being held at the city’s Opera House! Her excitement level rose as Luke pulled off to the curb and exited the vehicle to come around to open her door. He offered her a hand and helped her out. Tobias stepped out behind her and placed a hand at the small of her back, the tingles returning.

“Don’t be nervous,” he whispered.

Lila wasn’t entirely sure if he was saying it to her or for himself, but either way, it was a good reminder to take a deep breath and head in.