“Should I ask about your brother-in-law’s thoughts on this?”
“He’ll get over the offensive line thing. Too many injuries. Fashion design is safer.”
“How does your sister feel about the change of plans?”
Stephen waves me off. “We didn’t include her in the conversation. What mothers don’t know won’t hurt them.”
I smile, looking at my screen and seeing an email from Beth Willis, subject line: Best Cannoli. Yes, sometimes it might be better to keep mothers in the dark. I mean, I’m sure her recipe is good, but I personally believe I’ve found the best.
It’s then I see the email from Neil Butler, our supervisor in London.
My stomach twists as my cursor hovers over his name. “Is it the Neil email you’re talking about?”
Stephen nods.
“What does it say?”
“Who am I? Your assistant?” he asks.
“Well, technically, yes.”
“The email is to both of us. He wants to have a conference call with us and HR in London tomorrow. He needs confirmation that we can both be on the call.”
Instead of opening the email, I lean back in the chair. “Do you think this is good or bad?”
“I guess it depends on your definition of those evaluations.”
When Stephen turns his chair with his back to me, I remember the text I sent him. “Hey, you never returned my text message.”
“Yes, I did.”
I pull out my phone and see that the sound is still muted from Trevor’s and my no-plans weekend. Scrolling, I find Stephen’s response:
“MY MOM SAYS HI BACK. SHE SAID SHE MISSED SEEING YOU. WHAT SECRET?”
The time stamp is this morning.
When I look up, he’s staring at me from the corner of his eye.
“You finally replied...this morning?”
“I’ve been a little busy. You just read it...this morning.”
“What aren’t you telling me?”
He spins my direction with an exaggerated exhale. “A lot and it’s killing me. I’m sorry. But your plate is a little full, and I wanted you to concentrate on your weekend with Mr. Sexy, you know, when you aren’t thinking about here. You don’t need to think about me.”
“Stephen, that’s not how friendship works. You know what’s happening with me.”
His eyebrows dance. “Bunny-rabbit sex.” He sits taller. “How did he like the negligee? He didn’t think it was too forward, did he? Oh, do tell.”
Warmth fills not only my cheeks but my body as I recall Trevor’s private fashion show and what came after it. “He thought it was okay.”
“No way. Okay was not that man’s assessment.”
My grin grows larger. “He seemed to like it, a lot.”
“And not too forward?”
I shrug. “The negligee wasn’t. I might have been...that time.”
He picks up a small tablet from the top of his desk and begins to fan himself. “Save the details for lunch. Give me something to look forward to.”
“No details. Use your imagination.”
“I’ll save that until lunch, too. Otherwise I won’t be able to concentrate.”
I turn back to my computer screen. “Are you free tomorrow at nine? That’s a good time for both time zones.”
After Stephen checks his schedule, we both agree on nine-thirty, and I reply to Mr. Butler.
“Stephen,” Vicky says, leaning her head through the doorway. “We need you in conference room four.”
“What’s happening in conference room four?” I ask after she’s gone.
“If I’m lucky, it’ll be an announcement that Saks is expanding into men’s lingerie.” When he stands, he goes on, “You know...Speedo-esque, G-strings, and thongs for men.”
“Those are on the market.”
His grin grows as he grabs his tablet to leave. “Preaching to the choir.”
Once he’s gone, I sit back and spend the next three hours replying to emails and fighting fires across the Atlantic. While Stephen and I have been in New York, our positions have remained vacated in London. It isn’t like the junior department ceased to exist simply because we were on another continent.
Some of the emails deserved one response while others create a complicated string with attachments and multiple copies.
As the last fire begins to sputter out, I lean back and sigh. It’s a strange sensation, or should I say a recently unfamiliar one. It feels good to make decisions and be in charge. I didn’t realize how much I missed what we’d accomplished in juniors. In the two years we’ve been in our positions, Stephen and I have made a name for ourselves. For a few hours on Monday morning, I was reminded of what that was like.
I look up toward the door as Stephen returns with Vicky by his side. “Shana, don’t forget,” she says, “meeting at one-thirty with purchasing.”
I click on the folder on my desktop to retrieve the data I’ve prepared. “I’m ready. See you then,” I say, trying my most un-bitchy voice.
“I won’t be there. I’m sure you can handle it.”
And with that, she’s gone.
“That woman hates me.”
“I think she’s scared of you,” Stephen offers.
“What was your meeting about?”
“Well, it wasn’t about branching into men’s sexy attire.” When I don’t respond, he continues. “It was about the sales website. They want to spice up the way customers can see the products online.”
“You know, we don’t have to be a team. You have so much to offer beyond me.”
“Are you trying to get rid of me, just as we’re about to go to lunch and discuss our crazy-sexed weekends?”
“I’d never want to get rid of...” I process his words. “Wait. What did you just say? You had a crazy sexed-up weekend at your parents’ house?”
He tilts his head toward the door. “Come on. I’m starving.”
The clock on my computer says I have an hour and fifteen minutes until my meeting. “I need to be back a little after one.”
Stephen nods.
“If we don’t have time for all your details, this conversation is extending to after work.”
“Sorry, boss lady, you only get me during working hours. Tonight, I have a date.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Trevor
Shana stares at me pointedly as we sit across the table from one another at a quaint little pub near my apartment. Truth be told, I’ve exhausted my repertoire of cooking skills and people can only eat so much pizza. Thankfully, we had Kimbra’s cooking yesterday, and Shana has offered more than once to cook, but my cupboards are bare. And I’d rather spend time with Shana doing things other than shopping for groceries.
“He said you knew. Why didn’t you say anything?” she asks.
“Why didn’t I say anything?”
Shana’s lips come together as her eyes widen.
“You’re asking me why I didn’t say anything to you about Max still being in town.”