Briefly, Marianna pondered on the true meaning of the phrase, be careful what you wish for. With the amount of times the media, television shows, books and casual conversation brought it up she should have been more aware of how it could truly affect her. Just yesterday she'd been envious of Dakota's day of quiet paperwork. Now that she was fully entrenched in the piles of manilla folders and disorganized documents, she truly regretted her envy.

Across from her Sawyer was just as hard at work. Sweat coated his brown and his breathing sounded shallow and much too fast. That morning he'd received a call about a discrepancy in one of the inspections. He'd known about it for over a week but had assured her it would be an easy fix. They could get it under control before the final walkthrough.

He hadn't even told her until yesterday. In fact, he'd been suspiciously quiet about the whole thing. When Marianna had gone to check on it herself she'd found a horrendous cover-up that Sawyer admitted he'd been hoping would get them through until the money started coming in.

Somehow the bank had gotten wind of the problem and were looking uneasy about the loan they were depending on. Marianna suspected a private investigator had been snooping around the area. It was a crazy thought so she kept it to herself. Sawyer had probably slipped up during a celebration and spilled the beans.

Marianna's phone screen lit up and it started vibrating itself across the table while belting out a pop song about new love. She snatched it up and headed outside before Sawyer could say a word. Maybe giving Dakota a personalized ringtone hadn't been the best idea.

"I'm sorry if I'm interrupting anything," he said.

"Nothing fun," Marianna grumbled. She glanced back through the window to see Sawyer's very pregnant fiance delivering a fresh pitcher of water to the dining room table where they'd been working. They leaned towards each other for comfort and Marianna quickly looked away to focus on the backyard she'd stepped into. "Is everything alright? It's still a bit early for lunch isn't it?" A smile tugged at her lips as she recalled their plans for lunch. She'd spent nearly every meal with him over the last forty eight hours.

On the other end of the line, Dakota sighed. "Actually, I was calling to tell you something came up and I'll be stuck at work through lunch. There's a property I've been waiting to come up on the market and I can't miss this opportunity."

Disappointment settled in her stomach but she forced her voice to be calm when she responded. "That's alright, these things happen." Part of her knew this was for the best. At the end of the week she'd be on a train back home and the distance between them would increase dramatically. It would be better to let it sizzle now before the feelings became anything more than infatuation.

"I was going to propose a compromise but I'm not sure you'd enjoy the cons of it," he said.

"You know dinner is still out of the question, I can't rearrange the meeting tonight," she reminded him. Sawyer had managed to squeeze in a second investor meeting and hoped they would be able to convince a second round of fat wallets to toss some green their way. Anything they could get ahold of was another bit of assurance to the bank that they would be able to pay up.

He chuckled and she heard the sound of rustling paper and a squeaky chair. "My plans still revolve around lunch, Mari," he told her.

The use of the nickname sent a wave of heat up her neck. In all of her ramblings she'd mentioned her grandfather's nickname for her and how she'd missed hearing it. He'd moved to Portugal to live with her uncle not long after she started highschool and phone calls weren't the same.

Their long distance had put a strain on their relationship and was one of the reasons she was hesitant to deepen her feelings for this man she's just met. Hearing the nickname should have strengthened the connection and prompted her to distance herself from Dakota immediately. He wouldn't be as far away as her grandfather, but it was enough. Still, something about it made her envision a fuzzy future between them.

"Lunch in what way?" She could practically hear the smile in his voice when he gave her the address to his office and promised food to die for.

Sawyer was hesitant to let her go, at first. A few quiet words from his fiance and a longing look convinced him otherwise. He was kind enough to promise to bring her things to her when they met up again later so she wouldn't need to cart it around all over town.

Dakota's office was on a high floor. Each floor she passed with the people in their smart business attire made her shrink in on herself more and more. Marianna suddenly felt far too aware of her worn jeans and plain yellow shirt. She shook it off and reminded herself she wasn't here to impress anyone. Dakota wasn't her boyfriend, he was a casual fling at best.

Finding his office was easy enough. She could see his tall frame through the glass walls from the elevator. She took a moment to observe him without him noticing her. If their short romance was doomed to end when she left, at least she would have a good stock of fond memories to think back on rather than the upsetting truth of Sawyer's feelings.

The midday sun lit up his office and surrounded his broad frame like a halo. His dark hair was carelessly tussled into disarray without looking sloppy, an achievement indeed. Dakota paced with a phone held to his ear, free hand waving dismissively one minute and making impatient gestures the next.

"Excuse me," a voice called out from Marianna's right. The woman behind the desk waved to get her attention. Loose strands of hair framed her questioning face. "Are you here for lunch with Mr. Laurier?"

"Oh, yes," Marianna said quickly as she closed the short distance between her and the desk. Her blush was going to be the death of her if it kept announcing her every emotion. "You didn't happen to see..." she trailed off, hoping she wouldn't need to explain. There was certainly a small chance she'd only noticed her in the last moments of her casual ogling.

"See you fawning over Dakota like he was forbidden fruit for the last four minutes? No, of course not," she answered. "The door is unlocked if you'd like to go in. Trust me, the longer you stare at him through the glass the less appealing he becomes." She shot a scowl at her employer but it was playful at best.

Marianna nodded and quickly moved to the office door and slipped inside. He saw her before the door had even fully opened and pointed at the small table tucked into a corner of the room. It was set behind a small partition giving it the only bit of privacy in the entire office. Plates were already set out along with glasses of water.

Only a few more minutes passed before he joined her. "I see you found the place alright," Dakota said. He set three to-go boxes on the table. The smell of curry poured out of them when he uncovered them.

"Yeah, funny how putting an address into the search bar brings up its exact location," she teased. Her stomach rumbled as the smell of hot food grew stronger, effectively putting an end to her jabs until it was satisfied.