Vanessa stood behind the card and gift store counter, her feet aching and her head pounding. She hated Valentine’s Day. It was an annual reminder that she’d never found true love. She was well past forty now. She used to date frequently, but for the last couple of years, she simply stopped trying, stopped hoping and finally, stopped caring.   

Usually, she took a sick day to avoid working on February 14th, but she caught the flu in January, and used up a good portion of her sick time. She had to work. A man who looked to be in his mid-fifties came up to the counter with a card and a stuffed animal. He threw the items on the counter. “How much?” He asked

“The card is seven dollars. The toy is four,” she said.

The man shook his head. “What are we coming to when a thin piece of cardboard with ink on it costs more than a stuffed teddy bear?”

Vanessa smiled and took the man’s money. As she placed the items in a bag she asked, “How long have you been married?”

“A thousand years,” he said.

Your wife must have a closet full of tiny, cheap, teddy bears, Vanessa thought but didn’t say. 

The store was closing at six o’clock, only ten minutes to go. She could go home, open a bottle of wine and have a salad. She already bought one of the tiny boxes of chocolate; not the expensive stuff, of course. It had been years since a man gave her candy for Valentine’s Day. She bought her own because she liked it.

Although it had been a very busy afternoon, nonstop since three o’clock, the store was empty now. She started cleaning the countertop and noticed a hand mirror sitting there. Obviously, one of the customers must have pulled it out of her purse and forgot it. She picked it up and saw her image. Never beautiful, she thought, but she was, what? Not pretty exactly. Cute? Attractive? Yes, she’d been told often she was attractive.

A man with a bushy mustache walked into the store. He looked a bit like a younger Tom Selleck. She’d seen him before, earlier that day. In fact, if she wasn’t mistaken, this was his third trip. Alone in the store now, she was suddenly nervous.

“May I help you?” She called out to him.

“Uhm, in a minute. I’m looking for something.” He had a very deep voice. Vanessa continued to clean the counters. She looked through the store’s front door and windows hoping another customer might walk in.

“We’re getting ready to close,” she said. She couldn’t see the man. He was in the aisle at the far end of the store. “I know. Please don’t rush me. This is important.”

She started to walk from behind the counter then. “Maybe I can help you find what you’re looking for?”

“No, I’ll be done soon.”

Vanessa went back behind the counter and looked for the crowbar the owner kept hidden there. She always doubted she would have the strength to defend herself should the need arise, but she could feel the start of an adrenalin rush, which surprised her. She picked up the crowbar and moved it closer so she could quickly grab it. The bar felt heavy.

The man was walking toward her now, an odd look on his face. He held a card and a medium sized box of Godiva chocolates. She relaxed. “Found what you were looking for, I see,” Vanessa said.

He nodded his head and handed her the exact amount due including tax. It came to $27.00. She took the cash and hesitated. Should she open the register? He had an odd look on his face. He wasn’t exactly smiling. He looked a bit nervous. She said, “Would you like a bag for that?” She noticed the envelope on the card was already addressed, but couldn’t read the name.

“You might ask yourself that question, Vanessa. This is for you.”

“For me? What are you talking about?”

“It’s Valentine’s Day.”

“Why would you do that? You don’t even know me.”

“My name is Tom. I was in here earlier. I asked your co-worker, if you were seeing anyone.”

“And she told you my name.”

“She sure did. Anyway, there’s just something about you,” Tom said. “Love at first sight?”

Vanessa took the card and candy and placed it on the counter. Without raising her head, she said, “What am I missing? This kind of thing only happens in the movies.”

“True, Romantic comedy’s and such.” That’s when Tom pulled out a small pistol. “Neither one of us wants this to be a murder mystery, Vanessa. Empty the cash register and I’ll be on my way,”

Shocked, Vanessa opened the drawer and handed him the cash. He took it, but before he left he handed her $27.00. “I meant what I said. The card and candy are yours. Happy Valentine’s Day.”