CHAPTERTHREE
For the first three weeks, Joy immersed herself in her new position. It wasn’t particularly difficult, but she wanted to have a grasp on every facet of the company’s operations. The employees were a wealth of information, but one stood out as the most helpful ... Adam.
Their conversations often carried beyond the work-related topic at hand. She didn’t mind. It was never anything heavy, overly personal, or private. They just got along unexpectedly well. And like Vicki continuously reminded her, he was very pleasing on the eyes ... intoxicatingly so.
His interest in her was obvious. In fact, she noticed it the minute they met. He wasn’t afraid to flirt with her, and soon she was playing along.
“Good morning. I bring caffeine,” Adam announced, stepping into her office.
Joy’s face brightened the second she heard his voice. “Thank you. What’s the occasion?”
“You’ve made it exactly three weeks in Alaska without bailing out. Congrats.”
“I couldn’t have done it without the helpful crew here. Speaking of which, do you still have time to go over those regular drop shipment schedules today? It would be good to see if we can consolidate some of those flights.”
“Well, that could be the other reason I brought you coffee. To beg forgiveness. I’m going to be tied up all day at the hangar with aircraft maintenance inspections.”
“Maybe over lunch? It won’t take long. You have to eat after all.”
“I’ll be working through lunch.”
“Aw, really? You’re going to stand me up?” she said, realizing she was disappointed on more than one level about missing out on their usual meeting.
Then she noticed his expression suddenly change. He seemed almost mischievous.
“But since you brought up food, how about we catch up later today? I’ll swing by and pick you up around six,” he said and suddenly glanced at his phone. “Sorry but I have to run. See you later, at six.”
“Wait, but I, we, really shouldn’t …” She called out after him, but it was too late. He had already slipped away. Meeting over lunch was one thing. But meeting outside of the office? Over dinner? That was out of the ordinary for her. She felt it was crossing an invisible boundary, even if it was a self-imposed boundary.
She was distracted for the rest of the day. The more she reminded herself, it was just another professional meeting. The more she remembered, it was a Friday, and Adam was picking her up for dinner. And the more she wondered how it all happened.
But she harbored a little secret. Maybe she could just pretend ... even for a few minutes ... that it was something more than a meeting. After all, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d been on a date. Sure, it was a childish fantasy but harmless all the same. She decided to go home early and get ready.
“Finally, you’re cutting out of here a little early on a Friday. Any big plans?” Vicki asked.
Joy froze like a deer in the headlights. She could just say she had nothing planned. But in a small town like Polar Point, she’d likely be spotted out with Adam. And the last thing she wanted to do was make it appear as if she was concealing her meeting with him.
Joy cleared her throat and spoke quietly. “Big plans? No. I’m meeting Adam later. We’re going to go over his drop shipment schedules. I want to streamline them, if possible.”
“Oh? Fantastic. I was wondering what was taking him so long. Have a nice date,” Vicki replied. She waved and disappeared around the corner.
“It’s just a meeting for work,” Joy called out after her. Now she had questions. What did she mean about what took him so long? Was this his MO for getting dates with his co-workers? How many times did he play this game?
She stepped briskly after Vicki, nearly bumping into her.
“I ... I’d appreciate it if we can just keep this between us. But really, this isn’t a date. You don’t think Adam would think it is, do you? I mean, does he date women from work? Because the last thing I want to do is give him mixed messages.”
“I can’t say I’ve ever heard if he has … or hasn’t. I’m just saying that you two get along so well. I would like to see the two of you enjoy yourselves. Besides, I don’t see any harm in a little office romance. In fact, I met my husband here forty years ago when the company was just getting started.”
“Well, I never thought I’d hear an HR manager give me that advice. But regardless, I’m not dating anyone from work. Not even Adam.”
Vicki smiled, gave her a little shrug, and walked away without saying another word on the matter.
Joy immediately went home, showered, and even shaved her legs. She convinced herself that although it was purely a professional meeting, she wanted to at least secretly toy with the harmless fantasy of going on a date.
After deciding on a floral print dress, she opted to wear her long red hair down, two things nobody at work would have seen her do ... casual yet dressy enough to go on a date.
Just as she began to worry that her choices could send the wrong signal to Adam, she heard him pull into the driveway. She caught a glimpse of him walking up to the house, and he also seemed to have put some effort into dressing nicer. At least something nicer than his usual jeans and tight-fitting company tee-shirt she was used to seeing him in.