Erin glances at me, her eyes wide. “She tried to contact me? I don’t have a phone yet.”
“You don’t? I thought you took care of that yesterday.”
“They’re delivering it today or tomorrow. At the office.” Now she’s apparently talking to her hand on the counter. The one without the ring. “I’ll set it up and answer her today.”
“Something interesting on your hand?” I ask, mildly irritated that she isn’t meeting my eyes.
She shoots me a nervous glance before looking away again. “Huh?”
I sigh. “Did something happen?”
“No.” She jumps up and grabs her purse. “I don’t want to be late. Bye!”
Late? I check the time. She’d have to drive ten miles per hour to be late.
But she dashes out. She’s moving so fast that if she put on just a little more speed, she’d be trotting.
What the heck is going on? She’s acting really weird. Maybe she did notice my reaction last night…
Shit.
When I arrive at the office, Erin’s already at her desk. She must’ve driven like Satan’s pet bat to already be checking her email and have taken so many notes.
Although Erin and I are both early, the marketing department is already busy with people putting the final touches on the presentation. Everyone knows how important this is, and how much Alexandra is looking forward to a good outcome. Nothing less than a closed deal will do.
Erin’s skittish, and still hasn’t made eye contact, which isn’t good. Is she going to be like this in the meeting, too?
I want her to be there. It’s going to be a good learning opportunity for her. On the other hand, if she does something that jeopardizes the deal, Alexandra’s going to be furious. I don’t know what the Ivy Foundation people will think if they see that my assistant is refusing to look at me. My grandmother is as protective as a lioness when it comes to her family, but at work, we’d better prove ourselves over and over again. Nobody gets a free ride.
“Erin seems a little distracted,” Gerry says, handing me a memo in the conference room where we’re to have the presentation for the Ivy Foundation. “Is everything okay?”
None of your business pops into my mind, but I control myself. “She’s been working hard on this. Probably just nervous.”
“We all have,” Gerry mutters. His snide tone says, If she can’t handle the pressure, she should stay home.
“What did you say?” I ask sharply.
“I said I hope everything goes well. You know I worked my butt off for this. I don’t want anything to mess it up.”
I merely nod, not wanting to get into an argument right before a big meeting. Something about Gerry rubs me the wrong now and then, but he’s right about working hard. He’s never shirked a task, and he always seeks out more responsibility.
Still, it irks me that he’s acting like Erin’s presence is a net negative for the presentation. So I decide to go ahead and keep her in the meeting.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Erin
All day long, I feel twitchy. David keeps looking at me funny because I’ve never avoided him like this before, but I can’t stop thinking about what he said after the show on TV.
So refusing eye contact with him is your solution?
No. But… I can’t bring myself to meet David’s gaze for long. It’s probably just me being silly, but last night was far worse than the tampon incident.
I skip lunch because I can’t bear the idea of food. Everything in the cafeteria and deli looks gross. But even though I lost my appetite, my stomach starts growling ten minutes before the people from the Ivy Foundation are supposed to show up. And my head decides to start spinning a bit.
I grab a Snickers bar from a vending machine and gobble it down. I tell myself not to get too nervous, since I’m only there to take notes and pass out documents with specific research and data David might need during the presentation. Don’t get too nervous…but this meeting is a big freakin’ deal. The Ivy Foundation is backed by one of the largest conglomerates in Korea, and apparently it’s the chairman’s daughter’s pet project.
When the building’s reception desk calls to let us know that the representatives from the foundation are here, David and I wait for their arrival in front of the elevator. Per my notes, the chairman’s daughter Yuna Hae is going to be here herself.