I glance down at Caleb’s face and see that he does look affected.His jaw is tight, his breathing slightly elevated, though I suspect it has less to do with the photo and more to do with my proximity.But he doesn’t correct Joshua’s assumption.
“She’s very attractive,” he says neutrally, his voice rough.
A hard knot forms in my belly at his non-denial.I straighten up quickly, removing my hands from his shoulders, and the loss of contact feels like a physical shock.
“Well,” I say briskly, “I’m sure you’ll charm her this afternoon.”
Iris looks between us with a slight frown.“It’s a professional meeting.We’re there to finalize event logistics, not to?—”
“Of course,” I interrupt.“Very professional.”
But as Iris walks away and Joshua returns to his desk, I can’t shake the irritation building in my chest.The way Joshua teased him about having a crush.The way Caleb didn’t deny it.
Not that I care.I don’t care at all.
By three-thirty, an idea has formed, a particularly satisfying way to get back at Caleb for this morning’s parking spot and chair sabotage.I spend the last half hour of work timing everything perfectly, watching the clock, waiting for the right moment.
First, I make my preliminary move.
“Iris?”I approach her office, where she’s reviewing some files.“Quick question about this afternoon’s meeting.If something came up and only one of us could attend, would that be a problem?”
She looks up from her papers, considering.“Well, you’re both familiar with the project details.As long as whoever goes can speak to all the logistics, it should be fine.Why?”
“Just thinking about contingencies,” I say casually.“You know how unpredictable things can be.”
“Smart thinking.Either of you could handle it alone if needed.”She goes back to her files.“Just make sure Marina gets all the information she needs.”
Perfect.
At three forty-five, I make my real move.
“Caleb?”I call out as he’s checking something on his phone.“Can you meet me in Conference Room B for a quick pre-meeting strategy session?I want to go over the craftsmen timeline once more before we see Marina.”
He glances at his watch.“We need to leave in ten minutes.”
“This will only take five,” I say sweetly, gathering my notes and laptop.“I just want to make sure we’re presenting a united front.You know how important first impressions are.”
He frowns, looking between me and our desks.“Can’t we just discuss this here?We’re literally sitting three feet apart.”
“Too many distractions,” I say quickly, gesturing vaguely at the office around us.“I want to focus without Joshua interrupting every five minutes or Flora offering us her oatmeal cookies.”
As if summoned by her name, Flora looks up from her desk with a bright smile.“Do either of you want the cookies?I have a lot left over.”
“See?”I say to Caleb, trying not to laugh at the perfect timing.“Exactly what I mean.”
He still looks skeptical but follows me toward the conference room.“What specifically do you want to go over?The timeline seems pretty straightforward.”
“Just some details about the craftsmen coordination,” I say, opening the door to Conference Room B and gesturing for him to enter first.“I want to make sure we don’t step on each other’s talking points.”
He walks into the room and settles into one of the chairs around the oval table, still looking skeptical.“Alright, but we really do need to make this quick.”
“Of course,” I agree, moving toward the whiteboard and picking up a marker.“Wouldn’t want to be late.”
I start drawing what looks like a timeline on the board, complete with dates and arrows, taking my time to make it look legitimate.“So I was thinking we should present the heritage angle first...”
“Eve,” Caleb says, tapping his fingers on the table.“Can we speed this up?This is all stuff we’ve already discussed.”
“Just want to be thorough,” I reply, adding more unnecessary details to my fake timeline.“You know how much is riding on this meeting.”
