Months later, our employer was hosting the yearly "company retreat," where we would all gather at a farm house in a remote region of California, Ojai. The buzz was that everyone would be there this year and that there were some new events that would bring us all closer together. Excited, I wondered if Zora would attend, but I did not have the guts to ask her.

As a company, we spent 3 days at an amazing horse-ranch, doing team building activities, and late at night, we would travel back to our in-town hotel. The leadership team got to stay at the Ranch, but us common-folk were put up in a hotel several miles away, in a quaint little town. The hotel was on a cute little strip of stores and shops, with a charming small-town vibe that we had a chance to explore in the mornings.

I remember that first day, we arrived at the hotel and settled in, then we all hitched rides to the Ranch with the folks that brought their cars. We did our first ice-breaker day, with a few "getting to know you" activities. Zora was there, but we were never really grouped up, so I had to admire her from afar.

After the Ranch, my co-workers and I met back at the hotel around the swimming pool. Some of us had hit the shops in town earlier that day, and brought some wine to the pool, where we all sat around, just blowing off steam. A few of us were in the pool, some of us were sitting on the edge, and many of us were sitting at the tables and chairs around the pool.

I remember participating in some great conversations while chilling there. Honestly though, I was not even going to hang at the pool, but I had caught wind that Zora might show up, so I forced myself to attend. I still remember sitting there, feet in the pool, and seeing Zora walk around the pool and sit in a chair near me.

Forrest and I were in a conversation about his love life and our general philosophies about love. He was sharing his dating stories, and I was sharing my lack thereof. I was telling him about how I am looking for the right woman, because I want her to be the one and only for me. Zora was there, casually listening, and then out of no where, she chimed in, and engaged me directly about my perspective. She was very interested in hearing about my point of view.

We conversed there for quite some time, until it was extremely late. The next day was supposed to be the "main day", where we did all of the real team-building activities, and it was going to start early. Being adults, we all decided that it was best if we all got to bed, alone, so that we could be ready for the challenges of the next day. Of course, I thought about Zora all night, especially her interest in my love philosophy.

Day two of the retreat was a blast. We got there early, and some of us ate breakfast together. The day flew by, mostly because I was thinking about talking with Zora some more, hopefully, that night. I remember being broken up into groups a number of times, and once again, I was not on her team. Despite that, I sped through the day, focused on my goal, to chat more with Zora.

Later that night, we all stayed at the Ranch, and were able to partake in some of the cool things it had to offer. There were horses on the property, a lime grove, a giant pool, a huge grill area with a wood-fire stove, a party area near the fire, basketball, tennis, a petting zoo (for farm animals), and several other amenities. Most of us spent at least a little time at most of these attractions.

Before we all settled down for the night, some of us hung out in the house, Zora and I included. I remember some of us doing Sudoku, and some of us being super competitive with it. Zora was interested but said she did not really know how. I spent some time with her, showing her the basics, all the while enjoying the one-on-one time we were spending. She took to it like a fish to water and in no time at all, she was finishing her puzzles before even me!

We did some more "small group" activities in the house with some of our closer team members. It is embarrassing to admit, but for most of the free-time hours, I was following Zora around like a lost puppy dog, hoping I could engage with her as much as possible. Later that night, almost all of us wound up near the wood-fire stove and party area.

We all sat around, swapping stories about work, life, love, and any number of other topics while we all dined on grilled goodies. Mixed drinks and beer were passed out like candy, and we were all having a good time. Zora and I were of course talking the whole time, mostly because I was following her. She mentioned that she wanted some s'mores but did not really know how to make them.

Of course, I snuck away to the wood-fire stove. On the way I grabbed marsh mellows, chocolate, and gram crackers. There were people "trying" to make s'mores over the fire but not the way I would. Instead of asking one of them to make it, I did my own thing, standing at a safe distance, with a really long stick for the marsh mellows. Nobody had done it that way, and after I left the area with my completed s'mores, I saw most of them copying me.

Zora was so happy when I handed her a s'more and a drink! I remember her smile in every detail. The whole area just lit up when that grin appeared on her face. It was almost like her smile sparked new life into everyone's conversation, and the energy of the party started to boom... at least for me. My heart melted again.

The next day I realized how enamored I truly was with her. I reflected on how strong I was coming on, and how silly I must have looked just following her around all day and night. Embarrassed, I put the brakes on a little.

This was the last day of the retreat. As a company, we decided to meet at the Ranch, and catch the shuttle to the airport. Luckily, Zora and I were both on the shuttle, but so were a lot of other people. With the brakes on, and the crowd, I clammed up, and barely talked with her. I wound up spending most of the time playing games with a few members from my team. With a quick goodbye, Zora was again whisked away to NYC, and I was slung back to Las Vegas.

Registry

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