“What’s your impression of her?”
Apparently satisfied with Alex’s decision to drop the ignorance, Stephanie sat back and took a pensive sip of her drink. Wishing she’d hurry it along, Alex willed herself to be patient.
“She’s obviously competent at her job,” she decided after a beat. “As far as I can tell, she gets along with everybody, but I’ve never caught her socializing inappropriately.”
Is that the measure of the person? Whether they’re distracted or chatty at work?
“And Linda doesn’t hate her,” she added as if that was the highest compliment the HR manager could pay.
Alex sipped her co ee, wishing Stephanie had o ered more on her own without her prodding. “Those don’t sound like glowing commendations.”
“What more could you want from an employee?”
Stephanie’s question was a challenge, as if she wanted Alex to admit there was more to her inquiry than job performance. She debated whether to confide in her about the mutual attraction between her and Charlotte. Would she understand? Stephanie and Charlotte were nearly the same age. Would she point out that Alex could be her mother? The acidity of the co ee burned in her stomach.
“Your personal life is your own of course, but…” she hesitated, an uncharacteristic move. “Can I be brutally honest?”
Alex tried to swallow but the lump in her throat was an impassible boulder. She shifted in her seat and crossed her legs instead.
Accepting Alex’s silence as a signal to speak, Stephanie barreled forward. “It’s an objectively bad idea to get romantically involved with any employee.”
You’ve been giving this some thought , Alex decided but didn’t say. She’d started down this path and now she’d get what she asked for.
Stephanie continued, gathering confidence as she straightened. “Even if by some miracle you can carry on without anyone noticing and complaining of special treatment or favors based on your personal relationship.”
Her tone made it clear that it was a big if . “What are the chances you’re going to live happily ever after? If it doesn’t work out, and there are hard feelings, could she sue you?
Would she? And let’s say you wanted something serious, and to avoid all this you asked her to find another job so you wouldn’t have a conflict. . . is that right?”
The honesty was more brutal than Alex anticipated. How long had Stephanie been thinking about this? What had she noticed between them? An energy? Had the dinner and gift been so strange?
Stephanie cleared her throat. She was an airplane roaring down the tarmac. “I don’t think—”
Alex’s attention snapped to Stephanie’s face. She regretted the twitch in her jaw but was grateful Stephanie picked up on the fact that she’d reached her truth limit.
Stephanie relaxed back into her seat, accepting that the floor was closed. “Should I call Nosh then? Tell them we’re accepting their bid?”
Nodding, Alex crossed caterer o her list. Half an hour later, Stephanie slipped out of her o ce armed with a handful of tasks.
In the sudden emptiness, Alex was aware of being alone.
The things on her to-do list were no longer urgent, even with the planning deadline looming.
Pulling o the reading glasses she’d only just stopped resenting, Alex stood and stretched her lower back.
Stephanie’s few words swirled around in her mind and twisted in her guts. They worked like a propeller, clearing the fog that had compromised her judgment.
She set her sights on the palm tree lined golf course outside her window, but her mind was a thousand miles away. What had made her so willing to take such a risk? It was reckless.
Charlotte wasn’t the first pretty face that had caught her attention, though it had been a long time since she’d connected with anyone. Despite her chosen profession, Alex didn’t need people. Not really. But that didn’t stop her thoughts from drifting to Charlotte. The sound of her voice.
The curve of her lips. All were enticing, but her quick mind and boldness really made it hard to stop thinking about her.
Alex turned away from the window and picked up her phone. She shot o a text to a friend. Happy hour might help f
orget the misguided attraction.
CHAPTER 14