Page 9
THE MEMORY FLICKERED, and played in my head like an old movie, bringing to the fore a rush of feelings I remembered feeling that night. I admonished myself for replaying it, trying desperately not to hope against all hopes that Caleb still remembered me. He’d said my name earlier, when we were outside, and had I not been so surprised to bump into him – literally – the possibility that he knew exactly who I was might have crossed my mind. But it was foolish. I was foolish.
I shook my head at my reflection, and started removing my blouse when the bathroom door swung open. Aaliyah appeared with some folded clothes, a pair of heels and a small make-up bag.
“Wow,” she giggled, coming to stand beside me. “Caleb wasn’t kidding when he said you looked like a hot mess.”
“He said that?” Hiding the disbelief from my voice wasn’t going to happen. It didn’t sound like something this Caleb would say. He seemed a little too professional for that.
“Not in so many words,” replied Aaliyah, “But I could read between the lines.”
I looked down. “I’m so embarrassed.”
With a snort, Aaliyah waved me off, and handed me the clothing in her hands. “Anthony and Julian send this with love,” she winked, “Now go change.”
I took the garments from her outstretched hand and stepped into the cubicle. Getting rid of my own clothes felt remarkably good, like I was getting a do-over on my perfectly disastrous start to the day. I dressed quickly, and when I opened the cubicle door, Aaliyah turned to face me, a wide grin on her face.
She whistled. “Well hello gorgeous.”
“Does it look okay?” I asked, running my fingers down the front of the silky top, and pleated slacks. It was a stunning outfit, and I shuddered just thinking about what it would cost to buy.
“You look ready to rule the world,” she mused. “It’s a good thing we don’t have many single men on our floor, because I think you could easily become a distraction around here.”
I rolled my eyes, and went about putting the heels on my feet, and fixing my hair. I used my fingers to comb it out, and then carefully braided it to the side. Aaliyah passed me some mascara, and a nude gloss to coat my lips.
When I was satisfied, I thanked Aaliyah for her help and went back into the office. She stopped me right before I headed towards my desk.
“So Annabelle and I are heading to a bar after work tonight, you’re coming with.”
“I am?”
I’d been in the city for a few weeks now, and had yet to spend a night out. I didn’t know anybody – not anymore at least – and the thought of getting to know some of my colleagues was appealing.
“Yes. I hope you like Mexican, and by that I mean Margarita’s.”
“Sounds like fun,” I replied with a laugh, and finally got back to work. I got caught up on all my emails, and after explaining to Macy what had happened, I started on the new list of tasks she had for me.
I was half way through the list when my email dinged with a new message, and when I saw who it had come from I looked twice to make sure I wasn’t imagining it.
T0: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: (none)
Ms. Kavanagh
I wanted to apologize for my brash behavior this morning. You caught me at a bad time. Also, thank you for your notes.
P.S Welcome to Callahan Industries
Kind Regards,
Caleb Callahan
C.E.O
I read the message three times, and then scowled at the screen; maybe not so much at the screen as the disappointment I felt. I squashed it quickly, and rather than respond to his message, I moved it to the “other” file in my mailbox and chose to forget about it. He would receive a notification that I’d read his email, and that would be response enough.
IT HAD BEEN a long day and Aaliyah, Annabelle and I were sitting at a tall table in a Mexican restaurant two blocks from our office. It was filled to the brim, people enjoying the increasing warmth of summer and delicious Mexican food outside, while the rest of us socialized by the bar. We were each on our second round of Margaritas, and I was starting to feel the effects of the alcohol. My limbs were warm, and relaxed, and I was thoroughly enjoying Aaliyah and Annabelle’s company.
