"I'm sorry I won't be there for Valentine's Day," Patrick said.
"It's okay." Hayley wasn't happy, but this was the price of dating a trucker. "I know you'd be here if you could. And I know you'll be thinking about me."
"Always, honey," Patrick said. "I miss you. But I'm always thinking about you when I'm not with you. I'm there, even if I'm not. You know what I mean?"
"I know. You're in my thoughts. I miss you too, though."
"I'll make it up to you when I get back. Take you out for a night on the town. Anywhere you want."
"It doesn't matter where we go. Spending time with you is what's important."
"Except when my job messes it up."
"Patrick, it's okay." Hayley forced the disappointment out of her voice. "You told me when we started seeing each other how it might be. You can't help where they send you and when. I'm going to miss you on Valentine's Day, but maybe you'll have a chance to call and we can at least wish each other a happy Valentine's Day."
"This is going to be the happiest one I've had in a long time, just knowing you're there."
Hayley's heart melted. "Patrick, that's so sweet!" He always made her feel so good, so loved even though they had yet to say the "L" word to each other. "This is the first Valentine's Day I've ever looked forward to."
"You didn't look forward to them when you were married?" Patrick asked.
"He rarely remembered it, and if he did he'd promise me a gift and never actually give me one."
"That's awful. A sweet lady like you deserves candy and flowers. That's what I'll do. I'll send you flowers at work. That way you'll remember me."
"How could I ever forget someone as wonderful as you?"
"Well, you never know," Patrick teased. "Some hot young stud could come along and turn your head."
"Never," Hayley replied. "You're the only man I want."
"That's good, because I don't think I want to share you." The phone beeped. "I have a call coming in, sweetie," Patrick said. "Probably my boss finally remembering to tell me where this load's going. I'll talk to you tomorrow, or online later if I stop early enough. Okay?"
"Okay. Drive safe."
"Always. Bye."
"Bye."
The call disconnected, and Hayley closed her cell. She closed her eyes for a moment and could feel Patrick's arms around her, his lips against hers. It had been two weeks since they'd seen each other; he'd been on the road or visiting his family since then. It wasn't that Hayley minded Patrick's being on the road. She knew he loved driving, and was happy for him that he had a job that meant so much to him. She knew how important his family was to him, too. She just wished they had more time together. But no matter how much or how little time they had, Patrick was worth it.
Valentine's Day was only two days away. She and Patrick had planned a romantic night, starting with dinner at the kind of restaurant Hayley had only seen in movies. She'd hated going out to eat with her ex-husband; he was always rude to the servers, and his table manners made orangutans look civilized. Their meals out had been confined to fast food places and buffets. Patrick wanted to give her more.
They would still have their romantic night, of course. Patrick would make sure of that. He treated her so well, always doing little things like helping her on with her coat or holding doors for her. And sometimes bigger things, like planning dinners or fixing her car so she wouldn't have to pay a mechanic. Hayley knew that their Valentine plans weren't canceled, just delayed, but even so it was hard to think about spending Valentine's Day without her man.
Over the next two days, Hayley and Patrick talked several times. She almost never called him when he was on the road; it was impossible to know whether he was driving, eating, or sleeping. But he called her when he could, or instant messaged her if he happened to find a wireless signal when she was online. Being apart was hard, but they made it work by keeping in touch. It was fortunate that on this run, he seemed to have plenty of time and good cell and wireless signals. The conversations were short but sweet, and Patrick ended each one with, "I miss you."
Valentine's Day morning, Hayley got up and went through her normal morning routine. She considered wearing red to work, since most of her students probably would, but decided against it. She'd never been a big fan of Valentine's Day, and even though this year it was better because of Patrick, she still didn't feel like celebrating.
At the high school where she taught, lockers were decorated with paper hearts and flowers. Couples kissed and hugged in the halls, and several girls walked around with armfuls of flowers. "It's a love-fest," Hayley complained to her co-teachers once she finally made it through the halls into her classroom.
"It's Valentine's Day, Hayley," Jim said. "Time for love and affection."
"And chocolate," Casey added, popping a truffle into her mouth. "Not that I need it, but it tastes so good! You're going out with Patrick tonight, right?"
She hadn't told her coworkers about the change in plans. "No, he got sent out on a run a couple days ago and won't make it back on time. We'll see each other this weekend, probably."
"That's too bad," Jim said. "It would have been nice if you'd gotten to see him on Valentine's Day."
"Yeah, but he'll make up for it." Hayley pasted a smile on her face. "It's okay. That's what I get for dating a trucker."
"He sounds like such a nice guy, though," Casey said. "I'm sure he'll do something special for you when he gets back."
"Yeah. And he said he might send me flowers today."
"That would be nice," Casey said. "Just figure out how to explain it to the kids. You know they'll want to know where the flowers came from."
"I'll just tell them they're from a friend."
Hayley waited all day to be paged to the office, but the call never came. Patrick must have forgotten to send the flowers, or maybe he just hadn't had a chance. Hayley tried not to be bothered by it, but it wasn't like Patrick not to do something when he'd said he would.
At the end of the day, Hayley drove home debating whether to order pizza or Chinese for supper. When she got home, she changed into her pajamas and called her favorite Chinese restaurant. Five minutes later, the doorbell rang. It couldn't be the food already; who was it?
Hayley opened the door and was met by a large bouquet of flowers, held by a delivery man whose face was hidden by the blooms. "Delivery," he said in a voice that was more a cough.
Even disguised, the voice was instantly recognizable to Hayley. "Patrick?"
"Aw, how'd you know it was me?" He lowered the bouquet and revealed his smile. "Happy Valentine's Day, honey."
