“We had a packed schedule,” he says, stepping over to stand at my side.
Her attention is forced to me and I extend a hand. “Charlotte Wilde. I work at Flourish.”
The connection sounds hollow now, given everything that’s happened over the last few days, but Noah isn’t introducing me as anything else, and there doesn’t seem to be a reason to lie to her.
“Wow,” she says, shaking my hand. “That’s so nice. I’m Megan.”
I bob my head and rock back on my heels.
“It is. Nice that is.”
Barely acknowledging my response, she turns back to Noah.
“Your mom is going to be so stinkin’ jealous that I bumped into you.”
Stinkin’? It takes everything I have to keep from making a face as she continues.
“We’ve been trying to get together for brunch forages.Our schedules are so packed and we always seem to miss each other.”
Noah bobs his head. “Yes. She’s incredibly busy. But, we actually went and had lunch with her on Friday.”
“Oh?”
I’d have to be dead to miss the disgruntled surprise in her tone, and even then it might seep six feet deep.
“Yes.”
The three of us stand here for a stretch of uncomfortable silence, and then everything happens all at once. The line moves forward, prompting me to say, “I’m going to grab that lemonade now,” and Noah’s phone trills causing him to say, “I’ve got to take this,” before he even looks at the phone.
Megan’s face is frozen in an uncomfortable grin but she nods at Noah as he ducks away. I wave at her as I turn, but she either doesn’t see or chooses to ignore it. Instead, she steps into line next to me.
“Charlotte, was it?”
I have to bite my tongue to keep from laughing at this woman turning green before my eyes. No one forgets a name that quickly.
“Yes.”
“How long have you and Noah… . . . worked together?”
I shake my head and turn back to her, a light frown forming. “Uh, a little over a month.”
“Wow. You two already seem so close.”
“He’s a great boss,” I say, stepping up with the line as it moves.
“What sort of position do you have that puts you on business trips with the CFO? Kind of a big job.”
I plaster a smile.
“I’m his assistant for a new project. Recently promoted, but I’m directly under him. Where he goes, I go. If he says he wants me to come, I come.”
I know I could have chosen a different set of words to answer her question, something that would have dismissed whatever this is, but the look on her face makes it worth it. She blinks a few times before regaining the fake-ass smile she’s been touting.
“Well, what a lucky chance for you to land such a promotion like that. Noah is great. We go way back. We can’t wait for him to make his way back to LA. I was just talking with Brad, you know, one of the owners, and he mentioned some incredible opportunities for growth out here. Make sure you learn everything you can, because I’m sure you’ll be running things up in Portland without our Noah soon enough.”
Given that this morning I had all but settled in my decision to end things, there’s no reason for me to engage in whatever game she’s trying to play. But I’m bothered by her name dropping. Not to mention her gross, deliberate use of “ourNoah.”
“I think you’re underestimating his commitment.”
