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“Right,”Lydia said, eyeballing the handsome architect that had just appeared on the other side of the room. “I know why you’re really going over there.”
“It’s called networking,” Erik whispered. “You should try it. Might make you feel better.”
“Excuse me for bringing the vibe down.” Despite her sullen mood, she conjured a smile, which Erik returned before making his way across the room. He was right. She couldn’t stay frustrated and annoyed forever. She’d just have to get over it. And maybe she’d do that. Tomorrow. Today she only had to last one more hour; then she could pack up and flee this reception room. She even had the afternoon off from work as a reward. Her phone buzzed and she dug it out of her pocket. Luke had been texting her on and off all morning, keeping her entertained as she complained, first, about forgetting about the mixer, and then second, about being stuck at the mixer.
She bit her lip, wondering if she was being selfish, smiling down at his texts, indulging their conversations beyond just a trainer and a trainee. But they were friends, weren’t they?Friends don’t repeatedly fall into bed together. That day in Luke’s apartment flashed back in bits and pieces. Again, she’d told herself that it hadn’t counted as breaking their rule, that it didn’t mean anything, because she didn’t want to hurt Luke, who’d been nothing but good to her as a trainer, as a friend, and...whatever else they sometimes were.
They’d both just been so disappointed, so sad, that they’d gravitated toward each other that day like magnets. Comfort was all they were after, nothing more. Thankfully, Luke seemed to have understood that. They both knew the marathon was only two months away. They both knew where their focus needed to be, and they hadn’t spoken of that day since. So she didn’t know why she hadn’t been able to shake the memories of what they’d gotten up to.
Training, she thought. Focus on the training. She was gearing up to run fifteen miles this weekend. Each run was getting longer and harder, requiring more of her focus and attention. She felt sort of bad because she’d been spending more time with Luke than anyone else. She wasn’t seeing Ashley as much as she used to, and there was probably some maid of honor thing she was failing at, but one thing at a time. Just focus on the next step you have to take, as Luke would say.
When she looked up from her phone, a young man in a slightly oversized suit was hovering by their table. Lydia shot him what she hoped was an inviting smile. “Hey! Are there any questions I can answer about Poletti’s?”
Now that she’d opened the lines of communication, the man stepped forward. “I’m actually just looking to get a feel for a few different firms.”
“Are you still in school?” Lydia asked, curious.
The man nodded. “My final year. Does Poletti’s do a lot with sustainability?”
“Um...” Lydia started answering. “I can’t say it’s a priority, but we definitely work on the occasional project.” She pointed to their poster. “This one was great. We prioritized a cool roof design to deflect sunlight instead of absorbing it. The building owner was on board with going green, so we focused on renewable energy systems and leaned heavily into solar power.”
“Did you take a lot of courses on sustainable building when you were in school?”
Lydia chuckled. “Oh, so many. I remember doing this course where the professor talked about how green buildings have healthier inhabitants and that really stuck with me. I think it’s part of what made me want to focus on sustainability.”
The man picked up a pamphlet. “I’m glad to see you getting to put all that knowledge into a design.”
The corner of Lydia’s mouth quirked. If he only knew how much of that knowledge she’d poured into her youth center proposal. “Here,” she said, passing him a business card. “If you have any more questions you can reach out to our admin assistant, Kirsten. She’ll put you in touch with someone that can answer them.”
“Awesome, thank you.”
As the man wandered to the next booth, an older woman with curls upon curls of dark hair and green cat-eye glasses approached. In an odd turn of events, she held a business card out to Lydia. “I couldn’t help overhearing,” she said. “You sound like you know what you’re talking about on the sustainability front.”
“It’s definitely one of my passions when it comes to new builds.” Lydia glanced down at the business card. Angela Reeves. Coleman and Associates.
“Do you have a card?” Angela asked.
Lydia touched her pocket out of habit, but realizing that all she had were the generic cards for Poletti’s, she picked one up and scribbled her name on the back.
“Thanks,” Angela said as Lydia handed it over. “We do a lot of work in that area, and if you’re ever interested, I’d be happy to sit down with you and talk about what Coleman and Associates has to offer.”
Lydia opened her mouth, staring down at Angela’s card again, her brows furrowed. “Oh, gosh,” she said. “Thanks, but I’m not currently looking.” Had she been mistaken for a new grad? “I’m actually really happy where I am.”
“Offer doesn’t expire,” Angela said. “Just putting it out there.”
Well, Erikhadtold her to network—though she didn’t think this was exactly the networking he had in mind. “Thanks, Angela. It was good to meet you.”
“Good to meet you too, Lydia,” she said before melting back into the crowd.
Lydia stared at the card long after Angela was gone, and she didn’t know why. She wasn’t looking for another job. She was happy at Poletti’s. Most of the time. The past few weeks had been an anomaly. Things would blow over between her and Jack and the leadership team. Still, her curiosity got the better of her. It couldn’t hurt to take a peek at what the competition was doing.
She googledColeman & Associateson her phone, scrolling through some of the projects listed on their website. It took all of thirty seconds for her to become completely engrossed. She’d seen some of these building designs around the city, marveled at them even. And Angela was right, this company put a big emphasis on sustainability. Lydia was drawn to their About page, and was reading the team bios when a shadow fell across her screen.
“You look like you could use a coffee.”
“Luke?” she said, surprised to find him standing there, holding out a warm paper cup. “What are you doing here?”
“I was volunteering at the youth center. You’re basically down the street. I figured I’d just meet you here and we could head over to the gym together when you’re finished. What time does this wrap up?”
